(Auburn, NY) Tough Love

In last month's article I gave a pep talk hoping to inspire folks to turn over a new leaf. After all we are highly anticipating the transition from winter to spring. Have you done anything about it yet?

If not, let's do away with the warm fuzzies and go into tough love mode. I know what it's like to procrastinate. So, let me ask: which warning signal will you actually take seriously?

The body speaks a language of warning signals that hopefully can be translated appropriately. Many warning signals are ignored. Like the check engine light on a car, for example. I've been told it's not really critical until the light actually blinks. Good advice? Cars can be towed or replaced, but I don't want to gamble like that with the my health.

Warning signals can be obvious or elusive. Symptoms like chest pain, loss of speech and coordination are clearly emergency situations. Other symptoms such as a nagging pain or fatigue leave doctors scratching their heads when tests and labs don't confirm a specific disease.

The chiropractic point of view is one that asks why wait? Why wait for a health scare? Chiropractic teaches us to take prevention to a new level.

According to neurophysiology, every disease, infirmity, and illness is related to the nervous system's ability to respond and recover. While the brain and spinal cord catalog and control all of the body's reactions to stress, the spinal column does its best to protect the spinal pathways that link the brain with the rest of the body.

In general, the public overlooks the special healing partnership of the spine and nerves, in just the same way that we tend to ignore the body's warning signs. What are these warning signs?

If you ever say you are stressed or you just can't do the same activities anymore, you are already struggling with a partial power outage in your nervous system.

Lack of energy, stiff joints, tight muscles, poor sleep, uncomfortable walking, bent over posture, and irritated mood are just a few signs from the short list. These warning signs are not necessarily diseases, but they are diseases in the making because spinal stress distorts nerve messages and shuts down healing.

Incidentally, the ultra preventive personality types know that nerves can be under stress without symptoms because soft tissues may not yet be broken down enough to illicit pain.

Spring is around the corner and a few people have already remarked to me they are not in shape to tackle yard clean up. They are still weakened from recent illnesses. Winter stress has taken a toll on our spine and nerves.

Chiropractic offers its unique approach with the spinal adjustment. Hand adjustments to the spine release nerve tension and help extinguish negative patterns memorized by the nervous system.

Don't feel overwhelmed by the body's warning signals. It is now a great time to learn how chiropractic recharges the nervous system so all the other body systems can flourish.

(Auburn, NY) I Won't Change If I Actually Have to Do Something

I will only change if it doesn't disrupt my life too much. Who hasn't said this? We're all guilty of feeling this way. I hear paraphrased versions of this all the time from folks in my office. Along with negative body language they display facial expressions of pure panic.

I suppose if change was easy we'd try a new adventure everyday. Somehow regular life gets in the way.

From the viewpoint of health care, positive health changes can open the door to bigger and better things but there's that resistance to the unknown that overwhelms logic.

Generally when someone needs to make a health change it involves giving up an unhealthy habit and taking on a better habit. It requires a change in time management. It can certainly be risky to relationships when family members are not supportive.

Why bother disrupting your life when there could be negative side effects? Change will always disrupt life as you currently know it. There is the irony.

The statistics confirm the difficulty. At John Hopkins, Dr. Edward Miller reported a decade ago that heart patients who are told they need to change their lifestyle simply do not do it. Ninety percent fail to make the recommended health changes. It was concluded death is too scary to think about so patients preferred denial.

Enter Dr. Dean Ornish in the equation. He tirelessly rolled up his sleeves showing heart patients how to make change enjoyable rather than drudgery. He achieved a 77% success rate utilizing a support system with activities that worked on both the body and the mind.

His program is a serious immersion. It runs close to ten weeks, two to three times a week for four hours a day. It is major change. Do you need to pack your bags for boot camp and say good bye to loved ones? Maybe not.

We can get right down to the biggest reason change is difficult. Our neurology. We can feel trapped by patterns entrenched in the nervous system. New patterns are rejected by the brain's comfort zone unless they are immersed.

Now let's get to that chiropractic thing. We use the chiropractic adjustment to extinguish old patterns and reinforce productive patterns. The improved patterns promote healing and homeostasis by increasing oxygen, reducing inflammation, balancing blood pressure, normalizing brain waves and calming the fight or flight response.

When your body feels energized and strong, you can work on the other desired changes you want to make in your life. Your personal immersion plan should include activities that nurture physical and mental health. Interestingly, chiropractic helps both.

Change is often seen as a losing battle. Rather than figuratively dipping a toe in the water, Dr. Ornish believes diving in is what brings success. If you're ready for the dive, get the supports lined up that will help you stay immersed.

Let chiropractic help unravel the negatives that hold you back. This kind of nervous system support will help the body and mind welcome your new changes.

Help Each Other Stay Healthy: Be Nice

How are those New Year's Resolutions going right about now? I've been pondering my own challenges a bit. One ongoing concern is that my family doesn't have the best of me and I don't have the best of them.

Where is the best of me going? I give it away during the day just like everyone else does. Raise your hand if you deal with unpleasant customers, obsessive compulsive coworkers, and irate drivers on the way home.

What happens at the end of the day? We give our worst to our families. We are tired out. Some days we are especially beaten down. We feel unaccomplished wondering how will we have more energy to start over tomorrow.

Worries about job loss is a major motivator. Work place stress is considerably high if you're working in a poorly managed system running on deadlines, mistrust, and punitive actions when mistakes are made. If that sounds familiar, we have a major societal problem that contributes to poor health.

Okay, so we are not purposely making each other sick, but we don't make it easy on each other. I also worry about what are we are indirectly teaching our children. Our smallest actions have a lasting impact.

This is where natural health, especially chiropractic, is your New Year's tool. Let's make a trade. I ask you to give up one unhealthy behavior and I'll give you a new one to replace it. Put a chiropractor on your resolution team and get on an adjusting routine.

We all need time to regenerate on a regular basis. This includes a consistent sleeping schedule, recreational outlets, and a few minutes each week at the chiropractor's office to rejuvenate a stressed spine.

The spine provides safety tunnels for our nerves. The spine also absorbs stress like a super powered sponge. When stressed nerves can't deliver life affirming messages to our organs we develop negative patterns that invite disease.

Chiropractic is a necessary way to keep the body's electrical intelligence humming along. Like a house exposed to the wear and tear of weather, the spine suffers the same process. We tend to take for granted what our bodies provide for us. This chiropractic message should not be taken lightly.

On the positive side, we are a close knit community that jumps up to the plate when a neighbor has a need. We have big hearts and become generous with our time and money. We are very open to sharing when other folks are down on their luck.

We can only be effective helpers if we maintain our health. We are able to give when our own life style is balanced. We need adequate energy to meet our daily goals but we also need a good supply left over so we can jump in at the last minute when a hand is needed.

Our daily encounters with each other can be productive. If we can share the workload with a smile or good word everyone's health benefits. My chiropractic colleagues and I will be around all year to help the community keep this healthy mind set going.  

Thank You for Sharing Your Life with Me

This month I am taking time to look back at my years in practice to thank all my wonderful practice members who have shared their lives with me. I am very blessed to know each of you.

I have been privileged to witness the good and bad with my practice members such as celebrating their personal successes and giving them my shoulder during their sorrows.

I have been able to watch people blossom into a new vibrancy as they recovered their health. For many it is like watching a snake shed its old skin and reveal the new as they open up to a unique way of recalibrating the mind and body.

I have also accompanied folks on their journeys into the next world. Some were terminal and fighting to make every day count. Others reached an age where they were longing to reunite with with loved ones who had departed this life too early.

Parents desiring to give their children a super head start in life bring their infants and toddlers in for care. High school students crafting their athletic skills for an ambitious launch into college sports also make the commitment to chiropractic. I have been honored to adjust the spines of four generations in one family.

Not only do I work with all ages, I see many folks who struggle with chronic pain. They cope the best they can despite the high amount of stress burdening their health. I hear in their voices how the psychological sting of pain seems to take a greater toll on them than their damaged bodies do.

Those who decide to try chiropractic care for the first time are not sure how their bodies will respond. Healing is very personal and one size does not fit all. With the scientific understanding of anatomy

and physiology, the art of chiropractic must still be practiced differently from one person to another.

So I thank them for their sense of adventure and feeling that they can find a healthier self underneath the weight of life's challenges. It is their commitment that warms the office and sends smiles out the door.

As the year closes and 2015 approaches, typically we all look ahead and consider new goals. Should I have a bigger office? Maybe I need more adjusting rooms. I definitely need more shelf space.

But I quickly turn back to the realization that I can only adjust one spine at a time. I can't be in two places at once, and people don't want to feel like a number.

Someone told me a few weeks ago how she watched people come into the office beat up and flustered and then leave with a renewed spring in their step. I hadn't noticed something like that in a long time because I am busy adjusting the next person in line.

So, again, I say thank you, to all my practice members who want to be better on the inside and outside. They know what I mean when I tell them to take their renewed energy and go set the world on fire.

Chiropractic Dirty Words: Part 2

Last month I shared with my audience one of the dirty words of chiropractic. I wrote about subluxation, a word chiropractors cannot agree upon. Now I will present a word folks on the outside of chiropractic do not understand.

The next dirty word is maintenance. Someone can receive maintenance care at the chiropractor's office by receiving a spinal adjustment when he or she is not in pain. The reason for this is because superior benefits are experienced when the body is not in a state of stress.

Maintenance is highly valued when talking about car care. Making sure the brakes are in top condition and the engine has fresh oil are very important for safety. When precious cargo is on board, no one wants to risk a serious accident or breakdown late at night during treacherous weather.

I don't know anybody who says he'll wait until he gets a flat tire to check the pressure. We've all had to deal with the surprise dead battery, but to ignore the technician's advice and hope a Good Samaritan will come by with jumper cables does not make sense.

When the roof starts to leak or a few shingles have worn off, a roofer is called in to fix it. I know some incredible procrastinators, but people who enjoy comfort will not wait until the roof collapses.

How about lawn maintenance? Have you ever seen a yard that has grown out of control so badly that there is a fear of an alligator or grizzly bear living among the brush? That could be your spine!

To some, chiropractic is only for accidents and injuries. Being proactive is not synonymous with chiropractic if you happen to be an administrator of a health maintenance organization. The irony could really anger me, but I get adjusted instead.

Too often I hear the statement: if you start going to a chiropractor you have to keep going back. That haunts me like hearing Henny Youngman say, “Take my wife, please,” over and over again. I suppose if you start brushing your teeth you will have to keep doing that, too.

Why do we have maintenance drugs? Maybe people with kidney transplants really don't need anti-rejection medicines. Yes, I am being sarcastic. Even weight loss programs teach their participants about the importance of the maintenance phase.

Chiropractic is like anything else you make a commitment to. You will get out of it exactly what you put into it. Since the spine absorbs your stress every second, the wear and tear is real.

It is very tragic when I see folks who had no idea they were at risk and then suffered a rather simple injury that forced them to apply for disability. Now, the maintenance care they know helps them get out of bed in the morning and barely manage a few activities.

You are not a roof or an automobile. The spine cannot be replaced like a tire or window. Chiropractic maintenance care works. It changes lives. The best advice I can give is: don't wait.

Dirty Words of Chiropractic: Part 1

I've been writing about health and healing for quite some time and it can seem as if I am repeating myself. The rules for health are fairly basic but there is still plenty to discuss when it comes to chiropractic. As a thank you to my regular readers I am now going to reveal some of the dirty words of chiropractic.

Just like the old days on the back of the school bus and in the bathroom stall with the broken door, we can be rebellious and talk about some surprising topics. How can there be dirty words in chiropractic? Well, all professions have their disagreements and they can get ugly.

The chiropractic dirty word I will blurt out is subluxation. Oh, the cringing has begun. While some of my peers will rant all night about this word's profoundness, the other half will say it is as useless and extinct as the woolly mammoth.

I give tons of credit to my own practice members. They know all about subluxations. They come in to the office and tell me with no doubts that they are subluxated. They get adjusted. We work together to reduce their subluxations.

I don't know why it is a dirty word when when orthopedics, dentistry, and ophthalmology also use the word subluxation to define a dislocation or displacement of some type of anatomy. In chiropractic it is a spinal joint that has lost full range of motion which also demonstrates a number of dysfunctional processes that are taking place to cause discomfort and energy depletion.

A subluxation shows there is a stress in play that interferes with homeostasis. If it goes on too long, permanent damage can be observed. We don't want it to get to the permanent point.

The problem according to chiropractic complainers is that subluxations are a bit subtle. It is not as blaring as a heart attack or fractured femur. A chiropractor doesn't get the heroic response for adjusting spines the same way as someone holding an artery together during transplant surgery.

Chiropractic researchers want to perfectly measure a subluxation so they can say, there it is, oh my gosh! We can, however, look at health indicators before and after a spinal adjustment. There are clear changes shown with blood pressure, brain wave patterns, endocrine responses, immune responses, muscle activity and skin temperature.

Let's not overlook the unique form of palpation where the chiropractor relies on the hands to assess thousands of spinal presentations over many years of practice, storing them in his or her brain in order to give a personalized adjustment to each patient.

Subluxations are not complicated to my practice members. They know when they have let stress get the better of them. They also learn over time their own subluxation patterns. They have trained themselves to be more aware of their bodies' needs.

If you're not the type to shout out dirty words in public, you can whisper. But make sure to learn how subluxations affect quality of life so you can do something about it.

Is This Your Nervous System?

No pill will fix that!
Do it the way that works.