The Worst Health Problem: Do You Have It?

(Image: Dr. Ford Brewer, YouTube)

When I talk to folks, I notice their concern and fear with certain health problems.  And it's not always cancer, even though it is assumed to come with an inevitable death sentence.  (Here are different perspectives on cancer:   The Cancer Culture  &  Is Cancer on the Rise? )

The top of list seems to be arthritis and clogged arteries. 

People are especially frightened of arthritis.  I was a bit freaked out when I had neck Xrays at age 29.  I was not in any pain, but the early formation of spurs were evident. Today, I do not have pain, and I have no desire to get new Xrays. (It is common knowledge that imaging findings do not correlate with pain levels or predict pain.)

The media has endless commercials for slow release pain medications. When many of us watched our grandparents live in a tiny world because their activity levels were restricted by pain, we all cross our fingers and say: "Not me.  Please, not me."

I'd like to be hopeful that hip and knee replacement surgeries are not as prevalent as they appear to be.  It seems as if every other person over age 60 has some type of artificial joint.  I realize it's fairly easy to get approved for the surgery.  So, what are the stats?

AI Summary from Google:

In 2010, 0.83% of the US population had a total hip replacement. This number increased with age, reaching 5.26% for people aged 80 and older. Women are more likely to have hip replacements than men, and the prevalence is expected to increase in the future as the population ages and demand for improved mobility grows. 

Hip replacements are one of the most common and fastest-growing procedures in the US, and are considered one of the safest and most reliable treatments in medicine. They can last for 20 years or more, and are often a lifelong solution for hip arthritis. About 95% of patients experience relief from hip pain after surgery, and 90–95% of implants remain viable 10 years later, and 80–85% remain viable after 20 years. However, hip replacements can fail due to reasons such as instability, infection, loosening,  or implant failure, which can be a burden for patients and the healthcare system.  NIH article

What did we do for folks before hip replacements were popular?  Did we just ignore people's pain and tell them to suck it up?  Perhaps we were healthier back then before the our food supply turned into franken foods?  We were more inclined to exercise back then? These are fair questions. 

More AI input: 

According to NCBI, 171 total hip arthroplasty (THA) procedures were performed between 1970 and 1980, which is 5.3% of the 3,219 THA procedures performed between 1969 and 2006. The University of Orthopaedic Department also performed 2,669 Charnley-Mueller THA procedures between November 1970 and February 1982

NIH link

The other scary diagnosis that has everyone stressed is metabolic syndrome/heart disease.  (Not to mention constantly worrying about it is not helpful.)

They are obsessed with their cholesterol numbers which can go up and down.  (Reasons for sudden increase in cholesterol) Cholesterol is not associated with heart disease but old habits die hard, especially when there's a lot of money to be made from statin meds. ($14.1B according to AI.)

Here's the funny thing, there are better lab numbers that correlate with heart function as they relate to the fight or flight response such as norepinephrine/catecholamines. 

What are the stats?  Well, 3.1% of American adults in the U.S. suffered myocardial infarction in 2010.   NIH article.  Does 3% sound like an epidemic to you?

Also, the American Heart Association reports that half (50%) of America has some type of cardiovascular disease. (Just having high blood pressure alone puts you in this group.  Interesting way of skewing the statistics.)

Now that I'm researching some stats regarding these two topics, I come across this: 

People with osteoarthritis are 3 times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease or heart failure.  ****  This blew me away. READ HERE

At least this article cites the serious problem of NSAID pain medications as a risk for heart disease.  The Mayo Clinic admits this side effect, but doesn't explain why. 

Some commonly used NSAIDs include:

• aspirin (such as Disprin)
• ibuprofen (such as Nurofen)
• naproxen (such as Naprosyn)
• diclofenac (such as Voltaren)
• celecoxib (such as Celebrex).

LINK HERE

I'd like to reduce people's fears by demonstrating the many incomplete assumptions that show there is no cut and dry explanation as to why the body does what it does. Also, we are all very different from one another and one size does not fit all.  If this was true 100% of us would have heart disease, or arthritis, or cancer, and that is just not the case. 

Our unique nervous systems shape our health.  Even though you may live in the same environment as your closest friend or live in the same household as other family members, no one has the same health presentation.  Hopefully you are all energetic and active, but we know life has its ups and downs.

The robustness of your nervous system impacts how your joints perform. 

The robustness of your nervous system impacts how your heart performs.      

----not genes, not heredity, not age, not gender, etc. but what you taught your nervous system by your experiences and emotions,

When you're under stress, the brain diverts its resources. If it goes on long enough, there is deprivation and depletion.  We want to avoid that extreme. 

We use chiropractic to modify the intensity of stress so the brain calms the fight or flight response. 

Fight or Flight: 

fast heart rate

fast, shallow breathing

cold hands, sweaty hands

thicker blood

digestion, elimination slows

hyper energy, anxious

insomnia

compulsive thinking, ruminating

emotions range from distrustful to fearful

tight muscles to the point of shaking, trembling

low or no pain may be risk of injury, or you take more risks

(the hyper-energy may make you feel indestructible)

These are normal survival responses when there is immediate danger, but they also wipe out your energy.  Without time for rest and replenishment, the body breaks down, performs poorly, and does not renew itself. 

Chiropractic shifts the brain's perception of its environment.  It can get stuck in Fight or Flight because of its efficient ability to learn from exposure. Chiropractic helps re-educate the brain and re-set the pre-frontal cortex (the conductor of the brain).

The worst most challenging health problem is a nervous system stuck in Fight or Flight.

Talk to me about your most challenging health concern, and let's see what the nervous system is doing about it.

See you at the table.....the adjusting table.  Don't Wait!

---Dr. Lisa

--- Your Fight or Flight Coach

The brain being a brain is not a disease

**     **     **

Chiropractic enhances the brain.  

Chiropractic is your springboard.  

Chiropractic offers something different.  It must be applied differently with its own different language and outlook. 

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.