The Incredible Shrinking Chiropractor

Those of you that know me, know that I had gained a lot of weight over the last several years. It’s funny in an odd, sad kind of way that while I would be talking to the public about health and a wellness lifestyle, I was doing so while being significantly overweight. It’s obvious that the message that was REALLY getting out to the public was that while I might be a nice guy and that the message SOUNDED good, that I either didn’t believe what I was preaching or at least not living it fully.

Like most folks, one day I reached a point where I had to honestly face the man in the mirror and say “Enough!” We all reach that point at different times and with different circumstances. Sometimes, it might be weight or other health issues, financial matters or even personal or spiritual issues. But, we all have (or will have) those moments.

So one day, I chose one of those infomercials (Michael Thurmond's Six Week Body Makeover) that I KNEW to be more rational and scientific than the others and went to work. I’m glad to tell you that, so far, I’ve lost 55 pounds! Now, I’ve still got a a good bit more to lose, but it’s coming off almost effortlessly. Maybe the difference this time is that my resolve is not as much to lose the weight but to LIVE how I want to be living in my 80s and 90s, active and healthy.

One of the things that I’m enjoying is working out again. There’s something special about the FEELING of muscle under your skin. Maybe it’s a guy thing. But, it gives you a sense of power. And, that feeling of power affects the way you approach every other aspect of your life. The other thing I really enjoy about this program is that it’s neither starvation, faddish nor unrealistic. It’s a reasonable food plan that encourages you to simply eat what you like that is GOOD for you and avoid what is NOT. Oh yeah, the program also encourages you to do a simple routine of resistance exercise that you can do at home or at work. It’s the increased muscle that burns those calories 24 hours every day, even while you sleep.

If you’re in the area, I hope you’ll stop in and check out “The Incredible Shrinking Chiropractor” in action. And, keep me in mind for those folks you know who are interested starting down the path toward wellness without drugs or surgery.

Tamiflu

Beware of relying on drugs as a means of achieving or maintaining health. Check out this story about the Food and Drug Administration and popular flu drugs Tamiflu and Relenza. Can you afford to trust your child's health to the pharmaceutical industry?

FDA Advisers Back New Warning on Tamiflu

WASHINGTON — The most widely used flu drug in the world should carry a stronger warning label about psychiatric problems seen in a handful of patients, government advisers said Tuesday.

A panel of experts to the Food and Drug Administration recommended drug maker Roche change the warning label for Tamiflu, which has been used by 48 million patients since its launch in 1999.

The drug's label already mentions reports of delirium and self-injury, primarily among children in Japan, but some FDA's experts suggested the language should mention several patients died as a result of these abnormal behaviors. The panel was discussing specifics of the language late Tuesday.

For the full story CLICK HERE.

Drugs Don't Work!

That sounds like a pretty bold statement. Maybe it is. But frankly, if drugs worked there‘d be no more chronic disease like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and so on. Sadly, chronic disease is the leading cause of death of Americans. The treatment of those diseases is reported to also be among the leading causes of death.

Maybe in one sense drugs do work in that they might provide temporary symptom relief. However, their purpose is to fool the body so that it responds inappropriately to certain conditions. By altering your body’s normal function, drugs cause problems for other systems that may not be revealed for years to come.

Everyone’s heard about Vioxx and Celebrex and the risks those prescription drugs carry, including death. In recent months the popular diabetes drug, Avandia, has been shown to also put you at risk of heart failure. Kids diagnosed with ADD/ADHD who take drugs like Ritalin and Adderol are at risk for problems ranging from stunted growth and insomnia to suicide. Anti-depressants have been implicated in numerous mass murders, including Columbine and Virginia Tech. Even common over-the-counter drugs for colds, arthritis, allergies and headache carry significant health risks.

What is this fascination we have with drugs? Granted, Mankind has been self-medicating itself since the beginning of time. However, that was on an individual basis and self-limiting. But I’m afraid our societal love affair with drugs is having (and will have) a long-term negative impact on the health of our economy, health care system and well being of our nation as a whole.

Have we evolved (or devolved) as a species to the point where we can’t tolerate any discomfort, whatsoever? If so, how can we ever survive? I’ve never seen a dog or cat complain of a headache or depression. When they’ve eaten something bad, they don’t reach for the Pepto Bismol. They simply throw up and move on. But we humans, having dominion over all the Earth, can’t survive without taking a pill to manage a headache, a fever, diarrhea, constipation, blood pressure or whatever.

By this time, you’re probably thinking I’m some sort of nut. Drugs have all been researched and approved by the government and wouldn’t be on the market if they weren’t safe. Right? Well, I would only ask that you check out the facts and compare them with what you know or what you have seen. Some of you will probably say, “I’ve been taking drugs all my life and have never had a problem”. But, a good many of you will honestly “You know, I’ve been taking drugs for so long, I can’t remember. But, he’s got a point. I’ve STILL got my problem!” And there’s a reason why you’ve still got that problem.

For the most part, drugs have only one purpose, managing your symptoms. While temporary symptom relief is not a totally bad thing, it’s never a permanent solution. Think about the addict that continually escapes from their problem by getting drunk or high only to find their problem has worsened If he’d deal with his real problem his life would take on new meaning, power and significance. So it is with you. Find the source of your problem and correct it.

OK. So what can you do to get off some of your medications? The first thing I recommend is to take some time to consider your lifestyle. Are you overweight? Do you exercise, at all? What do you eat? Got stress? After you’ve taken a serious look at some of the things you might be doing to make yourself sick, make a plan to begin to change some of those habits. Even better, think about the life you want to live and start living it. As you begin to pursue health, it will pursue you. As you clean the crap out of your system, your body will function better and you’ll feel better. Find a good wellness chiropractor, a nutritionist, a personal trainer, drink tons of water and maybe even find a family doctor who will help you get off the drugs. Live the life you want and you’ll rarely need to cover up the parts that don’t work perfectly.

Weak Muscles - Weak Joints

As a chiropractor, I see people from all walks of life for a variety of reasons. Some are wellness clients that get checked on a routine basis to build and maintain an active and vibrant lifestyle. These clients generally bring their whole family and do so to get off (or stay off) the medication merry-go-round. Others come to avoid a problem that had been corrected that they just don’t want to have to deal with again. Still others come in to correct a problem for which painkillers just don’t cover up any more.It’s that last group I want to talk about today. Sometimes the problem might be in their arm or shoulder, sometimes the knee, and sometimes in different parts of the spine or hips. While my focus as a chiropractor is on the nerves and spinal cord by way of the spine, problems with the spine can cause other problems in other parts of the body.

Let’s talk about those joints, though. Our bodies were designed for movement. And body movement involves three components; nerves, muscles and bones. Muscles move bones after getting signals from the nervous system. Joints, or hinges, make movement more efficient and more effective. I think everyone would agree that the moving parts in any machine (especially the human machine) are generally the first parts to wear out.

The tendency is to blame joint problems on aging. Well, that’s just too easy a copout. If it were as easy as that, every senior citizen would have bad joints. Granted, many seasoned citizens do have joint problems, not all. But aging alone is not really the problem. Besides, there’s nothing we can do about getting older. BUT, there is plenty that can be done about HOW we get older.

Since “structure affects function”, we should look at the other aspects of body movement and joint stress. One component of joint stress is body imbalance. We’ll spend more time on this component in the near future. But, just know that if you look in the mirror and notice that one shoulder or one hip is higher than the other or your head tilts in one direction, you are predisposed to structural problems that will affect you down the road.

The power to move is generated from the muscles. The stronger and more flexible your muscles, the less stress there is on your joints. If your muscles are weak, the joint bears all of your body weight and all the stress of movement. Oh yeah, and folks who don’t maintain a good level of muscle tone are usually somewhat overweight, putting even more stress on their joints.

So, what’s the answer? Well, there are a couple depending on your perspective. If you’re one of those passive individuals who beleive that “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it”, then just wait until your knees, elbows, wrist, back or hip wears out and hope that drugs or surgery will “fix it”. If that’s you, I wish you good luck. You’ll need it. On the other hand, if you want to make sure your joints last longer and work better, there are a few things you can do.

First, make sure you drink plenty of water on a regular basis. This helps keep the joints from drying out. Second, start a regular conditioning program. If you’re not exercising already, start slowly. But start! And don’t just focus on just those parts you want to look firmer. Firm it ALL up! That will help you lose unwanted fat quicker and strengthen all your joints. Walking is great and can be done almost anywhere. Just use your whole body when you do. When you get stronger, start doing some resistance exercises to get even stronger.

Finally, if you notice any posture distortions or other problems, find a good wellness chiropractor. Remember, structure affects function. And, how your body functions affects every aspect of your life. Life is motion. Get moving!