The Core 4
Long-term exposure to the fight-or-flight response convinces the brain to accept this survival chemistry as normal. The result is basic body rhythms become altered to prevent the stress response from ever shutting down. This health-destroying state is called, Adrenaline Dominance.
Dr. Scott Monk
To get back in balance, four major categories of health must be examined. I call them the Core 4—Genetics, Emotions, Lifestyle, and Chemistry. These are general concepts and are not new. For thousands of years, health practitioners on all continents have looked at the works of the heavens above and nature below and have clearly seen that there were cycles, rhythms, and balance. Day and night, hot and cold, male and female, birth and death, etc. Health too, they realized, was directly related to balance: food, water, exercise, and rest. Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.”
These observations were described and formalized into systems of healing by many cultures throughout the ancient past. In modern times, scientists looked deep into the inner workings of body chemistry and found that the balance observed and described in the outside world was a hundredfold more on the inside. It was also learned how this balance was achieved within the nucleus of every cell through genes located on sections of DNA. We now understand that the expression of bad genes can be prevented through behavioral and lifestyle choices. This is called the epigenetic effect and is reason why the category of Genetics is included as one of the Core 4.
In my office I have a 4’ X 6’ poster displayed with the Core 4 in the center. The Inner and Outer Wheels detail the effects of imbalances in the Core 4 and are shown below.
These observations were described and formalized into systems of healing by many cultures throughout the ancient past. In modern times, scientists looked deep into the inner workings of body chemistry and found that the balance observed and described in the outside world was a hundredfold more on the inside. It was also learned how this balance was achieved within the nucleus of every cell through genes located on sections of DNA. We now understand that the expression of bad genes can be prevented through behavioral and lifestyle choices. This is called the epigenetic effect and is reason why the category of Genetics is included as one of the Core 4.
In my office I have a 4’ X 6’ poster displayed with the Core 4 in the center. The Inner and Outer Wheels detail the effects of imbalances in the Core 4 and are shown below.
Because of their interconnectedness and influence upon each other, it is not possible to maintain health if even one of the Core 4 systems are out of balance. The poster goes on to show how imbalances progress into various symptoms of dysfunction, which then advance into functional illnesses that ultimately will emerge as disease.
No one of the Core 4 systems is greater than the other, but any can move to the front of the line and become the main concern depending on the stresses of the moment. For instance, a sudden event such as a motor vehicle accident, which results in muscle and joint trauma, could make rehabilitating the musculoskeletal system (part of the Lifestyle Core) a top priority. The sudden fear of losing a job or the death of a loved one could make the Emotional Core a top priority. A weekend binge on junk food and alcohol could make the Chemistry Core a top priority. In other words, there is a hierarchy within the major systems of the body and the body's most pressing needs rise to the top.
Below you will see the Inner Wheel of the Core4 Poster showing what Adrenaline Dominance does, followed by the Outer Wheel showing what Adrenaline Dominance causes. The questions for the HHN Assessment are directly derived from these wheels.
Below you will see the Inner Wheel of the Core4 Poster showing what Adrenaline Dominance does, followed by the Outer Wheel showing what Adrenaline Dominance causes. The questions for the HHN Assessment are directly derived from these wheels.
The Inner Wheel
The Outer Wheel
