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Wednesday, February 05, 2025

2025 - What I Have Realized

** Chiropractic is the deliberate habit of living according to the brain's point of view.          The spine is an extension of the brain.                                                                             

 We utilize the spine to enhance the brain's protection and rebuilding activities. **

If you know what you're really made of, you will work in concert with your brain and body as a partner rather than sitting submissively on the sidelines because of a lack of information. 

This year, 2025, I will be celebrating my 25th year as a chiropractor. 

So, looking back, what has changed in 25 years?

Back then, after graduation I was looking forward to meeting people.  I had the simplest expectation.  I would adjust their spines and and they would lead their lives in an enthusiastic manner.  

Over the years, I have watched people lose their enthusiasm. They are entirely beat down. But before I unpack these loaded statements, let's  revisit my chiropractic journey.  (I still have a plan for the next 25 years.)

My passion for chiropractic began in 1995.   I was looking for a better way to reach people who were in despair.  Working in the mental health care field, people were shut off or shut down.  They were separated from what made them great.  

Why were people struggling?  What was holding them back?  

Image Credit: Shutterstock: VectorMine 

When I was completing my master's degree in clinical counseling, I was developing my own communication style to help people release their own personal chains.  While they had to do it for themselves,  the counseling process helped chip away each stubborn link. These are the links that they forged in place with their underlying fears, tragedies and unmet expectations.  

Counseling helped people awaken to what they were really made of.  Counseling gave people permission to regain their confidence.


My explanation here may seem vague, but as I type this I am reliving these encounters with my clients.  As we dug up memories and reanalyzed them in a neutral atmosphere of nonjudgmental acceptance, the aha moment or fresh insight would restart a new rewiring process in the brain.  They were inspired to adopt new behaviors that allowed them to find the personal success they were looking for. 

This was not easy.  The process stalled for most people because there's a great deal of social conditioning that needs to be extinguished.  

I define social conditioning as beliefs and expectations we've grown up with.  They give us structure and security.  Not all of them are beneficial to us, however.  At times we tend to over-embellish these beliefs and expectations to our detriment. 

So, when I say the counseling process is not easy with people often stalling or staying stuck, chiropractic entered my life.  

I learned chiropractic speeds up the process.  

When someone is trying to release their own personal chains, chiropractic accelerates their progress. 

Disclaimer: Results may vary.  People are complicated and rewiring the the brain is individualized. No two nervous systems are the same.  

If you look back in history 100 years, you'll discover the popularity of chiropractic mental hospitals.  I wrote about it in my blog.   People with mental distress got well and lived normal lives.  I wanted to be a part of this.

Chiropractic is a profoundly exciting way to empower the brain so you can live in an empowered, inspiring manner. 

And this moved me to follow the chiropractic path. 

(Unfortunately the economic impact of WWII and political peeing matches led to the closings of these hospitals.  However, there are still 2 existing chiropractic inpatient facilities for disabled children: Kentuckiana Children's Center and Oklahaven Children's Chiropractic Center.)

Here we are 25 years later. 

What I find disturbing is people are not awakened to what they are made of.  Instead they act as if they are defective.  They have no confidence in their intelligent bodies.  We are not growing as humans.  I feel we are in a downward spiral.  I hope the pendulum swings back the other way. 

Early on in my practice people were determined to be healthy through the most natural route.  They were assertive when it came to their health decision making.  

Now people are full of fear.  This was creeping into society before the pandemonium that was nicknamed covid. It seemed year after year my patients' prescription lists kept growing.  The same people who swore they would not take medications began to give in.  Why?  It's not because they are older.  Many people now younger than me are regularly taking pills. 

If you watch incessant drug ads on TV, you can't help but be hypnotized into the magic formula of music and dancing people.  Not a single one of those medications will help you dance.  They rob you of your energy and then you blame the disease or aging.  Rather than face the truth that a synthetic material with a fancy name might be harming your liver, heart, and brain, you allow it to chip away at your self confidence.  

From an early age we are taught that we're not smart enough when it comes to health.   Every time we are sick we receive the unspoken message that we can't wait it out on our own.  We are told we need monitoring by a doctor because the human body cannot be trusted.  We begin to believe we need elixirs not made by the body to get by.  It doesn't take long for these beliefs to be solidified as they take up permanent residence in our brains. 

As I write this, I feel as if my thoughts tumbling out of my head are so absurd.  We can't be that easily swayed.  Can we?  

Why am I against the pharmaceutical industry?  Why am I picking on them?  Don't I realize some drugs are necessary?  Plenty of room here for debate, but if you are going to debate, you should eventually have options.  I don't see a lot of options.  There's no more room for second opinions which I see as our downfall.  

I won't solely focus on the drug industry, but they are a major factor in declining health.  It is very evident this industry preys on our fears.  This industry also plays a large role is misleading us on how disease works. 

I could go all the way back to the science textbooks in our early schooling.  The subtle messaging begins early.  And if you want to finish college and that respected degree, you have to believe  a lot of the rubbish taught.  I believed it, because I trusted the generations of educators. 

I was taught to be scared of the human body because it so complex and mysterious.  There are so many terrible diseases that start out with  similar symptoms that if I got it wrong then the wrong treatment would be administered.  A misdiagnosis can send you down the wrong path, wasting your time, making you worse.  You can go to any medical website, type in a few vague symptoms and be given up to 50 possible diagnoses.  More panic and distrust of your mysterious body. 


Forgotten history (when recalled) can help free us from our own chains. The first Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy,  published in 1899 was a mere 192 pages. It was probably published on thick crudely made paper compared to today's mass produced tissue paper.   The latest issue has 3,854 pages printed on such thin pages that they will tear if you "leaf" through them too quickly. 

This large tome must be proof that we have gotten sicker in the last 100 years.  There are so many new diseases.  Or, we didn't have the same lifespan.  The average age of death in the 1890s was 42 years.  So, that explains why these diseases weren't discovered yet.  Funny, Ben Franklin lived to age 84 in 1790.  I can't fall for that line of reasoning.  And neither should you. 

Unwanted Naming Game

Along with modern medicine is the multitude of tests.  If we can measure it we think we can control it.  And we think we know exactly what the body is doing. Blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, insulin, enzymes, bone density, Xrays, MRI, CT scans, etc.  

The reliance on tests has given us a certain ignorance.  It's the new fangled short cut to put you in a diagnosis box that does more damage than good.   How many friends and family have said, "At least I now what I've have."  It has a name followed by a long list of treatments (mostly drugs.)



The label follows you around the rest of your life.  It's in your electronic medical record permanently whether it was accurate and useful or not.  It colors how the next doctor views you.  Patient profiling.  You're stuck.  You are not a unique person anymore.  You are a statistic.  All treatment offered to you is based on a algorithmic math problem because of tests.  And everyone is expected to meet the same criteria.  For example, blood pressure must be below 120/80.  This has become the most fear inducing measurement giving people a sense of helplessness.  It feels 

You Are Not Standard-You Are Special

When I was in chiropractic college, I was taught "standard of care."  There's standard medical care and there's standard chiropractic care. These are a set of typical approaches we needed to utilize based on consensus. Imagine a secret society sitting in a dark room taking a vote.  Good luck if you request a certain treatment or test.  If it didn't receive the popular vote, your concern is ignored or you might be ostracized for thinking outside the box. 

I teach my practice members that they are unique.  Their nervous systems are unique.  Their own life experiences that are wired into their brains are unique.  No one can be a textbook example.  Each of us has an inborn, innate intelligence that carries us through our lives.  I guess it's so amazing we can't believe it.  But you are proof.  Despite our social conditioning that we should live in fear, you are proof of something profoundly magnificent. 

My Failure in This 

I didn't do a very good job of helping people question the beliefs that keep them stuck.  I've been in practice for 25 years  and only a few people have caught on to the inconsistencies.  Many of us are late bloomers.  It's not a matter of being a slow learner, but that of being a slow un-learner.  

Why would these health lies persist?  How am I supposed to feel about the experienced teachers  I trusted?  (I'm not going to list the "health lies" here. You know enough of them already.  Numerous times in your life you  have experienced the health explanations that don't make sense to you.)


Chiropractic speeds up the process of personal growth, as long as you are open to it. 

Most people go to the chiropractor to get rid of a pain.  If you know me, you are aware that I teach the neurological definition of pain. It is a sensation created by the body in response to a stress.  Everyone has a different pain barometer.  You've known people who have a high pain tolerance.  Even your pain is unique to you.  I also teach the purpose of  pain.  We know healing hurts, but stopping the process prematurely leaves a person with weakness.  If you're open to this view of the body, you can remove a lot of heavy chains. 

Chiropractic helps the brain and body relax, but it won't override the brain's function.  If the brain needs to repair and rebuild, it will continue to do so.  It won't stop the inflammation.  It will boost the inflammatory process so it can complete the job.  A chiropractic adjustment applied to a person with a fever may spike the fever so the body can complete the job.  A relaxed body that isn't stuck in fight or flight can do the job more efficiently.  

If we can reduce the fear response by changing our attitudes about the body, the adjustment can be more effective.  

** Chiropractic is the deliberate habit of living according to the brain's point of view. (This is the opposite of the disease-model.)            

The spine is an extension of the brain.                                                                              

We utilize the spine to enhance the brain's protection and rebuilding activities. **

If we deliberately live according to the brain's point of view, health becomes simple.  

We use chiropractic to enhance the brain's protection and rebuilding activities.  This does not mean stopping pain.  Sometimes we are pain free when fight or flight dulls our senses.   Pain free may mean you are in a hyper vigilant state of survival and you are burning through your energy reserves. 

My goal is to help you reclaim the intelligence of your body.  I want you to get reacquainted with your body.  Reduce the fear so you are confident. You can be empowered and not helpless.

Rather than focus on 25 years of declining confidence, it is an appropriate time to say, "Enough is enough." 

Have we hit rock bottom?

Often great change is inspired by hitting rock bottom. At this point there is only one direction to go: UP!  We all hit rock bottom at different times in our lives.  

If you appreciate my message, let me know.  Get under chiropractic care through the brain's point of view instead of society's fear based approach. 

If my message doesn't make sense.  I'm sorry.  I'm still working on it. Sometimes a friend can explain it better than me. 


Nothing changes unless the brain changes.

We have gentle ways to introduce positive change so you can release your unwanted chains. 

Learn what you're really made of.

We must grow as humans.  We must expand our minds and inspire our communities.  Join me on the journey.




Sunday, September 22, 2024

Health is a Product of Time Management


All health is determined by the adaptability of the Fight or Flight response.  You've probably heard me say this.  Our goal is to reduce the stress that puts us into a hyper-triggered state of Fight or Flight so we can maintain our strength, energy and organ resilience. 

But, this also means: All health is determined by your time management. 

Sure, you're asked to make a commitment to health. How do you commit?  You get rest, exercise more, buy whole foods and get to the chiropractic office once a week.  This requires time.  You set aside the time to accomplish these things. 

Many people, however, put them on the back burner.  How many times do people call me last minute and hope I can fit them in ASAP?  Well, that kind of procrastination is not good for your health, nor is it good for my health.  

My being available to you is dependent on my own healthy activities. So, I too, have to take time to nurture my health.  And that may mean I'm not in the office at certain times of the day.  

I'm not trying to sound like a lecturing parent.  I have my own habits I need to reign in.  

When people say they don't have time to do something, the simple answer is that they are involved in other activities that are generally not improving their lives. 

How much TV do you watch?  I know I watch too much.  I just watched a 10 episode series in one night and realized at its conclusion, it was a morbid depressing show.  Two characters died, one ended up alone, and they were constantly breaking the law in order obtain a massive of amount of money hoping their dreams would come true. 

I came home on a Friday afternoon and was feeling extra tired from the week.  I should have just taken a nap so I could do  more useful activities the rest of the evening.  Instead, I got hooked into this show, binge watching it until midnight.  Yikes. 

The next day I felt so bad about it, that I promised myself I would only watch informative videos or listen to podcasts the rest of the day.  

I scroll too much social media, too.  I am looking for educational articles.  Sometimes my friends share interesting things.  But, not so much. The algorithm hides most of my friends' posts and I am inundated with irrelevant ads.  I'm all for humor and comedy, but I'm not interested in the practical jokes. 

How many walks could I have taken?  How many blog articles could I have written?  I could have had a good nights' sleep.  

We tell ourselves we need a little down time to refresh, but really, is that down time abused?

Think about it. 

If you take a lot of down time, are you exhausted?  Have you burned through your reserves and beat up your body's self protective Fight or Flight response?  Do you avoid more important activities because you have anxiety over them?  Does this anxiety stem from hyper-triggered fight or flight response?

I'm summarizing how we tend to rewire the nervous system in ways that rob us of energy, creativity, and time for quality socialization. 

How would you assess your health right now?

How's your: 

1- Mind-Set

2- Mobility

3- Nutrition

4- Sleep

We use chiropractic to rewire the nervous system. What would you like to do better?

See you at the table....the adjusting table.

Dr. Lisa

Your Live Disease Free Coach

    



Friday, August 16, 2024

Let's Talk About Brain Priority

 Don't get mad.  Get glad.   

(Image: Classic TV on YouTube)

If you've been in my office more than a week, you know I say the brain sets the priority and there is no point in arguing with your brain.  Your brain knows what you need at each and every moment. 


Do you return the favor when your body works so hard for you?  How do you pay back what stress takes? We don't have to intervene.  The term "intervene" sounds like you need to take over for the body's mistakes, but that is not true.  The body doesn't make
mistakes, the brain decides what is necessary at each moment and delegates instructions to each organ, muscles, blood vessel, cell.  (It's a very intelligent survival response.)

When your inner and outer environments change, the brain reassesses and updates the instructions.  But, it is smart to replenish the body's reserves.  Replenish with nerve energy (chiropractic), nutrients, and teaching (downgrade your personal triggers that over-stimulates the fight or flight response).   Let's do it together.  See you at the table.   ---The Chiropractic Table

-----------------

Brain First / Body Follows

Brain Priority Influences Body Function

Mind-Set

You can properly interpret

the nervous system.

You can understand how

your unique experiences

shape your nervous system.

(Learned Triggers)

Chiropractic stimulates the

pre-frontal cortex.

(The thinking and discerning

part of the brain.)

Mobility

Your mobility mirrors

the adaptability of the

nervous system.

Mobility and strength

maintain your independence. 

Chiropractic influences

your mobility.

Nutrition

Replenish depleted

nutrients used up by

the nervous system.

Chiropractic assists

the digestive system

for nutrient assimilation.

Sleep

The brain detoxes and

refreshes during sleep.

Chiropractic supports

a rewarding sleep routine. 

Monday, August 12, 2024

Why Are You Frustrated by Health Care?


Your health will always be determined by the adaptability of your Fight or Flight Response.

(Image:Researchgate.net)

Regardless of the diagnosis given to you, you should be concerned with how well your nervous system bounces back from stress.

Do you ask your health care provider how well your nervous system is working? It's time to find a chiropractor who focuses on brain retraining.




Tuesday, July 23, 2024

Chiropractors Are Not Hinge Doctors



Chiropractors Are Not Hinge Doctors



Chiropractors are Body Guards

of the Brain.



Image Courtesy: What Happens When the Brain Looks at Itself?



Because:

You Are Not a Machine.


You Are

a Masterpiece.




Chiropractic is the Springboard to your Energetic Life

The whole point of chiropractic is to adjust the spine so it can unwind the stress of your life, giving you a refreshed energy to live the whole human experience  --- regardless of pain, whether you are in pain or not in pain.   

The brain is constantly reorganizing itself.  Chiropractic enhances the process.  

Monday, July 22, 2024

You're Not a Machine - You're a Masterpiece - Embrace It - Live Like It

 
The #1 challenge for all of us is to understand how amazing we are and to embrace it.  The sophisticated innate intelligence is always taking care of the body.  But then we stop short and switch over to the disease model.  The body is amazing, yet it can't be trusted.  Not very productive. 

Everything the body does is correct for the situation, even if it makes us uncomfortable. A better understanding of this can reduce the anxiety that makes pain more intense.  I expect inflammation and swelling if the body needs time to repair and replace tissue.  We don't want to interrupt the process.  We want to work with it, in a partnership.  

The nervous system coordinates all body functions, and we must remember that every system is involved with every injury or rebuilding process. Nothing in the body happens independently.  This is the masterpiece.

If you are injured or fatigued, your circulation responds, your heart beat responds, your endocrine system such as the thyroid and adrenals responds,  your lungs respond, your body temperature responds.  Your skeletal system responds. Your digestive rhythm changes.  Even your hearing and eyesight respond.  

When coming to the chiropractor, I hope we aren't compartmentalizing the body.  We do ourselves a disservice.  

I adjust the spine in order to beef up the brain's attentiveness to the situation.   The first step is to calm the fight or flight response so the body can get back to the essential process of repair. That may mean spiking a fever.  It may mean reducing a fever.  It may increase inflammation, or decrease inflammation.  It may speed up the intestines or slow down the intestines.  It's all based on the brain's focus on immediate needs to get the job done. 

Many people come to me and say, "I hurt here," and point.  That's the sensation that gets the most attention, but there's so much more going on in the body that we take for granted.

It may appear that I am a "hinge doctor." Adjusting the spine helps improve motion, but the brain gets a whole lot more information from that adjustment.  

So much happens with your masterpiece.  

You are a Masterpiece!  Live Like It1  Be Proud!  Be Unstoppable!

How the Adjustment and the Brain Work Together:
(Studied and Measured)

The Adjustment Influences the Prefrontal Cortex of the Brain
(the conductor of the whole brain)
movement coordination
thinking focus
behavior goal directed tasks
decision making memory attention
intelligence
pain processing emotional response to pain
autonomic function (just about everything)
motor control eye movement spacial awareness
fall prevention muscle strength
pelvic floor control mental rotation of objects

*Normalizing Blood Pressure
*Mood and Attention Improvement
*Blood Glucose efficiency– decreases insulin resistance
*Improvements and/or Reversal of neurodegenerative brain physiology (HUGE!)
*Epigenetic Changes – this changes fertility and short & long term offspring physiology
*Increase ATP – which is a “game-changer” for many reasons
*Telomere shortening – one of GREATEST “anti-aging” strategies in health today!
*Heart Disease – #1 contributor to heart disease in men and women is increased sustained sympathetic tone
*Immune System – Radically affects the immune system. Better than any marketable strategy medicine has to offer

Brain Changes
*One study noted the changes made in brain patterns and activity was more in one session than multiple weeks of standard psychological treatment made to brain!(You should know that brain-based neurophysiologists get their mind blown when they get to see the power of an adjustment on the brain!)
*Chiropractic was also shown to improve muscle strength, stability, and fatigue more in one session than 3 weeks of weight training! (Mind-Blowing!!)

Let me throw a few musculoskeletal benefits in here:
*Increases mobility and reduces Spinal Degeneration – degeneration shown to set in within 10-14 days with reduced mobility.
*5x better at musculoskeletal pain reduction than celebrex and vioxx combined (sad part here is that celebrex and vioxx together gross more $ per year ALONE than the entire chiropractic profession….the world desperately needs what we do!)
 (www.chiropracticadvocate.com)

What else happens when you release subluxations with adjustments:

Decrease pro-inflaming cytokines (bad guys)  ***            
Increase neurotensin
Increase pro-regulatory cytokines (good guys)  ***           
Increase oxytocin
Increase CD-4 helpter T-cells (good guys)    ***                
Increase orexin A
Block TNF (bad guys)    ***                                        
Better cortisol response
Decrease CRP (bad guys)   ***
Increase DNA repair with maintenance                    
                                             
**** I don't follow the good inflammation/bad inflammation belief.  Inflammation is a purposeful form of repair.  Higher levels of inflammation indicate the repair has been ineffective  due to higher stress levels, higher toxin levels.           


Sunday, July 21, 2024

Doctors Who Jumped Ship (More in 2024)

 I came across this neurosurgeon who entirely left the medical profession.  He gave a long but very insightful explanation.  Much of what he said is relevant to today's ongoing "health care crisis."  I really felt empathy for him and I understand exactly where he is coming from.  

I encourage you to listen to his story.  LISTEN HERE.

He belongs in my Doctors Who Jumped Series that I began writing in 2020. You can revisit the entire series here. 

There are a few take home messages with this gentleman.

#1- There are certain life style habits that help you not need surgery.  Many of his patients who had a date of surgery scheduled managed to do some self care and then cancel the whole thing. 

#2- I would venture to say there are certain personalities that do not need surgery.  Looking at number there are people who have a particular mind-set that helps them get through these kinds of challenges.  And listening this man's story he met a number of folks who quickly adopted this mind-set when push came to shove. 

#3- Watching surgery fail so many people is absolutely disconcerting to health care professionals who went through extensive training.  Imagine being led to believe your education will make a difference but once you are so deep in the time and money you realize it was a mistake. 

This gentleman is now taking a major retreat, time out for himself, so he can rest his brain, and figure out a way to make a come back without the long term effects of trauma.   Now, it does sound dramatic when I say "trauma"  but it is a considerable demoralization when reality did not meet expectations.  I believe we all have a similar experience when something was a huge disappointment.  After all, we want to be optimistic and trusting.  As I mentioned in by book, You Don't Have a Disease You Have A Nervous System, I wanted to show respect to my teachers.  You need a bit of humility when you're learning from those who have been in the field a whole lot longer. 

The beauty of life is that each of us is incredibly different.  We each have our unique dreams, talents, and experiences.  We don't want to be carbon copies of each other.  Innovation comes from creativity and looking at things from a different perspective. 

This gentleman is facing uncertainty, but I bet he'll do just fine. As he has realized that a person's mind-set plays so much more in person's state of health, which most of medicine ignores, he'll make the most of his authentic mind-set paving a new way in the world. 

If you remember from your chiropractic orientation packet that each new member receives on day one, studies have shown chiropractic enhances cognitive therapy, psychological therapy as well as in pain perception, mobility, and endocrine function. 

Read more: 

Chiropractic and Mental Health

Dr. Peter Breggin, Psychiatry Reformer

Chiropractic is a neurofeedback training exercise.  This enhances your ability to rewire how your brain perceives the world and nurtures your body.

Chiropractic as a maintenance practice rewires the brain.  It takes time and repetition, which is how your brain has learned all your life.  This time we are more deliberate. 

Welcome to Empowerment. 

See you at the table....the chiropractic table.

---Dr. Lisa


A May 23, 2020 PubMed article, Medical Error, sites medical mistakes as one of the leading causes of death in the United States.  Statistics from different years show it has ranged from number 6 to the third cause of death.   Choose carefully.  Get multiple opinions.