When we confidently accept the truth or actuality of something, this trust or acceptance can be called a belief. Sometimes a belief is positive and strengthening, giving us comfort in times of trouble. The strongest and most deeply rooted trust becomes faith and through this faith our lives can flourish, no matter what our circumstances. Martin Luther King made his historic “Let Freedom Ring” speech in 1963, stirring the hearts of listeners and igniting the Civil Rights Movement with the words “With this faith we will be free one day….” Such is the profound power of belief.
Where we can run into problems is when our beliefs don’t actually support us. Sometimes beliefs are simply words that we heard at an impressionable age that had a strong emotional punch behind them. When you were a kid, if someone yelled at you when you tried to stick your hand in a lighted oven, chances are you came to believe that hot temperatures will burn you. This is of course a supportive belief because hot temperatures will burn you.
Now maybe one day an important adult in your young life, probably one who cared a lot about you, didn’t take kindly to some creative activity of yours. Like breaking the window accidentally with your softball or cutting off a piece of a fancy tablecloth to make a dress for your doll. So what if you then heard a very emotional statement like this, “How could you’ve done that? How stupid can you be?” And all your life in the back of your mind you’ve held the small but potent belief that you are, in fact, stupid?
Remember, our impressionable minds are like sponges when we are young and we very much want to please the ones we love by learning what they tell us. Even when what they tell us is something they didn’t mean for us to learn. Somewhere
in our minds is a data processing center that contains data in the form of beliefs that may be outmoded and in some instances harmful.
Our beliefs about our health can be important to identify for the same reasons. What if you often heard the words, “People in our family don’t live to be very old.” Or “Everyone in this house always gets a cold the first time our neighbor sneezes.” Maybe these words were said in such a way that it made a powerful impression on you and to this day you believe those things. While there may be some important information to clarify and address within this type of statement, our belief can also be investing truth in something that might not actually be true.
Take a moment to write down some things about your health that you believe. Examine those statements and try to recall how you came to believe them. In the light of all you now know to be true, are these beliefs valid? What do they tell you about yourself that you might want to investigate further? Do they support you in your health or are they limiting?
How Could you re-state the beliefs you listed so they would be even more supportive? This is called re-framing and always includes some emotion and intentionality. Do you actually believe the statements you re-framed?
Carey O’Rielly DDS has been a practicing dentist for 35 years. He went to USC Dental School and Duke University for his undergraduate degree. He grew up in Laguna Beach and now lives in La Costa with his wife Victoria, who runs his office.
He began his career by owning and operating a network of six offices in the San Francisco Bay Area. Presently he owns a private holistic practice in North County San Diego’s Encinitas.
Dr. O started looking for solutions to his health challenges that resulted from the stress and environmental toxicity that built up over a ten year period running his dental network. He has dedicated himself to learning about oral systemic problems and how dentistry can affect your health. He has applied what he has learned over the last twenty years to ensure he, his staff and his patients are protected from the chemicals and toxic materials found in most dental offices. He has produced an environmentally friendly office that is also peaceful and calm.
He is an expert on dental materials having looked at hundreds of biocompatibility lab tests over the years. He has identified the most bio-friendly materials to use in his practice and which dental materials can be used to replace metal fillings and crowns, including BPA free and fluoride free ‘white’ fillings. He also uses metal-free Zirconia or ceramic implants and PRF (platelet-rich fibrin) grafting materials which come from the patient’s own blood.
Dr. O’Rielly teaches C.E. courses on the systemic effects of gum disease. He is an expert in using phase contrast microscopy for analyzing dental infections, where he shows patients what kind of microbes, i.e. bacteria, amoeba, and yeasts like candida are populating the mouth and affecting the body as a whole.
He has an educational blog and is writing a book on dental health called ‘Hidden Dental Infections: Healing Root Canals and Infected Teeth with the Erbium Laser’ where he discusses dental nutrition, toxic dental materials and the effects of old root canals on inflammation and overall health.
