Dr. Val's Health Tips

What is KST?

2010-03-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

A lot of patients have asked me to explain what is KST, a new adjusting technique I’ve added to my chiropractic practice over the past year.

Koren Specific Technique is composed of three steps, all of which lead to a more in-depth analysis and adjustments while you are standing up.

The first step of the KST process is called “challenging.” This is where I check your entire structural system including your skull, spine, discs, hips, ribs, sternum, shoulders, arms and legs, hands and feet. In this way anything that is out of place can be analyzed.

The second step, “checking,” tells me if the body part being checked is in proper position. The base of the skull is used as the feedback area. This works because of the high number of proprioceptors in that area. You will feel my hands at the back of your head checking the feedback from the physical challenges I put on the different body parts. This is similar to muscle testing, a procedure used by applied kinesiology wherein a muscle will become weak when confronted with a muscle challenge.

The third step, “correcting,” uses the FDA-approved ArthroStim™ instrument to make a very specific adjustment on only the segment that is out of position. This device was developed by IMPAC technology in Oregon and has been continuously refined over more than two decades. It introduces force to the body to realign segments and to remove nerve pressure at a speed of 12 “taps” per second (12 herz). It is a fast, accurate, low force and controlled adjustment.

KST allows me to adjust you in different postures, which is important because sometimes a problem can only be reproduced in a certain position. However I always have you stand up for ArthroStim™ adjustments for the benefit of working with gravity so that your body can process the correction immediately.

My patients report improved movement and ability to relax, better sleep, and emotional releases including dreams, after these adjustments. Sometimes you may want to go home and sleep afterwards, or you may feel a little sore the next day. This is common and temporary, and disappears within a short time.

Working Towards a Healthy Pregnancy

2010-03-25T17:10:00.000-07:00

Pregnancy is a very special time in a woman’s life, and therefore we need to be sure to nurture and take proper care during this time. An important key to a healthy pregnancy is being able to deal with stress and keep stress low. Here are tips to help you on your journey.

There are many factors that are going to help your pregnancy decisions. One of the most important is to gather as much information as you can regarding all of your options for you and your baby. This will help you to make the proper choices that best fit you and your needs to make this a good experience.

One of the most important things you can do is to create a good health care team, which includes a midwife or OB/GYN, a birthing coach or doula, and a chiropractor. These people have a great deal of information and skill in helping to make your pregnancy go well. With a good team in place, it can help ease a lot of stress and tension because you have resources to go to answer questions that you may not know yourself.

Your team can also help you create a birth plan that fits you and your spouse’s needs. There are a lot of decisions to be made throughout the birth process, especially if it is your intention to have a natural birth where no drugs are to be administered and/or you want the ability to have free motion throughout and don’t want to be bedridden during the course of labor.

This birth plan may include decisions as to fetal monitoring, labor induction, whether to use drugs or have your water broken, as well as what to do if you are going to get an epidural or episiotomy or C-section, and who will stay with the baby in case of an emergency situation (go to www.birthplan.com for more information). Copies of your birth plan should be in your chart before delivery; and also bring copies when you go into labor so that the staff on each duty shift knows to follow your plans.

It is important to ask questions throughout the course of your pregnancy, especially about things you are confused about. You have the right to ask for second opinions when you are uncertain about the answers you are getting. You must remember that you are in control to make your own decisions based on the information provided from those you trust.

It is OK to say no. And you should expect that your decision should be honored. This is not about ignoring medical advice that may put your baby at risk, but about making decisions with your health team that help make for a safe, natural pregnancy.

Here are some do’s and don’ts for a healthy, enjoyable pregnancy:

• Do practice wellness and don’t just go with the current fad.
• Don’t get overscheduled and be stressed out during your nine months of pregnancy. It will have a negative effect on you as well as on your baby.
• Do exercise regularly. Daily walks, water aerobics, and prenatal yoga are very good exercises during your pregnancy. Be sure to incorporate deep breathing with your exercise to increase oxygen content in your blood.
• Do not be sedentary . Excessive weight gain during pregnancy has been linked to labor difficulties and to gestational diabetes.
• Do consider the source of your prenatal vitamins. It is best to purchase your vitamins from a reputable health source or health care provider.
• Do not overload your body with caffeine intake. Caffeine can increase your risk of miscarriage.
• Do not agree to routine ultrasounds. While the American College of OB/GYNs recommends ultrasounds be performed only for specific reasons, the current trend is that people are having them done on a regular basis throughout their pregnancy including 3-D and 4-D ultrasounds for early pictures of their baby. People need to know that ultrasound is a force being applied into your body, and while it has been around for many years, expecting women and their families need to know that the effects of repeated ultrasound exposures on the fetus are not fully known.
• Do not take medications unless absolutely medically necessary. Be sure to be working with your OB/GYN and health team on any matter that might apply, before taking medications.
• Do not take anti-depressants. Studies show that exposure to anti-depressants increase the risk of pre-term labor.

Retracing Your Steps

2010-02-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

Retracing is a part of the healing process. Typically retracing is the process of addressing the cause of old problems (like injuries) that were never properly attended to at the time, and therefore when the right attention does get applied to them, the body brings those injuries up so the right progression of priorities can allow the body to work toward healing.

It is always interesting to work with a patient when they come in with a specific problem, say low back pain, and after a series of visits they come in and let me know their shoulder has started hurting. As we go through the process of finding out why that could be, we learn there was an old injury to that area that they had forgotten happened. Because of the process of realignment through chiropractic adjustments, we awakened the muscle memory to that area, allowing for the injury to “reawaken” and therefore to be opened to be addressed and healed. Again, remember that chiropractic adjustments open the pathways of the nerve system, allowing body to talk to brain, and brain to talk to body.

Sometimes the injuries in the retracing process that come back up can be fairly difficult to work with because of the years and years of adhesions and scar tissue that have built up around those areas and ultimately have shut down that area or system. It is like the body has created its own mask for that area over time. As we peel away that mask, we work toward reorganization of the neurology and physiology of the area that is being addressed.

It is amazing how effective the body is at bottling what should be a painful situation and pushing it aside or encapsulating it so that you go on with your life doing function after function. This does not mean that you will have optimal function in that area, or in your body, but the body’s ability to respond to allow you to do the task at hand in some manner is absolutely incredible.

With that said, retracing really becomes an important aspect of the healing process because without retracing, we could never really reach our true optimal function. Spending the time to retrace old injuries that were never addressed can allow for enormous improvements in the overall function of the system as a whole.

Get to Know and Love Your Connective Tissue

2010-01-21T12:15:00.000-08:00

Connective tissue is important in the body because it is the only thing that is congruent throughout the entire body. Outside of the connective tissue itself, every cell in the body is individual and has its own makeup and task.

Connective tissue is a very old system in the body. As we have evolved, more systems have come into play, so that some are much older compared to how developed the nervous system is today, with all its mechanisms, for example.

Connective tissue is the matrix which holds the body’s cells and organization together. Because connective tissue is the same throughout and contiguous, something that happens on one side of the body will be immediately and quickly recognized on the other side of the body before even the nerve system can react to that event.

When debris such as toxins from the outside world enter our body, it is in the connective tissue where they will tend to be stored. This has the potential to create havoc on ourselves. When there is waste material buildup, the space for the cells becomes compromised, and in time, with enough toxic buildup, the normal shape of the cell becomes compressed, affecting the structures, the nerves, capillaries, veins, lymph vessels – and thus cell function is compromised.

Put another way, debris buildup causes disorientation and deformity in the cell; therefore that cell cannot function properly even on a normal day to day operation.

When there is an injury in the body, connective tissue is ultimately affected. Often there is tearing of the different tissues. When that happens, there is inflammation in the area. The body repairs this injury by making a scar. The scar, known as an adhesion, can affect the normal pathways of how information travels throughout that connective tissue body. It also creates weak spots in the system, therefore leaving it prone to more injuries or recurrence of injury in the future. It is very important to break down those adhesions when they occur to help re-form the proper matrix of the normal connective tissue. That is done best through myofascial release techniques and myofascial re-education.

So it is important to free up connective tissue and remove debris in order to allow the cell shape to stay uncompromised.

How Do We Free Up the Connective Tissue From Toxic Buildup?

One of the best ways to help remove toxic buildup in the connective tissue is by rolling lightly over the skin. A very good tool is called “the Stick,” known as “a toothbrush for muscles.” (www.intracell.net; available for purchase at Actus Chiropractic) With that process it helps push toxins out of connective tissue surrounding the muscles and different tissues of the body.

Other ways to help remove toxins from connective tissue is good hydration, massage therapy, and of course, chiropractic care. Acupuncture and acupressure will also have an effect on connective tissue health.

Educating Yourself About the Swine Flu and Shot Part III

2010-01-20T15:06:00.000-08:00

(Last of three parts of article written for the Brentwood Press)

Natural ways to build immunity

There are always going to be threats of flu pandemics, real or not. If you want to break free of the drugs and shots controversy, you may consider that there are ways you can protect yourself through informed lifestyle choices to keep your immune system functioning optimally year-round.

In fact, virologists aren’t scared of this year’s strain; their answers to a poll by the British science magazine The New Scientist shows that what they personally were doing is NOTHING. They are not getting vaccinated.

The following steps have been recommended to help keep you and your immune system strong:

Proper nutrition: Eat fresh whole foods as much as possible.

Supplementation: Vitamin D and good quality omega-3s are thought to be effective.
Avoid sugar and processed foods; these not only give you no nutritional boost, they actually compromise your immune system.
Manage stress, whether physical, mental, or environmental
Get adequate sleep.
Maintain a positive mental attitude.
Wash your hands often and avoid contact with nose, mouth, eyes.
Exercise enough to sweat. Sweating helps to detox the body through the skin, its largest organ.

Conclusion

Natural News reports that public support for this vaccination is waning as more facts are exposed. Legal action against the FDA’s approval of the shots is already taking place, and recent mainstream polls show that more than 50 percent of mothers are refusing to vaccinate their kids. A CBS News poll in October 2009 found that only 46 percent were going for vaccination. (6)
The bottom line here is that yes, tragically, people will get sick and some will die. People who are sick to begin with or have immunosuppressed systems will be at greater risk of illness because when the amount of “dis-ease” in the body is too much, the body becomes overwhelmed and then disease sets in.

Are we truly helping the body by taking away a mild illness that through normal healing processes will allow the body to get stronger? Is it worth the risk to millions of people to be vaccinated with a questionable product in order to protect the few that may, unfortunately, die of H1N1?

In other words, it is suggested that you educate yourself on what you put into your body so that you are aware of the risks you take either direction that you go.

For more information call Dr. Val Tompkins, D.C., Actus Chiropractic, 9030 Brentwood Blvd., Suite D, Brentwood; 925.516.2363.

References and footnotes

(1) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/28/Swine-Flu.aspx
(2) http://www.nvic.org/vaccines-and-diseases/h1n1-swine-flu.aspx
(3) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/11/03/What-We-Have-Learned-About-the-Great-Swine-Flu-Pandemic.aspx; reference: Strauss JH, Strauss EG, Viruses and Human Disease. Academic Press, San Diego, 2002, p153.
(4) http://www.HSIBaltimore.com
(5) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/19/The-Truth-about-the-Flu-Shot.aspx
(6) http://www.NaturalNews.com/027222_swine_flu_flu_vaccine_swine_flu_vaccine.html
(7) CDC report: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/surveillance.htm.
(8) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/08/04/Squalene-The-Swine-Flu-Vaccines-Dirty-Little-Secret-Exposed.aspx
(9) http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/10/17/Washington-Health-Department-Suspends-Mercury-Restrictions-for-Swine-Flu-Vaccine.aspx
(10) http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/swine-flu/5943331/Tamiflu-linked-to-side-effects-among-children-reports-find.html
(11) Tim O’Shea, The Sanctity of Human Blood: Vaccination I$ Not Immunization. 2009. thedoctorwithin (pub).
(12) http://www.salon.com/env/feature/2009/04/28/1976_swine_flu/
(13) National Vaccine Center, 909shot .com
(14) http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/279039

Educating Yourself About the Swine Flu and Shot Part II

2010-01-20T15:03:00.000-08:00

Should you be worried?

According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, M.D., studies have shown that the H1N1 virus does not infect other tissues or the brain nor spread to others well. (3) The biggest confusion seems to surround the risk of hospitalization for pregnant women and children. Media have reported that pregnant women are six times more likely to end up in the hospital than the general population. Yet an article for emedicine medscape.com (WebMD) says that the risk of a pregnant woman’s being hospitalized with H1N1 infection is one in 300,000.

However, a report published Nov. 4, 2009, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) says that "In contrast with the common perception that pandemic 2009 influenza A(H1N1) infection causes only mild disease, hospitalization and death occurred at all ages, and up to 30 percent of hospitalized cases were severely ill." The article refutes the notion that older Americans have high rates of immunity from previous swine flus. Although one-third of those hospitalized were ages 18 or younger, the authors write that people age 50 or older have the highest rate of death once hospitalized.

How the body’s immune system protects you

The body’s self-protection system is its immune system. Even if you pick up the H1N1 virus, that doesn’t necessarily mean you will get sick. Whether you become sick — and how sick — depends on how strong and healthy your immune system is. Most disease-causing organisms that invade the body naturally do so through the mucus membranes in the nose, mouth, pulmonary system and digestive tract. These membranes have their own natural immune defense system.

The flu shot is designed to prepare the immune system to fight off the virus. However, a vaccine bypasses these first lines of defense and tricks the body into a fight-or-flight immune response. a man-made illness. Artificial immunity creates a different response in the body than would otherwise happen in a natural immune response, which lasts a lifetime. Thus, if we understand human physiology — that the body has an innate intelligence for coping with invading organisms — then we should be able to help it do what it does naturally, as opposed to interfering with its healing processes by making up artificial mechanisms that it was never designed to deal with.

The medical solution

Medically, Tamiflu seems to be the drug of choice for helping relieve flu symptoms. However, it has side effects that are potentially harmful, especially for children. (10) Some 1,800 adverse reactions were reported related to the drug in 2007, when Japan barred it for children. (1) What’s more, it provides only 36 hours of symptom relief at best. (The Financial Times reported that governments around the world have stockpiled 220 million doses at a cost of $7 billion for a pandemic that has not happened.)

The medical idea for prevention is to create a vaccine to protect people from getting sick. The Health Sciences Institute (www.HSIBaltimore.com) explains that each year the flu vaccine is newly redesigned, using several strains from different types of flu that occurred the year before So in theory this year’s shot protects you from last year’s flu. Scientists who develop these vaccines bank on this year’s strain not mutating much from last year’s flu.

The CDC says, “It is not possible in advance of the influenza season to predict how well the vaccine and circulating strains will be matched, and how that may affect vaccine effectiveness.” (4) What’s more, this year’s vaccine didn’t go through extensive clinical trials to determine its safety and effectiveness. (1) Thus there may be a potential for repeat of the last dangerous swine flu fiasco in 1976. (12)

What’s in a vaccine?

More than just the flu strains. The vaccine contains the weakened form of the virus that was grown most typically in chicken embryos. Then several other ingredients are added to give the vaccine a shelf life and to help keep it sterile. When extra ingredients are added, the body has to also deal with what it considers chemical toxins — especially immune adjuvants, or enhancements, like aluminum and squalene. (8)

Although NaturalNews reports that this year’s H1N1 vaccine does not include adjuvants to help make it more effective, many vaccines contain:
· thimerosal (a toxic, mercury-derived preservative used to kill bacteria)
· formaldehyde to kill viruses; a known carcinogen
· aluminum to promote antibody response
· ethylene glycol (antifreeze)
· phenol (a disinfectant)
· polysorbate 80, which can cause severe allergic reactions
· Triton X100, a strong detergent
· Gentamycin, an antibiotic (5)
· Squalene (found in olive oil; when ingested properly carries many good antioxidants, but when injected into the blood stream causes chronic immune-mediated inflammation)

Thimerosal has been eliminated from some vaccines in the United States, and the compound may be linked to autism. But it will be added to the bulk of swine-flu vaccines. (9)

These ingredients are all toxic to the human body and can affect it in different ways. It is suspected that some of these ingredients may even be stored in the body and affect it at a later date. (11) There are so many stories about vaccine injury and the rapid increasing numbers of autoimmune diseases in a relatively short period of time, that it is hard to ignore the possibility of the effects these toxins may have on the body. (13)

The other thing to look at here is the list of side effects that each vaccine carries. Some are worse than getting the particular disease that the vaccine is manufactured to protect us from. (11) These are things we need to be aware of when making the right choice for our individual needs.

(Part II of III of article written for the Brentwood Press)

Educating Yourself About the Swine Flu and Shot Part I

2010-01-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

This article (written for the Brentwood Press) is to help give insight into the controversial health topic of swine flu through a review of current literature, so that you can make an informed decision about what is best for your own health. Do the risks involved with the vaccine outweigh its promoted benefits? For example, you may be concerned about how the vaccine was made, how effective and safe it is, and what can you do alternately to protect you and your family this flu season by boosting your immunity.

What is the swine flu?

On April 26, 2009, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) declared a national public health emergency: identification of a new influenza (H1N1) that contained a combination of human, swine, and bird viruses. It was making people sick and causing deaths in Mexico. By mid-June the World Health Organization raised this alert to the highest level possible, a pandemic (an infectious disease epidemic that is geographically widespread but not necessarily deadly).
Regular swine flu is a contagious respiratory disease that affects pigs; the current strain, A(H1N1), causes symptoms similar to regular flu like coughing, a fever of more than 100, chills, joint aches, severe headache, vomiting and/or diarrhea, lethargy, and sore throat. (1) About 5 to 9 percent of confirmed cases have been hospitalized for more severe symptoms like pneumonia.

Nearly all suspected new cases have been reported as mild, which suggests that this virus is not as potent as surmised. Virologists are saying that this year’s swine flu is no more dangerous than the seasonal virus, and actually seems to be much weaker. Data from the CDC do not support any reason to panic.

However, researchers working out of the Imperial College in London have confirmed the results of an earlier study on the behaviors of the H1N1 swine flu virus that found the virus attacks deeper in the lungs than seasonal flu. Their findings explain why the bug is more dangerous for some victims - and why it may be particularly deadly should it mutate into a more aggressive strain. (14)

Who is at risk?

According to the National Vaccine Information Center (www.NVIC.org), an advocacy group that questions the safety of vaccines, about half the patients hospitalized in the U.S. and about half the fatal cases in Mexico were people between ages 20 and 59. The majority of swine flu-related hospitalizations and deaths also occurred in people who were obese or suffering from chronic inflammatory diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and asthma. Most confirmed cases in all countries have been young adults under 30 and adolescents. A third of adults born before 1950 have been found to have protective antibodies already because of swine influenza epidemics in past decades. (2)

The CDC issued a report this fall saying that 129 children had died from swine flu complications since April 2009. About two-thirds of them had other health conditions like asthma, or neurological diseases like muscular dystrophy. According to newer figures released Nov. 12, swine flu has sickened about 22 million Americans and killed nearly 4,000, including 540 children. However most cases don’t require a doctor’s care and the flu hasn’t suddenly worsened; the CDC says the higher figures are a better accounting.

“So, the vast majority of children who are dying have one of a number of chronic health conditions, yet the media gives us the impression that perfectly healthy children are dying,” says neuroscientist and researcher Dr. Blaylock, M.D. (5)

A recent study of why so many died during the 1918 flu pandemic found that most of the deaths were secondary to bacterial pneumonia and not the flu virus itself. In 1918 hospitals had little to offer a sick patient -- there were no antibiotics other than sulfur drugs, no IV fluids and no respirators -- all they could offer was a warm bed and aspirin. This is the same group who would be most heavily affected by the current flu strain.

(Part I of III)

What Am I Doing to You?

2010-01-13T16:35:00.000-08:00

According to “Chiropractic First” by Terry Rondberg, D.C., chiropractic has come a long way since its founding in 1895 when D.D. Palmer performed his first adjustment, on a janitor whose hearing ended up being restored after 17 years of deafness.

What exactly is a chiropractic adjustment? “Specifically, the chiropractor determines the presence of nerve interference and helps the body correct itself by introducing a force in a prescribed manner: Contrary to popular misinformation, the Doctor of Chiropractic (D.C.) doesn’t force the misaligned vertebrae back into place but he or she facilitates the body’s correction of nerve interference,” Rondberg writes.

“During the adjustment, the subluxated vertebrae are unlocked and released from their misaligned positions. The body’s inborn intelligence is called upon to shape the spine. When this happens, the vertebrae return to their proper alignment and the normal nerve supply is restored. This allows one to achieve maximum healing potential with a complete nerve supply.”

In an adjustment, a patient will often hear a noise and that is due to the release of gasses that have built up within the joint capsule itself. The reason this happens is because there is no blood supply to the joints; therefore we need proper motion in order to get good nutrients in and waste materials out. When a joint becomes fixated and stops moving in its normal pattern, waste material has nowhere to go, so it builds up within the joint capsule. When this happens, there is a physiologic change that occurs within that joint complex, which can lead to dysfunction and that ultimately creates interference within that system.

The change that occurs in the body’s physiology in the joint is with the way nerve flow goes from the body to the brain. The reason this happens is because the mechano receptors around the joints are responsible for gathering the information from the body and relaying it on to the brain. Mechano receptors require motion in order to be active. When motion stops and mechano receptors shut down, pain receptors begin firing and information from the body to the brain will cease from that segment.

Thus we can see where the interference begins in the pathways from the body to the brain and back to the body. It is important to restore motion to allow the body to be able to perform at its optimum. When the body is able to perform at its optimum, we move toward health and away from dis-ease.

This is a good reason why regular chiropractic adjustments should be part of everyone’s lifestyle -- an important piece to staying healthy and functioning at your highest possible level. Chiropractic has something to offer for everyone.

Why Chiropractic Works

2010-01-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

Often we talk about the notion that there are three stressors in life that affect our body and health: Those three being physical stress, mental-emotional stress, and chemical stress. With that being said, each cell in our body has its own innate intelligence and therefore functions to its ability regardless of the stressors put on it.

However, that ability can be diminished when the stresses become too much for the system.

In looking at being healthy, we need to be able to listen to the body’s needs and respond to areas where the body is no longer able to function to that optimal ability. Most people ignore the early signs of the body talking to us, which are the early signs of the body’s inability to meet the needs being put on it at that given time.

Chiropractic, regardless of technique, is unique in the scope of wellness because it addresses the cause of the problem, and not the symptom. What is the cause of the problem? The cells’ inability to function at optimal capacity. Thus “dis-ease” sets in from the stressors named above, and when in that state long enough allows for “disease” to set in.

And that is when most people get the message to follow through to try to do something.
Therefore it is extremely important to learn to listen to our bodies and take care of those needs when they are initially present.

There are so many different signs to look for, but simple ones that we’ve all felt and seen would be ones as common as fatigue in an area, being a little extra tired on a certain day, a slight twinge or a cramp in a muscle, hunger pangs or feeling stuffed. These are signs of dis-ease. Ultimately disease comes from the process of a weakened immune system or a system that is under stress or in dis-ease.

The chiropractic adjustment itself works to remove interference (stress overload) from the body, allowing the body to move toward a state of wellness by putting it at ease. That is why all people respond well to chiropractic, and ultimately receive some benefit when getting adjusted and following through with the proper care.

With that said, chiropractic is not the cure-all for all disease. But chiropractic will help increase function in the body regardless of its state by helping to restore ease in the body and allowing for optimal function for that given body at that given time.

Most people go to a chiropractor for back pain or neck pain, and yes, great responses happen with that. But the bigger picture is that chiropractic’s strength really plays into keeping people functioning by enhancing the body’s ability to be well and helping the body to manage those stressors being placed on it.

The body is going to react to what’s put upon it. What the body is being subjected to will determine its response.

So, bottom line: Get adjusted on a regular basis that is right for your body and your body’s needs.

Four Ways to Help Prevent Back Pain

2009-08-08T17:25:00.000-07:00

1) Practice Proper Ergonomics: Because your daily activities shouldn’t add stress to your life, it is important to make sure your home is set up properly. When on the computer, you keyboard height should be the same height as when your arms are comfortably at your side with your elbows bent. The best chair for your health has a full back with plenty of support. If you already have low back pain, avoid sitting on the couch or sofa since they are usually too soft and unsupportive. NEVER cross your legs while sitting. This puts a load of unnecessary stress on the lower back. Try crossing your ankles instead.

2) See Your Chiropractor Regularly: The small tasks of your everyday life add more and more stress to your body over time, which can lead to misaligned joints, muscle spasms, and stiffness. Getting adjusted while feeling “fine” will keep you feeling that way while also helping improve muscle tone. If you are adjusted when already in pain, it will take longer to heal. Getting adjusted also helps boost your immune system which will help you keep moving strong.

3) Exercise Regularly: Set up a program that allows you to be consistent, whether it's taking walks in the afternoon, playing sports or going to the gym. Exercise stretches and strengthens the muscles in your core. These muscles move and protect your spine when it is stressed. which means you will be helping to prevent injury.

4) Avoid Unhealthful Lifestyle Habits: Limit the stress in your life, whether it’s emotional or physical. Schedule alone time for yourself whenever possible and do yoga or take a warm bath. This will allow your body to physically reset itself while emotionally grounding you. It’s also crucial to eat a healthy diet because the extra weight can literally weigh down upon your lower back.

Quick Tips for Exercising Safely in the Summer Heat

2009-08-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

1) Timing is Everything – Avoid running between noon and 3 p.m., when the temperature is highest.

2) Check Conditions – If there is a heat or air quality alert in your area, stay inside and use the treadmill instead.

3) Stay Hydrated - If you are working out for 45 minutes or less, be sure to drink at least 8 ounces of water 15 minutes prior to your exercise. For longer routines, drink about 6 ounces of water every 15 to 20 minutes.

4) Protect Yourself - Put on sunscreen 20 minutes before heading out and wear a mesh cap or visor along with UVA- and UVB-blocking sunglasses.

5) Stay Cool – Wear light-colored, loose fitting running gear made of non-cotton, technical fabrics that allow sweat to evaporate.

6) Use the Two-Minute Rule – Since it takes your body about to two weeks to get used to hotter temperatures, take a two-minute walking break between five to eight minutes running intervals.

Chiropractic Care Reduces Health Care Costs?

2009-08-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

Chiropractic Care Reduces Health Care Costs?

Results of a one-year pilot study by Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 2008 suggest that the use of chiropractic and other physical medicine services attributed to overall reduced costs of health care.
Patients who received chiropractic care or physical therapy had lower total health care costs and were less likely to have surgery than demographically similar Blue Cross members who did not receive chiropractic care; overall, 89 percent of all patients receiving physical medicine services reported improvement of at least 30 percent within 30 days.
The spinal manipulation done by your chiropractor aids in reducing pain, decreases medication, rapidly advances physical therapy, and requires very few passive forms of treatment, such as bed rest.

Staying Healthy on Vacation

2009-08-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

1) Bring Smart Snacks: Pack yourself a healthy sandwich on whole grain bread when traveling to keep away from fast foods. Bring a cooler with fresh fruits, low fat cheese and whole grain crackers to give to hungry kids. Make sure to bring a big bottle of water to sip on while driving/flying rather than munching away on snacks.

2) Splurge on the Right Things: Instead of indulging in high calorie and expensive foods, splurge on a sightseeing tour or a massage instead. However, if you must have a decedent meal, make sure it is well worth it and a one time deal.

3) Make Exercise a Priority: Find outside activities to take part in such as hiking on a nearby trail, running along the beach, sightseeing on foot or swimming laps in the pool. The endorphins released by it will help you to enjoy your vacation even more.

4) Portion Control: Think small when eating out. Share meals if the portions are large or ask for box with the meal to put away food for the next day before it can tempt you.

5) Use caution with Continental Breakfasts: Don’t go for the pastries or sugary cereals. Make sure to incorporate proteins such as an omelet or an English muffin with peanut putter and fresh fruits.

6) Eat In: Look for local farmers markets or go to the grocery store to buy oatmeal or sandwich ingredients to help save money and calories during your trip.

What is Your Food Really Made of?

2009-08-08T17:20:00.000-07:00

Many prepackaged and processed foods advertise seemingly healthy claims on their cover, but be warned, they may not be what they seem. Manufacturers use alternative and less common names to hide dangerous ingredients.

The Three Big Perpetrators:

1) Refined Grains- aka enriched wheat, cracked wheat, stone ground wheat, fortified multigrain, rice and puffed rice.

2) Partially Hydrogenated Vegetable Oils – aka trans fat. (Note that manufacturers list their products as having 0 grams of trans fat by decreasing the serving size which makes the food contain less than .5 grams per serving).

3) Refined Sugars – aka High Fructose Corn Syrup, glucose, fructose, maltodextrin, sorbitol, mannitol, dextrin and maltose. The refining process of these sugars removes over 80% of chromium, manganese, zinc, magnesium and other valuable nutrients from the original food.

What They Hide In:

1) Breakfast Cereal – Can contain all three perpetrators as well as food coloring agents and synthetic nutrients. Instead, try looking for cereals with little to no sugar added with whole grain at the top of the ingredients list.

2) Margarine and Butter Substitutes – Margarine literally is hydrogenated vegetable oil and other butter substitutes also list hydrogenated oils at the top of their ingredient list. Instead, try experimenting with olive oil, hummus or honey.

3) Breads, Bagels, Croissants – Most commercial brands contain all three perpetrators. Buy bread products made primarily with whole grains and few other ingredients.

4) Health Food Bars – Don’t be fooled by the name, most of these bars pack in enriched wheat, trans fat and refined sugars. Instead, look for whole food bars with natural sources of energy such as whole grains, nuts, seeds, fruits and vegetables.

5) Flavored/ Vitamin-Enriched Water – These waters are flavored with refined sugars and the vitamins are often times synthetic, made from coal tar (petroleum) from China. If regular water is too bland for your taste, try mixing in 100 percent juice.

6) Crackers, Pretzels and Popcorn – Crackers usually contain all three perpetrators while pretzels and popcorn often times contain enriched wheat and trans fat. Instead, pop your own popcorn using canola or olive oil and salt sparingly. Also try adding your own seasonings to create variety. When buying pretzels and crackers, look for whole grain options.

7) Salad Dressing – Many dressings contain high fructose corn syrup, low fat dressings usually contain the highest amounts. Look for organic and all natural dressings or just use good old oil and vinegar.

8) Pasta – Most pasta is made from enriched wheat. Buy whole wheat options instead.

Always read through the ingredients list of packaged food before you buy them to make sure you know what you’re really going to be consuming. Once you get used to which brands offer what, it should be easy to keep you and your family healthy.

Why Chiropractic?

2009-07-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

Chiropractic is a science, a philosophy and an art that centers on the cause of a health-related problem. Few other places in medicine will you see that to be the case. Most fields, though with good intentions, have given over to a medical model that focuses on symptom relief care through drugs and surgery, instead of looking at the cause of the problem. Thus too many health professions have lost sight of the true balance of natural wellness upon which they were founded.

When looking at chiropractic, chiropractic has not changed its philosophy since it foundation, because it works.

How does it work? It works by allowing the body to remove interference from the system so that the body can function optimally.

What is the interference? Interference occurs when the normal pathways of the nervous system becomes blocked and thus information can not get from the body to the brain, thus allowing the brain to send proper information for the body to take care of any problems that might arise.

On a deeper lever, when the body gets subluxations (misalignments), there is a complete physiologic change in the system that occurs, down to a cellular level. This includes the firing of pain receptors (nocireceptors) and the shutting down of mechanoreceptors, which are the information gatherers of the body. Mechanoreceptors require motion in order to pick up information and to gain stimuli. When movement stops or is limited, the nociceptors fire and override the mechanoreceptors. As a result, the brain sends information to the body to respond to the firing of the pain receptors and thus we get an increase in muscle spasms, knots, pain, stiffness, and eventually complete dysfunction.

What is the subluxation? Ultimately, the subluxation is a complex entity in the body that affects structure, physiology, and biomechanics. In simple terms, it is created by a misalignment of the spinal segments. This can cause adhesions (scar tissue) in the area, which create weakness in the integrity of the joints and the surrounding structures and which ultimately can lead to a debilitating injury if not corrected.

Movement is life. Look at the difference between a flowing river and a stagnant pond. The first is surrounded by life and the other is a cesspool of disease and decay. Which would you rather be?

Chiropractic restores integrity to the structure, physiology and biomechanics. It teaches us how to listen to our bodies again. Ultimately though, it helps us function optimally and to be healthier and happier as a result.

Choose chiropractic first!

A Life in Balance through Health

2009-07-09T16:27:00.000-07:00

The purpose of this blog is to explore health by looking at things simply.

So often things are so complicated when we look at health, it's difficult to know which way to go. Often the signs and symptoms are right there in front of us, and we just need to stop and look and listen to our own bodies and to our own answers.

We want to help you actively think about your health care options and lifestyle choices, and ask the questions that will lead you to the best decisions for your own health.

We'll explore the categories that create balance in one's life, because creating balance optimally can lead to a much healthier life. We'll help you create this balance by discussing different health topics and helping you to create new options and alternatives that you may not have considered before.
If there's a special issue you want to talk about, please contact us through Actus Chiropractic.com.

The Four Principles of Wellness

2009-07-09T16:26:00.002-07:00

A while ago I was talking with a patient about what it takes to truly be well and stay well. She wrote down what I was saying, and called them her “wellness principles.” Let’s take a look at what we talked about.

First, I told her that healing starts from within. By that I mean that the body wants to be well, and it will always tend toward healing and wellness. A lot of people think that it’s the band-aid or the antibiotic ointment that heals a cut, without realizing that it’s the body’s innate wisdom that knows exactly what to do to heal. By inner healing I also mean that the mind also wants to be well and no one from the outside can “make” you well or heal you. Health care professionals can guide you and make suggestions, but it is only your body that can heal you, at every level.

The second principle I offered is that movement is life. The body and its joints were created to move, and it functions best and heals best when it is moved. Movement stimulates the nerve system and gets blood flowing and removes toxic wastes. If we look at this at the cellular level, the cells also have to move; when there is no movement at the cellular level, that is death. If you become sedentary and the body becomes fixed and out of alignment, you take away the body’s ability to move — and to live.

The third principle I told her is that your state of mind reflects the state of your body, and vice versa. If you are negative and complex mentally, then that drags you down. You will feel tired, unwell, depressed, and your body will take on symptoms of many diseases. If this mindset goes on long enough, your body will actually create disease conditions to cope with your mental state.

The fourth and most important principle is to keep it simple. I truly believe this is the most important principle for optimal health. When we don’t interfere with the body’s ability to heal itself, when we allow life energy to flow through us, then we are truly well.

Wellness for Life: Handling Environmental Stress, Part III

2009-07-09T16:26:00.001-07:00

Today we deal with Part III, chemical/environmental stress. This comes in the form of anything unnatural to the body: manmade additives and preservatives found in foods, medications, recreational drugs, steroids and antibiotics given to animals, plastic and metallic cookware, fire retardants in clothing, etc. This kind of chemical overload also can be found in fragrances, nail polish, lotions, cosmetics, pesticides, “sick” buildings, even chlorine in tap water and swimming pools.

Environmental toxins include electromagnetic energy that bombards our bodies daily, including satellites, radar, cell phones, high tension power lines, microwaves, televisions, computers, and iPods (yes, sorry).

As Kevin Trudeau writes in “Natural Cures ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About,” we are putting more toxins into and onto our bodies every day. What does this mean for our health? Chemical stressors are one of the reasons that allergies are at an all-time high; why asthma and diabetes are becoming epidemics; and why we’re seeing alarming rates of obesity even in children. A lot of these conditions are caused by the fact that chemicals don’t break down properly in the body. Food that has been processed or engineered for color, looks, size, and/or taste not only doesn’t have the whole nutrients that organic products have, the body can’t break it down without added stress on the system.

Also, if we are not taking care of the body by eating balanced, whole foods, drinking enough pure water, and getting enough exercise that makes us sweat, then we are not properly flushing these toxins from our systems. They are stored in fat tissue, and create stress in the body that leads to dis-ease, and then symptoms.

Research on environmental pollutants shows that diet as well as exposure to chemical pollutants can have health consequences years and even decades later — and can even be passed to succeeding generations. Studies reveal that chemicals like monosodium glutamate (aka hydrolyzed vegetable protein) and aspartame are intensely poisonous to our bodies. In fact, aspartame was actually developed as an ant poison (see www.dorway.com).

Symptoms are our friends (see Part I of this series). If we address the symptom only, the underlying cause is still unaddressed and will create future problems. However, if we make lifestyle choices to eliminate the stressors that are causing the problem, then we are going to have the best chance of destressing our bodies.

Here are some tips for reducing the chemical and environmental toxins in your life.

• Medications can save your life or keep you on two feet. But you need to understand why and what you are putting into your body. Ask your health professionals, what is this drug really doing? Are there lifestyle changes that would work as well or better?
• Become a label reader for whatever you ingest. A rule of thumb is, if you can’t pronounce or understand the big words on it, don’t put it in your body.
• Eat organic foods where you can to maximize your body’s ability to process and utilize the nutrients.
• Understand that processed and canned foods that have preservatives are difficult for the body to process.
• Homogenization, pasteurization, and radiation of products before they go out on shelf denatures the foods’ natural proteins and flora and alters their biochemical structures. If you must consume dairy, be sure you are adding probiotics into your diet.
• Look for viable alternatives to any medication or manmade substitute when dealing with illness or disease in the body.
• Drink water that has been filtered and is free of ammonia, chlorine, and fluoride — chemicals toxic to the body. Think about it: A container of any of these would have skull and crossbones on it, so why are we putting them into our systems?
• Plastics leach dioxins into the foods stored in them. This includes water, frozen and microwaved foods, as well as plastic wrap and covers. Glass is your best option for cooking and storage. Throw away old plastic containers, especially ones used for microwaving.

We know that the cause of all disease in the body is physical, emotional, or chemical stress. So it becomes prudent to address the sources or causes of stress, and not just the symptoms, in order to create that balance in our body that expresses as wellness.

Wellness for Life: Handling Emotional Stress

2009-07-09T16:25:00.000-07:00

Stress is the body’s way of dealing with perceived threats to survival. In the past, humans had saber-tooth tigers to fend off. Today, emotional stress is usually self-imposed. Taking on more than we can manage is harmful to our health because the body is wired the same as in prehistoric times.

According to one survey, nearly 75 percent of adults feel great emotional stress on a weekly basis. The idea that positive or negative states of mind can influence health and disease is now accepted by the medical community. Recent scientific advances prove the rich network of connections by which the brain and immune system communicate, such that interruptions of these connections — the over-activity that occurs during stress — lead to disease. By contrast, activities that reduce the stress response, like meditation, maintain these connections and our health.

Mental/emotional stress derives from conscious as well as subconscious events, beliefs, actions, and feelings. These include negative attitudes, family and work issues, noise, infections, crowds, deadline pressures, caring for an aging parent, a death in the family —even in creative projects our mental state creates chemical changes in the body.

When we put our bodies under chronic stress, many chemical reactions occur at the cellular level. The body moves into a state of tension that includes increased heart rate and changes in muscle tone. When tension in the system increases, it affects the reaction between the pain receptors and the mechanoreceptors, which are essential for sending information from the body to the brain. If those areas become overloaded, then our body is not going to be able to function optimally.

When we don’t have healthy outlets for stress, those chemical changes can build up and chronically impact how the body feels overall. Too much emotional stress can lead to dis-ease of the body, thus leaving it susceptible to disease.

So how do we manage negativity and the mental/emotional issues that can create stress in our lives? As was discovered by Masaru Emoto in The Hidden Messages in Water, love and gratitude are the strongest, most positive emotions humans have; they actually change cellular structures. Negative thoughts can bring on disease faster than any other cause. Therefore, we can improve our health by surrounding ourselves in a positive environment.

Here are suggestions for managing mental/emotional stress:

1) Connect with people around you. Having friends you can confide in, create with, or solve problems with, is key. Hugging also goes a long way.
2) Develop a good meditation and/or prayer practice where you empty your thoughts daily. These are ways to unload the brain so that we can rest; thus decreasing blood pressure and pulse rate, and improving blood circulation.
3) The ability to sleep is essential; this is when your body recharges and heals itself. Try not to drink caffeinated beverages or work out heavily within a few hours of bedtime. Leave the computers and televisions off, especially the news. Make sure the last thing you do before drifting off is peaceful, relaxing, funny, or whatever will create a happy state for you.
4) Chiropractic, massage, and acupuncture are fantastic tools to reconnect your system and help manage stress.
5) The greatest outlet for mental/emotional stress is a positive mental attitude. If you can put a positive spin on everything you do, you will find a way to move through life more easily. Negative emotional stress can exacerbate existing medical conditions.
6) In an emergency, please consult with a mental health professional to help you with issues. Interview many before settling on one whom you can trust and feel comfortable with.
7) Make walking (see Part I) a regular exercise regimen; it can be helpful in allowing you to take your mind off your troubles.
8) Breathe deeply and often, fully expanding the lungs and increasing the tone of the body’s tissues.

Emotional stress is a normal part of our lives. It can move us forward with inspiration or hold us back in fear and stagnation. These are lifestyle choices available to everyone. Our level of physical activity, good nutrition, a balance of rest and play, and social networking all contribute to a greater ability to manage and grow from mental/emotional stress. By consciously attending to the causes of our stress, we can overcome sorrows and enrich other people’s lives. This is the greatest benefit of this wellness practice.

Wellness for Life: Stress Part I

2009-07-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

When is the last time that you made the effort to take really good care of yourself? This is a question you might want to seriously consider. Thomas J. Stanley, author of Millionaire Next Door and The Millionaire Mind, surveyed 100 millionaires between the ages of 60 and 65. An alarming 60 percent of them had some type of health problem and needed wheelchairs and/or oxygen tubes. The majority said the one thing that they regretted, that they would do over, would be to spend more time on their health so they could enjoy their wealth now.

Your wealth is in your health. But what is health? And what is wellness?

Health is more than the absence of disease; it is a lack of stress on the body that would otherwise create dysfunction in its systems. Where does this stress come from? From our lifestyle choices. So wellness is a lifestyle we choose in order to maximize health at any age. In other words, wellness is the process of making choices about how to handle stress, so the state of our health is the end result of those choices. Wellness means realizing that we need to process the stresses in our lives, and making choices to be able to process those stressors.

Choices for wellness are important because stress is the major cause of illness in this country. Research may categorize conditions or behaviors like heart attacks, diabetes, smoking, cancer, etc. However, all of these illnesses are ultimately caused by stress. In today’s society, especially in East County with its hectic commuter lifestyle, stress is very difficult to avoid. For some, just waking up in the morning might be stressful. The point is that we need to look at stress, understand stress and how our bodies respond to it, and take action for ourselves and our families to help cope.

What Is Stress?

Stressors can be found in three forms. One is physical stress, which occurs from the activities and type of work we do, or even sometimes the lack of activities. For example, a football player’s body will experience physical stress from being tackled. Someone in a car accident or other traumatic event will experience physical stress. Even the white-collared lawyer or executive who sits all day in front of a computer will suffer physical stress from chronic static positioning and poor posture.

Another form of stress is chemical, caused by what is ingested or put onto the body. Any substances that are not natural to the body create stress and can have drastic effects on the health of both body and mind. For example, many chemicals are found in the foods we eat. Even with healthful foods we must sometimes be careful of the pesticides, antibiotics, or steroids used in growing them. Anything with artificial preservatives or sweeteners challenges the body’s digestive abilities. Chemical stress is also found in any drug (recreational or medical) that is consumed. Cigarettes, sodas, coffee, and alcohol have negative effects on the body, forcing it to work overtime in order to clear the foreign substance.

The third key form of stress is mental/emotional. Yes, even our emotions create stress in the body. Mental/emotional stress is very powerful — and often underestimated. Something that weighs on our minds consciously, and even more importantly subconsciously, can create enormous health problems, especially when one deals with long-term stressors. Events like a death in the family, relationship troubles, and monetary issues are some of the major mental/emotional stressors.

These three types of stress can create “dis-ease” [cq] or injuries in the body when they go into overload. When the body gets into a state of dis-ease, then diseases like cancer, heart disease, and arthritis can flourish. The scary thing is that many times there are no warning signs. For example, most first-time heart attack victims had no warning; however, does this mean they were not sick prior to the heart attack? The answer is no. Typically it has taken years and years of a stressful lifestyle (mental/emotional stress), possibly a poor diet (chemical stress), and potentially little or no exercise (physical stress). These together created a situation in which the body’s tolerance threshold was reached and something had to give. So, as it turns out, there were signs — they just were not recognized, and so this person failed to take care of himself adequately to cope with the stresses of daily life.

These stressors are especially insidious because they also can affect each other. For example, a chemical stressor in the body will create physical stress on the body because it must work overtime to clear out the foreign substance. By forcing the body into working longer, the stressor takes away from normal rest periods and the rebuilding of cellular tissues. Optimal function is compromised.

How to Get Well and Stay Well

This is why we need to look at how we deal with stress and what we do for ourselves to best allow our systems to cope. By taking time for our own personal care and addressing our body’s needs, we can go a long way toward improving wellness, which will improve our quality of life and allow us to live optimally each and every day.

It is important to look at what we need to do to get well and to stay well. The majority of people who are not sick or in pain would probably say they are well. But are they healthy? Stedman’s Medical Dictionary [26th edition] defines health as, “A state of dynamic balance in which an individual’s capacity to cope with all the circumstances of living is at an optimal level.”

If we use the example of the heart attack victim above, we can clearly see that this person’s body reached a point at which it could no longer cope, so balance was lost. This is why it is so important to take the time to get well while you can, and then maintain health by taking time for yourself every day to ensure that you can enjoy life to its fullest.

The best way to help take care of yourself is to follow these five simple steps:

• The first is to get plenty of rest. With ample sleep daily, and vacation time occasionally, we allow our bodies to heal, to regenerate from injuries, to reduce stress, and to revitalize ourselves for a new day. Lack of rest creates a condition of fatigue in all internal systems and so opens the door for disease.

• The second step is nutrition, supplementation, and hydration. Proper nutrition gives us the vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, carbohydrates, and energy to function optimally. Foods, especially those grown naturally, are better because the body is built to utilize nutrients the earth provides; it has trouble recognizing man-made substances. The more artificial and processed the foods we consume, the greater the stress on the body, which has to work overtime to handle this problem. Substances that do not belong in the body also block out what is important; so the nutrients the body needs, it cannot necessarily get.

Proper supplementation can also help our bodies heal as well as receive the proper amount of nutrients for optimal performance. This is becoming even more vital not only because of all the highly processed foods consumed, but especially because of increasing damage to health by free radicals. So, supplements high in anti-oxidants are very important. Drinking enough pure water is also essential for good health. It helps hydrate and oxygenate the body, as well as help remove waste materials. Water is the most natural substance and is the most easily processed.

• Exercise is the third critical aspect of wellness. Our bodies are meant to move. Exercise gives us the strength to do our daily tasks. It increases blood flow and thus gets nutrients to the right spots. It also increases the strength of the lungs and heart, which helps combat fatigue and stress.

• Meditation/visualization can also help us live more optimally. Not only does it relieve stress and lower blood pressure, it helps bring clarity into our lives by improving focus and preparing us for a day or an event. Meditation works by creating a relaxed state, especially through focused breathing. Also, by learning to clear our minds of both past and future thoughts, we may eliminate the majority of tension in the body and thus cope with stressors as they arise.

• The fifth step is chiropractic care. Chiropractic truly works towards making and keeping the body well. Through adjusting the spine, we are able to keep proper motion in the body. Proper motion allows for stimulation of mechanoreceptors, which send information from the body to the brain and thus allow the brain to send proper signals to the body. This is important because if a mechanoreceptor is not functioning properly, certain information can be cut off from the brain. If the brain is not receiving all of the potential information in the body from which to respond, then the body will not function optimally.

Working Toward Optimal Health

All of these steps help move us toward optimal health. The more of them we can do on a consistent basis, the better our systems can deal with stress on a daily basis.

The easiest way to illustrate this is to imagine a glass of water. The glass represents us; the water represents stress. When you wake up in the morning after a good night’s rest, your glass has little water in it. However, as the morning goes on, you wake up to a sick child who cannot go to school on a day in which you have a big presentation due. All of a sudden your glass is half full. You then get stuck in traffic on the way to work and are now late after having to also drop off your kid with the in-laws. As your day goes on, more and more events add to your stress, filling your glass to the brim. As more stressors pile on, there is only one thing that the water (stress) can do — and that is overflow. That overflow is typically the breakdown point in the body.

The way to eliminate this problem and help the body cope with the stress, or having your glass overflow, is to continually sip the water from the glass so that there is always room to process that stress. This “sipping” is accomplished by taking care of your self through the five steps mentioned above.

Many people use self-care tools only when they get symptoms. The problem is that they also go in to take care of the symptoms and not remove the cause of the problem. Most often this cause has long been in the works because of poor lifestyle choices. If you are not taking care of the cause of the symptom, stress will continue to build up. If you are masking the problem by treating symptoms then, like the boy putting his finger in the dike to plug the hole, eventually another hole will appear, and then another, until the whole thing gives way and you have a health disaster.

Obviously, the choice about how you live your life is yours. The key to good health is to be aware of your choices and their consequences. With access to the Internet, you can get more information on sleep, nutrition, exercise, stress, meditation, and chiropractic care. So get out and learn what you need to know and take care of yourself.

Remember that the body wants to be well; it is always moving toward balance and wholeness. When we don’t interfere — when we make healthful lifestyle choices — we allow its innate intelligence to function optimally. That is health, that is wellness, and that is always our greatest wealth.

Positive Mental Attitude

2009-07-09T16:23:00.002-07:00

A positive mental attitude has long been known as one of the foundations of good health, along with sleep, exercise, healthy diet, chiropractic care and/or massage and/or acupuncture, and meditation or mental relaxation. There is now scientific proof of just how important surrounding ourselves in a positive environment is to our wellbeing. The best information comes from research by Dr. Masaru Emoto. His book, The Hidden Messages in Water, explores the power of positive or negative thoughts on the formation of healthy water crystals.

He studied the formation of water crystals from droplets around the world, from tap water in large cities to glaciers in Alaska and streams in the high mountains. They found that water from stagnant sources or sources like tap water that contained chlorine and fluoride to protect people from “disease” would not form crystals at all or formed very disorganized structures. Yet crystals from running streams were whole and formed beautiful designs.

Taking this to the next level, researchers retested the samples with words like “friendship” and “gratitude” and “love” taped to the water sample. They found that by surrounding the water with positive words, beautiful, whole crystals formed. When surrounded by words of hatred, the crystals would not form properly and created an “evil eye appearance.”

What does this study of water crystals tell us about our health? Well, if 60 to 90 percent of our body’s makeup is water (depending on our stage of life), then surrounding ourselves with a positive environment will allow us to function differently than if surrounded by negative stuff. This happens because of the frequency at which positive and negative things vibrate. Positive environments function with harmony and balance, whereas negative influences create disruption. That disruption in our lives can create dis-ease in the body and a state in which sickness can develop.

This gives us something to think about, because we have the choice to pick our attitude each and every day regardless of what is happening in our life.

Movement Is Life

2009-07-09T16:23:00.001-07:00

Movement is essential because the body and its joints are created to move. If you think about it, when there is no movement at the cellular level,that is death. If you become sedentary and the body becomes fixed and out of place, you take away the body’s ability to move – to truly live.

So function, or movement, is life. Increased motion in the body equals increased function, which means equals increased wellness. Put another way, the more you move, the more your cells are able to function. What does that mean? It means you are healthier. Restoring motion increases function, which gives more life.

Your level of function is directly proportional to your level of health. That is why regular chiropractic care, which removes the interference to mobility in joints, combined with a dedicated and balanced exercise program, can give you greater health.

Breaking this down further, nerves go throughout every part of the body. They send messages from those parts up to the brain and carry messages back down from the brain to every cell. Movement creates nerve activity in the body. So in response to movement, messages travel throughout the nerve system and communicate what is needed in order for all systems to function optimally. So with each movement, the brain tells the body exactly what muscles to fire, what needs to take place in order for any movement to occur, and then it continues its feedback loop.

Without movement, there is no communication. So if we stop all function, we stop the flow of information between the body and the brain. Lack of movement decreases the capability of the body to respond when most needed.

In neural development, we know that babies that crawl the most tend to have higher IQs. That’s because they’re using more muscles in their bodies in a crawling state, back and forth, stimulating both sides of the brain, which generates more brain capacity.

As an adult, the more you move, the more you stimulate your brain. Especially if you are taking medications that slow you down, it is essential that you get moving in order to stimulate nerve pathways to keep you functioning optimally. Movement is essential for toxic removal and nutrient replenishment. It’s essential for nerve flow, so to move is very important.

A Healthy Meal Plan

2009-07-09T16:22:00.000-07:00

Good nutrition plays a crucial role in losing weight and keeping it off. Unfortunately, as proven by increasing obesity rates, Americans continue to struggle to find the balance between hectic lifestyles and the ability to eat healthfully.

Dr. Donald Hayes recommends what he calls "the ideal healthy meal plan," which consists of six healthy meals a day in order to control hunger. This means slimming down portion sizes while eating more often. These six meals are broken down into two whole food "regular" meals, two whole food snacks, and two high-energy, low calorie meal replacement shakes.

The two regular meals should consist of lean proteins such as chicken, turkey, fish, beef, pork, lamb, shellfish, or vegetarian options such as eggs and garden burgers. It is also important to accompany your proteins with a healthy serving of vegetables such as broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus, spinach, or a combination in the form of a salad. Many people find it most satisfying to eat these two meals at lunch and dinner.

Snacks should also be composed of lean protein and vegetables, but in smaller portions. While fruits can also be eaten, be aware that their sugar content may actually increase hunger. If you do eat fruit, be sure to choose whole fruits (not juice or sugar-sweetened fruit cups or yogurt), and eat them mid-morning after breakfast, or in the early evening.

The two replacement shakes should contain vegetarian proteins, fatty acids, healthy oils and an enzyime active greens blend, which will provide complex fruit and vegetable carbohydrates. Most people will drink these for breakfast, or as an afternoon or evening snack.

Knowing what to eat and in the right proportions will provide energy for daily routines and exercise, which will aid the body in a lifetime of optimal health and wellness.

Quick Tips:

1) Don't skip meals. Eating continuously means you keep your metabolism high, which helps burn more calories.
2) Eat every 3 hours. Eating on a regular basis keeps you feeling full.
3) Eat slowly. Spend at least 15 minutes eating your meals. This gives your body time to feel full and satisfied, preventing overeating.
4) Drink plenty of water. Drink at least 64 oz (8 cups) of purified water a day.

8 Steps to Quality Sleep

2009-07-09T16:21:00.002-07:00

1) Consistency: Go to bed and wake up about the same time as much as possible. This scheduling creates repetition in your sleep-wake cycle, helping you to fall asleep more easily.

2) Eat right: Try to eat your last meal about two hours before sleeping, avoiding spicy and greasy foods, which can prevent restful sleep as your body works to digest. Drinking too many fluids before bed can disrupt the sleep cycle as you get up to use the restroom.

3) Exercise: Make sure you exercise on a regular basis at least 3 hours before going to bed. Physical activity helps facilitate restful sleep by de-stressing.

4) The right environment: Your bedroom should be dark, cool, quiet, and comfortable. Fans, extra blankets, and blackout coverings are great aids.

5) Minimize naps: Try to keep naps to 30 minutes or less in the mid-afternoon. If you work nights, keep windows covered to prevent sunlight from interrupting your internal clock.

6) Bedtime routine: Create repetition in your pre-sleep activities to let your body know it's time to wind down. Take a warm bath, listen to soothing music, meditate, or stretch lightly to clear your mind and relax your body.

7) Positive thinking: Avoid watching, listening to or talking about negative issues or news before sleep. Even watching TV news can create tension in your mind, which can prevent restful sleep.

8) Timing: If you can't fall asleep within 15 to 20 minutes, don't try to force it. Get up and do something else until you feel tired.

Get Some Sun, Better Your Health

2009-07-09T16:21:00.001-07:00

Vitamin D does more than build strong teeth and bones; it can also help keep you trim, boost your mood, ward off colds, and even help fight heart disease. According to one study, 150,000 cases of cancer could be prevented annually if we increased vitamin D to optimal levels of 2,000 IU daily.

While drinking milk provides this crucial vitamin, the most significant source of the vitamin is good old-fashioned sunlight. However, with increasing awareness of skin protection from UV rays, Vitamin D levels have plummeted. In fact, 75 percent of women lack high enough amounts of the vitamin for it to provide optimal benefits.

So what is the key to obtaining adequate sunshine? Depending on your complexion, you should spend at least 5 minutes, 3 days a week between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. in the sunshine without sunscreen (with the exception of at least SPF 30 on your face). People with fair complexions should spend 5-10 minutes; medium tones 15 to 20 minutes; and darker skinned tones up to 30 minutes a day of exposure. If you have a family history of skin cancer, make sure to be extra careful when exposing yourself and talk to your doctor for an individual evaluation.

Vitamin D can also be obtained by eating oily fish such as salmon, sardines, and tuna a few times a week. Fortified foods like orange juice, soy milk, yogurt, and butter substitutes are also rich in the vitamin. Still not getting enough? Try taking vitamin D supplements or multivitamins. These should contain about 1,000 IU, half of the recommended daily dose.

Keeping Your Food Safe

2009-07-09T16:20:00.002-07:00

With increasing reports of contaminated foods, it’s hard to know what is and what isn’t safe to consume. While it’s true that food poisoning is on the rise, there are many ways to protect yourself and your family from the dangers of food-borne disease.

Eating out:
1) Check the dates on inspection reports and/or safety certificates
2) Observe the cleanliness of the staff. Is their hair pulled back? Are their clothes clean?
3) Make sure any salad bars are kept cold (41 degrees F or below). Also, check for someone monitoring the cleanliness of the bar.

The supermarket:
1) Fill your cart with nonperishables before picking up your produce and refrigerated items. Make sure to get all perishable items into your refrigerator as soon as possible after purchase.
2) Always check expiration and “sell-by” dates. It’s believed that E. Coli grows quicker in aging greens, so it is imperative to buy the freshest items possible.
3) Don’t buy produce that is dented or bruised.
4) Buy unprocessed produce whenever possible. The majority of food-borne illness comes from packaged products.

Picnics, BBQ’s and farmers markets:
1) Transport foods in the passenger seat. Trunks can reach up to 150 degrees F.
2) When grilling, make sure to keep your cooked and uncooked food separate.
3) Keep foods on ice or in coolers and away from the sun and insects.
4) Bring hand sanitizer or moist towelettes just in case there are no nearby washing facilities.
5) Only sample foods from the market that have evidence of cleanliness (gloves, clean water, etc.).
6) Skip the samples with flies, or ones that are clustered together.

Antibiotics: A Cause of Asthma?

2009-07-09T16:20:00.001-07:00

Asthma affects 12 percent of children in the United States, making it the most common chronic childhood illness.

It has been previously known that exposure to tobacco smoke as well as respiratory infections and nasal allergies are risk factors in causing asthma, but it has only just recently been discovered that antibiotics taken within the first year of life may also be to blame.

The recent study, published in Pediatrics medical journal, evaluated over 250,000 infants during their first 12 months of life and the potential correlation of the development of asthma during their first two years. The results were adjusted to eliminate other possible factors, defining an independent association between antibiotic use and asthma. The results showed a small risk that increased with the amount of antibiotics prescribed, the highest risk being among those treated with four or more courses during the first year.

As well as possibly causing asthma, antibiotics taken in early life can reduce their effectiveness over time. They also come with a list of potential side effects from minor to life threatening. Be cautious when giving your child antibiotics and always ask your doctor any questions you have regarding their use.

Six Steps to Physical Rehabilitation

2009-07-09T16:19:00.002-07:00

After an injury it is extremely important to know how to adjust your body back into it’s daily routines. These steps are meant as guidelines to assist in your recovery.

1) Natural Pain Relief: If you experience pain or swelling after exercise, apply ice to decrease the swelling. If you experience pain or stiffness before exercise, apply heat to the trouble area.

2) Stretch Within Your Limits: Overstretching can be just as troublesome as not stretching. When you do your stretches, it is crucial to stretch the muscles around the painful area. Because the muscles work together, if one stays tight, the other ones will also be pulled tight again. Talk to your doctor or health professional to create an individualized stretching routine.

3) Increase Endurance: Instead of concentrating on increasing your ability to do something with more intensity, try increasing the amount of repetitions. Building this kind of endurance is extremely important to those with back pain. If you push yourself too hard, you are more likely to become fatigued and do things the wrong way, which could cause you to reinjure the area you are trying to improve.

4) Find Balance: Regardless of where your pain is, balance is a key part of rehabilitation. Try lifting weights and doing a variety of stretches to build up your ability.

5) Strength-Train: As with stretching, doing too much too fast can cause you to reinjure the area you are trying to help. It is usually best to begin with isometric exercises, which will help improve your range of motion without pain. Once you can accomplish these exercises at all angles, try slowly progressing into light weights and elastic bands.

6) Functional Training: Practice the activities you did on a daily basis prior to the injury. It can be harmful to just jump back into what once you thought routine. Repeat these activities multiple times, taking it easier than you are used to.

Preventing Childhood Obesity

2009-07-09T16:19:00.001-07:00

The World Health Organization reports a 400% increase in childhood obesity since 1982, meaning that 1 of every 3 kids is considered overweight. That accounts for 9 million obese children in the United States alone.

Maintaining a healthy weight for your child will help not only to prevent diseases such as type II diabetes (1 in 4 kids are already showing signs of it) and asthma, but also help them improve their overall lifestyle.

Fortunately, there are many ways of promoting healthy habits.

Exercise

1) Make physical activity a routine. Pick an activity that the whole family enjoys, such as riding bikes or playing tennis and be sure to incorporate it at least twice a week.
2) Walk to pick up your child from school, or if distance is an issue, walk around the track with them before going home.
3) Encourage them to be part of school or team sports.
4) Try to avoid allowing your child to play video games or watch TV for more than an hour a day. Encourage physical games such as tag or hide and go seek instead to keep them active.

Nutrition

1) Cook your meals together. Not only will you be teaching your child how to prepare healthful meals, but you’ll also be spending quality time with them.
2) Avoid serving portions that are too large.
3) Eat meals together around the same time every day.
4) Don’t use food as a reward or a lack of food as punishment.
5) Keep healthy snacks around the house such as fruits, vegetables and raw nuts rather than crackers and cookies.
6) Avoid watching TV or reading during meal times.
7) Limit fast food to no more than once every two weeks.
8) Make sure to implement the same health diet to the entire family, not just one child.

Prenatal Ultrasounds a Possible Link to Autism

2009-07-09T16:18:00.000-07:00

While its causes are still unclear, many prenatal and early childhood medical procedures have began showing themselves as risk factors for autism, recent studies show.

In August 2006, Yale School of Medicine found that pregnant mice that had undergone various durations of ultrasound birthed offspring with brain damage consistent with damage found in the brains of autistic children.

When ultrasounds are done, high-frequency sound waves are sent out into the uterus, which increase the fetus’ temperature. Since a fetus in unable to sweat, its cells contain something called heat shock (HS) proteins, which temporarily stop the formation of enzymes when temperatures become dangerously high ( heat normally damages enzyme-creating proteins). With activation of the HS response, survival is achieved but at the expense of normal development.

In countries with nationalized health care, where the nearly all pregnant women are exposed to ultrasound, the autism rates are even higher than in the United States (1 in 166 children). Whether the benefits of ultrasound outweigh the risks is still highly debated and unclear.

Whichever decision you choose to make for your baby, be sure you know the risks of any prenatal procedure.