Sickness 2 Health: From The Inside Out

Wanted to drop all of my readers a line that my first book is complete and ready. Please check it out and share this with others. Here is the link where you can get a copy. You can read the first 10 pages or so at that link. It is available as a paperback or as a download. Here is a short synopsis:

"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 From the smoldering ashes of these old outdated views we lift up a new perspective and premise to make health decisions from, like a phoenix rising from its own ashes."

Upper Cervical Care And Being All We Can

(Editor's Note: I thought, although a bit late, this was a great reminder and is also my wish for all of you this New Year. Thanks for reading and sharing the message of Upper Cervical Care.)

On Being All We Can

by Dr. Frank Bowling

I’ve always been amazed at how much we seem to be able to abuse ourselves and get away with it. Within very broad limits, we can pretty much eat, drink, think and do whatever we want, and still bounce back relatively quickly. Over time, of course, poor decisions do ultimately take their toll, but that damage is generally so gradual and imperceptible that, although we know better in our hearts, we can usually push that inconvenient truth out of our minds.

I was lying awake in bed last night, thinking about this problem, and it suddenly became so clear that I had to get up this morning and write it down. I realized that the difficulty in our daily decisions, and in our broader life choices, is entirely a matter of perspective. The reality is that we behave like our own worst enemies because we don’t stay focused on who and what we really are.

If we could hold within our conscious awareness, every second of every day, a pure vision of our divine essence, a clear picture of what that inner perfection would look and feel like if carefully tended and nurtured, the decisions of each moment would be crystal clear. The negative connotations and the inherent difficulty in words like sacrifice and discipline would be softened, and the struggle to do and be better would slowly fade to insignificance in the bright light of inspiration.

Think about it. When we want something really badly, so badly that we can’t get it out of our minds, the achievement of that objective seems relatively effortless, at least compared to other life tasks that we might find less desirable. We almost have no choice but to pursue it. We hold the image of what we want so clearly in our minds, and the passion to attain it is so strong, we seem to somehow “find a way where there is no way.”

I now realize that the same principle applies, not only to what we do and have, but to what we are, and more importantly, to what we are becoming. We have only to clarify and hold onto a vision of ourselves at our very core, and of how much different and better life would be for us and for everyone we touch if we were to grow, even slightly, toward a fuller expression of that.

Ultimately, it comes down to an understanding, and a constant mindfulness, of the importance of every choice made in every moment, and the interconnectedness of those moments in the ultimate composition of the miracle that is us. Everything we put or allow into our bodies, minds and hearts, everything we do to and with them, affects everything else. However quick or small, each decision, each choice plays a part.

I’d like to eat better. I’d like to exercise more. I’d like to study harder. I’d like to do a better job as husband, father, employer, doctor. Like most everyone else, I do focus on these things, better than some people, and not as well as others. But what I’m now suddenly realizing (I’m a little slow sometimes) is that what I really want is not the things on that list at all, but the things they will allow me to become.

I want to be lean and strong. I want to feel good. I want energy. I want long life. I want to be quick as a wink and sharp as a tack. I want to be wise. I want to learn, and always keep on learning. I want to do good and help people. I want to uplift, inspire, empower, and lead. I want to be at peace within my own heart, and to radiate that peace to the world.

I know that on the inside, in that place of perfection we all share, each of us is already all of those things, and every other good thing we can (and cannot) imagine. That together we may find it, hold it fast before our eyes, and let it guide our every step, is my fervent wish (for you).

The Problem With Progress

There is a real problem growing in the so-called health care system. One that is frightening to those of us who are involved in the delivery of health care. The problem is that as much as some people like to attack medicine and its shortcomings and dangers, the fact is that medical practice is becoming more and more effective every year. Now some may be wondering how that is a problem. If drugs are becoming more effective and less harmful, isn’t that good? If the side-effects of drugs are being diminished, isn’t that beneficial? If surgical procedures are safer today than they were 10 or 15 years ago, isn’t that wonderful? Heart by-pass was a serious life-threatening procedure in 1980. Today it is almost as routine as an appendectomy. If scientific medicine is able to develop new drugs that can relieve people’s ills for longer and longer periods of time, isn’t that progress? Shouldn’t we be thankful?

Well, in a sense it is helpful but not in the long run. If all we are doing is relieving people’s symptoms but not making them healthier, are we really making a difference? To feel more comfortable until you die may be a benefit to some but not for the many who are still years from their deaths. Let’s not mistake comfortable deaths with the full expression of health. If we have virtually wiped out smallpox and developed a new vaccine for chicken pox but AIDS is growing every year, have we really made any progress? A recent study has shown that if cancer were completely eliminated today (which is highly unlikely inasmuch as the incidence of the disease is increasing), the average life span would only be increased by less than 1.5 years.

Here is the danger--medical advances may lull us into believing either that we are healthier or that being healthy is not important as long as we are disease-free. Yet, ridding the world of a disease like cancer will only increase the life span at best by 1 1/2 years and perhaps not that much if other diseases take its place as the killers. Medicine’s progress is like the individual who cannot seem to live within a budget and is constantly using his credit card until it is “maxed out.” Then the credit card company tells him not to worry because his limit has been increased by $2,000. That is the worse thing that could happen to him. It will treat the symptom for a while longer, delaying the ultimate, which will be worse; he will have $2,000 more debt! But saddest of all, it will prevent him from addressing the real problem. His lifestyle and budget need to be altered.

Similarly the greatest danger of medicine is that it works. It relieves symptoms, treats disease and makes you feel better to the point that you think you are better. Unfortunately, it has little to do with health. Mastering bypass surgery will not encourage us to live healthier lives, which may lead to healthier hearts and thus prevent the very need for the surgery. Health is the real need. People need to know that true health comes from within. It consists of doing those things necessary to be healthy including eating right, getting the proper rest, exercising, keeping the body free from pollutants and maintaining a positive mental attitude. Most importantly, it includes being under periodic upper cervical care so that nerve interference due to head/neck misalignment is removed and the body’s self-healing, self-regulating principle, the innate intelligence, is free to be expressed to ensure that all of the above aspects of health care can be maximized. People need to know that.

Does Upper Cervical Care Prevent Disease?

The prevention of disease seems to be of major concern to many people these days. The public is beginning to exercise to prevent heart problems and cut down on cholesterol to prevent cardiovascular disease. They are quitting their smoking habits to prevent cancer, and on and on. Prevention of disease, however, perpetuates a very serious misconception concerning disease, that is that it has a single cause. If a lack of vitamin C were the cause of the common cold, taking vitamin C would prevent it. While resistance is dependent upon vitamin C, it also depends upon a number of other factors. That is why three children in a family can all drink their orange juice and two will get a cold and one will not. Resistance depends upon how well the body is working, how well it can utilize vitamin C, the amount of rest a person gets and, of course, the frequency of coming in contact with the virus. There are probably a dozen other factors as well, many of which we do not even know and some we cannot control.

If exercise prevented heart attacks, Jim Fixx, the guru of running, would not have had a fatal heart attack on one of his daily runs. There are people who smoke two packs of cigarettes a day for thirty years and do not get lung cancer. Conversely, there are people who never smoke a cigarette and die of lung cancer.

Here is the point. There is only one thing that is truly effective in preventing disease, that is staying healthy! The more things you do to promote your good health, the greater the likelihood of not ending up with a disease. Exercise is important, but it is only one piece of the health picture. Vitamin C and all the other aspects of good nutrition are another piece. Avoiding poisons like cigarette smoke is another. The more aspects of health that you address, the greater your probability of being healthy and the greater your chances of preventing disease.

Of course, maintaining the integrity of your nervous system is a vital part of health. That is where upper cervical care comes in. You should correct head/neck misalignment because it can interfere with the proper function of the nerve system. Besides directly improving the nerve supply, maintaining head/neck alignment also indirectly affects the other aspects of good health. If there is interference in your nervous system, you may not be able to properly utilize good nutrition or get the maximum benefits from exercise and rest. Your body will be less resistant to the poisons you cannot help but be exposed to, like second-hand cigarette smoke.

If you want to prevent disease, the proper attitude is not just doing certain things to prevent certain diseases. That is a futile approach. There are just too many diseases. The proper approach is to do those things necessary to be healthy. Perhaps if everybody were doing everything necessary to promote and maintain health, we would not have to worry about preventing disease. That seems to be the most intelligent idea.

Dreams, Heart Attacks and Upper Cervical Care

First it was stress, and then it was cholesterol, now we cannot even go to sleep without worrying whether we are going to have a heart attack before the alarm goes off in the morning.

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine “found that during most stages of sleep the heart rate and blood pressure fell. . .” However, during the “rapid eye movement sleep” (that is the period in which dreams occur), the heart rate and blood pressure rose and the fight or flight part of the nervous system worked at a waking rate causing the release of stress hormones. It is believed that this could precipitate heart attacks in people with heart problems.

Well it stands to reason. We like butter on our bread and they say that causes heart attacks. We like a nice, thick, juicy, medium-rare steak and they tell us that that will clog our arteries. Now dreaming is going to get us. Well, we can skip the butter and avoid the red meats but how do you stop dreaming short of avoiding sleep? Depriving yourself from sleep would do it but somehow it seems that not sleeping would be detrimental to your health as well. The worst part is that if we worry about all these things, the worry itself could cause a heart attack. It has been well documented that worry may be a culprit in heart disease.

One of the great things about a health approach to life rather than a disease approach is the freedom from fear that it brings. If you are doing those things necessary to maintain your health, things like eating right, exercising regularly, getting the proper rest, keeping your nervous system free of interference and maintaining good, positive-mental attitudes, you do not have to spend time worrying about disease. You can even spread butter on your bread, have a moderate amount of red meat in your diet and eat a hot fudge sundae once in a while.

Working at health is not easy. It takes some effort, time, and money to regularly exercise, rest, and visit the upper cervical doctor. The upper cervical care approach to health is one of using common sense about every aspect of your life, primarily in keeping your nerve system free of interference. The upper cervical doctor will make your visit as quick and effortless as possible. But it does take time. But then, working at preventing disease is not easy either. It robs you of some of the pleasures in life, focuses your attention on the negatives of disease and sickness and still does not remove the worry. It seems to me that the health approach, using common sense and then sitting back, relaxing and enjoying life is much better than the stress of worrying about a disease “getting you.” Pleasant dreams!

Do You Really Want Health?

If Your Answer Is Yes, Upper Cervical Care Can Help You.

There is an old saying, “Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die to get there.” A similar statement could be made concerning health. In almost any survey taken asking people what they wanted most out of life, good health is one of the top three things on the list. Yet how many of us allow other less important things to keep us from attaining maximum health.

Most people who come into an Upper Cervical office desire to be healthy. Unfortunately, they often do not realize that it will take some effort on their part. The average person’s experience with medicine has led them to believe that they will be made healthy by what the doctor does to them or what he gives them. They can just sit back, do nothing or at most, remember to take their medication every four hours. While this approach may be effective treating disease, it has little to do with health.

Disease treatment is largely a passive activity. Health maintenance or health restoration is largely an active endeavor. Therein lies the problem. Sitting back and doing nothing will not promote or maintain health. Hoping or wishing for health will not make it happen. It must be actively pursued. A choice must be made.

Every individual has to establish his or her priorities. Is watching television more important than exercising for your health? Is eating poor quality food more important to you than spending the few extra dollars for good food?

Upper Cervical Care is also an active approach with the benefits of care occurring even after the adjustment, and like exercise and eating, they are far reaching. It is true you may feel good right after an upper cervical correction, but the real benefits are the long-term ones. When the body is working better it can actively promote health and well being and add years to life. Do you really want to be healthy? Sadly, too many people do not want to pay the price, which are time, money, and effort. You cannot expect to have good health unless you do those things necessary to attain it.

Only you can answer the questions put forth here and how you decide on these and other relative questions could very well determine your health, your happiness and your life.

Reminder For The New Year

It is never too early or too late to get into good health habits. As a doctor, I see patient after patient come into my office with the “baggage” from years of neglect. This amazes me sometimes because we are supposed to be living in a health conscious society. Health officials constantly give us advice on how to avoid health problems. Americans just don’t heed the warning. Let’s face it, we think that as long as we feel okay, nothing could possibly go wrong – we’re healthy. Although at the same time we think we’re healthy, most of us are abusing ourselves with the standard high fat, high sodium American diet along with the ever-strenuous daily remote control workout regime.

So, to help make sure YOU are healthy, the following steps are recommended:

1. Eat a healthy diet. Watch those saturated fats and low quality carbohydrates. If you are already overweight, decide today that you and your family are worth the effort to lose weight. Remember, strokes, heart attacks and high blood pressure happen to people just like you everyday.

2. Exercise. You know why. I don’t have to tell you. Just Do It!

3. Rest well. We live incredibly busy lives. Be sure your sleep habits are consistent and your sleep surface is adequate to support your spine and limbs properly.

4. Eliminate unnecessary stress from your life. Some stress is good. It challenges and helps us to grow. Worrying, however, robs not only the quality of your life but also the quantity of your life. Negative people die young. They have nothing to live for. (Smile).

5. And last but not least…. (I saved the best for last): MAINTAIN YOUR NERVOUS SYSTEM AND SPINE. Did you know the nervous system controls the function of virtually every cell, tissue, organ, and system of your body? Upper Cervical Care concerns itself with the relationship between the nervous system and the function of the body (i.e. your health).

Remember, life is not a dress rehearsal. Choose abundant health in the new year!