Stress and the Chiropractic Lifestyle

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - stress – noun. a specific response by the body to a stimulus or condition, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.
American Heritage Dictionary - life·style (līf'stīl') noun. A way of life or style of living that reflects the attitudes and values of a person or group.

Every human being on planet Earth has stress. This is a medical fact. Some stress is good, and other forms of stress can be quite harmful. But, what does stress have to do with Maximized Health Chiropractic?

Well, it would be easy for most of us to understand that muscles ache when stressed, bones decay and become arthritic when stressed, nerves misfire and create disease when stressed, the brain becomes dysfunctional when stressed, ligaments get sprained when stressed, the lungs and cardiovascular system get weak when stressed, the reproductive system and digestive system stop functioning normally when stressed, the skin, hair and nails can even show signs of stress … I could go on for days.

The point in listing the above is this… we know our body ages poorly and can not function at its full potential when it is stressed out. The question is – what can you do on a daily basis to keep your stress levels at a minimum? Honestly, most people know about stress, but do little to nothing to understand and control it!

All disease and discomfort can be explained in the form of STRESS. For this reason it is critical that all of us come to understand stress in its many forms. Only by doing so will be able to identify and minimize its presence, and negative effects on our lives.

Stress can come in the form of the foods you choose to eat and the chemicals you allow inside of your body. Stress can come in the form of poor postural habits, old injuries and traumas that you never healed properly from, bad ergonomics in the workplace, a sedentary lifestyle (yes, not moving is a stress to your body), etc. And finally, the most commonly acknowledged form of stress – mental overload aka emotional stress.

As many of you know… we are not your typical chiropractic office. We are a wellness center that uses chiropractic, physical therapy, nutritional counseling, and lifestyle coaching for one purpose – to help you live closer to your God-given potential. This is accomplished by reducing your stress levels and allowing your body to function at a higher level than before you walked through our doors.

I see the chiropractic lifestyle as a means to an end. The chiropractic lifestyle is a way of living life wisely and proactively rather than living passively in ignorance.

However, we can only do so much for you without your active participation in this process. Do not be a spectator in life when it comes to your health. This is dangerous and in fact deadly.

The more you learn about stress management the more you can achieve in your lifetime. Our stress management and anti-aging seminar is June 3rd from 6:30 – 8:00pm. Is living at your full potential worth your Tuesday night? Please RSVP immediately with any member of the MHC Team… seating is limited!

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

Maximized Health “tip of the week”

ANTI-BACTERIAL SOAP IS A CHEMICAL STRESSOR THAT YOU SHOULD AVOID?

A growing number of critics, including me, believe antibacterial soaps are no better than regular soaps in reducing infections. In fact, they can have a negative impact on your health.

You see, your standard non-bacterial household soap separates bacteria from your skin so germs go down the drain or get attached to towels when drying your hands. On the other hand, antibacterial soaps kill germs on the spot - at least, most of them.

Triclosan:
Triclosan is a chemical ingredient that should be avoided whenever possible. Among the many other health problems it can create, alteration in hormone signaling through disruption of thyroid gland function is one to research more on your own.

It used to be that antibacterial soaps were used mainly in clinical health care environments, like scrubbing up prior to surgery. Now, antibacterial soaps are used in households across the country where they amount to a $16 billion-a-year industry. Some 72 percent of all liquid soap sold in the United States now contains antibacterial ingredients.

But studies have shown that people who use antibacterial soaps and cleansers develop cough, runny nose, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea and other symptoms just as often as people who use products that do not contain antibacterial ingredients.

Increasing numbers of traditional medical experts now accept the hygiene hypothesis (chiropractors have always supported this over the bacteria hypothesis), which centers on the idea that children exposed to bacteria in early childhood actually have stronger immune systems. Children who are not exposed to common bacteria, which are eliminated by excessive use of soap, may actually be more prone to allergies and asthma. (could it be that how you care for yourself is more important than the “germs” themselves?)

Even the American Medical Association (AMA) does not recommend antibacterial soaps anymore.

So why do they persist? Simple - the manufacturers have relied on using fear to convince people that they need to use them to stay healthy. All you need to use is a plain, chemical-free soap that you can pick up in your local health food store, as washing with plain soap and water will get rid of most all bacteria.

Many of you also understand that it is not lack of washing your hands that actually gets you sick but rather a weakened immune system, which results from poor lifestyle choices regarding foods, sleep, exercise, sun exposure, posture, and stress management.

Part of living the Chiropractic Lifestyle is reducing toxicity in your life, i.e. antibacterial soaps!

I have recently replaced all soaps in my home and in this office. Per Becky’s recommendation we now use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps. For more information go to www.drbronner.com.

Healthy choices – no matter how small (the soap you use) can make a big difference!

As good as you can be, or not?

When people think about their current level of health and fitness most are not happy. Most people would prefer to be better than they are now, but don’t know how to get there.

Did you know that your body can regenerate many of its parts within a seven year period? Our blood cells renew every 120 days; our skin cells take 2-4 weeks; the liver takes 6 weeks and the skeleton takes 2 to 7 years to totally regenerate. It is amazing how the human body can maintain and heal itself. This is not a process that occurs by chance. It is an orchestrated event, and you get to play the role of maestro or conductor.

That means that the body you have now will not be the body you have in seven years. Obviously, right? But, will your body in seven years be as good as it can be or will it be a weaker, lesser version of what it can be?

I have found that most people can not answer that question with confidence. They are hoping they end up healthy. They are hoping they don’t get sick and ill or require surgery and drug therapy. They are not certain about what steps they must take to ensure that they become as strong and as healthy as they can be.

In most instances, health and disease are not mistakes that just happen – they are caused and created events! For the most part, our way of thinking and our actions greatly dictate how our body will age over a seven year period. Will we stay healthy or not, will we become stiff and arthritic, will we have headaches forever, will we become weak and disabled… these are not issues that are independent of our actions, but more a direct reflection thereof.

When I learned how well the human body can repair, regenerate and heal itself when the conditions are right for it to do so, I was very excited. I gained a tremendous sense of empowerment. I could be a participant instead of a spectator when it comes to the fate of my own health and aging process.

I began learning everything I could about how to properly manage my own health. In doing so, I found that we need more than the 1,2,3’s and a,b,c’s of personal health care, we need to find the motivation within ourselves to make the right decisions, to become responsible, to be consistent, and to stick with it.

As a Doctor of Chiropractic I feel as though I have a responsibility to all of you to share what I know.

I am happy to announce that we have scheduled a very important event June 3rd. We will be conducting a new Health Seminar entitled Stress Management and Anti-aging. I will be sharing with you how stress (chemical, physical, and emotional) can be your greatest enemy. It is a medical fact that stress, in its many forms, is the single largest determining factor of health and aging. This is perhaps the most important health seminar that we will conduct this year. From which, you will see the BIGGER picture and get what is called the BIG IDEA.

You CAN get a handle of how your body ages, heals and regenerates. You CAN play an active role in what will be your future health status. You CAN be… as good as you can be.

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

P.S. for more details on the upcoming seminar, see any member of the MHC Team.

Maximized Health “tip of the week”

MED PAY, WHAT IS IT?

Coverage on Colorado automobile insurance policies took a steep curve after July 1, 2003. Colorado changed from the former “no-fault” system to a tort system. This is a system where the driver who is at fault for causing a traffic accident is responsible for paying the victim’s medical expenses and compensating for additional damages, such as loss of wages and “pain and suffering.”

You will want to educate yourself to make sure your coverage fits your needs in the event of an accident.

There are mandatory and optional coverages available such as:
-Bodily Injury Liability Coverage (BI) (mandatory)
-Property Liability Coverage (mandatory)
-Collision Coverage (optional)
-Comprehensive Coverage (optional)
-Uninsured & Underinsured motorist coverage (optional)
-Medical Payments (Med Pay) (optional)
-Essential Services and rehabilitation (optional)

Consult with your insurance agent to fully understand your policy and coverage.

We wanted you to be aware of the changes in the law and how they affect your medical coverage in the event you are in an auto accident. Medical Payment Coverage (Med Pay) is something that should be considered mandatory, let me explain… Med Pay pays for reasonable expenses you and your passengers incur because of injury in a motor vehicle accident, regardless of fault. Be sure the Med Pay you purchase covers the care you may need in the event of an accident, such as chiropractic treatment and massage therapy. Even if you have health insurance, there may be limitations on what types of health care are covered and various exclusions. Your health insurance may not cover resident relatives and will definitely not protect other passengers or people who borrow your car. Med Pay is a necessity if you consider these factors. Ask about the monetary levels offered by your insurance carrier and select mid-to-high levels of $5,000 to $25,000 or more. If your auto insurance DOES NOT offer Med Pay or the limits are too low, choose another insurance company that offers what you need to protect yourself.

Why do you need Med Pay? We have seen patients pay out of pocket for their medical expenses and then wait in excess of 2 years to be reimbursed only after retaining an attorney. Worse yet, we have seen people pay out of pocket and have the “at fault” insurance company deny payment completely.

The patients that have had Med Pay do not pay medical expenses out of pocket. We are able to bill the insurance company directly for the patient, and we handle all of the paperwork. By state law the insurance company must pay the claim within 30 days, eliminating the financial risk for the patient.

We have seen first hand that Med Pay allows the patient to focus on returning to health and not worrying about how to pay for their necessary medical procedures.

This can be confusing, but it is important that you know how to protect yourself!

Do You Believe in the “Fountain of Life”?

The Fountain of Life was a spring that Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon, according to legend, went looking for in Florida in 1513. It was said that anyone who drinks from the Fountain would have his or her youth restored. Long story made short… he never found it.

In many ways we are still looking for the Fountain of Life. Researchers and drug companies are always searching for medications to make us live longer. “Someday, we will find or create the cure for all disease.”

Truth is, I do believe in a Fountain of Life concept. But, the difference between my perception of its existence and that of folklore is its location. I think this mystical source of health and healing is something that we are actually born with. It is not a matter of traveling to another part of the world, but we do have to “discover it” in order to benefit from it.

Too many people are unaware of their true potential to be healthy and happy. Somehow main stream media and western medicine has stepped into the acting role as the people’s Fountain of Life. Somehow we allowed ourselves to become disillusioned with the belief that health and disease are chance encounters, and that doctors will be there to pick us up every time we fall down sick?

What happened to the mystical belief that we are powerful beyond measure? From the Developer of Chiropractic to Nelson Mandela, many have cried out for us to foster and live by this “power within” concept.

What keeps the sick person from radically changing their lifestyle in an effort to restore balance and health? I think it is a belief system that has disempowered them to the point of paralysis. Too many people have been led to believe that the Fountain of Life is out there somewhere – it is an external entity. If they, their cardiologist, oncologist, or whatever ‘ologist can not find it in time… “well, then that’s life”.

Even before I became a Doctor of Chiropractic, something inside me told me that this way of thinking was not right – there had to be another way. From that point on, I have committed my time and efforts to the process of discovering that internal source of health and healing… our God-given Fountain of Life.

Sad truth is, for many people their Fountain of Life is either plugged up or running at the pace of a slow drip. The ability for health and life to flow freely has been diminished as a result of neglect, bad habits and poor decisions. Their situation is further cemented by the fact that their belief system has paralyzed and disempowered them.

Make no mistake about it - I do not believe that one chiropractic adjustment is the answer. However, I firmly believe that the Chiropractic Lifestyle, all that it represents and stands for, is a path to the discovery of this Fountain of Life. I have traveled that path and can attest to its destination.

Our mission and goal in this office is to lead as many people as possible in the same direction. For some, the journey has already forever changed their life. For others, it is just beginning. For all, it will be a journey that is worthy of your greatest effort… for the destination is more than legend – it is a God-given potential to express health and life.

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

Maximized Health “tip of the week”

Why workout?

Most of us exercise to keep from tipping the scales, relieve stress or simply because we enjoy it. Researchers from the University of South Carolina are giving us a better reason to stay active – a longer life. Despite how much you weigh or how large your waist measures, if you are active you have a lower risk of dying compared to someone who is at a normal weight, but is inactive.

The Fountain of Youth

We all know that weight training will improve your muscular strength and endurance, but it may also be the key to unlocking your youth. A recent study out of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, has shown that seniors who participate in one hour of weight training twice a week for six months can reverse the signs of aging at the cellular level by as much as 12 - 45 years.

Healing Effects of Exercise

We all know that leading an active lifestyle, at any age, offers endless benefits – from better brain function to improved immune responses. A new study from the University of Illinois has discovered a link between exercise and decreased inflammation.

If you are experiencing chronic aches and pains, whether in the joints of the spine or any muscle for that matter, you are likely experiencing these symptoms due to inflammation. But, how do you overcome it – through movement and exercise of course!

Your body is designed to move and when it does not move properly, i.e. bad posture, injury, sedentary work and/or lifestyle, etc. your body will become problematic. This is a fact of life! Another fact of life is that every person must continue to exercise on a regular basis for their entire life. Chiropractic can help restore normal movement to the body, but just like any medical intervention, it is not a “cure all” or “substitute” for exercise and other health lifestyle choices.


“The difference between the possible and the impossible lies in a person’s determination” Tommy Lasorda

Medical Philosophy vs. Chiropractic Philosophy

Chiropractic and medicine disagree on what constitutes health, disease, the meaning of symptoms, and the goal of care. These are philosophical differences that go back over 2,500 years. "But chiropractic is only about 100 years old. How could we have a conflict with medicine for 2,500 years?" I hear you say. Good question.

The answer is that our philosophical roots go way back, as does medicine. In fact two conflicting philosophies of healing - similar to that of chiropractic and medicine - can be found from the earliest writings of Hippocrates (5th century B.C.) to the present day. The camps were referred to as the Vitalists and the Mechanists. Generally speaking, medical doctors or allopaths are Mechanists, while chiropractors, classical homeopaths, acupuncturists, traditional osteopaths and others are Vitalists.

Let’s look at how vitalists and mechanists view things: Mechanists assume the body operates like a machine whose whole is equal to the sum of its parts. "Study the body," they say, "study its cells, and its chemistry using disciples such as physics, mechanics and mathematics and the workings of the whole will be revealed."

Vitalists disagree: "Living creatures are fundamentally different from non-living creatures", they say. "The laws of physics, chemistry, mechanics, and mathematics cannot give us a complete knowledge or understanding of biological systems because the whole body is greater than the sum of its parts." Vitalists learn how the body works by studying the living body, not isolated chemicals in a test tube or by making up theories.

This philosophical difference is profound, it colors everything –

Mechanists say: "The body is a dumb machine; symptoms are always bad and must be destroyed. Fevers must be lowered, inflammations must be cooled, itching or eruptions must be suppressed, pain must be eliminated - symptoms are bad in and of themselves and must be destroyed."

Vitalists say: "The body is intelligent and reacts to the environment. Symptoms are its response to environmental stress, a sign that the body is fighting to return to it’s homeostatic balance. Symptoms must be permitted to express themselves so the body may cleanse and heal and return to normal balance."

Mechanists: "The most important thing is to diagnose the disease the patient has and then fight it. The patient’s resistance to disease is not very important."

Vitalists: "More important than diagnosing and treating disease, the individual’s innate power of resistance needs to be strengthened so it may heal."

Mechanists: Everyone who has a certain disease has the same disease as anyone who has that disease."

Vitalists: people are chemically, emotionally, and structurally unique. When caring for a sick person, we should try to learn why that one person is sick in his or her own unique way, and we should not generalize to other people. 100 people with cancer are, if you look closely enough are really expressing 100 unique conditions that have some things in common but many things unique to their situation. The more their care is tailored to their unique needs, the more successful the results.

Mechanists: "We will ultimately know exactly how the body works, what makes it sick and how to make it healthy.

Vitalists: "The body is essentially unknowable. It has billions of parts, each doing its own thing at a fantastic rate. The body is constantly reacting to its environment and changing moment by moment. How can anyone know what is happening at any one time to all those parts? And doesn’t the very act of observing alter our results?

Mechanists believe they can know the body and figure out what it needs in advance. Their procedures are often invented. Vitalists sit in awe of the body’s functions and state that the only way we can find out how healing works is see how living bodies react. Their procedures are discovered.

Which philosophy do you wish to live and promote for the health of future generations?

Speak up and educate others,

Dr. Craig

Maximized Health “tip of the week”

The idea that sunscreen prevents cancer is a myth

It's a myth promoted between the cancer industry and the sunscreen industry. The sunscreen industry makes money by selling lotion products that actually contain cancer-causing chemicals. It then donates a portion of that money to the cancer industry through non-profit groups like the American Cancer Society which, in turn, run heart-breaking public service ads urging people to use sunscreen to "prevent cancer."

The scientific evidence, however, shows quite clearly that sunscreen actually promotes cancer by blocking the body's absorption of ultraviolet radiation, which produces vitamin D in the skin. Vitamin D, as recent studies have shown, prevents up to 77% of ALL cancers in women (breast cancer, colon cancer, cervical cancer, lung cancer, brain tumors, multiple myeloma... you name it). Meanwhile, the toxic chemical ingredients used in most sunscreen products are actually carcinogenic and have never been safety tested or safety approved by the FDA. They get absorbed right through the skin (a porous organ that absorbs most substances it comes into contact with) and enter the bloodstream.

The benefits of sunscreen are a myth. Proponents say sunscreen prevents sunburn, but in fact, the real cause of sunburn is not merely UV exposure: It is a lack of antioxidant nutrition. Start eating and supplementing your body with antioxidants and you'll build up an internal sunscreen that will help protect your skin from sunburn from the inside out. Sunburn is actually caused by nutritional deficiencies that leave the skin vulnerable to DNA mutations from radiation, but if you boost your nutrition and protect your nervous system with plant-based nutrients, you'll be more naturally resistant to sunburn. The same nutrients, by the way, also protect the optic nerve and eyes from radiation damage. That's why the consumption of berries and carrots, for example, has historically been associated with healthy eye function. (The same nutrients that protect the eyes also protect the skin.)

If sunscreen is so bad for humans, you might ask, then why do so many doctors recommend using it? This might be hard for you to believe, but it wasn't too long ago that doctors routinely recommended smoking cigarettes, too. The Journal of the American Medical Association, in fact, ran numerous ads promoting Camels as "recommended by more doctors than any other cigarette!" Doctors talked up the "benefits" of smoking cigarettes, urging people to start smoking in order to improve brain function or even -- get this -- make their teeth stronger!

The truth is doctors are easily influenced by commercial interests and can be readily convinced to recommend practically any product, no matter how toxic, unhealthy or deadly to consumers. Just look at how many doctors wrote prescriptions for Vioxx, for example, after being visited by a Vioxx drug rep pushing it as a "miracle drug" for joint pain.

TOPIC SUMMARY AND COURSE OF ACTION:

• Get small doses of sun without sunscreen (no burning) so that your body can produce Vitamin D (10 minutes or so is sufficient - not a difficult thing to accomplish here in Colorado)
• Make sure you have enough antioxidant rich foods to prevent burning and skin damage. Build up your "internal" sun damage defense system.
• Reduce Omega 6 (bad fats) and increase Omega 3 (good fats) = The high excess of omega-6 fats in most people's diet puts them at a much higher risk of developing skin cancer when they get sunburned.
• Find an ALL NATURAL INGREDIENT sunscreen, they do exist and they are free of cancer causing chemicals (example, go to www.gocarribeanblue.com)
• Learn more on your own, and teach your friends and family how to live wisely!