Energy and Health

Many times when people start care they will often tell me, "Wow, I feel like I have more energy!"  And, many times I hear people tell me, "After I get adjusted, I feel so relaxed, i could go to sleep!"  Even though they are describing opposite sensations, the reason for both experiences is the same!

Stress causes tension to increase in the spinal cord.  And, of course, we all deal with stress everyday.  The tension that builds in the spinal cord is translated into increased tension in the muscles of the body.  Muscles only do what they are told.  If they are told to contract, they contract, and when they are told to relax, they do so.  So if they keep getting signals from the nerve system that says "Tension!", they contract and stay that way.

Also, this increase in muscle tension is part of the fight-or-flight response of the body.  When we are stressed the body goes into a protect mode that prepares us to either fight for our lives, or run for our lives.  So tension builds in the muscles to prepare us for both.

When muscles contract, they consume more energy.  When muscles remain contracted, they consume a lot of energy.  If we spend our days with contracted muscles, even if we are just sitting at a desk or watching TV, we are using up a lot of energy that can be used for other activities.  So when they are suddenly released of their burdens, you get to have this energy for other things, and you feel more energetic.

By the same token, when we are "all bound up" from the stress of life, and we suddenly release all that, our high tension state can come crashing down as we suddenly relax.  This can be felt as wanting to go to sleep.

A few years ago, I was at a seminar and saw pictures of an MRI taken of brain activity. The subject was asked to wiggle his ankle while in the MRI machine.  As he did so, several areas of his brain lit up.  These  areas were all being used to perform the simple task of wiggling his ankle.  He was taken out of the MRI, then received a Network Spinal Entrainment, and put back in the MRI, and asked to wiggle his ankle.  This time only a couple of spots lit up in the brain.  The conclusion to this is that when the spinal cord is at its proper tone and tension, the body works much more efficiently requiring less energy to perform simple tasks.

I always tell everyone that health is defined by the way our bodies work, not necessarily how we feel.  When we are working more efficiently, we are healthier - healthier than when so much of our energy is going into just holding us in one place!

Passive vs. Active Health Care

Yesterday, someone was telling me about her cousin who has decided to have bariatric surgery to lose weight.  Her cousin is diabetic, has high blood pressure, of course doesn't eat right, gets winded when he goes to get the mail, and is on all kinds of medications.  The man is very sick and yet thinks that by removing a section of his stomach, that somehow this will allow him to lose weight and fix all his problems.  I asked her if he would consider coming to see me first.  She said he came in with her one time, I honestly do not remember, and he thought chiropractic care was rubbish (my words, but that's the gist of it).  And this is the fundamental difference between medical and chiropractic care.

Medical care is passive.  It's not much different than taking your suit to the cleaners.  You drop it off and in a week, you pick it up all nice and clean and pressed.  That's passive.  You didn't have to clean it, or iron it, it was all done for you.  In medicine, one goes to the Dr, gets examined, receives a diagnosis, and then a prescription.  In most cases, what is ailing Mr. or Mrs. Patient is due to lifestyle - stress, smoking, poor eating habits, and lack of exercise.  The prescription, whether it is drugs or surgery, is used to nullify the effects of the choices this person has made.  In many cases Dr. Medical would advise the person to quit smoking, or get some exercise, which falls on deaf ears.  It is much easier to take the drugs.  This is passive.  Our person in question is not taking responsibility for his/her own health and well-being.  Just take the drugs.

Chiropractic care is active.  Generally people who come to see me want more out of life.  They realize that there is no alternative to being healthy and that it doesn't come from a drug store.  I can't give someone a bottle of adjustments to take and then check them in a week or two.  The commitment has to be made that they are going to take the time out to come to the office twice a week to have the interference in their nerve systems reduced.  Most of these people have made choices to eat better and to get more exercise.  They realize that they are responsible for the choices they make and the consequences of their actions.  This is active care because these people are involved in what happens to their bodies and in their lives!

Passive care keeps people sick or makes them sicker.  Drugs have effects.  Not side-effects like they like to call it, but effects!  They effect the body in more ways than they help, and most of them are not good.  Bariatric surgery is not a cure and there is no health in having a part of the body removed especially if it's healthy (even if it's not, how did it get that way?)  People who are passive about their health are never, ever healthy.  It's just an easy choice because it takes little effort.

Active care makes people healthier!  They are responsible for their health and they know it.  There are no adverse affects to getting adjusted, only becoming healthier.  Active health care is not easy, it takes effort and commitment, but the rewards are immeasurable!

Can You make me Straight?

This morning one of my clients mentioned that she feels "crooked" and even notices that she has more calluses on one foot than the other from walking off balance.  So she wanted to know if I could "make her straight".  That's a fair question because we see pictures of xrays of the spine that show, from the front, a nice straight spine.  These pictures show level hips, level shoulders, and a head sitting squarely on the shoulders. But can I "make" her straight?  The answer is no.

Actually I can't make anyone into anything.  We have to always remember the basic chiropractic philosophy, that all living things are an expression of an Inborn, Innate Intelligence.  This Intelligence knows exactly what each individual needs to stay alive and is unique to each person. Innate resides in the nerve system, which is why we adjust the nerve system - to keep Innate flowing and the body healthy.  We can't question Innate.  The power that makes the body, the power that expresses Life, is far greater than our limited intelligence.

The only purpose of the adjustment is to restore the nerve system to its proper tone and tension so that the nerve system is free to coordinate body functions, that is, express Innate.  In a healthy body, we don't question or judge what a person is going through because the body always has a higher purpose, i.e staying alive.  If we question or judge the expression of the body, then we are saying that we "know better".  And when we try to control what the body is doing, we again are saying "We know better".  Well, I don't know about you, but I didn't design the body.  I can't say that what a person is going through is right or not.  All I do when I work with everyone is remove any blockages a person may have to the expression of Life Force.
 
This brings us back to the original question from this morning.  I can't make a person "straight".  If a person is supposed to have a curvature of the spine to keep them alive (I'm not talking about the pathological kind where the body actually folds up upon itself), then who am I to say this is wrong? And who is to say having a straight spine is the way it is supposed to be?  I took xrays of people for the first 10 years of my practice.  I saw curved spines in people who were quite healthy.  I saw straight spines in people who were quite sick.  I adjusted people, retook the xray, and saw that their curves actually increased!  Is this wrong? Nope! It's what that person needed!

If I try to control a person's experience, then I am making the care about me.  It's not about me, it's about YOU!  It's about clearing your nerve system of any interference to the expression of Innate, or Life Force, so that your body is free to be as healthy as it possibly can be.  That is the essence of true health care!

Recently I applied to get a quote on a life insurance policy I saw advertised on one web page I had visited.  They promised lower rates.  I have a policy already that costs about $80 a month, and thought I might be able to get one a little cheaper.  After filing out the info in the ad, one of their reps called me and said that i could get a policy for about $60 a month for the same coverage.  Well, anything to save money, so I went ahead with the application.

He asked me the usual questions, and then wanted "medical" info.  You know, like, who is my MD, when did I have a physical last, can they get copies of my medical files.  I told him, "I have no MD, there are no medical records, and I have never had a physical!"  I told him I'm a chiropractor and that I adhere to the chiropractic philosophy of health and that I have no need for MD's. I also told him that I run 4 days a week and lift weights. I told him that I have a 32 inch waste, just as I had in high school over 40 years ago. He was actually cool with that, and said that he will still have to send someone to the house to do the usual blood and pee tests, and get some vitals.  That was ok.

The nurse came here two weeks ago, and asked me the same questions: who is my MD, etc.  I told her the same answer.  Then last week, I received a call from a woman saying she was the underwriter and had a couple of questions.  She asked, "Who is your MD, when was the last time you had a physical, and can we get copies of your medical records?'  I gave her the same answers.

I expected this, of course.  It is just amazing that there is no room for another way of thinking about one's health.  It has to be medical or nothing at all.  Well, tonight was the icing on the cake.  I received a call from the original fellow I talked with and said that he had the policy ready.  It was going to cost me about $100 a month because my lipid levels were a little high, and since I had no MD to help "get them down to normal levels" I was considered a higher health risk.

To be fair, he said he went to bat for me and told them that I lead a different lifestyle.  I'm not their typical 61 year old and that I am very healthy.  But it did no good.  I told him that I find it amazing that I am not on any medications, have no history of health problems, that I lead a lifestyle that promotes health. And yet  if I were to start on Statin drugs that artificially lower cholesterol, i.e. drugs that are known to cause liver disease and actually PROMOTE heart disease, then I would be a BETTER risk, and they would be able to insure me for the lower premium.  How screwed up is that????

My friends, we live in an insane world.  When I was a little boy, I started to write a book called "The World of Opposite".  It was a story about a man who travels to another planet to find that everything there is the opposite of what it is here.  Sometimes I feel like I am now living in that world.  Sickness and things that make us sick are promoted as the way to live our lives, and wellness and things that we do to promote wellness are looked down upon and shunned.  God help us.

What is "Traditional" Chiropractic?

Recently someone in the office mentioned seeing a "traditional" chiropractor.  The meaning behind the phrase was in reference to the method of adjusting.  I adjust using Network Spinal Analysis which utilizes a light touch, as opposed to the other form of chiropractic which is often the hard thrust.  Since NSA is newer in the chiropractic scheme of things, the structural adjustment must be traditional.

Actually, referring to a chiropractor as traditional vs. something else, like 'modern' I suppose, should not refer to the method of adjusting.  I refer to myself as a traditional chiropractor, not because of what I do, but why.

From its inception as a profession in 1895, chiropractic is a holistic approach to the total health of an individual.  The philosophy states that the nerve system coordinates all the functions of the body and the ability to function in life.  A healthy nerve system creates a healthy body, a sick nerve system creates a sick body.  Stress in life makes the nerve system sick within the spinal cord, and it has been proven that the chiropractic adjustment restores integrity to the NS, restoring health to the body.  It is as simple as that.

Over the years many methods of adjusting the spine/ spinal cord have been developed.  Some of them are hard and some of them are gentle.  But the idea behind the adjustment, traditionally, has been to help the sick heal by restoring integrity to the NS.

For most of the 20th century, chiropractic was not respected or recognized as a "real" profession.  The reasons for this would require another essay.  But because of this thinking, chiropractic was not included in insurance coverage.  But in the '80's insurances began to cover chiropractic since so many people were starting to utilize it.  But they wanted to know what chiropractors did. Insurance companies cover "Treatments" and our philosophy is different.  So to get coverage, chiros had to treat something and they said "We're good at back pain, neck pain, and headaches".  And the shift to becoming a physical therapy approach was born.  Now, most DC's have physical therapy and rehab clinics, and most people think of chiropractic as such.

But there are still those of us who cling to the original philosophy of total health chiropractic, as I do.  This is especially important in today's world of drugs, drugs, and more drugs.  Chiropractic is the only profession that offers another approach to health that doesn't deal with drugs.  It is the only one that can help people get well, and stay well, using the body's own natural healing abilities.  This is the "Traditional" approach.  The modern approach of physical therapy and rehab has thrown the original philosophy out the window.

So any chiropractor who adjusts the spinal system to restore health to the NS, and, therefore, the body regardless of the technique, is "Traditional".  If he/she is adjusting to treat a sprain, then they are just modern physical therapists.

Flu Virus and Dandelions

I had an interesting conversation with a fellow in the office last Friday.  The weather has been very mild for January. When he came in he mentioned how everyone in his office is getting sick.  He said it's because of the constant change in temperature - it gets warm, it gets cold, it gets warm again - and this causes the viruses to spread.  He reasons that if it stays cold, people won't get sick.

Now it has been mild here, and I have noticed that the irises in front of my office are coming up and I have noticed some grass growing in my backyard.  So, when he made this comment I smiled and said, "The viruses don't come out of the ground like dandelions, you know."

He said, "Well, of course not, but I have noticed that people get sick when the weather fluctuates like this."

Of course this is not true, as I went on to explain.  The viruses don't become more active just because the weather changes, in fact, weather has nothing to do with it at all.  I remember reading a study published in Time magazine way back when I was in college in the '70's where they took a group of people and made them walk around in the London weather without any extra coats, and no shoes.  It was cold and rainy. They didn't come down with a cold anymore than anyone else did.

But, people do tend to come down with more colds and flu when fall comes around.  Why? Because they get less sunshine!  During the summer, people are on vacation and outside doing yard work or whatever and they get a lot of sun.  This keeps the Vitamin D levels up. Once school starts, everyone goes back indoors, the days get shorter, they get less sunshine, and therefore less Vitamin D3.  Vitamin D is one of the most important supports to the immune system, and when it goes down, our immune systems get weaker.  Then we see more colds and the news people call it The Flu Season.  Kind of like declaring Duck Hunting Season.

So the fluctuations in temperature have nothing to do with whether we get sick or not, but the amount of sunshine does.  This can be changed by taking vitamin D3 supplements (35 IU's per pound of body weight), and, of course, getting adjusted regularly as well.  Keeping the nerve system as free from the effects of stress as possible also helps to support our immunity.

Meanwhile, my irises are coming up!

Stress is a Habit!

A few weeks ago, one of my clients said that while he was on vacation he slept great.  It wasn't the most comfortable of beds that he was sleeping in, but he slept great which was unusual for him.  But, when he came home, he was uncomfortable again.

Today, a girl was in who went in to work today.  She said that she felt nice and relaxed in her neck, where she carries her stress, all week until today.  She mentioned that even though it was relaxed at work because the boss wasn't in, she still tensed up.

Both wanted to know why this happens.

Whenever we learn new skills, we are forging new pathways in our nerve systems.  Think about when you learned to tie your shoes.  Each movement was difficult.  You worked delicately and with a great deal of thought to maneuver the laces into place to get a good knot.  But you don' have to do that today.  You just reach down and tie them while you are probably thinking of the trip to the store that is coming up, or whatever.

Think about when you learned how to drive.  You were so cautious: steering the car, placing your feet, watching traffic.  You probably didn't have the radio on so you could concentrate.  Not now!  I once saw a girl driving down Madison Avenue talking on the phone while she put on her eye makeup.  Please don't think I advocate that, but the point is that once we learn a new skill, the neural pathways are established that we can perform the task with very little thought process.

And so it is with stress.  Having stress is a learned response.  Our bodies react to stress, not initially as a bad thing, but as a survival mechanism.  If we are in danger, we have a stress response that is meant to get us out of danger.  Stress is supposed to help us survive in a dangerous world. But what is stressful for one person is not for another.  I get very stressed standing on top of a ladder, when others love it.  So stress is a learned response.  And, like all things learned, neural pathways are created that cause our bodies to respond to stress without us giving it much thought.

So when we go on vacation, we are away from our daily stress creators.  But when we come back, we get back into our routines and the nerve system says, "Oh this is what causes us stress" and it responds accordingly.  Same thing can be said about going into the work place even if the main cause of stress may be absent.  It's just a habit pattern!

One of the benefits of Network care coupled with the Emotional Release work we do is to change the way the nerve system perceives the world.  We can create new pathways so that you don't automatically respond to stress as you used to.  This keeps you more centered and better able deal with life and its stresses more constructively.  This, then, enables you live, work, and play with greater health!