Chiropractic...About More Than Back Pain?

source:  http://www.metrotownchiropractic.com/en/faq_and_education.html

7 Reasons Why Chiropractic Is About More Than Back Pain
posted by PHS Chiropractic on Friday, October 09, 2015

Do your patients think their care is simply about resolving their back pain? It's time to educate them that while chiropractic is about that, it's also about so much more.
Research has demonstrated that chiropractic can actually help keep your body healthy and active and can be incorporated into anyone's lifestyle as a preventative regimen.

Chiropractic:

1. Boosts immune function, making it easier to ward off infection and illness.

2. Reduces inflammation. Higher levels of inflammatory compounds can lead to diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease and psoriasis.

3. Reduces blood pressure. In fact, patients who receive adjustments have seen blood pressure decreases that are equal to being given two different anti-hypertensive agents at the same time!

4. Reduces stress, including improving brain activity responsible for stress reactions and reducing cortisol levels.

5. Improves balance by restoring normal healthy spine function.

6. Relieves colic in babies.

7. Relieves asthma symptoms in both adults and children. As chiropractors, we know the benefits of being under chiropractic care extends well beyond just back pain relief. In an article published by ChiroHosting they give 7 reasons why chiropractic is about your overall wellness.

The core concept of chiropractic is to restore the function of your nervous system so that it can do what’s it’s designed to do: keeping your body healthy and active. Chiropractic is truly about prevention. If you keep your nervous system working smoothly and without interference, many health issues become non-issues!

Don’t take our word for it, though. Over the last few years, there’s been a lot of scientific research that shows that chiropractic is good for much more than just aches and pains. Here’s a review of some of this literature.

1 – Chiropractic Boosts Immune Function

A 2010 study found that chiropractic adjustments actually boosted blood serum levels of some important natural antibodies in patients. The authors suggested that chiropractic adjustments might "prime" the immune system, making it easier to ward off infection and illness.

2 – Chiropractic Reduces Inflammation

Researchers in a 2011 study compared back pain patients to people with no pain and gave both groups chiropractic adjustments. The authors found that the back pain patients who received chiropractic care had dramatically lower levels of a key inflammatory cytokine, known as TNF-α. High levels of TNF-α have been linked to inflammatory diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and psoriasis.

3 – Chiropractic Reduces Blood Pressure

Hypertension is a huge public health issue in the US; it’s estimated that about 30% of adults suffer from this serious condition. A 2007 study in the Journal of Human Hypertension looked at a group of patients with high blood pressure. Half received an adjustment of their atlas, and the other half received a sham adjustment.

The decrease in blood pressure was so dramatic in the patients who received real adjustments that the researchers wrote that it "is similar to that seen by giving two different anti-hypertensive agents simultaneously." In fact, 85% of the study patients had improvement after just one adjustment!

4 – Chiropractic Reduces Stress

An interesting study by a team of Japanese researchers in 2011 gave chiropractic adjustments to 12 men and examined PET scan images and blood chemistry to examine the effect that chiropractic has on the autonomic nervous system.

After receiving a chiropractic neck adjustment, patients had altered brain activity in the parts of the brain responsible for pain processing and stress reactions. They also had significantly reduced cortisol levels, indicating decreased stress. Participants also reported lower pain scores and a better quality of life after treatment.

5 – Chiropractic Improves Balance

As we age, sometimes we start to lose some of our balance, strength, and flexibility that we had in our youth. Because of this, older folks are vulnerable to serious injuries from trips and falls. Chiropractic helps keep your body active by restoring the normal, healthy functioning of your spine. One of the important roles of your spine is balance, aided by nerves called proprioceptors. These proprioceptors relay information to your brain on the position of your body.

A small study from 2009 found that people who received chiropractic adjustments had reduced dizziness and improved balance. A 2015 review of the literature suggests that chiropractic care might be an effective, natural way to help prevent falls in elderly patients.

6 – Chiropractic Relieves Colic in Babies

In 2012, researchers studied 104 infants who were suffering from colic. One-third of the infants were treated with chiropractic adjustments and the parents were aware of the treatment; one-third were treated and the parents were unaware of the treatment; and one-third were untreated but the parents were unaware.

The authors found that the parents reported a significant decrease in infant crying in the treated babies, compared to the infants who didn’t receive treatment. The knowledge of the parent had no effect on the improvement.

7 – Chiropractic Relieves Asthma Symptoms

A 2013 study reported that chiropractic adjustments were effective at increasing lung functioning, and some recent research shows that chiropractic care can help reduce the symptoms of asthma in some children.


Reference Studies

1.  Teodorczyk-Injeyan JA, McGregor M, Ruegg R, Injeyan HS. Interleukin 2-regulated in vitro antibody production following a single spinal manipulative treatment in normal subjects. Chiropractic & Osteopathy 2010;(18)26.

2.  Teodorczyk-Injeyan JA, Triano JJ, McGregor M, Woodhouse L, Injeyan HS. Elevated production of inflammatory mediators including nociceptive chemokines in patients with neck pain: a cross-sectional evaluation. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2011;34(8):498-505.

3.  Bakris G, Dickholtz M Sr, Meyer PM, Kravitz G, Avery E, Miller M, Brown J, Woodfield C, Bell B. Atlas vertebra realignment and achievement of arterial pressure goal in hypertensive patients: a pilot study. Journal of Human Hypertension 2007;21(5):347-52.

4.  Ogura T, Tashiro M, Masud M, et al. Cerebral metabolic changes in men after chiropractic spinal manipulation for neck pain. Alternative Therapies. 2011;17(6):12-17.

5.  Strunk RG, Hawk C. Effects of chiropractic care on dizziness, neck pain, and balance: a single-group, pre-experimental, feasibility study. Journal of Chiropractic Medicine 2009;8(4):156–164.

6.  Kendall JC, Hartvigsen J, French SD, Azari MF. Is there a role for neck manipulation in elderly falls prevention? – An overview. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association 2015;9(1):53-63.

7.  Miller JE, Newell D, Bolton JE. Efficacy of chiropractic manual therapy on infant colic: a pragmatic single-blind, randomized controlled trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2012;35(8):600-7.

8.  Engel RM, Vemulpad SR, Beath K. Short-term effects of a course of manual therapy and exercise in people with moderate chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a preliminary clinical trial. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2013;36(8):490-6.

9.  Pepino VC, Ribeiro JD, Ribeiro MA, de Noronha M, Mezzacappa MA, Schivinski CI. Manual therapy for childhood respiratory disease: A systematic review. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics 2013;36(1):57-65.
- See more at: ^{http://www.phschiropractic.com/learn/blog/7-reasons-why-chiropractic-is-about-more-than-back-pain.aspx#sthash.UkgxwprA.dpuf}

Maybe #chiropractic is about more than we thought? https://t.co/XE2ZrOd0ry

— Travis Robertson (@theuppercblog) October 20, 2015

Upper Cervical Care, Classic Cars and Restoration

The original article appeared as a chiropractic is… guest blog

Adapted from "Chiropractic Is" by Keith Wassung
If I had to describe the primary purpose of Upper Cervical Care (UCC), I would have to say that UCC is restoration.

Billions of dollars are spent each year to restore priceless works of art, antiques, rare firearms, valuable toys and homes. The restoration craftsmen are considered some of the best artisans in the world. When undertaking a project, their purpose is to not add or change a single thing– it’s not to try to improve on the original idea—such an approach could ruin a million dollar painting. Their only objective is to restore the artifact back to its original condition.

UCC is restoration. By detecting and correcting spinal abnormalities, known as vertebral subluxations, UCC restores normal nerve function which allows the inherent natural healing processes of the body to take place to full completion.

For a person to understand the devastating effects of vertebral subluxation and to fully appreciate and commit to the restoration (via UCC) then they have to know the value of the restored condition.

I had a friend who bought an antique classic with the intention of restoring it in his spare time. After ten years of tinkering with it, he finally took it to the best auto body shop in the state for an estimate. He had purchased the car for $3000 and was willing to spend another $5000 if necessary in order to get it full restored.

Imagine his surprise when the restoration export quoted him a fee of $42,000! The outrageous quote upset my friend greatly—but only until the expert told him that he had a very rare classic car, and once it was fully restored it could easily sell for well over $135,000 at any car auction. Upon hearing the news, my friend could not write a check fast enough.

The owner could have spent hours trying to persuade my friend with detailed descriptions of the restoration process, the time involved, the skill involved—and it would have not changed his mind. What he needed to understand was the value of the restored condition.

UCC is restoring the human nerve system back to an optimal level of function which allows the body to express optimal and valuable health.

Mike's Story of Chronic Pain

This original story appeared in the Fall 2013 NUCCA News, the quarterly newsletter of the the National Upper Cervical Chiropractic Association. It was part of one of three very different stories about healing through upper cervical care. This true-life story comes from Dr. Cecilia Yu in Dallas, Texas, and was written by Dr. Zachary Ward.

Mike Tyler’s 16 Years of Chronic Pain

Without any true answer on why his body hurt so much , Mike Tyler had learned to make chronic, debilitating pain a lifestyle. He even continued playing golf. Though he was skeptical about NUCCA, Mike was game to try anything to get his pain down and his swing back. Would his visit to Dr. Cecilia Yu deliver the miracle he desired?

"When a friend told me about Dr. Yu and NUCCA, I was, of course, very skeptical. I thought I had tried everything and researched everything and had not heard of NUCCA. I thought there was no way NUCCA could help me."

So writes Mike Tyler in an article he wrote about his experience with Dr. Cecilia Yu, a NUCCA chiropractor in Dallas. Mike went through such an incredible transformation with his care, that he put the experience into words, which he shared with the NUCCA News.

Before finding help through NUCCA, Mike had lived with chronic pain for 16 years. "I was diagnosed with a lot of things. I had everything…every x-ray," said Mike. "There was nothing I did not try: chiropractors, massages, stretching, tens units, hanging upside down, acupuncture, ice, heat, medication and supplements. Some of these items would provide temporary relief but would never last any length of time. I went through every possible scenario to stop the pain and be able to play golf."

Back to playing golf without pain 

Mike is a lover of golf. "I have played competitive golf all of my life in the Dallas area," he told the NUCCA News. But Mike’s pain was so unbearable that he had to use a golf club to lift himself off the green anytime he bent over. "I couldn’t bend over to tee up a golf ball." And that was on his good days.

What were his bad days like? He wrote this: "My pain was quite severe. It was painful to sit, stand, walk, or even get in and out of a car. When you live in constant pain, you need to have a plan before each movement. My pain was from my head to my toes with hourly back spasms, cramps and daily headaches. Pain became the norm for me to the point where I could not even remember ever not being without pain. A good day was when I had steady consistent pain where I would know my limitations on those days. Bad days were when the level of pain would fluctuate along with migraines and muscle cramps."

"I went to Dr. Yu’s office with significant doubts," he told the NUCCA News. "She went through her process, and figured out how badly I was misaligned. She put my head in a cradle, and very gently touched my neck."

And then, like many NUCCA chiropractic patients, there was no immediate change. In fact, things seemed to get worse for a time.

"I went through several days of increased pain. Even an old broken finger hurt. It was that bad."

Then several nights after his first correction, Mike slept through the night for the first time in years and awoke to find that his pain had significantly diminished. It would quickly fade away and never return.

"Three days after the initial adjustment and I could bend over and touch my shoes. Because I was so flexible, had no pain, and was experiencing so much energy, I started painting my house…NUCCA truly works without any harmful drugs or procedures."

(Editor's note: Remember the objective of upper cervical care is to correct head neck misalignment that is interfering with proper brain to body communication. When this is corrected the body functions at a higher level and can often correct other problems more efficiently on its own. Please do not confuse upper cervical care as a treatment for any condition, disease or symptom.)

20 Ways To Stay Well For Less Than "Obamacare"

Editor's Note: Today's post is just a bit off topic but is one that IS on the mind of many people right now and I think this author, Daisy Luther, covers the topic very well.  We would do well to listen and act on her advice.  Your health is your responsibility not the government's or the insurance company's.

by Daisy Luther

How about instead of paying for Obamacare, we just spend that extra money on living well and healthfully? With the amount of money that families will be spending, they could make some amazing healthy lifestyle choices that would reduce their need for healthcare in many instances. It all boils down to two options: For the cost involved, would you rather pay for health care, by preventing disease with good choices, or death care, by treating disease with toxic chemicals and invasive medical interventions?

The Biggest Forcible Ponzi Scheme in History

The numbers presented are very deceiving. Most people are utterly in shock when they find out how much they will be paying. If your budget is already tight, be prepared for it to become strangling. If I were going to participate in Obamacare (which I am NOT), after subsidies I would only be paying $185 per month. But then, there is a deductible of another $5,000 per year. And then they only pay 60% of my costs, leaving me on the hook for the other 40%.

So let’s add this up.

For my little below-the-poverty-line family the total is $7,220 per year that will be spent IF someone is sick enough to use enough healthcare to qualify to have Obamacare pay for some. For a friend of mine with a higher income and a bigger family, the out-of-pocket cost would be over $28,000 before Obamacare paid for (a percentage of) a single thing!

This is not the bargain it is being presented as. Instead, it is the biggest Ponzi scheme the world has ever known. The banking system, as corrupt as it is, has nothing on Obamacare, because if you are alive and breathing, the government wants to FORCE you to participate. Who benefits from this? Certainly not you, unless you happen to own an insurance company or be a politician on the dole to insurance companies.

Spend Money on Prevention, not on Obamacare

There are a lot of ways I could put $7,220 to use to improve the health of my family. Many of the catastrophic illnesses that are so rampant today can be directly traced back to poor choices or toxic environmental factors. A study in The Lancet says that our lifestyle has a lot to do with the dramatic increase in cancer cases. “Countries with more “progress” have substantially higher rates of cancer. The FDA has allowed a veritable Pandora’s box of toxins into our foods, cleaning products, and medications because the soft-kill poisoning of the American people has been great for the bank account if you happen to be involved in Big Pharma, Big Agri or Big Business.” (source)

With my average $601 per month that I would be paying before the Obamacare even kicked in, I could put aside money each month for any medical expenses we might incur. We rarely go to the doctor and in 3 years between all of us, we have not spent the sum of the $5000 deductible (even after a serious accident last summer that left me with a concussion and internal injuries.) Putting aside an emergency fund for things like doctor’s visits, prescriptions, and unexpected needs has long been a part of my personal financial plan.

If we want to start instituting programs to improve public health, what if we taught people how to avoid the horrible toxins in our environment? What if we ate healthy? What if we exercised? What if we just made good lifestyle choices?

It can be difficult to make good choices when you’re broke, and Obamacare is just going to cast people further into destitution. It will be a vicious, self-perpetuating cycle because they will be LESS able to afford to opt for the best nutritional choices, which means they will get sicker and need more health care.

20 Better Ways to Spend Your Money

Here are some ways that you can prevent disease and illness – many of them free.  And ALL of them can be had for far less than my personal “affordable” health care.

1. Purchase organic foods as often as possible. The use of pesticides in conventional farming is rampant. Even the hijacked the Environmental Protection Agency has to admit that the ingestion of pesticides can cause health problems. They warn of the risk of “birth defects, nerve damage, cancer, and other effects that might occur over a long period of time.” Especially at risk of harm from pesticides are prepubescent children and fetuses.
2. Avoid GMOs. Always. Genetically modified foods have not been tested for long-term effects on humans. There is a great deal of evidence to indicate the GMOs can cause a host of illness. Peer reviewed studies implicate GMOs in the development of grotesque tumors, premature death, organ failure, gastric lesions, liver damage, kidney damage, severe allergic reactions, a viral gene that disrupts human functions…you can read more HERE.
3. Avoid conventional dairy products. Conventional dairy products are absolutely loaded with hormones. Dairy cattle are given high levels of female hormones to make them produce a greater quantity of milk. This makes little boys develop female characteristics and makes little girls hit puberty at a far younger age than normal, which is the reason you see 4th graders with large breasts and hips. These hormones can also trigger obesity in both genders. Because of the public outcry, some dairies have pledged not to use rBST, the most commonly used of the growth hormones.
4. Load your plate with colorful antioxidants. Opt for organic versions of foods like berries, colorful veggies, dark chocolate, and coffee, to name a few, are loaded with powerful, cancer-fighting antioxidants.
5. Shop for foods grown with lower pesticide usage. If organic produce is not an option, look for the items with the lowest pesticide loads. (This list by the Environmental Working Group is based ONLY on pesticide loads – some of the items they recommend could be GMOs.) Fruits and vegetables that can be peeled often subject you to less pesticides than thin-skinned items. If you must buy conventional, wash the produce carefully and peel it if possible.
6. Avoid processed foods. Many of the additives and preservatives featured abundantly in North America are banned in other countries precisely because of the health risks they represent.
7. Avoid artificial sweeteners. Aspartame, for example, is a known carcinogen that breaks down into formaldehyde in the human body.
8. Opt for hormone free, antibiotic free meat. If you can’t afford grass-fed organic meat, at the very least look for options that are guaranteed to be hormone and antibiotic free. Livestock animals that provide meat or dairy products are tainted with growth hormones, antibiotics, and GMO feed. These items pass through the food chain to the consumer. Growth hormones can cause opposite sex characteristics in developing children, early puberty, the development of cancer, and infertility. Furthermore, the world is quickly becoming immune to the effects of antibiotics because of constant exposure through the food supply, which means that there is the potential for things that should be easily treated to become deadly due to antibiotic resistance. (Click HERE for a little primer on those confusing meat labels.)
9. Avoid fluoridated water. Drink spring water and avoid “city” water. Our municipal water supply is spiked with fluoride, a neurotoxin that  lowers IQs, causes infertility, has been linked to cancer and causes hardening of the arteries.
10. Be scrupulous about food hygiene. Wash your produce very thoroughly and soak it in a baking soda bath. Also remember to careful wash your beans and rice. (Click HERE to see some photos of the dirt that comes off of a cup of rice!)
11. Refuse vaccines. Many vaccines contain mercury, another known carcinogen. By the age of two, if a child has received all of the recommended vaccines, he or she has received 2,370 times the “allowable safe limit” for mercury (if there is such a thing as a safe level of poison).
12. Maintain a healthy body weight. Obesity has been linked to increased risks of cancers of the esophagus, breast, endometrium, uterus, colon and rectum, kidney, pancreas, thyroid, gallbladder, and possibly other types.
13. Exercise daily. Spend some of your premiums on joining a gym, or just lace up your shoes and start walking.
14. Don’t smoke.
15. Consume alcohol only in moderation.
16. Limit the use of plastic in your home. BPA or Bisphenol-A are petrochemical plastics that are a major component of many water bottles, lines the inside of canned goods, and makes up the hard material of many reusable food containers, including some brands of baby bottles.
17. Select personal care products that do not contain petrochemicals. Many cosmetics and other health and beauty aids contain petrochemicals. The danger of this is their byproduct, 1,4-dioxane, a proven carcinogen. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency classifies dioxane as a probable human carcinogen. California state law has classified dioxane to cause cancer. Animal studies in rats suggest that the greatest health risk is associated with inhalation of vapors.
18. Opt for natural, biodegradable food grade cleaning products. According to the website Natural Pure Organics, the average household contains up to 25 gallons of toxic materials, most of which are in cleaning products. When you use these cleaners, they linger in the air and on the surfaces, increasing your exposure to carcinogens as you inhale the toxins into your lungs or absorb them through your skin.
19. Teach your children WHY you avoid the things you do. This will help them make better choices when they are not with you.
20. Grow your own. Get into the garden and start growing your own food. This way you can rest assured that the seeds are heirloom and that the growing methods are pure. Consider raising backyard chickens and rabbits for hormone free, antibiotic-free meat and eggs.

You are far better off to prevent disease than to treat it after the fact. These choices will not be promoted by the government, because, simply put, Big Business owns the government – the same Big Business that is getting filthy rich feeding you poison and selling you toxins to slather on your body and clean your home with. This is the same Big Business that will laugh all the way to the bank when Obamacare pays them for selling you unneeded vaccines and medication with horrific side effects, and then foreclose on your home while you’re in the hospitcal.

Spend your money wisely and opt for choices that build vitality and help you to thrive, instead of draconian forced expenditures that will impoverish you to the point that you can’t afford the building blocks of good health. That is the real difference between health care and death care.

Keep up-to-date on the fight against the forced health care mandate by joining the Facebook page, We Will Not Comply with Obamacare.

About the author:

Please feel free to share any information from this site in part or in full, giving credit to the author and including a link to this website and the following bio.

Daisy Luther is a freelance writer and editor.  Her website, The Organic Prepper, offers information on healthy prepping, including premium nutritional choices, general wellness and non-tech solutions. You can follow Daisy on Facebook and Twitter, and you can email her at daisy@theorganicprepper.ca

Source: http://www.theorganicprepper.ca/health-care-vs-death-care-20-ways-to-stay-well-for-less-money-than-obamacare-10092013#sthash.6gsM5Mw0.dpuf

Are You One Surge Away From Sickness?

Adapted from "Surging Your Way to Sickness" by the Weekly Sticky

What would happen if you plugged 10 appliances in one outlet and turned them all on at the same time?  You'd blow a circuit, right! Well, the same thing could happen if you surge your 'nerve circuits' with too much STRESS...

Picture your nerve system as an electrical outlet with multiple stresses plugged in. Turn on all those stresses at the same time and POW, you'll quickly overload your system, blow a circuit and fry your state of health! Upper Cervical Chiropractors call this head/neck misalignment. Depending on what nerves (circuits) are involved, you can experience symptoms from mild aches and pains to more significant health problems like High Blood Pressure (Journal of Human Hypertension 22,1 G Bakris, MD et al). So how can you avoid the dangers of stress surge?

Although it's impossible to eliminate all stress from your life, you can increase your odds of  staying ahead of their negative, accumulative effects with regular upper cervical care.  Your Upper Cervical Chiropractor performs his or her job much like an electrician... skillfully checking your nerve system for overloaded circuits and turning them back on so you won't experience an interruption in your state of health and wellness. When it comes to basic, preventative care, nothing beats 'keeping your Power on.'

Light, Darkness and Upper Cervical Care...What?

Adapted from "How Do You Remove The Darkness From a Room?"

By Dr. Kevin Donka

Easy question, eh?  The answer is totally obvious.  In fact, I’ll bet you didn’t even hesitate with your response.  The answer, of course, is that you turn on a light!  But notice something very interesting and important about your answer.  You didn’t really remove the darkness.  Instead, you added light.  And, as you add light, darkness automatically leaves because darkness and light can’t exist in the same place at the same time.

While we understand and accept this to be true about darkness and light, most of us have never applied this concept to other areas of our lives.  This principle of adding (or creating) what we do want, instead of focusing on eliminating or preventing what we don't want is universally effective in bringing us to where we want to be.  It is simple really, when you fill a space with one thing, it must displace whatever was there before!

Here is another example.  If you are stressed out and you would rather be in a peaceful state of mind, begin creating peace.  That is, do things that actively and progressively produce peace, and as peace comes, stress will automatically leave - just as when we add light, darkness leaves!  If you are spending the majority of your time thinking, saying and doing things that bring you and those around you peace, there will be very little time left for you to be stressed.  Mother Theresa understood this principle and applied it to every area of her own life.  She was once asked if she would participate in a protest march against the Vietnam War.  She replied, “No, but if you have a march for peace, let me know.”  Remember, when we fill a space with one thing, it must displace whatever was there before.

Upper cervical care is all about applying this concept to your health.  Many people spend large amounts of time, energy and money trying to get rid of their pain and illnesses.  But, in a very real way, we can add light to this situation as well, rather than trying to remove the darkness.  You have inside of you a powerful life force that runs, regulates, heals and grows your body.  We call this your innate intelligence.  When this principle is fully expressed or, “turned on,” it is like turning on a light inside of you that displaces any darkness (sickness/pain) that was there before.  You see, your innate intelligence is a principle of life – it always knows what to do to keep you running at your highest level, including healing you when you’re sick.  But, we in upper cervical care do not actually focus on healing you, we simply seek to make sure the power that runs your body – your light – is on.  Then, your innate intelligence goes to work healing you.

We accomplish this by giving what is called an upper cervical correction that helps establish a more complete neurological connection between your brain and your body and allow your innate intelligence to again flow freely to all of your cells.  That's it!  That’s all upper cervical care is about.  It’s about making sure that the health-producing power inside you has a chance to do its best to move you progressively toward optimal health, happiness and the full expression of your potential and your purpose in life!  

So, if you, your family or your friends have been frustrated by continually trying to remove darkness (disease), maybe it’s time to take a different approach – maybe it’s time to turn on your light and watch the darkness just fade away.

Upper Cervical's Big Idea

The Big Idea

by Michael Thomas, D.C.

What I wanted to write about today is an idea.  In Upper Cervical Care we have called it “The Big Idea”!  This big idea is present not only in  Upper Cervical, but we have certainly based our work upon it.  The idea is that life is sufficient unto itself.  Most often, it does not need any help.  What it needs is the freedom to express itself.  The life inside of us is connected to all of Life.  While this has always been a spiritual concept, it is now also becoming a scientific one.  We are not separate little clots moving about on a dot of dirt in an empty universe.  The picture of us, the Earth and the whole Universe is looking much more like aspects of one immense integrated whole.

The same mathematical equations that can chart fluctuations in the stock market, map out the path of blood vessels in our tissues, and describe the shape of snowflakes, can also chart the distribution of stars in the galaxy.   We are learning that there is communication between molecules, cells, tissues, and within the whole person we had never dreamed existed.  It extends out beyond us to others and perhaps to the farthest reaches of the universe.  Electromagnetic fields extend to infinity.  The matter of this reality seem to be composed of standing waveforms of immense numbers of frequencies all coordinated together.  The better we can look at matter as our microscopes and methods become more sophisticated show that what we thought was solid is not.  It is vibrations that maintain themselves!  Immense amounts of information can be (and are!) contained within the frequencies that create the matter of our interconnected universe.  There are possibilities for our lives and for all of us that we haven’t even begun to dream about yet.

Within this new understanding is Upper Cervical Care which has claimed for more than a hundred years that this is true.  How we take care of our infirmities is dependent upon how we see ourselves.  In medicine we have based our understanding from a study of what goes wrong.  To use a big word, it is a pathogenic orientation.  Upper Cervical Care is based in the opposite approach.  To use another big word, it is a salutogenic approach.  By this we mean what creates health?  How can we support Life?  What sustains and improves our health?  In Upper Cervical Care we find that removing the interference to the power of Life will allow optimal health to return.  We really can trust Life.  One approach chooses to stifle, to palliate, to suppress symptoms.  The other removes interference and trusts life to find its own way, to unfold as it has for untold millennia.

At this point I want to note that when events occur that cause significant disruption of our health, medicine can be an incredible lifesaver.  When symptoms are going to kill us, suppression or palliation of symptoms is welcomed by everyone.  This is where medicine shines, in the acute care of critically ill people.  This suppressive treatment can save lives and give the innate power of life within each of us the time to rally.  However, as a lifestyle, it leaves much to be desired.  Turning off the symptoms with drugs simply leaves the body with fewer possibilities.  Killing the ‘messenger’ (the symptoms) doesn’t change the reality it just means you are now unaware of it.  Most cardiac medications are suppressive and palliative.  They actually do very little to help any of us regain health.  They just shut the message off.  This isn’t a hopeless statement.  It is a statement that this path does not lead where most people would choose to go if they had a choice.  What choices do we have?

First, we have to choose to be the driver of our own lives.  How many of us ask questions?  How many of us do the due diligence to investigate the possibilities for ourselves?  Do you really think that a five minute visit with a doctor is enough for him/her to understand the complexities of how life is breaking down for you?  If we take on the responsibility for our own lives and have sought out answers on our own, then we are in a vastly better position to ask the right questions and make informed choices about our lives and our healthcare.  We have to make the choice to be present in our own lives.  What is more important?

Yes, this means you must make efforts.  It means you must be willing to make changes in the way you live your life.  It means you must be patient as the changes you make remake you.  It means you must pay attention to your own life.  Your healthcare should be a partnership between you and your doctors.  I will reiterate, you are the one in charge.  If you are asleep at the wheel then no one is driving the bus.  If you don’t take on this primary responsibility then you can’t complain when life leaves you broken down on the side of the road.

What is the goal of your healthcare?  Do you just want the symptoms to go away?  That is one choice.  It does lead to certain consequences.  In the example of cardiac (heart ) problems, lifestyle, nutritional and stress management can completely turn your health around.  You can regain your health.  Turning life off is not the answer to turning life on.

Upper cervical care is based on removing interference at the base of the brain.  This area is filled with centers that control every aspect of your life.  Restoring normal, balanced function to your brain and nervous system is one magnificent and powerful way to restore health and the life you live.  This is much more than just turning off the pain of sciatica or headaches.  Relief is great but there is more to life than being numb.  This world needs every one of us operating at full capacity.  If you have chosen upper cervical care you have chosen a road less traveled for sure and hopefully one that will be traveled by many more in the future.  I believe that the balance created through upper cervical care we can all reach closer to our potential not only in health but in all aspects of our lives.  This is the Big Idea.

Slimkicker: The Health And Fitness App Like No Other

(Editors Note:  Today's post is about a health and fitness app that I came across that approaches the subject in a very unique way...hope you enjoy.  Check it out in more detail at SlimKicker.com)

Turn your weight loss and fitness goals into a level-up game

Gamification of weight loss

SlimKicker was formed to solve a huge problem when it comes to losing weight, or living healthier: sustaining motivation. Many people makes resolutions to stop eating junk, or start going to the gym every New Year. But once March or April hits, we forget about our goals, and return back to our old ways.
That's why we created SlimKicker, a level-up game and point-based program. You start by tracking your diet, where whole foods are worth more points than processed foods. It's similar to Weight Watchers, but in reverse.

But diet, and fitness are half of the battle. Most people regain weight because they never learn long-term habits. We solve this by taking habits as quitting soda, and turning them into 7-30 day challenges. Like a regular game, the challenges start out easy, and gradually become harder, with more points. We encourage you to check-in daily with others doing the same challenge for accountability and social support.

Does SlimKicker replace a diet program?

SlimKicker can be used alongside any existing diet program, or can replace other diets such as Weight Watchers. We think short-term diets are not effective because people return back to bad habits after they're over. SlimKicker, on the other hand is all about learning proper nutrition, portion control, and acquiring important habits. In addition to challenges, SlimKicker also offer tools such as a calorie counter, a fitness tracker, and resources.

Fun and Games are not Enough

Making things fun and motivating is cool, but it's useless without actionable, personalized advice. That's why we're working on using all your data to give you advice on how to reach your diet and fitness goals. So for instance, if we find you're eating a lot of junk food, we'll tell you ways to cut back, and healthier alternatives.

Our Team

SlimKicker, the idea was born in April 2012, and was officially launched out of beta in March 2012. We're a bootstrapped team based in NYC. If you wish to contact us, we're on Twitter, Facebook, or you can email us at team (at) slimkicker.com.

A Free Digital Copy Of "Sickness 2 Health" For You

(Editors Note:  I have decided to offer the digital copy of my book for free.  Please email me at drtravisrobertson@gmail.com to request your free copy.  I only ask that once you have read it that you please email me back with what you thought of it.  Below is the synopsis for you.  Thanks.)

Update:  If you want to purchase the paperback version click on any of the links below but make sure to enter coupon code PRICETHAW305 at checkout and receive 20% off your order. The maximum savings for this offer is $100. Sorry, but this offer is only valid in US Dollars and cannot be applied to previous orders. You can only use this code once per account, and unfortunately you can't use this coupon in combination with other coupon codes. This great offer expires on January 20, 2012 at 11:59 PM PST, so don't miss out!

What is "Sickness 2 Health" about?

Sickness 2 Health is about regaining and maintaining your health by turning common health knowledge upside down and inside out. There is a paradigm shift happening and people are looking to “do it yourself” healthcare more all the time for better health and, especially in today’s current economy, to save money. There are many books out there of course that address this and try to provide ideas and suggestions about what one should do to regain and maintain their health. This is not what Sickness 2 Health is about. Sickness 2 Health, while giving some action steps, has the primary intention of rattling and shattering your current world view in regards to health. From the smoldering ashes of these old outdated views we lift up a new perspective and premise to make health decisions from, like a phoenix rising from its own ashes.

Why is Sickness 2 Health different?

After reviewing many of the books in this genre it was found that even some of the big names in books on health, such as Deepak Chopra and Andrew Weil, fail to fully address the underlying issue that prevents people from achieving abundant health. To give them credit where credit is due, they do a marvelous job painting a picture of the path that we would like to be on and their information is extremely helpful and motivational even maybe empowering and inspirational. Where they fall short is addressing the underlying worldview most people have been programmed to accept that can easily sabotage their efforts to help others. If a reader’s general perspective or fundamental views on health and life have not been rattled and reset their chances of failure go up. It needs admitting that “Sickness 2 Health” will, by no means, guarantee a person’s success, but make the point that by addressing the foundational thought process and world viewpoint in regards to life and health their odds of success will be greatly enhanced by comparison.

Chopra and Weil do touch on this concept in many of their books but never really come right out and address it head on. They tend to fall into the trap of “telling people what to do” to be healthy, giving them a step by step program, focusing on natural remedies to particular conditions or giving recipes for better meals. All of these things are great to include in any health book but again it draws attention away from the more basic issue that leads people to most of their health issues. Most people make their choices, health related included, based on their understanding of the world and how it and their bodies work. If this general worldview is less accurate than it could be they will most likely not achieve the level of health and the results they wish to. Finally while Chopra and Weil’s books are full of great information they include too much, once again, because they end up telling them the right “program” to follow and this results in a book that is long and potentially intimidating.

It would be hard to say for sure but it is likely that there are quite a few people that thought one of their books would be helpful but once they saw it they had second thoughts due to the length of the book. The reader’s hand certainly should not be held and everything made easy for them because people need to really want to get better in order to achieve it. Basically, if the point can get put across to the reader in fewer pages do it. It will increase the likelihood of more people picking up the book and purchasing it and actually reading it, maybe even reading all of it.

Sickness 2 Health (S2H) has been purposely kept short (under 190 pages) because there are plenty of books out there that go into great detail about “the things” that you can do to help your health. Many of these books by less well known authors do a great job and are shorter but these fail to even graze, even for a moment, on the subject that S2H address; the readers worldview and basis for their thought process and hence their choices. So S2H is not intended to replace these great works or any other health book that gives people a program to follow to get healthy and stay that way. S2H is intended to aid the reader, in a short power packed book, to reshape their own world lens and gain their health back in the process. In the long run this refined worldview of theirs will help any other book they may pick up regarding health to be that much more effective.

S2H is different from other books because of the three goals that Dr Robertson set out to accomplish. First of all, the goal to reach a wide audience, particularly those suffering from ill health and looking for a way out. Second, to reach them in a short enough format that will give them the most information with the least amount of reading. Finally, to shake the very foundation of their thought process because if that is successful the reader’s life can’t help but be changed in the process, and thus their choices and of course their health. If the source of a river is changed everything downstream will change, that is what S2H is set to accomplish and the world is in need of it now more than ever and they are looking, the timing is perfect.

Available as a paperback here

Health, Gravity And Upper Cervical

adapted from: Health and Gravity

by Dr. Michael D. Thomas, NUCCA doctor

Years ago I had found a quote from Roger Sperry, who won the Nobel Prize in Medicine/Physiology in 1981.  Sperry noted that 90% of the brain’s energy is used in relating the physical body to gravity.  Only 10% has to do with thinking, metabolism, and healing.  -Did you have any idea it was such a big percentage?

This means that when we are out of upper cervical alignment and our posture has become disordered, we are using valuable energy to just hold ourselves upright that ideally goes into thinking, metabolism and immune function.

How many of us feel fuzzy headed, or brain fog when we are out of adjustment?

Does your digestion change?

How about sleep patterns?

Most of us already know about the multitude of aches and pains that can be associated with being out of upper cervical alignment.  What you may not realize though, are the real problems that will eventually accumulate when we must chronically use our precious energy to adapt to being out of line.  Upper cervical misalignment can be a progressive and degenerative problem.

Fortunately, many of you also realize the incredible change that can take place when the upper cervical misalignment is corrected.  So many folks who come in for care have told me over the years about the incredible turn around that occurred when they got corrected and made the commitment to stay in alignment.  There are many who tell me they would not be walking if not for upper cervical care.

I find that upper cervical care is truly primary health care.  What I mean by this is that removing nervous system interference at the upper cervical area (top of the neck) is a critical step in the improvement of health.  Many of my patients have been able to wean themselves off not just pain medications, but many other medications that they’d had to take on a long term basis because of the troubling symptoms that may have developed due to long term upper cervical misalignment.  They just didn’t have the debilitating problems anymore.  They could begin to refocus back on their life.  And, the money they were spending on these suppressive drugs could be better spent in other areas of their life!

Some folks use the upper cervical correction like they do the emergency  room.  They only come in when they are in terrible trouble and want a quick and miraculous ‘fix’.  The upper cervical correction can often give them this ‘fix’ but the effects of living out of alignment for weeks and months takes it toll.  The upper cervical misalignment is a problem even more so the longer that it is there.  Once you are out of alignment, problems will slowly or not so slowly, begin to pile up.  Arthritis could be one part of the many attempts by your body to adapt to being twisted and unlevel.  Poor posture is another possibility and tends to wear down the joints and create inflammation and pain.

The upper cervical correction is our Health’s best friend.  Getting checked periodically through out the year is a wonderful and cost effective way to stay healthy and allow your inner wisdom the chance to work to its fullest.