Being Human is Not Covered by Insurance

In the Citizen: 

Chiropractic: When all eyes are on evidence, key stressors get ignored

Published in Tuesday's Citizen.  Enjoy.

In practice, I’ve watched people make a total turnaround with their health. But I’ve also seen others who seemed to stay stuck in a cycle of perpetual stress that undermines their overall well-being.

It’s very hard to watch the folks who can’t seem to catch a break. Their bodies are riddled with the ignored effects of stress. And for the ones who have been on and off the health care merry-go-round, they lose interest in trying anything new.

I also have a beef with the so-called science crowd that's pushing for evidence-based medicine in health care. Insurance companies love this because adjusters can deny folks left and right and not blink an eye.

Statistics may be neat and tidy, but they should not be used to dictate how a practitioner orchestrates care. This is where very sick people stay sick because no one completely studies the many variables that make up a person’s life. Studies are so controlled that no one I’ve met resembles the volunteers in randomized clinical trials.

Researchers pose interesting questions, but they don’t deal with someone who just buried a relative or someone who can’t simply leave work stress at the door. Many life problems creep in and complicate healing. Whether you pay out of pocket or hope insurance shares the cost, insurance language does not make people aware of the very useful integrative approaches available.

The biggest issues I deal with are not back pain and neck injuries. Rather, I am working with people who have put their health on the back burner for much too long while they put the health of others ahead of their own.

But there is no insurance code for being human. So we start where we are, and work through the crying and venting as best as we can. The next step is to come up with a plan.

With chiropractic, the goal is to manually restore joint motion so new reflex patterns can be established within the network of nerves. This is important to health because healing patterns are disrupted by multiple injuries, emotional stresses and chemical damage from diet and the environment.

The other half of the chiropractic equation is to establish healing behaviors. While getting adjusted, the body and mind are more accepting of new habits.

There is a difference between people who find success with their efforts compared to others who seem to stagnate. Folks who understand the extent of damage in their bodies approach the work ahead of them with more patience.

This is where education matters. Understanding that the body reacts to stress in a logical manner helps alleviate anxiety. Knowing that that the healing process includes more than pain relief helps people look more objectively at the multiple factors that are in play.

The final message here is to put your health at the top of the list. Let your chiropractor help you construct a health building plan because your loved ones not only count on you, they want to share life’s joys with you.

Depression Behind the Smile

 How do you handle stress?

We tend to hide a lot of our life, such as the  parts we are ashamed of, or the parts we dislike about ourselves.  We don't want it to appear we are crumbling under stress.

What is worse: the stress or how we deal with stress?

It is very easy to become depressed, but we have to hide it don't we?  Should we?

And what does that do to our overall health?  It's not ideal.  Your thoughts create patterns that can disrupt or enhance your health.  

Along with your chiropractic care for better brain health, I recommend mind-centered approaches for healing, as well.  That is why we have a Hidden Gems mentoring group here at the office.  Also, I have a short ebook available on Depression Behind the Smile to address this other side of stress.  Check it out here.    

The spine coordinates your healing response and that includes your mental/emotional healing.  Chiropractic is your ON-switch. 

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

--Dr. Lisa
--Your Health Freedom Advocate

Know the Difference between Good Pressure and Bad Pressure

Published in this week's Citizen.  Enjoy!

There is a saying that pressure makes diamonds. Since that only applies to coal, pressure is not always a good thing. In the chiropractic world, however, pressure can be good or bad. It just depends on the situation.

A quick teaching point regarding spine health is that the weight of a dime pressing on the nerve root as it exits the spine can reduce its function by 60%. This is like a 100 watt light bulb working only at 40 watts. Studies performed by neurophysiologists in the early 1970’s showed how nerve function can be restored in a short amount of time but the damage becomes irreversible after a number of hours.

Other studies have demonstrated that nerves are the most fragile right at the point where the nerve is leaving the openings between two vertebral bones. It is very common for small veins in the same area to become compressed leading to inflammation and nerve injury. This can lead to radicular pain but the damaged area remains pain free for quite a long time before you notice it.

Researchers have noted a strong correlation linking Sudden Infant Death Syndrome with a misalignment of the first vertebral bone in infants. Traction and rotational stress of the spinal cord at the skull during the birth process are seen as common causes.

Mechanical distortions of the spine change how sensory pathways alert the immune system. This can interfere with the body’s ability to respond to infectious pathogens.   Since much of this spinal pressure does not illicit pain, autoimmune symptoms such as rashes, fevers, and fatigue may be the first warning signals.

These are examples of what bad pressure can do to your health. So to fight fire with fire, chiropractic uses good pressure to release the tension placed on these spinal areas. The ironic question is how can it be so beneficial if too much pressure can damage the body?

This is where the art and science of chiropractic merge. Every person has lived with a lifetime of stress. The chiropractor chooses an adjusting technique based on each person’s state of health and tension level at that moment.

Tension levels can be assessed by moving the joints passively, observing the patient’s active motion, and palpating spinal areas to note muscular differences.  An adjustment is a mild force applied to spinal joints in order to reset the mechanical receptors that influence how the brain controls nerve patterns and muscle reflexes.

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to modulate pain perception, improve relaxation and reduce brain wave activity to more functional levels that induce healing and appropriate cognition.

The brain, spinal cord, nerves, and skeletal system perform many sophisticated tasks that keep us going throughout our day. While the body can take a licking and keep on ticking, we don’t want to let injuries, postural habits, or other stresses weigh us down.

Leave the diamonds to Mother Nature, but remember how heavy a dime feels in your hand.  Let chiropractic help you stay healthy.

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

--Dr. Lisa

Hidden Gems Healing Retreat

Hidden Gems Healing Retreat

 “Believe In Your Healing”

Saturday August 3, 2013

9:00-12:30

□ Group Health Coaching Session

□ Individual STAR Session with chiropractic, massage, essential oils

□ Hidden Gems Group Mentoring Session

Feel Refreshed and Recharged!

8:45 Check-In

9-9:30 Intro Session: Determine Your Health Gold Mine

9:30-11:30 STAR Sessions, group discussion, &  quiet reflection

11:30-11:45 Break

11:45-12:30 Hidden Gems Mentoring Session

1-4 people $80 per person

5-8 people $60 per person

$30 Deposit by July 26^th                 Dr. Lisa Ann Homic  277-1362

Chiropractic's Human Connection

This article is in today's Citizen.  

I had a patient some years ago who passed away after cancer took away her body’s resilience.  I do not treat cancer.  As a chiropractor, I work on the spinal articulations that strongly influence how well the nervous system regulates the body’s defenses. I don’t even treat back pain.

I have to repeat that often because most people see the end result of a person with back pain getting better after going to the chiropractor.  So getting this message across is very important. 

For my patient with cancer, I wished she had sought out chiropractic sooner.  I would have had more time to work with her on the less appreciated mental benefits of chiropractic care.  At the time, it was leg pain that brought her to my office.

She was still working at her job during cancer treatments, but the leg pain was more disruptive.  She expected to be tired and drained after chemotherapy, but not being able to walk was emotionally beating her up. 

We talked a lot about how she had to juggle so many doctors.  Each one had his or her own specialty so she was seeing them for various infections, blood clots, and other ailments related to her weakening immune system.  She said there was an empty disconnect because no one would talk about her cancer except her cancer doctor.

As a chiropractor, I was also in that disconnected category.  Back and leg pain brought her to me, but I had to explain to her I had no control over her pain.  My objective was to address her stressed nerves that were so crucial in the regulation of her body systems. 

We talked about rebuilding her stressed body with spinal adjustments, cleansing nutrition, and enjoying her favorite activities.  I adjusted her and she felt better.  Her leg pain was gone and she said she never felt so good. 

I told her at the time she was feeling great to keep up our routine because the physical stresses were still there.   She thought that was a great idea.  And I did see her.  When she was worn out from other appointments and the leg pain returned, she came to my office.

She was always happy to get adjusted.  Her mood was uplifted.  She was excited to get her energy back.  Then, chemotherapy wasn’t working according to tests so different combinations were tried.    

I saw her again after a long absence.  Sickness and fatigue kept her home more often.  I asked about her rebuilding activities and she responded that she was too depressed and kept eating sugar all the time.

My heart sank.  She couldn’t do it alone and we made her stay alone.  Four or five different doctors worked with her.  We each followed our profession’s standard of care.  But she needed more than that.  She needed us in the same room talking to her about how important she was as a person. 

We can teach people to understand and trust their bodies’ innate intelligence.  We can give them tools to enhance their natural healing.  And when a chiropractic adjustment gives someone a moment of peace and human connection during a time of suffering, I will do it. 

Obama-Care Prep Talk (Part 2)

A lot of the Affordable Care Act goes into effect in 2014.  The Affordable Care Act is designed to finance health care, but that does not mean there will be efficient health care.

Financing health care does not mean providing health care, either.  Nor, will it provide the health care results you want.  Lifestyle will always trump health care.

Two aspects of health we tend to overlook are:

1-    Where does health come from?

2-    Where does it go?

When we were barely conceived and in utero, the first organ system to form after multiple cell divisions was the nervous system.  The nervous system monitors and heals the body, maintaining homeostasis.

We all know pregnant moms have to be careful what their babies are exposed to, however, we seem to forget about this smart thinking once we are all grown up.

So, the stressful world slowly breaks down this perfect system that took care of us growing up.  

We use chiropractic care as part of a Lifestyle because nothing will go well for you without a clear neurological connection—the brain and spinal cord working in sync with the rest of the body.

We hope we are building up at a rate faster than we are breaking down.  We need a healthy, chiropractic lifestyle to fine-tune the nervous system that never gets to take a vacation.   

Yep, even when you sleep your nervous system is working hard taking care of you.

And at Homic Advanced Chiropractic we know the Chiropractic Lifestyle is a SNAP!

*Stimulate the brain

*Nourish the Body

*Activate the Nervous System

*Pursue Life                            ---See you at the table….the adjusting table.

Did you miss Part 1?

--Dr. Lisa

--Your Health Freedom Advocate

Take "Treatment" Out of Your Wellness Vocabulary

Q. Do, I, as a chiropractor, treat the spine for spinal conditions?

A.  No.  A treatment is something you do to windows or a deck.  You are a person.  You may be a person in spine pain.  You may be a person lacking energy.  You may be a person having a great day.  You may be a person having a bad day.  But I won't treat you.  I help you harness the Chiropractic Lifestyle so you can meet your own personal goals of success and purpose.  I hope you want to do that with the most natural and least invasive way where you are empowered in your health care decisions.

Q.  What is the Chiropractic Life-Style?

A.  It is a mind-set where you understand that the body is self-regulating, self-governing, self-healing.  The body always tries to self-balance when stress is incurred.  The body will rebuild over and over again if the stress is not overly burdensome.  The Chiropractic Life-Style concentrates on ways to boost the nervous system so it can govern the body appropriately.  Anything that is opposite of our "boosting actions" is a depleting action that harms the body's resilience.

Q.  What are these boosters and stressors?

A.  It is a SNAP to remember:

S - Stimulate the brain (emotional and cognitive health)  -- the opposite (stressors)  is draining mental energy, exhausting the brain, exposing the brain to poisons, exposure to emotional traumas, poor sleep, lack of physical activity, and depriving the brain of educational activity

N - Nourish the body -- the opposite (stressors)  is poor nutrition, dietary stress that harms digestions, toxins building up in the body, nutrient deficiencies

A - Activating the nervous system -- the opposite (stressors) is not getting chiropractic adjustments on a maintenance schedule, repetitive injuries, repetitive strain, poor posture, inadequate exercise.

P- Pursuing Life --- the opposite is not having a life purpose, living in an isolated manner, feeling out of control and having a poor outlook.

Q. What else is important about the Chiropractic Life-Style?

A.  Understanding that healing is a constant process.  We are healing even when we are feeling good and don't realize the damage we have suffered.  This is why we should adopt this kind of lifestyle.  It is proactive and time-saving, as well as life-saving.


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

--Dr. Lisa
--Your Health Freedom Advocate