There is a better way to live your life!

I would like to begin this week’s newsletter with a quick summary of the last 3 issues. The purpose of which was to help you further understand the benefit(s) of a Chiropractic adjustment:

• Long term improvements in pain and symptoms
• Regain and maintain mobility and core flexibility
• Enhanced immune system function and maintenance thereof
• Improved postural stability and to minimize postural decay
• Reduction in old scar tissue and reduced scar tissue formation during the aging process
• Minimization of mechanical stress states that cause accelerated degenerative changes
• Improved strength and tone in core musculature
• Increased longevity of organs and glands
• And most of all, normalization of neurological function

I hope that all of you now have a deeper understanding and appreciation for your spine and its need for Chiropractic adjustments. Yes, eating and exercising are required for optimal health, but that is certainly not all there is to it. As you know by now, using Chiropractic as a means to “Feel Good” is a good idea. But, using Chiropractic to benefit you in other ways as listed above is an even greater idea!

I wish more people were wise to, or at least aware of what you are learning here and now. Can you imagine what the world, or at least your world (your circle of friends, family, etc), would be like if people were not always sick, sore, stiff, and stressed?

I know things would be a little sweeter at home, at the workplace, etc if more and more people were reaping the benefits of maximized health. People would look tall and strong instead of slumped over and weak. They would be sick less often and require less medication. We wouldn’t have to worry so much about their health status. We could take joy in knowing that they are doing their best and will benefit from living a healthy lifestyle.

What people do I speak of? I am writing this article not with you in mind per se, but the people you know - the spouse, child, mom or dad, coworker, employee, dear friend, etc. The person who is unaware of what we desperately try to share with you… there is a better way to living your life, and the Chiropractic Lifestyle is part of that. In this office we believe that just by making the choice to “be here for your health” is a step in a better direction. Believe me, you know so many people whose lives would be just a little bit better (at least) if they were experiencing what you are here at Maximized Health Chiropractic.

We are trying to make every effort possible to help people find their way to our office, or at least an office like ours. Please take advantage of the referral card that is attached to this newsletter. It is an opportunity for someone to find a place that can make a difference in their lives. If you need to find an office like ours for someone else who does not reside locally, please let us know and we will do our best to help you. If you need more than one card for people you would like to reach out to, please let us know. If you need help in communicating the need for Chiropractic to a friend or loved one who is reluctant or skeptical, we will do our best to help you with that as well.

We are here to help you. We hope you will do the same for others!
Please, read the list above one more time. Anyone come to mind? Too many to count, right?

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

The spinal bones are connected to the kidneys? Part 3

Do you know that song… the foot bone is connected to the leg bone and the leg bone is connected to the hip bone, etc? Well, ever heard the story of how the spinal bone is connected to the kidney? Confused about that? I was too for quite some time. I am going to share with you something that most doctors, even neurosurgeons, are perplexed by. Ready? Here it goes…
Do you know what a reflex is? re·flex [ r flèks ] 1. occurring automatically, involuntarily and predictably as a result of the nervous system's reaction to a stimulus, event or situation. Examples would include: jerking your hand away when touching something too hot, blinking when something touches your eye, or a muscle contracting when a tendon is stretched or tapped with a doctor’s reflex hammer. There are far more interesting reflexes in our body, such as the reflexes that exist between muscles/bones and organs/glands. This type of reflex is called a somato-visceral reflex. Let’s break that word down so you can understand how this type of reflex can literally dictate your health status - and lifespan.
The word “somato” refers to pieces of your body such as skin, muscle, ligament, tendon, disc, and bone. The word “visceral” refers to organs and glands like the heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas, reproductive organs, etc. The concept of the somato-visceral reflex works like this: stimulate one piece of the body (bone or muscle) and an automatic response will take place in the other (kidney or other organ). This concept works both ways. Organ dysfunction can create pain in the bones and muscles just like bone/muscle dysfunction can wreak havoc on organ function. An example of this relationship would be how a woman’s menstrual cycle (organ stress) can create low back pain. That is a visceral-somatic reflex response. By the same token a spinal problem can lead to abnormal menstrual cycles (organ dysfunction). That is a somatic-visceral response. All of this occurs because these pieces of your body are connected to each other via nerve pathways. Are you still with me? Now, how does this apply to your health and why should you care about it? Think about this…
If the status of somatic structures in your body (skin, muscle, ligament, tendon, disc, bone) depends on the status of visceral structures in your body, and vice versa, what happens when one piece becomes problematic? For instance, if you have a problem in a section of your spine, could that problem lead to an organ problem via the somato-visceral reflex system? New research in the field of neuroscience says YES! This concept has been around for 100’s of years, but only until recent have we been able to study and research it clinically. So, what does this mean to you, your health, your future health status, your health decisions, etc?
Taking care of your spine, muscles and other somatic structures can have a positive effect on the health status of internal organs. Read last week’s article on how a chiropractic adjustment can stimulate pieces of the immune system (organs and glands) - see the connection here? This is huge because it tells me as a doctor that a person who neglects the status of their musculoskeletal system is also neglecting the health status of their organs and glands. On the other hand, a person who is focused on improving the health status of the musculoskeletal system is also improving the health status of their organs and glands. The outcome of each scenario directly impacts overall health status, quality of life and longevity.
So, I ask you now… is a chiropractic adjustment more than a “pop here and a click there”? You better believe it. In fact, science says this is a medical fact of the human body – one that is independent of your belief system. Why are we so confident in the principle of Maximized Health - how can we not be?
Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

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An IDEA whose time has come… part 2

Since 1895 Doctors of Chiropractic have cried out that a chiropractic adjustment can and will positively affect the immune system. This is no longer a biased opinion or theory as today’s researchers continue to demonstrate the existence of a critical link between the nervous system and the immune system. Even further, scientists and researchers are now documenting how chiropractic was right to begin with!
In 1974, physiologist Dr. Korr proposed that "spinal problems" (vertebral subluxations) are associated with exaggerated sympathetic (a division of the nerve system) activity. Basically what they were saying is that the nervous system has a direct effect on the immune system due to the nerve supply to the important immune system organs.
One of the most important studies showing the positive effect chiropractic care can have on the immune system and general health was performed by Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York's Preventive Medicine Institute and professor of medicine at New York University. Dr. Pero measured 3 groups of people: 1) the immune systems of people under chiropractic care as compared to 2) those in the general population and 3) those with cancer and other serious diseases. In his initial three-year study of 107 individuals who had been under chiropractic care for five years or more, the chiropractic patients were found to have a 200% greater immune capacity than people who had not received chiropractic care, and 400% greater immune capacity than people with cancer and other serious diseases. The immune system superiority of those under chiropractic care did not diminish with age. Dr. Pero stated: “When applied in a clinical framework, I have never seen a group other than this chiropractic group to experience a 200% increase over the normal patients. This is why it is so dramatically important. We have never seen such a positive improvement in a group…”
The chiropractic immunology connection was strengthened in 1991 when Patricia Brennan, Ph.D. and other researchers conducted a study that found improved immune response following chiropractic treatment. Specifically, the study demonstrated the “phagocytic respiratory burst of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) and monocytes were enhanced in adults that had been adjusted by chiropractors.” In other words, the cells that act like "Pac-Man" eating and destroying bad (cancer) cells are enhanced through chiropractic care.
Another important study was performed at the Sid E. Williams Research Center of Life Chiropractic University (I participated as a Chiropractor). The researchers took a group of HIV positive patients and adjusted them over a six-month period. What they found was that the “patients that were adjusted had an increase of (48%) in the CD4 cells (an important immune system component).” These measurements were taken at the patients' independent medical center, where they were under medical supervision for the condition. The control group (the patients that were not adjusted) did not demonstrate this dramatic increase in immune function, but actually experienced a 7.96% decrease in CD4 cell counts over the same period.
Even though someone is symptom-free, he or she can still benefit greatly from regular chiropractic adjustments just for the 200% increased benefit to the immune system alone!! With the decreasing effectiveness of antibiotics, we all owe it to ourselves and our families to avoid getting sick and to keep our immune systems working to their fullest potential. When we say, “tell your friends and family about Chiropractic”, it is not because we are trying to increase our bottom line. We are supporting an idea whose time has come… Maximized Health Improves Your Life!

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

Click here for the "Maximized Health Tip of the Week"

The Active Ingredients of a Chiropractic Adjustment - Part 1

What is a chiropractic adjustment… what does it do… why do I need a chiropractic adjustment… when do I need a chiropractic adjustment… how does it work… “what’s the big deal anyway – I can crack my back on my own”. Hopefully, the last question is not one you need me to answer, but the others I believe are valid questions and ones that you should certainly know the answer to.
Before I get into it, let me just say that I will be dedicating the next several issues to helping you all better understand what I know to be true when it comes to the big question.. what is an adjustment and how does it work? This will not be an easy task, but I believe it will benefit all of you significantly!
First, let’s try and tackle the issue of what a chiropractic adjustment really is: Anyone can crack their neck, back, knuckles or whatever joint you wish to consider. This is called a manipulation - not an adjustment. An adjustment is any procedure that is done with the intent of correcting or improving some aspect of the human body. A manipulation is arbitrary or without intention. An adjustment has a very specific goal in mind. What is the goal to achieve with an adjustment you ask? Let’s cover what I call the 4 basic biomechanical goals of an adjustment:

To increase range of motion = A good adjustment will attack the root cause of reduced range of motion and flexibility. A manipulation will move the joints without concern for which ones are moving well and which ones are not. An adjustment will focus on restoring movement to those stiff joints that are contributing to the cause of a problem, and more importantly will focus on maintaining normal joint movement once it has been restored.

To minimize stress accumulation = A good adjustment will focus on areas that tend to accumulate stress from daily activities. An adjustment causes a reflexive response that will inhibit or minimize stress and tension in the muscle, nerve and joint. This has been well documented in medical research. Often times you can feel this affect if you are paying attention to your body, and sometimes you won’t. Regardless, this relaxation response occurs all of the time with every adjustment.

To reduce scar tissue = A good adjustment as described above will attack restricted joints. Often times, the aging process when left unchecked will lead to scar tissue formation in muscles, ligaments, tendons, discs, joint tissue and even nerve tissue. A good adjustment will target scar tissue and “break it up”, and more importantly keep it from reforming in the future.

To improve neuro-muscular coordination = All movement hinges on good communication between nerves, muscles, ligaments, tendons, etc. Abnormal posture is a great example of this communication system being down or disrupted. A good adjustment will help reestablish normal communication and coordinating efforts between body parts thereby allowing them to function better in relation to one another, i.e. improved postural stability, better range of motion, improved gait (walking), faster reflexes, etc.
These are just a few of the benefits that are considered “active ingredients” in each and every adjustment that you receive here at Maximized Health Chiropractic. When you use chiropractic care properly your body will benefit greatly in the 4 categories listed above… the health benefits of which are enormous! Next issue we will cover a few other aspects that I am sure you will find interest in. Remember, the more you know – the more you will grow and benefit from what transpires during your chiropractic appointments.

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

Click Here for the "Maximized Health Tip of the Week"