Pandemic...A Ticking Time Bomb

You may have seen reports recently about the "bird flu" (avian influenza). Spreading through Asia, there is great fear that this could make the jump to humans if pigs contract the virus (anatomy is quite similar to humans). I just saw a report the other day that thousands of birds were killed in Romania as a "preventative measure" after tests came back positive. Let me tell you, that does not happen unless there is major fear resounding.

If infact this does happen, you can count on the fact that the government is going to play it cool until so many people are infected that the media is all over it because they will want to avoid a panic as long as possible. The fact is, there is no vaccine yet available and even if there were there is no way they would be able to manufacture and distribute it fast enough. Early estimates suggest over 1 BILLION people could die if this happens, over 700,000 here in the U.S. alone.

My fear is they are underestimating. If you look at the history of flu pandemics, and we are way overdue for one, they all fell during times when diet was better, exercise was a part of daily life, poor sanitation meant more exposure to bugs and germs. All of this meant stronger, more resilient immune systems. But look at us now. People are overweight, malnourished, drugged up (yes that means medications), and can't walk to the door at Wal-Mart without losing their breath. We are living in the country that is #1 in chronic disease in the world. Do you think people around you might get sick?

Should you panic? If you feel even the slightest anxiety by reading this then absolutely yes. If you even suspect that your immune system might be less than adequate to survive, you'd better wake up before it's too late. You need to start getting it together TODAY because nobody will be there to save you when this hits the fan. As always it is my goal to give you the tools to not just survive, but to thrive.

Finding Balance...

I have noticed throughout my career that many people get instantly intimidated when talking about changing their health because they see it as a time consuming and painful activity. In many cases this keeps people from making the initial step, especially when all they have to do is pop a pill and put it off for another day. The fact is, this is so far removed from the truth that it keeps me awake at night knowing that all it takes is the initial effort to set forth revolutionary change in a person's life physically, nutritionally, or spiritually.

The key to lasting change is balance. If you dive into anything full force and try not to look back the probability is you will fail miserably or give up quickly from burnout. You have to realize that wellness is time dependent and even if you do everything right today, it is still TIME DEPENDENT. Examples:

• I can give you the best adjustment of my life, but it still takes TIME to make change.
• You can eat a wonderful and perfect meal, but it still takes TIME to lose weight.
• You can work out for 24 hours straight (you will hate yourself the next day...Ouch) but it still takes TIME to get in shape.

That means the majority rules but you can and should still "cheat" from time to time just to keep your sanity and focus.

Starting TODAY, you should make the first step of working out a weekly SCHEDULE that you know you can live with. Don't over do it. If you can only commit to walking for 20 minutes twice a week, start there. As your level of conviction builds over TIME, you can always increase. Start making small changes in your diet like cutting out the french fries and getting salads or veggies instead. SCHEDULE one day out of the week that you are allowed to have the thing you're trying to eliminate and it will help you stay away from it the rest of the week. And most importantly, STICK TO IT! If you get frustrated or tired, change something up to rebuild the excitement.

I look forward to helping you achieve your goals and we are passionate about extending the opportunity to as many as want it. Be sure to ask us about our new Health for the Holiday Makeover Program to share with others and work together to build lives and better futures!

Taking The Driver's Seat

The Chiropractic adjustment is a powerful component of your daily wellness regiment, but is it a one stop, fix all, fail-proof means of acquiring abundant health? I wish it was that easy, but even though it is an absolutely critical step towards outstanding health in many ways, it's not God therefore it can't solve everything on it's own.

In looking at PHYSICAL maintenance alone (not what you eat, what you take, what you poison yourself with, or where your mind-state is) you can basically break the components that deal with movement into three categories. Your bones, ligaments, and muscles. Of course it is much more complicated than this but let's think simple. The end measure is POSTURE. The better the posture the healthier you are, period.

Now when trying to return or simply maintain your body into normal posture how are each of these zones best addressed?

• Bones (ME): This is Chiropractic. We move the bones back into their physiological position to restore FUNCTION to your nervous system.
• Ligaments (YOU): Think of these as rubber bands. If they are stretched too hard too fast, they break. Or if they are kept stretched out too long, at some point they will lose their ability to return to normal. So the bones must be kept in position long enough for the ligaments to heal and regain their strength. How do they do this?
• Muscles (YOU): Once the adjustment is made, you must actively strengthen the muscles over time in order to pull, and hold, everything in position to give the ligaments time to heal and keep the bones in place.

That's how posture restoration works. No therapy or treatment will work permanently if it does not follow this train of thought. Consistent with ALL aspects of health in general, it is mostly up to ourselves to achieve the best results. Your active and ongoing participation in care makes the difference between success and failure.