Nurturing Well-Being Through Chiropractic Care and Nervous System Health with Dr. Maher Obeid

Carolyn: Dr. Mahar Obaid is a Canadian chiropractor who has over 17 years of clinical chiropractic experience. An honours graduate of Logan College of Chiropractic in the United States, Dr. Obaid also holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Western Ontario in Canada. He is an advocate for natural health care and provides chiropractic care for the entire family, from children to seniors.

Dr. Obaid treats his patients with a very holistic approach and views his cases through a neurological lens.

So you might be wondering, Carolyn, why do you have a chiropractor on the show that doesn’t have anything to do with leadership? Well, I’m here to tell you that it does. This conversation with my chiropractor, Mahar, I hope helps you understand that chiropractic care is truly about helping our nervous system function more optimally.

And that’s important because, hey, stress and, the mental and physical. pain that we have, all impacts how our nervous system operates. And for all of you as leaders in your organizations, this is going to impact how well you do your job. I can’t stress it enough. Your nervous system is a leadership tool.

And through this conversation with Mahar, you will hear us talk about a concept called A D I O, Above, Down, Inside, Out. A great great philosophical approach to so many things, including chiropractic care. And I think that you’re really going to get some tremendous practical insight out of this conversation.

Hello, evolve listeners. Welcome to yet another episode of evolve a new era in leadership. And today’s guest is somebody who has, been really central to my wellbeing. I’ve known him for, I guess it’s 11 years now, 12 years, 12 years. I’ve been in, in the city that I’m in. And so welcome to the show.

Mahar Obeid. 

Maher: Thank you. Thank 

Carolyn: you for having me. Yeah. And so, full disclosure, everyone, my heart is my chiropractor and has been treating me for the past 12 years. And there’s a really, interesting quote in his office. There is a vast difference between treating effects and adjusting the cause. And every time I’m in your office, I’m very taken by the fact that, you know, you’re not there just to give adjustments.

You really do have an investment in the well being of, of, of your, your clients. And I thought it would be great to have you on the show to talk about well, being resilience, from your perspective, because I know you do a lot of teaching in the, in, in the chiropractic world and have really quite a vast influence.

So, That’s where I was hoping we could go today. How does that sound? That 

Maher: sounds fantastic. Yeah, I’d love to speak about that topic. So anything you want to know about it, just fire away. 

Carolyn: Yeah. So, why don’t we start off with, just what got you into chiropractic? Like why did, why was that an area that you decided to pursue?

Maher: So, I mean, I’ve always, I think, since childhood, always been interested in health care, so I always used to do a lot of readings in terms of human physiology and biology. I definitely found that, you know, health care was the way that I wanted to go, but the brain was the most fascinating part for me. So I was really interested in brain and brain function and what it could do and not do, and its limitations and, how to remove any interferences on it.

as the days went on and I went into the university and I went to Western for my undergrad, that’s where I zoned in on was human physiology and biology and, from there, I grew a fascination towards chiropractic specifically because it dealt specifically with nervous system function, which was really my, My interests more than anything else.

So I had options to become a dentist or surgeons and wherever else in terms of opportunities of healthcare, but really it was nervous system function and creating that regulation that really triggered my interest the 

Carolyn: most. Now I’ll be the first to admit, I, for a very brief time, didn’t really fully understand what chiropractic treatments were all about.

And I’m sure you have to deal with a lot of myths and misconceptions about chiropractic treatment. But what you just said, there is central to our nervous system and how it works. So could you share with us, like really what is chiropractic care and why is it, An important consideration for people when they think about their health and well 

Maher: being

 sure.

I mean, the majority of people think that they go to visit the chiropractor if their back hurts or their neck hurts, or, they have shooting pain down their legs and so on and so forth. But really, the basic premise of chiropractic is to help. to remove interferences from the nervous system. So what does that really mean?

So if we simplify it on a whole different level, we have something in our body, this control system called the innate intelligence. Innate intelligence is basically your control system of your body. and basically your body likes to run. without interference in order to run at its top level. How does innate intelligence come about is a very simple principle and a lot of your listeners can research it and look into it, but it’s this above down inside out principle.

So, A D I O. You got it, yeah. So if you Google A D I O, you’ll find a lot of different articles that are pretty interesting that basically speak to you about the fact that A, above, refers to the brain, down means it’s from the brain to the rest of your body. And then the rest of your body has a neurological system on the inside, where the eye comes from, and that all sends you signals to the outside for your tissues, your glands, your muscles, and everything to move and function the way it needs to, and to express your outer self.

So ADIO became the premise of chiropractic in terms of true belief of what nervous system regulation is, and that innate intelligence concept goes and flows right through it. 

Carolyn: So it’s really It’s really foundational to how we interact with, everything around us with each other with our environment.

And if our nervous system isn’t operating fully, then our perceptions going to be skewed to get that. 

Maher: You’re absolutely correct. Yes. Because a lot of the times if our nervous system is not functioning, then we have no nervous system balance. And that balance is what keeps us in terms of a balanced system between the two types of our nervous system, which we can speak about as well.

Carolyn: So where did the word chiropractor come from then? Like that, that concept. 

Maher: Yeah. So chiropractic is, is basically a, well it was a Canadian that started the whole medicine of chiropractic. Her name was Didi Palmer. so a Canadian did start the profession of chiropractic and that angle of treatment, but the word chiropractic means done by hand.

Okay. Which basically means that chiropractors are performing chiropractic, utilizing. Their hands to correct any nervous system dysfunction, but the premise of chiropractic does fall back to nervous system balancing, creating a balance between your sympathetic nervous system, which is your fight or flight response and your parasympathetic nervous system, which is your rest 

Carolyn: and relaxation.

So this was my fun question. If you could rename the profession, cause I know there’s just a lot of misconceptions about it. What would you name your Your title or your , rename it. We’re just 

having a little fun here. 

Yeah. 

Maher: I would call it nervous system specialist because really that’s, that’s, if you have no nervous system imbalances, the majority of the functions in your body will Will be so clear and give you the exact signals that you wouldn’t get into a disease state.

You literally would clear a disease when it’s still at a stage of what’s called this ease. So you will never really get into that disease state. If you listen to what a balanced nervous system. 

Carolyn: So let’s get into that. So, what are some, signals or some things that people might want to increase their awareness of to recognize that, Hey, your nervous system might not be working as optimally as you 

Maher: thought.

Sure. I mean, the, the biggest, symptom that people like to come in with and they think that it is the problems, a headache, like that as a prime example a headache is really your body telling you that there is a. regulation issue with within the neck and the cervical spine where your parasympathetic nervous system is sitting.

Your parasympathetic nervous system is basically your rest and relaxation area, right? And your body’s basically telling you that there’s a compression happening on that area that it’s not able to bring your nervous system down into a balanced state. So you’re stuck in a heightened sympathetic state.

Which is a fight or flight response. And if you aren’t able to regulate your body’s just kind of, you know, screaming on the inside and saying, Hey, listen, things aren’t really functioning the way they need to. So I’m going to send you a little bit of exaggerated signal in order for you to pay attention to me.

And a lot of us shut down that with a Tylenol or an Advil rather than really figuring out, well, why is my body telling me this? 

Carolyn: Right, right. Or yeah, I just pulled something. It’ll be fine the next day. 

Maher: It’ll go away soon. 

Carolyn: What does that look like in terms of how we show up at work or how we show up with our families or with our friends?

Maher: So a lot of the times, I mean, if anybody really watches their employees and their staff, when they’re stuck in a sympathetic state, which is one that’s. Their nervous system is overworked and compressed. Fatigue is like the number one sign. You can tell that, you know, your co workers or employees. Either they’re on edge, they’re fatigued, their focus is a little bit off, but in terms of their interactions, for lack of a better term, they would seem spaced out.

And the reason that they get to that point is that the nervous system, the best way to think about it is if the QEW is flowing with 1 car going up and down the highway. And then all of a sudden, the highway is starting to get bogged down until you’re at a full stop. Well, your nervous system function goes from being a free flowing highway as it continuously gets to a full stop.

And at that full stop, those people will basically be able to function at a level that is subpar. And by the time they get home, they have nothing to give to their families because… Everything they gave was to that workplace and then their energy level dropped tremendously by the time they’re done. 

Carolyn: And it’s not necessarily, a case of, Oh, just go to the gym or eat better.

You know, quite often that’s kind of where we can fall into like, Oh, I just need a little bit more sleep or I need to eat more vegetables. 

Maher: Correct. Because a lot of the times, I mean, our mainstream type of healthcare system is always giving you these tips without looking back to the source of your body’s functioning, right?

Right. Until you appreciate innate intelligence, until you appreciate above, down, and inside out functioning, you are always going to be looking to the outside for your health. Instead of looking inside and really that is that is where the disconnect happens, right? We always like to think that it’s the stuff on the outside is what’s controlling us.

Well, health is not an outside inside topic. It’s not how it works. The problem and the solution is always inside. And that’s what’s going to reflect on the outside, but a lot of people really mix things with. 

Carolyn: And that’s where, our work intersects because, you know, my work in the space of leadership and culture is really, if you’re going to impact your team and your organization, it’s going to start with you first and self leadership.

and yeah, so. Without a doubt. Yeah. by the way, QEW, for those of you who are not in, Southern Ontario, it’s a major highway that always has congestion and traffic on it. Worst highway to go on. It is. It is. now. If you’ve got a backup, let’s say, in the, like, the upper part of, like, you know, where you had, like, close to your head, does that impact then what can happen, like, lower down your back and like, down into your hips?

Like, is there any sort of, like, does it go top down or can it happen anywhere? 

Maher: definitely can happen anywhere, but the majority of the problem is when they happen on that bottleneck area that you’re speaking of. So we’re basically talking about where your brain is, your above process, and then you have a brainstem and that starts your spinal cord.

If your congestion that’s happening in your system happens at the very top of the spine, which is called your Atlas, that area, well, then you’ve already caused the congestion right at the entrance. Well, then your trickle down is you’re going to only be getting 1 going back to our highway example. It’s going to be trickling 1 car at a time, rather than the 3, 4 lanes of the highway that are opened up.

So absolutely. Anytime we have any congestion at the top of our system, which is that. Neck cervical area that has the majority of the tension, which is stress is affecting it tremendously. Yeah, that’s going to cause a ripple effect all the way down the chain. 

Carolyn: So that’s things like when every time I come into you, and my shoulders have been up here and I haven’t even realized it, you like work it a little bit to like bring it down a bit.

So that, that would be an example of how I am carrying stress kind of closer to my brainstem. Right. 

Maher: You absolutely got it there. Yeah. Because your shoulders and your ears, they almost start to carry out their own conversation because they get so close, but really your, your body needs to open up. And a lot of times it’s, it’s simply a compression state.

Our bodies just put under so much pressure that we get bizarre and odd symptoms that you would never think of. Because the nervous system is so jammed up. 

Carolyn: So what are some other things then for those of us in a virtual, either a remote work setting or an office setting that can be causing some of this nervous system congestion?

So we’ve talked about shoulders, what else could contribute? 

Maher: So, so physical and mental stress is probably one of the biggest things. I don’t think people appreciate how, Just to take a step back. There’s positive and negative stress in our lifestyles. So positive stress is the one that I’m sure as your listeners know is the one that drives us to excel and really achieve our goals.

But negative stress. Well, this is the one that’s detrimental to our health. So the more negative stress that happens. Well, this is where patients show up with, ulcers. They show up with,Digestion issues. They show up with heartburn. They show up with, bowel issues, IBS, and eventually cholesterol levels go up, which means increases your plucking in the arteries, which means that you’re going to be at a higher risk of other diseases.

Well, as soon as you stop regulation of that nervous system because of a stimulant like stress, negative stress specifically, well you’re going to start to show up with all these bizarre symptoms that unfortunately a lot of the times we’re again looking to the outside world for a solution. Without focusing on well, what, what got me here and a lot of times people are like, Oh, it must have been my diet.

It must be because I didn’t exercise, but we have to look no further than what stimulus is pushing and compressing on that nervous system. 

Carolyn: So basically what you’re saying is our nervous system isn’t as regulated and that can cause the rest of our body to have these other ailments. 

Maher: You got it. Yeah.

Majority of the time we have to look no further than the spine for, for a lot of these. 

Carolyn: Well, cause yeah, it’s sort of like a mission control almost. 

Maher: Yeah. Yeah. And then what, I mean, not to speak specifically about chiropractic, but healthcare in general, when we’re focusing on the inside, I mean, the reason I chiropractors focus on the vertebral column, like actual bony part is because that’s the casing of your nervous system, right?

That’s where the relation happens with chiropractic is. We’re not actually touching your spinal cord, you’re focusing on regulating the joints in the nervous system to create that free flowing type of energy through your body to regulate your nervous 

Carolyn: system. So can we talk a little bit about that then?

So in your role, hands on chiropractor, that’s what that means. You are, you are doing what with, person, with, our, our spines? 

Maher: So a lot of the times. Yeah. So if we were to give the example of you being tight with your neck and shoulders and then being so close, well, the reason that we open up those areas and we release those muscles is for us to be able to realign the joints that were stuck in your neck as an example.

Okay, so the joints that were stuck in the neck were compressing on nerves because the casing is wrapping around the nervous system. And if the casing gets tighter. If we give any other example in the world of anything squeezing on a product, so the casing is pinching on that nerve, it’s going to cause that nerve to send a signal.

And the majority of the time, the first signal is pain that it’s going to be screaming with. It’s going to say, wow, this really hurts. And so when we do chiropractic and we give a deliberate adjustment, a specific adjustment to that joint, we’re releasing the pressure off that nerve. To make it rebalance itself.

Well, when it rebalanced itself on a cellular level, we have now rebalanced the biochemistry. So the actual chemical makeup of the body to get it to a more regulated state. So a lot of the times, if we just focus on the fact that everybody thinks, Oh, it’s pain relief. Well, it’s actually nervous system compression relief is what’s happening in order to allow that regulation to happen because every nerve that comes out of your vertebral column out of that casing goes somewhere, right?

They’re not just pain fibers. They are the ones that make you move your hand. They’re the ones that make your heart beat, that your lungs expand open and close. And these acts, you do not control the majority of them. Which is the most fascinating part, is because your body has this innate intelligence that knows how to beat a heart.

It knows how to expand and dilate a lung. So, that is the premise of, taking that pressure off. And that’s what really helps to understand what regulation is all about. And that’s where we can lead into a conversation about posture, because this is where posture is like absolutely by far the biggest energy drainer.

Is poor posture on the nervous system. 

Carolyn: Well, and I mean, we’ve had a big change in that over the past 3 years, having, you know, our offices move into our homes and trying to find office space and corners of our houses or apartments or wherever we live. That probably hasn’t encouraged good posture either.

So what, what can I was thinking of that as you said that to thinking, okay, shoulders back. And, what are some things then about posture that are important for us to know about? 

Maher: So here’s a stat that will blow people’s minds. So if we were to assume that our organism, this human body has a 100% energy level, well, do you know that the human body 95% Of its energy is utilized to keep your body in its space.

Okay. Let’s, let’s take a minute to think about that. 95%. So 95%, if you and I were standing beside each other for me to not fall into you or fall to the side or the left or the right or fall back, my body’s expending 95% of its energy to regulate my space. Wow. That leaves me with only 5% more for my heart to beat, my mind to think, for my, hands to move, for my fingers to be able to type.

So if we just use from that remaining 5% and we develop very poor posture, especially forward head carriage, which is basically the neck coming forward, which everybody with poor ergonomics, workplace ergonomics and so on have developed. Where now you’re using an extra 0. 2 or 0. 3% of that 95%, what do we end up with?

We end up with this system that is drained and exhausted. Which is what a lot of people with this poor posture, they’ll say, Oh my God, doc. I’m just so tired right now. I’m exhausted. I feel like I can’t hold my neck up because it’s just so tired. Well, we have to look no further than what happened in our lifestyle since 2020 that have allowed us to develop this poor posture and how important to maintain our space is to the regulation of the body.

Wow. 

Carolyn: So you have, you’ve seen a lot of changes in, in what people are presenting with in the past three years since 

Maher: massive, massive, especially the generation that has really expanded the most in terms of energy and postural problems are our younger children, unfortunately. So it is coming from the workplace.

The parents, but also the kids, because they were also learning and studying at home. So all of a sudden we have a massive pandemic all on its own of poor posture leading to this nervous system dysfunction. 

Carolyn: And I think that’s so important. Posture is not just about like looking good. It’s not a visual or aesthetics thing.

It’s really, it’s, it’s how to optimize, like you were saying, our nervous system so that we can have our bodily functions work more 

Maher: optimally. Thanks. You got it. You got it. Because basically what you’re, what’s happening when posture is, is poor, well, now you have to spend that extra little bit of energy to hold your head up, right?

So it’s not flopping forward. Well, that’s exhausting you because you only have 5% to do everything else. Now, if you start to chip away at that 5% to do other things to correct your posture, well, then you are only going to be exhausting your nervous system that much faster. 

Carolyn: How does this relate to our eyes and our eye strain?

Is there any relation here? The 

Maher: big thing about eye strain that’s happening, and I’ve talked to a whole bunch of, colleagues of mine that are optometrists, the problem that’s happening with eye strains is because there’s so much time, screen time, our actual pupils are not dilating. They’re so, we have glands in our eyes that produce moisture, and because we are staring at screens for so long, we are not blinking as much anymore.

So a lot of people, especially younger children, again, they’re becoming the biggest culprit in this group are needing glasses because their eyes are always dry. They have this anhydrosis that’s developed because of the fact that they’re staring at screens and blue light specifically that’s causing these, these eyes to not hydrate.

So it’s, it’s causing, it’s a, it’s a downward spiral really when we start to develop these poor habits. 

Carolyn: And I mean, really when we come back to, to all of this, it’s, our bodies were created to move, not to be like stuck in a chair, staring at one thing all day, 

Maher: every day. You got it. Yeah. So you have mechanoreceptors, which are basically little nerve endings that are made to move.

They detect movements. And when they do detect movement, they give you. Fluids that go into your joint to lubricate them. They give you endorphins to give you a high of sorts and energy boost. This is why if the body is always stagnant, if the body is always lacking mobility, while it only signals to your body, you’re saying to it, Hey, by the way, I don’t need to do much anymore.

Let’s just sit here and stare at the screen and keep going. Right. You’re only shutting it down a little bit at a time. 

Carolyn: Right. So what were some, what would be some, suggestions for posture? How could we, I know I bought a little, I’m trying to find it. I bought a little tool that I could stick to my back that vibrates and tells me if I’m leaning over.

I’ll admit it became a bit of a shiny toy for me for a while and that’s why I can’t find it now. Oh, I got to it. what are some, what are some ways that we can. Be more aware of our posture and be good to our nervous system. 

Maher: Okay. So one of the biggest things that you can look at is exercise, right?

So I’m not, I’m not talking about going to the gym for hours on end every day, but five to 10 minutes of exercise is really something and not talking about heavy exercise. We’re talking about postural exercises that are going to stimulate. So rolling your shoulders back, going into extension or bending your neck backwards, giving your nervous system the ability to be free by moving around all the joints in your body.

Well, those types of movements, yoga is a prime example of a motion type of exercise. These are the types of things that really stimulate proper posture. a really big thing, also with posture is, you know, if people do choose to go to the gym. They have to create a balance between the front and the back.

So a lot of times people exercise and they just work on chest muscles and forget about the back or vice versa. They work on the back and they forget about the chest. Well, your body’s all about balance. So anything that you work on in the front, you should invest equally into the back. so that’s, that’s another prime example of postural correction.

Also, and it’s a very simple request that your body has. And if you give it to it. You’ll end up winning at the end, is that if you’re staring at a screen and all you have to do is look away from the screen for two to three seconds and then look back, that is enough to break the detrimental effects of forward head carriage, because your body is a creature of habits, and if you sit in a forward posture for an hour nonstop, it will start to go and wherever your eyes are going, so will the screen.

But if you just look away, And just wave your neck to the left or the right, and then head back, you actually decrease the effects of that forward head carriage. 

Carolyn: Wow. I know my husband has told me about that, looking both sides. And I, I’ll be honest, I haven’t really thought of doing that on a regular…

Basis, how do we become more conscious of that? Like, like, you know, do we schedule a timer that says take a break? I mean, I know I’ve just got my, my watch that tells me to get up and stand, but, like, what have you done? Or have you heard others do to sort of, you know, integrate this, like, move your head around?

Maher: So a lot of the times if I’ve ever done, lunch and learns at companies, the biggest thing that, that they walk away with is they do a timer, small offices just put a timer and it’s basically for a forcible break. But also individual employees just put a little buzzer beside them that basically just reminds them to move because your body needs movement and that endorphin release will only happen upon movement.

the mechanoreceptors will only work on movement. So that is so, so, so important for that part to happen. So you have to make a conscious effort. I mean, really there’s only one person that is to blame and one person to celebrate for every victory or every issue that we happen, then this is where this inside out process happens, right?

Like it’s, I can’t blame my boss for letting me work for 12 hours in the day. No, I can blame myself because I haven’t balanced my inside to be able to fulfill that request and to be able to do that. So really it’s an inside process and then you have to just find strategies that work for you individually in order to achieve those goals.

But we have to invest into it. It’s an, it’s an investment. People have to invest the time and the effort. And that’s really the biggest investment is the investment of time. 

Carolyn: how often do you set the timer to do the head turn? Like 15 minutes. 

Maher: Yeah. 15 to 20 minutes. If you break the monotony of that neck position, 15 to 20 minutes, we’ll achieve that every 15, 20 minutes, two to three seconds, look left, look, right, look up, look down, just move the neck.

It makes those muscles actually function rather than holding in a stagnant state. So 

Carolyn: we’ve been talking for longer than 15 minutes, so we need to move our head. I agree. 

Maher: I’ve been moving it the whole time. Yeah, I know. 

Carolyn: I noticed that. I noticed that. and What could we do in meetings then? Because that is a, you know, that’s just a thing that happens in our organizations.

What could leaders do to start embedding some of the, these, really important insights about our health and well being? 

Maher: . So the, the biggest, point that we want to make about this is a cultural shift from the inside of the company. So we have to actually put the investment in to encourage this inside out philosophy, this, innate intelligence balancing.

This is the stuff that we want to push for. So if we allow people to be in a, in a meeting, Within our abuse of the, of the, of this motive is basically to allow them to move around as long as everybody’s paying attention to doing their jobs. If they have the ability to move around, well, then they have an ability to get these mechanoreceptors that are in our bodies.

To function and give you this endorphin release in terms of, you know, getting the body to have a little bit more of a high because the body enjoys movement. so encouraging that putting timers to, you know, forcibly give people kind of an inkling that it’s time to move around a little bit. Get a drink of water, which is another big aspect of proper health is water intake.

But all these little things play a huge role for that longevity of a, the employee and the creativity and the excelling in the workplace. Yeah. 

Carolyn: I know for, when I do workshops, I was with a group just the other day and we were together from nine until four, almost four 30. State to them all sitting is optional.

You can’t get up and move around. And I actually do have a lot of activities where we just move and it’s very simple. It’s just like, go across the room and talk to somebody else. You know, we do like little workshop breaks, but I’ve noticed a really big change, even if we’re hanging stuff up on on post it notes, but just getting the butt up out of the seat.

The day does not seem as long. People are less tired and it really, it really is amounted, led to better outcomes for, for folks. That’s how I’m seeing it in my work. 

Maher: Without a doubt, because literally, if you simplify it to the simple premise of motion is lotion, it actually lubricates your joints and that creates this whole nervous system effect that energizes and increases people’s attention when endorphin releases make people on such a high that they are all in on what is happening in front of them because they have clarity and they’re not bogged down by this lack of mobility that eventually just drains their whole bodies down.

Carolyn: so I’m on this real mission to, help leaders realize like your nervous system is a leadership tool. And if you were, and now, you know, speaking with you about it, even, even more so, I’m realizing like, wow, there’s all this, these physiological, components to that message. What would the top 3 things let’s just make like a top 3 list for leaders listening to this that will help them use their body, their nervous system in a really proactive way.

I know we’ve given a different. You know, a few different ideas, but let’s just narrow it down. If you’re going to take away anything from this podcast, listeners here, the three things. 

Maher: Number one is invest in to your posture. Yes, that is like a make or break. So posture is a massive thing. Number two, stop looking to the outside as your excuses and your reasons for not feeling well, look to the inside, trying to figure out what exactly is compressing your body to lead you to feel the way that you’re feeling.

And number three is investing into movement and exercise. It is so instrumental for people to actually put the time in to move their bodies. And when we’re talking about, you know, an hour to two hours at the gym, we’re talking about 20 minutes a day for you, for you to go for a walk, for you to exercise.

If you want to spend more time, go for it, but if you give your body just that little bit that it asks for, you will balance out that body on a, on a much higher level. 

Carolyn: Yeah. Mahar, is there anything else when you think of this crisis that we’re in, in our workplaces that we haven’t talked about yet that you’d like to share?

Maher: guess there’s this, the, the lack of ergonomics, I think, is a big thing that’s in the workplace right now that, you know, if we just focus on the fact that, you know, even when people go into the office, they have shared, shared workplaces, shared desks, shared screens, it’s different than what we’ve been used to before.

And I think that we have to understand that that does have an effect on the physiological functioning of the human body. Let alone the mental aspect, which eventually goes in there. So I know we’ve talked about posture, but that feeling on a mental scale and a biological physical scale, I think it does have an effect on, on, employees.

And I think it’s just maybe it takes adaptation and it takes time because of the changes that are happening in today’s world. But I think there is definitely an effect that right now it would be more a negative effect on our nervous system than previous. 

Carolyn: Like meaning we don’t have the same place to go to every time we have to readjust our screens.

we have to carry stuff in. 

Maher: Yeah, you don’t have your family’s pictures up on your, on your board right by your screen. You know, you’re just basically a guest into this cubicle or this, workspace for the day for the week or whatever it may be. It gives a whole different feel to the workplace. 

Carolyn: Do you think that’s playing a role in this sort of battle between remote and, and, and going into the office, you know, just continual perspectives changing?

Maher: I believe so. I believe the fact that there is definitely value to human interaction. For starters, water cooler conversations, you know, we used to take them for granted when you’re in the workplace, but a lot of patients of mine have come and said, you know what? I really miss that. I really missing talking to people.

Rather than through the veil of a screen, it’s nice to actually have that human interaction, that human touch. So I find that the nervous system itself Loves human interaction. That human interaction is so important for the body or the mind in order to regulate this inside out process. And then a lot of the times, no matter how entertaining a zoom call is or a meat call is, it’s still doesn’t achieve the same effect.

Carolyn: Yeah. And then we, you know, we balance that off with all of the work, or the life duties and life realities that we have at home. So it certainly can be more convenient to not have to commute in an hour and a half or two hours every day. So, so there’s a balance there too. And I’m guessing, is there like a cognitive load that we carry around that?

Like, is that draining us as well in your, in your opinion? I would 

Maher: say so absolutely, because I would basically be focusing on the fact that, If the brain is our control center, now the brain has all these other new stimuli to work with and to help balance out with this negative stressor. If I am a extrovert by nature, and all of a sudden I’ve been forced into this introvert lifestyle, well that’s going to stress me out.

And that’s going to add a load. Not to mention the fact that I think a lot of employees… have expectation,fatigue in terms of, I think I should work a lot more to prove to my boss that I’m really working when I’m at home. Well, that exhausts your body because now you have another worry because nobody’s there to witness that you’re working hard.

You find that you have to really pressure yourself to a whole different level in terms of saying, Okay. No, no, I’m really doing a lot of work. Look, I’ve been sitting here for 15 hours today doing. Yep. 

Carolyn: And if we are looking after our nervous system by going to see a chiropractor like you, we’re able to give ourself and we’re going out for walks and moving our body.

We have a bit more space to be more reflective and have some of those deeper insights and reflections that will help us release from some of those.

we might think a 

Maher: hundred percent, because it’s very easy for, for the human brain to literally get to a level where it is so compressed that it starts to alter the reality of the 

Carolyn: situation. Yeah. Now I know you’re quite active, you know, in our community, but is there, I know you, you do a bit of, traveling and teaching as well.

Can we maybe just end off, by you sharing, you know, it’s obviously a big passion. You can hear it in your voice. What else are you doing to bring this insight, globally? 

Maher: So lots of things internationally that we’re working on. It’s pretty exciting in order to spread that chiropractic message on a global, basis.

a big thing that I’m doing, being of Middle Eastern origin, I really want to grow the profession over in the Middle East. So I’ve been traveling lots to Dubai and Saudi Arabia and Qatar in the last, year, year and a half. Specifically working inside Arabia on bringing in, chiropractic and wellness centers to grow the presence of wellness care nervous system rebalancing on an above down inside out process in the kingdom.

So that’s a pretty exciting close to home type of project. working obviously with, with different institutions as well to bring a curriculum to their universities to also expand on, that type of thought process and, paradigm in terms of, you know, allopathic medicine versus natural medicine and do a little bit of a shift there.

What’s the 

Carolyn: reception like? I’m not familiar with any of their healthcare system over there, but I’m curious how that’s being received. 

Maher: They’re pretty excited about it right now. It’s a, a lot of the people that of this newer generation are open to it. It’s basically where Canada, the United States used to be in the eighties.

They are now starting to introduce alternative medicine as a mainstream style of care, so they’re becoming more open to it. It’s definitely gaining lots of popularity. The centers that are open there are generally fully booked because people are really excited about, you know, really achieving this optimal wellness. Yeah, 

Carolyn: absolutely. Well, who knew when I moved to Burlington that I would find such a, an incredible practitioner to help me on my journey.

I know that you’ve been incredibly, helpful. And just, you know, helping me realize that my body is a, is a tool not to be taken for granted and how to be a little bit better with it. So is there a place, any, you know, any of our listeners, if they’re interested, in learning more about what you do, is there a place they can, they can go to?

Maher: Absolutely. There’s, there’s our website, our office website is thehealingpath. ca. On Instagram and TikTok, I have some videos on Dr. Maher Obeid that they can go to. We have an ebook that’s coming out that talks a little bit about, the whole inside out process and then it gives some lifestyle choices for achieving optimal health.

This ebook will be Free to download, it’ll be available soon through our social media channels. we’re just doing some final touches on that, but that’ll, that’ll give a nice little touch in terms of really simplifying a lot of the things that we spoke about today that people are more than welcome to read through.

Well, 

Carolyn: thank you. now to end off, all the podcasts, I asked 3 questions, that relate to. What I call being an evolved leader. Are you up for answering those three questions? Yeah, go for it. I’d love, you don’t even, you know, you don’t even know what they are, or if you do, you don’t, you might, maybe you don’t remember.

I have no 

Maher: idea what they are. So I, I’m a big fan of surprises. So go ahead. All 

Carolyn: right. so first. The question is all about self awareness. Is there, an insight, an anecdote, something you’d like to share with us that gave you tremendous insight about yourself that maybe wasn’t too comfortable at the time, but has really helped you.

Maher: And we’re speaking about like, a thought that has come to me over the years or where we’re focusing here. 

Carolyn: Whatever you would like, just a moment of insight. Maybe it was an experience. Maybe it was a moment, but something that really shifted kind of closed that gap between, Oh, I thought I was this, but, Oh, it’s actually this.

Maher: Yeah. So there was definitely a time where I was focused on, when I first started practice and that was basically based on the paradigm that I was fed through schooling, that I was there to, take people out of pain. And that’s where the paradigm shift shifted that I was doing way more for people than just pain.

and that’s where the paradigm shift went to a nervous system rebalancing type of structure, which is one that I find way more rewarding. and that’s where my focus is. 

Carolyn: Yeah. Yeah. okay. Second question. and this has to do with, well, it’s interesting. We’ve just talked about it for almost an hour.

What is a practice or ritual that you use to help your nervous system stay regulated or return to a more regulated state? 

Maher: Yeah, so every morning, 15 minutes before the start of my first patient, I always go into my office to reflect. So I do three things. I read a verse from the Quran, which gives me my meditation time.

I also spend, the second thing that I do is I go through my patient list and I see and visualize everybody that’s there. And then I have basically this, this belief that I like to have, I have a lot of words and, and, and writings that I have on my, on my computer that I referenced and they’re basically positive affirmations.

So I go through an affirmation for the day, I pick one of the positive affirmations and that’s how I like to rebalance my nervous system before the start of every day. Love it. 

Carolyn: In 15 minutes, you just shut the door and that’s 

Maher: it. I’m by myself. Everybody knows not to come in and I do my thing for 15 minutes.

And then I’m out. I go when ready to take on everybody. 

Carolyn: That’s great. Now, the last question is around, music. And if you could share with us a genre of music or a favorite song that helps you feel connected to something bigger than yourself. 

Maher: Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson. Mm, why is that? That is probably one of the most powerful songs that I’ve ever heard and I like to actually I always shed a tear when I listen to that song because it really gives me a lot to focus on reflection because if you listen to The Man in the Mirror it’s a big part of The, inside out process is that basically he’s, you know, he’s looking at himself in the mirror, and, and looking to where to blame and looking to where to grow and so on that to me, that song is resonates with me all the time.

Carolyn: Yeah. I love that. I love that song as well. I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. Well, thank you so much for coming on the show. This is the first time I’ve ever seen you virtually. Cause usually it’s face to face You can’t do chiropractic virtually, that’s for sure. No, 

Maher: no, definitely not. It is hands on.

If we can’t feel what we’re working with, then you know, it does the same. 

Carolyn: So, I will be in there shortly. I will see you soon in there. And thanks so much again for coming on to the show. You are 

Maher: very welcome. Have a great one.

Carolyn: Oh, think of all those meetings where we stay glued to our seats. I know recently I purchased a watch that will monitor my activity and it is striking at the amount of movement I’m not getting. So this was. A great reminder to stay invested in just getting out and going for that walk, moving our head around in the middle of our workday.

If we’re staring at a screen, there are these little things that we can do and all these little things. things really, really do add up and contribute to how well our body gives and receives signals through our nervous system. I hope you enjoyed this episode and that it brought you some really tangible, practical tools to help you in your leadership journey.

Thanks for tuning in and please like and subscribe to the podcast. And if you are interested in purchasing my book, you can find it on Amazon. You can find it in many book retailers as some independent stores too. Thanks for joining us.