Happy New Year

The first quarter of 2012 is almost over and spring weather is in full swing.  Do you still remember your New Year's resolutions?  Are you on track to reach them by summer?  Are you still committed or have you thrown in the towel already.

My mentor Dr. Bill Harris says "Determined persistence is the key to lasting success and achievement".

Are you determined and are you being persistent?  If not, take a deep breath and re-commit and take a small and focused step to get back on track so you will achieve your goals that you set on January 1, 2012.

A Longer Life

            With few exceptions, all of us would like the opportunity to add years to our life, especially if they were quality years in which we could be productive or enjoy the activities of retirement.  While it is true that people are living slightly longer than they did a century ago, it is debatable whether the quality of that life is better.  We know though that it is possible to live a longer life, even to live a good, long life. There is an old adage that says, “If you want to live to a ripe old age, choose your grandparents wisely.”  The point being that there are some things that are out of our control.  We have a genetic “shelf life” built into each of us and that varies widely from one person to the next.  Yet, generally speaking, experts suggest that the human body was designed to live 120-150 years.  In fact, some scientists believe the human body was created to live a thousand years!  Even taking the lowest figure, 120 years is still far more than most people live, although there are people who do live well over 100 years demonstrating that it is possible.  If it is possible for one person to do it, then the body is designed to live that long. 

Still, it is unusual enough that if someone does live to be 100, the local newspapers want to do an interview and ask him or her what the secret to longevity is.  Some of the “secrets” these centenarians give are quite amusing and often contradictory.  One will say he drinks alcohol every day, the other says he never touches alcohol.  One says hard work, the other says no work!  But of all the questions asked, one question is never asked.  Why does less than only one in 1,000 live past the age of 100?  What is keeping the rest from reaching the century mark? 

Honestly, none of the 100 year olds seem to have a “special secret,” and there is no secret to longevity common to them all.  As much as diet and exercise are important factors, that does not seem to be the secret.  Many of them do not have diets different from the average person and many of them do not regularly exercise.  Conversely, many people who eat well and regularly exercise all their lives do not live nearly as long.  Does that mean you should ignore good eating habits and regular exercise?  Of course not.  But there must be something else, some factor that is common to everyone, that prevents 99+% of the population from reaching 100 years of age.

            While not claiming to have the answers, I have a suggestion.  The ability of your body to generate life, the vital mental impulses to all parts of the body enabling them to work in a coordinated manner, is essential to a long and healthy life.  Some people may have naturally better functioning nerve systems, more powerful generators if you will.  Clearly, the ability to get these vital messages through to all organs, tissues and cells is as important a factor as the ability of the body to generate them in the first place.  It’s no coincidence that people who do not live to be 100 have bodies that quit working properly.  The heart is the most common factor but we also blame pre-100 deaths on problems of the lungs, kidney and liver. 

Here’s another question no one seems to be asking.  If the body is designed to last 120 years, why do some of the parts break down along the way?  One factor definitely is a lack of vital life energy from the brain to the parts over the nerve pathways.  That is where the chiropractor comes in, correcting vertebral subluxations that deprive the body of life-giving, life-extending, vital mental impulses.  Does that mean that going to a chiropractor will guarantee a longer life?  No, there are no guarantees that you will not be hit by a truck tomorrow.  But we can say just by sheer logic that, all things being equal and barring unforeseen trauma, if you have a good nerve supply, you have to live longer than if you do not.  Just as, all things being equal, exercising and eating healthy will extend your life.  Chiropractic enables you to have a good nerve supply.

LESS STRESS

            Research studies have shown that people perceive their stress levels to be quite varied.  On a scale of one to ten, respondents run the full range for what they believe their stress levels to be.  Sadly most people see themselves in the higher ranges rather than the lower ones.  Why is there such a wide variation and more importantly, why is it that most people perceive their stress levels to be high?  Is it the economy?  The world situation?  Life in general?  We really have no way of comparing the stresses of life today with 100 or 200 years ago.

            It has been suggested that stress is not caused by the events or circumstances of life but by how an individual responds to those circumstances.  Unpleasant events and circumstances have been described as adversities which when not dealt with result in stress.  Hans Seyle, PhD, a world famous neurologist who did work in this area over a generation ago, described adversity as stress and the inability to handle that adversity as distress.  He theorized that stress was good.  We all need some adversity in our life in order to grow, to adapt, to be able to handle greater adversities as they occur.  In the area of health, developing permanent immunity is merely a matter of handling the adversity of a disease so the body can learn to fight off the microorganism every time it comes in contact with it in the future.  Permanent immunity makes you a stronger person.  (Perhaps artificial immune procedures, while often making one immune to that disease, weakens the overall function of the body’s immune system by not subjecting it to adversity.)  Lifting weights is a stress but if done properly with the right amount, this adversity can make a person stronger.    Even emotional stress, if overcome, often makes us stronger.  People even say, “Well if it doesn’t kill me, I’ll be stronger for it.”

            We realize that certain adversities just cannot be overcome.  They are just too overwhelming.  Whether it is emotional, physical or chemical, if any given adversity is too great it will result in stress and that stress will reduce the quality of your life.  Yet between insurmountable adversity and that which no one would even give a second thought to are the vast array of circumstances, events, and situations in life that cause tremendous stress in some people and do not affect others.  From that we must conclude that there is a factor or factors inside of people that makes one person better able to handle adversity and not allow it to become stress and others less able to handle it.

            One of those factors is the vertebral subluxation.  How well you adapt to all types of stress is dependent upon the proper function of your nerve system and vertebral subluxation not only reduces the ability of the nerve system to work as well as it should but it is another stress upon the body compounding the stresses that you already have.  In this day and age when people are constantly faced with adversity and potential, stress-causing factors, why would you want anything like a vertebral subluxation that can reduce you body’s ability to handle the adversities of life.  Further, if you do have a vertebral subluxation would it not be wise to have it corrected as soon as possible?  That is why regular chiropractic adjustments are so important.

How well you adapt to all types of stress is dependent upon the proper function of your nerve system.

Clearer Thinking

Concentration and Memory

Science has only very recently begun to realize the relationship between the organs and the other parts of the body.  In a push toward specialization in health fields during the second half of the 20^th century, the interrelationship and interdependence of the body’s parts was all but lost.  Now the tide is turning and people are realizing how important it is to address every aspect of the body in order to experience true health, maximum potential and overall well being including the ability to think clearly, concentrate and remember things.

            Some educators have realized that for students to do well in their studies, especially in the lower grades, it is important that they get a good breakfast, one that has protein rather than one that is full of worthless carbohydrates from sugar.  Of course, others think the answer to our many sugar-high, grade-school students is to prescribe some drug for them.  The corporate world has begun to realize that by providing exercise for their executives, not only will they be healthier and have less absenteeism but that they will also be mentally sharper and more productive when they are working.  We have all experienced the drowsiness and mental dullness that follows a big Thanksgiving Day meal, when our digestive systems make significant changes in our body chemistry.  Alcohol not only affects your mental abilities when it is in your bloodstream but in sufficient amounts will affect your mental activity even the next day (we call it a hangover).  Get a bad night's sleep and your mental sharpness will likely drop a noticeable level the next day.

            All of the above examples of things that can affect our ability to think clearly are quite obvious and easy for us to understand.  What is more, if these examples are true in the perceptible realm, then they are also true in the imperceptible realm.  Any change in body chemistry whether it is due to over-the-counter medication, alcohol or even poor eating habits is going to adversely affect your mental acuity, your memory, your reasoning ability, your reaction times, and your ability to focus and concentrate.  Perhaps the decrease is not noticeable to you but it may be to your boss or to those around you.  Sometimes it is noticeable to us.  When we are “coming down” with the flu or a cold, we realize that our mental productivity is down.  However, more often it is not noticeable or at best we realize that we are just not “up to par” that day.

            The reasons for this may be numerous.  One of these reasons is invariably vertebral subluxation.  When your spine is subluxated your nerve system is not able to work at its full potential.  Your nerve system is interrelated to every other system in your body.  Every system is dependent upon a full complement of mental impulses in order to work properly.  You cannot be fully energized without a good nerve supply.  You cannot digest your food properly without a good nerve supply.  Your body chemistry is less than it should be and your mental ability is decreased.  You probably do not even notice it or if you do, you usually relate it to “having an off day.”  Well no day should be an off day.  Our bodies were created and meant to work properly all the time.  If you want the most out of life then you want your mental faculties to be working their best, all the time or at least as much of the time as possible.  That can only happen if you are seeing your chiropractor on a regular basis so that subluxations can be corrected before the cumulative affects of them rob you of your mental alertness.  Sure you are going to have off days because of wrong choices you make like staying up too late, lowering your body’s resistance, or not eating well, but that is all the more reason to make sure that your mental alertness on the job, in the car and in relating to people is not impaired by vertebral subluxation.

Our bodies were created and meant to work properly all the time.

The Statistical Truth

•We rank #2 in diabetes (Nauru is #1)

•We rank #1 in strokes

•We rank #9 in cancer

•We rank #13 in heart disease.

•This is not a ranking based on successful prevention and treatment, this means that we lead the world in deaths from these diseases.

What are you doing today so you won't be one of these statistics?

How Is Your Energy Level? High or Low?

Why is it that some people seem to be able to go like the Energizer bunny and others can’t drag themselves out of bed in the morning?  It is because all of us naturally have a varied amount of energy or vitality.  Some of us were born with a 12-volt battery and some with only a six-volt.  Some people simply have more energy than others.  Often we classify these with a lot of energy as “Type-A personalities” or say they are “hyper,” but the fact is most of us would love to have the energy that they have, if only to be more productive.    Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done about that situation.  It would seem though, with few exceptions, that everyone should have the potential to get out of bed in the morning and carry on the activities of a busy day without feeling like they are dragging an anchor behind them.  Some people maintain that their lack of energy is due to not being able to get to sleep early enough.  They just cannot get all their tasks done by a reasonable hour.  For many of them, that inability is due to a lack of energy throughout the day that causes them to go at half speed.  So the cycle continues until and unless they get more energy.

            There are a few things one can do to have more natural energy.  Most of those things are activities that we should be doing every day in order to be healthy.  Eating good, nutritional food supplies the fuel that the body makes into energy.  Proper rest allows the body to rejuvenate and recuperate from the day’s activities.  Exercise is also important.  There is one more less known but equally necessary component to having the maximum amount of energy your body can have, that is a nerve system that is free of interference.

            Whether you have a 12-or 6-volt battery running your body you will want to make sure that all the voltage available is getting through.  You can put high-octane gasoline in your car but unless the electrical system is working properly, you car is not going to have any more power.  Eating good food supplies the fuel but your nerve system enables it to be turned into energy.

            Regular chiropractic adjustments are absolutely essential to a properly functioning nerve system.  When one of the bones subluxates (misaligns in a certain way), it interferes with the important message/energy flow to the organs and cells of the body.  There is no way you can expect to have all the energy you were meant to have.  Can your car get along on six cylinders instead of eight?  Sure it can.  Do you want it to?  Probably not or you would have bought a six-cylinder car.  Can your body get along with less than a full complement of natural energy?  Sure it can but do you want it to?  Like your car, a body that is not working as it should will eventually break down or develop some problem.  Keep your nerve system free of vertebral subluxations and keep your energy level high.  

Common Stresses Lead To Need For Chiropractic In Children

In the January/February 1995 issues of the ICA International Review ofMaxine McMullen, D.C. reports on the physical stresses children are

Chiropractic,

subjected to that can lead to spinal problems requiring chiropractic care.

Dr. McMullen, Dean of Chiropractic Sciences at Palmer College, is the chair of

the International Chiropractors Association Council on Chiropractic Pediatrics. In

the article, McMullen points out that stress on the infant encountered during the

medically assisted delivery process (from mechanical extraction, such as forceps,

suction devices or cesarean section) can cause severe problems from too much

force being applied to the infant’s neck. Problems that can result include

irritability, colic, failure to thrive, and lowered immune response syndromes.

Developmental problems also occur as the child grows older. When a woman

breast feeds her baby, movement on one side of the baby’s body is constricted

while freedom of movement is allowed on the other side. This process is reversed

as the baby is changed from one breast to another and allows for a balanced input

of perception into the baby’s central nervous system, a necessity for proper

development. Mothers who bottle feed their babies tend to choose the side that is

most comfortable for them and stick with that position during every feeding. As a

result, there is not a balanced perception input and therefore improper nervous

system development can occur.

When babies starts to cross-crawl at about six months of age, it is important not to

put them into playpens, walkers or hanging baby seats. Forcing erect posture on a

baby too early puts stress on structures not yet ready for such forces. Predictably,

problems result. If the problems are not corrected, as they are under Chiropractic

Care, they degrade into scoliosis (lateral curvature of the spine), muscle

imbalances, motor dysfunction and symptoms of unknown origin which may not

present themselves until much later in life along with the complaint “but I didn’t

do anything” to make it hurt.

Dr. McMullen closes the report by saying “Those children one cares for

chiropractically on a regular basis develop strong, well-balanced, musculoskeletal

structures accompanied by attitudes [mindful] of the need to take responsibility for

one’s own health, not merely the absence of disease. This trend should be

consistent rather than sporadic as it is at present.”

Connection Found Between Body's Gene Repair System And Innate Immunity

A study published in the December 8, 2000 issue of the journal

discovery that an enzyme normally involved in the body's genetic repair system is

also involved in the body's innate immunity, its first response against outside

invaders such as viruses, bacteria and toxins.

The finding that the enzyme, DNA-PK provides a link between the body's genetic

or DNA repair mechanism and its innate immunity confirms that the two systems

are activated when the body encounters invading bacteria, viruses or toxins.

The body's innate immune system, when functioning correctly, identifies invaders

by their structure and very quickly, within minutes, produces a large amount of

natural killer cells to deal with the invader. The adaptative immune system will

memorize this contact with an invader and over a period of days will gear up its

attack with B- and T-cells. The adaptative immune system is also responsible for

attacking the invader again if the body encounters it in the future.

In commentary, there is no question that the body has an inborn, innate immune

system that is capable of protecting it from both internal and external dangers and

we are happy that medical science is finally "discovering" this fact. Since its

inception in 1895, chiropractic has held that this system will work correctly

provided there is nothing interfering with how it functions. Chiropractic Wellness

Care will make sure that your innate immune system will function to the best of its

ability, keeping your body in a higher level of health.

Cell reports the

35 Fast Tips to Make This Your Best Year Yet

I’m sitting on an airplane thinking about what the best performers and most successful people do to continually outperform everyone around them.
As we enter what I hope will be the single best year of your life yet, I’ve come up with 35 Tips that I invite you to concentrate on. Share these tips, reflect on then, post them where you can see them – and allow them to infuse your mindset:

1. Remember that the quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts.
2. Keep the promises you make to others – and to yourself.
3. The project that most scares you is the project you need to do first.
4. Small daily improvements are the key to staggering long-term results.
5. Stop being busy being busy. This New Year, clean out the distractions from your work+life and devote to a monomaniacal focus on the few things that matter.
6. Read “The War of Art”.
7. Watch “The Fighter”.
8. In a world where technology is causing some of us to forget how to act human, become the politest person you know.
9. Remember that all great ideas were first ridiculed.
10. Remember that critics are dreamers gone scared.
11. Be “Apple-Like” in your obsession with getting the details right.
12. Take 60 minutes every weekend to craft a blueprint for the coming seven days. As Saul Bellow once said: “A plan relieves you of the torment of choice.”
13. Release your need to be liked this New Year. You can’t be a visionary if you long to be liked.
14. Disrupt or be disrupted.
15. Hire a personal trainer to get you into the best shape of your life. Superstars focus on the value they receive versus the cost of the service.
16. Give your teammates, customers and family one of the greatest gifts of all: the gift of your attention (and presence).
17. Every morning ask yourself: “How may I best serve the most people?”
18. Every night ask yourself: “What 5 good things happened to me this day?”
19. Don’t waste your most valuable hours (the morning) doing low value work.
20. Leave every project you touch at work better than you found it.
21. Your job is not just to work. Your job is to leave a trail of leaders behind you.
22. A job is not “just a job”. Every job is a gorgeous vehicle to express your gifts and talents – and to model exceptionalism for all around you.
23. Fears unfaced become your limits.
24. Get up at 5 am and take 60 minutes to prepare your mind, body, emotions and spirit to be remarkable during the hours that follow. Being a superstar is not the domain of the gifted but the prepared.
25. Write love letters to your family.
26. Smile at strangers.
27. Drink more water.
28. Keep a journal. Your life’s story is worth recording.
29. Do more than you’re paid to do and do work that leaves your teammates breathless.
30. Leave your ego at the door every morning.
31. Set 5 daily goals every morning. These small wins will lead to nearly 2000 little victories by the end of the year.
32. Say “please” and “thank you”.
33. Remember the secret to happiness is doing work that matters and being an instrument of service.
34. Don’t be the richest person in the graveyard. Health is wealth.
35. Life’s short. The greatest risk is risk-less living. And settling for average.

I genuinely wish you the best year of your life.
Stay Great.
Robin Sharma

Aligning Goals with Your Purpose

Many people subscribe to the Protestant work ethic, which says you must work hard to prosper. But success does not require struggle and suffering. It can be effortless, meaning that you are having fun while pursuing your goals, even when you’re working incredibly hard.
The key to unlocking effortless success lies in the goals that you choose to pursue. The more your goals are aligned with your purpose, the more fun you’ll have … and the more easily you’ll achieve the success you desire.
The Key to Effortless Success
We each have a unique purpose to fulfill here on Earth. Identifying, acknowledging and honoring this purpose is perhaps the most important action successful people take.
Without a purpose in life, it’s easy to get sidetracked and end up accomplishing very little. But with a purpose, everything seems to fall into place. The people, resources and opportunities you need naturally gravitate toward you. The world benefits, too, because when you act in alignment with your true life purpose, all of your actions automatically serve others.
What Alignment Means
We’re all gifted with a set of talents and interests that tell us what we’re supposed to be doing. Once you know what your life purpose is, organize all of your activities around it. Everything you do should be an expression of your purpose. If an activity or goal doesn’t fit that formula, don’t work on it.
For example, I frequently am invited to participate in multi-level marketing companies and have on several occasions. But when I have, it’s left me feeling drained, even though the companies and their products were superior. The reason is that hosting meetings and selling opportunities to others does not support my purpose – to inspire and empower people to live their highest vision in a context of love and joy. I’ve learned through experience that the best way for me to work with MLM companies is by speaking to and training their distributors, an activity that allows me to fulfill my purpose.
Aligning with your purpose is most critical when setting professional goals. When it comes to personal goals, you have more flexibility. If you want to learn how to paint or water ski, go ahead and do so. If your goal is to get fit and lose weight, move ahead with confidence. Nurturing yourself emotionally, physically and spiritually will make you more energized, resilient and motivated to live your purpose on the professional front.
However, don’t ignore the signs that your job or career is not right for you. If you dread Monday mornings and live for the weekends, it may be a sign that it’s time to follow your heart and pursue the work you long to do.
Are You Aligned?
There are a few ways to gauge whether your goals are aligned with your purpose. The first is to simply check in with yourself and ask whether achieving the goal supports your life purpose. If not, the goal is not something you should pursue.

Conveniently, human beings are equipped with an inner guidance system that tells us when we are on or off purpose based on the amount of joy we are experiencing. When you feel like you are in “flow,” you are on purpose. When working toward your goals is a chore or success is extremely difficult, stop and evaluate whether your goal is aligned with your purpose.
A final technique you can use is to probe deeper into your desire to achieve a particular goal. Ask yourself, “If I achieve this goal, what would I have then that I don’t have now?” When you have an answer, ask the question again. Continue the process until you’ve reached your root desire. Then ask whether you truly need to achieve the goal to get what you really want.
For example, you may say that you want to earn $1 million. But upon further examination, you may realize that what you really crave is the joy of pursuing what you really want to do in life, which you would be able to do wholeheartedly once you had enough money to ensure financial security. Must you become a millionaire to experience joy? Of course not. Instead, consider all the ways that you can experience what you truly want to feel and be, then make those your goals.
At its heart, effortless success is about fully embracing and expressing who you are. It means following your inner guidance to ensure that you are living your very unique purpose as much as you can. Use the tips shared in this article to identify the right goals to pursue in 2012 – and watch how much easier it becomes to achieve your dreams.- Jack Canfield

Question: How Do You Eat A Elephant?

Answer:  One bite at a time.

How are your New Year's resolutions going?  Are you sticking with the plan and achieving some results?  I hope so.  If not, take small incremental steps on your way to reaching those BIG goals.  Consistency is the key.

Determined persistence is the key to lasting success and achievement. - Bill Harris, D.C.

Are you ready to make 2012 your best year yet?

It’s easy to start the new year full of enthusiasm and optimism. But to maintain your momentum through the year, you need to set powerful, crystal-clear goals

The first step to getting what you want out of life this is to decide exactly what you want.
What do you want to accomplish?
What do you want to experience?
What do you want to acquire?
Who do you want to be?
One of primary reasons most people don’t get what they want is that they aren’t clear about what they want. Others will recognize what they’d like to have, but when they can’t see how it’s possible to get what they want, and they dismiss their desires as foolish and unattainable.

Don’t sabotage yourself this way! 

After decades of research into how the human brain works, scientists now know that for our brains to figure out how to get what we want, we must first decide what we want. Once we lock-in our desires, our mind and the universe can step in to help make our dreams a reality.

Dream Big

We start the process by getting clear about what we want. So, what do you want? To create a balanced and successful life, write down a minimum of 3 goals in each of the following 7 areas:

Financial Goals
Career/Business Goals
Free Time/Family Time
Health/Appearance Goals
Relationship Goals
Personal Growth
Making a Difference

If you have more goals than this, don’t limit yourself – write them down! On the other hand, if writing down 21 goals seems like a lot, remember that we can have a mix of long- and short-term goals. For example, in the financial area, you may have a short-term goal of paying off a $5,000 credit card balance, as well as a long-term goal of amassing a net worth of $5 million dollars. You want to keep both goals present in your mind, even though you’ll be working more actively on the short-term goal first.

Stretch Yourself

When setting our goals, it’s important to include a few that will make us stretch and grow to achieve them. These might be learning a new skill or trying something that is uncomfortable and maybe a little frightening, such as public speaking. It also helps to set a breakthrough goal that would represent a quantum leap. Examples of breakthrough goals include publishing a book, starting a business, getting on Oprah, winning a gold medal at the Olympics, or getting elected president of your industry association.

Material goals are important, but the ultimate goal is to become a master at life. In the long run, the greatest benefit we receive from pursuing our dreams is not the outer trappings of fulfilling the dream, but who we become in the process.

The outer symbols of success can all be easily lost. Houses burn down, companies go bankrupt, relationships end, cars get old, bodies age and fame wanes, but who you are, what you have learned, and the new skills you have developed never go away. These are the true prizes of success. Motivational philosopher Jim Rohn advises that “You should set a goal big enough that in the process of achieving it, you become someone worth becoming.”

Turn Your Dreams Into Goals and Objectives

Once you are clear about what you want, write them down and turn each item into a measurable objective. Measurable means measurable in space and time – how much and by when.

For instance, if you were to tell me that you wanted more money, I might pull out a dollar and give it to you. You would probably protest, saying “No, I meant a lot more money, like $20,000!” But there is no way I’d know how you’d define “more money” unless you tell me, right?

Similarly, your boss, your friends, your spouse, your brain, God, and the Universe can’t figure out what you want unless you tell them specifically what it is. What exactly do you want and when do you want it by?

Your Goals Impact Others

As soon as you commit to a big dream and really go after it, your subconscious creative mind will come up with big ideas to make it happen. You’ll start attracting the people, resources, and opportunities you need into your life to make your dream come true. Big dreams not only inspire you, they compel others to want to play big, too.

You’ll also discover that when your dreams include service to others – that is, accomplishing something that contributes to others – it accelerates the accomplishment of that goal. People want to be part of something that contributes and makes a difference.

Work on Your Goals Daily

To keep your subconscious mind focused on what you want, read your list of goals everyday. For an even more powerful approach, close your eyes and focus on each goal and ask yourself, "What is one thing I could do today to move toward the achievement of this goal?" Write down your answers and take those actions.

As the old joke goes, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Steady progress in bite-sized chunks puts even the most audacious goals into reach. -Jack Canfield

Patient satisfaction higher with Chiropractors Than Others

 

A study published in the October, 1995

Journal of Medicine

satisfied with the care given them by their Chiropractor

than those who went to medical doctors were with their

care.

42% of those patients who went to a Chiropractor for low

back pain rated their care as “excellent” while only 27% of

those who went to a medical doctor for the same problem

rated their care as high. The Chiropractic patients also

reported more satisfaction with their histories, examination

and explanation of what was causing their problem.

The study also found that medical doctors were more

inclined to order more expensive CT scans and MRIs.

Chiropractic Patients Use Medical Services Less

 

The June 1996 issue of

older patients who use chiropractic health care services end up

using less medical services such as hospitals, nursing homes and

prescription drugs.

In a study of geriatrics by the Rand Corporation it was found that

96% of the population studied who use chiropractic had not used

nursing home services in the three years before the study. 81% of

those who had not received chiropractic care didn’t need the use of

a nursing home, a 15% less nursing home usage by the chiropractic

patients.

In hospital use, chiropractic patients fared even better. 74% of the

people under chiropractic care did not need the use of a hospital in

the three years prior to the study versus 53% of the study group not

under chiropractic care; a 21% difference.

87% of those patients under chiropractic care perceived themselves

to be in good to excellent health. Only 68% of those not under

chiropractic care thought their health good to excellent. Put simply,

chiropractic works.

Topics in Clinical Chiropractic reports that

Chiropractic Improves Brain Function

The sixteenth annual upper cervical conference was held at

Life University in Marietta, Georgia in November 1999. A

study presented at the conference found that patients under

chiropractic care experienced a measurable increase in brain

function.

Microcog is a computer administered and scored test that

serves as a diagnostic tool to determine cognitive (brain)

function. It measures activity in nine categories:

attention/mental control, memory, reasoning/calculation,

spatial processing, reaction time, information processing speed,

information processing accuracy, general cognitive functioning

and general cognitive proficiency.

A total of 40 patients had their brain function measured by

Microcog. 30 of these patients received upper cervical (neck)

chiropractic adjustments and 10 served as a control group

receiving no adjustments. Four weeks later, all 40 patients

were tested by the Microcog system again.

According to the study, "significant improvements were

observed in neurocognitive [brain] function in the group

receiving upper cervical care. The control group did not

demonstrate a similar trend. This study suggests that upper

cervical chiropractic care may positively affect neurocognitive

function."

The World Health Organization defines "health" as 100%

physical, mental and social well-being. A nervous system free

of interference is vital to the full expression of all these aspects

of your health potential. Chiropractic works to restore health

by removing interference to your nervous system.

General Health Status Improves With Chiropractic

The Fall 1999 issue of the

reports that patients under chiropractic care reported an improvement in their

general health status after receiving chiropractic adjustments.

The study used the RAND (SF-36) Health Survey and the global well-being

scale (GWBS) as measures of improvement. Researchers also measured

changes in misalignment of spinal vertebra by using X-rays before and after

the adjustments. The GWBS survey was completed at each visit.

The SF-36 survey was given at the beginning of the patient's care, at the four

week mark and at the end of the care plan when their initial complaint

reached Maximum Chiropractic Improvement, (MCI).

The SF-36 measures such areas as physical function, bodily pain, general

health, vitality, social function, emotional and mental health. While all areas

showed improvement the area which showed the most improvement was the

physical area with an average improvement of 39 points on a scale of 100.

By way of commentary, it comes as no surprise that patients reported a

general improvement in health after beginning chiropractic care.

Chiropractic has long maintained that a body free of interference is able to

function at and maintain a higher level of health than one that is afflicted

with vertebral subluxation.

Chiropractic Research Journal (vol. 6, no. 2)

Chiropractic Care Increases “Quality Of Life”

Research performed at the New Zealand School of Chiropractic and reported inJournal of Vertebral Subluxation Research [3(2), 1999] shows that patients

under chiropractic care experienced an increased “Quality of Life”.

Quality of Life was determined by asking patients to fill out a survey and assess

their own health in four areas; Physical State, Emotional/Mental State, Stress and

Life Enjoyment. These four areas made up a fifth area called Combined Wellness.

Quality of Life was measured as a sixth area of the survey.

89 people participated in the study which was conducted over a five month period.

The patients reported “significant positive perceived changes” in Physical State,

Mental/Emotional State and Combined Wellness.

The researchers also found that the data from this study suggested that Health and

Wellness may continue to increase over time while under chiropractic care.

By way of commentary, this research points out what chiropractors and their

patients have been experiencing for years; that by improving body function

chiropractic helps improve the health and wellness of you and your family.

Staying healthy is an active pursuit. We all need to do those things which help us

maintain health. We need to get good food, water, air and exercise. We must have

a positive mental outlook and maintain the integrity of our nervous systems

through chiropractic care. We can’t hope we’ll stay healthy, we have to work at it.

How Physically Active Are You?

Why is it good to be physically active?

• Makes you look and feel great.

• Gives you more energy.

• Lowers stress and helps you relax.

• Helps you get to and keep a healthy body weight.

• Lowers your risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and certain

types of cancer.

• Helps build and keep healthy bones, muscles, and joints.

How often should I be physically active?

• To take care of your health and reduce the risk of chronic diseases, you need at least 30 minutes of

moderate-intensity physical activity every day.

• To keep your weight under control, you need 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical

activity on most days of the week.

• If you lost weight and want to keep it off, you need 60 to 90 minutes of moderate-intensity physical

activity every day.

What is moderate-intensity physical activity?

It gets you up and moving and makes your heart beat faster. Brisk walking, biking, taking the stairs, dancing,

and raking leaves are examples of moderate-intensity physical activity.

What is vigorous-intensity physical activity?

It makes you breathe hard and sweat. Running, jogging, playing soccer, fast dancing, and fast biking are

examples of vigorous-intensity physical activity.

Now get up and get moving.

Simple Rules for Healthy Eating

The sense of taste is responsible for our enjoyment of food. Weight problems and other physical imbalances are due to loss of enjoyment from food. If we could truly enjoy food, we would never have a weight problem. The following awareness techniques maximize the enjoyment of food, improve digestion and metabolism, and increase energy and vitality:
1) Whenever you eat or drink anything, however little it may be, make it a rule to sit down.
Food can only be digested properly when we eat in the sitting position. To eat while in the lying position impairs blood and lymph flow throughout the gastrointestinal tract, and eating while walking or standing causes indigestion.
2) When you eat, don't do anything else such as listening to the radio, watching television, reading or driving a car.
A major reason for having taste buds on the tongue is that the brain can receive signals as to what type and quantity of food is entering the digestive system. This enables the body to produce and release sufficient amounts of various enzymes required for the digestion of the food. If we didn't have such a facility, our digestive system would secrete enzymes indiscriminately which would be a wasteful action the body cannot afford. When we turn our attention to anything else but the food we are eating, our taste buds cannot make sufficient 'conscious' contact with the various foods and their tastes. This restricts the release of the appropriate digestive enzymes for each particular taste and reduces AGNI, the digestive fire. It also confuses the body for it will no longer know when the saturation point for a particular type of taste, such as salty or sweet, has been reached. Hence, foods cravings begin to emerge which are linked with insufficiently digested and absorbed foods, as well as with the lack of pleasure hormones, normally secreted when food is eaten with full attention. Since eating is an act of enjoyment, we might as well do it with an undivided mind. As a golden rule, everything we do with joy and attention is beneficial, and everything we do with displeasure and lack of attention generates problems.
3) Eat only when the stomach is empty.
Otherwise you interfere with the enjoyment of food. When the stomach is still full or is in the process of digesting food, the taste buds are desensitized to prevent a person from eating. Natural hunger only occurs when the stomach is empty. On the other hand, false hunger or food cravings emerge when the basic natural rules of eating have been violated for a long time and emotional imbalances exist; both these causes override or suppress the normal signals of satiation coming from the stomach and taste buds. The urge to eat food while the stomach is still digesting, is often connected to occurrence of gallstones in the liver and gallbladder and disappears once they have been removed through a series of liver cleanses.
4) Do not put food into your mouth till the previous bite has gone into the stomach.
The process of eating is a unique opportunity to practice mindfulness and patience. By chewing the food until it has been masticated enough to produce a sweet tasting liquid, greatly enhances the enjoyment of food and keeps your attention on the present moment, which is the key to all happiness. Mahatma Gandhi advised people to 'drink' their food and 'eat' their drinks. Eating and drinking in this way is one of the most powerful methods of overcoming emotional problems in life.
5) Do not speak while there is still food in the mouth.
When you speak while there is food in your mouth, you tend to swallow before it is properly masticated, and you miss out on enjoying your food. It is better to speak only when there is no food left in the mouth. For your first helping, take about two cupped hands full of food. This will fill up two thirds of your stomach; the rest is empty space that is needed to propel the food and mix it with digestive juices. If you are still hungry, wait for five minutes. If the feeling of hunger has not subsided by this time, you may take some more food. Leaving the table slightly hungry is a good method to increase one's will power, determination and self-confidence. Completely filling the stomach leads to indigestion, dullness, lethargy and food cravings.
6) Make certain to have all the six tastes of food at least once a day.
The six tastes are sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Sweet taste, for example, is the dominating taste in carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, grains, and many nuts. Pungent taste is found in most spices, such as pepper, ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric, etc. Sour taste occurs in fermented foods, vinegar, lemon, and other citrus fruits. Salt is best taken in its natural, unrefined state, as sea salt or rock salt. Astringent taste is found in beans, lentils and walnuts, persimmon and also in green, unripe bananas. Blood-cleansing herbs or teas generally taste bitter. Bitter taste is also found in lettuce, broccoli, and leafy green vegetables, as well as in cocoa, coffee, tea, and beers.

If the body receives all the six tastes, i.e. sweet, sour, salty, pungent, astringent, and bitter, it will be stimulated to produce many of the important nutrients itself and thus remain balanced. The sense of taste is our body’s supreme judge to know whether certain foods are right for us or not. Situated in the taste buds of the tongue and in coordination with the constantly changing requirements of the body, the sense of taste controls our natural instinct and desire for healthy food.
This can effectively help to reduce food cravings and prevent nutrient deficiencies. Be careful not to eat more than 3-4 main ingredients in one meal at a time or have more than one type of starch or protein in a meal.

Some Tips for Better Taste
There are two methods to improve the performance of our taste buds and to lubricate and sensitize them for greater enjoyment of food:

1.      When your tongue is coated white or yellow, clean it with a tongue scraper or a tablespoon every morning after awakening and every evening before going to bed. This removes sticky AMA (with billions of bacteria) from your taste buds.

2.      Swish 1 or 2 tablespoons of cold pressed and unrefined sunflower or sesame oil in your mouth cavity for 3-4 minutes every morning, and perhaps also in the evening before bedtime. The oil draws and absorbs toxins and microbes from the throat, tonsils, ears, eyes, blood, chest etc. Then spit it out and rinse your mouth with water.

When the tongue is clear and the taste buds are unobstructed, we tend not to overeat because the natural satiety level or satisfaction from food is reached more easily. Those who tend to overeat or smoke cigarettes have dull taste buds. They have a 'high-flavored' threshold, which means that they need much stronger and more stimulating foods to be satisfied; this may lead to food cravings and substance addictions.

Albert Einstein

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. - Albert Einstein

Your spine is better off in place (Un-Subluxated), than out of place (Subluxated). - Mike Headlee, D.C.

It is as simple as that.