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How is Stress Affecting You?

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April is National Stress Awareness Month. Have you ever wondered why stress affects everyone differently? How is stress affecting you?

It is well documented that high levels of stress can contribute to heart disease, cancer, headaches, ulcers, backaches and nearly every condition known to mankind. How can stress cause so many unique problems in different people especially since the stress reaction is the same for everyone?

Stress Is A Nerve System Reaction
Stress is a nerve system reaction that causes your heart to beat faster, your muscles to be tense, your stomach to tighten, and your hair follicles to stand up, all as a way to prepare your body for an emergency. When you interpret a situation as stressful, whether it truly is or not, your brain triggers this reaction by sending a signal over your spinal cord and nerve system to every cell of your body. In prehistoric times, this would have been the perfect reaction to escape from a hungry dinosaur, but in today’s stress filled world and no Tyrannosaurus Rex, this chronic reaction can cause pain, sickness and disease.

The Pre-stressed Nerve System
Where your body breaks down from stress may depend on whether or not you have a condition in your spine known as “vertebral subluxation.” A vertebral subluxation is a spinal injury that interferes with the normal function of your nerve system which can affect your health on every level. If you have this condition in your spine, your body is already pre-stressed.

Many people deal with stress through meditation, exercise and healthy food choices. These are all very good things to do as part of your lifestyle, but if your nerve system is pre-stressed, the slightest deviation from the perfect stress management plan can send you into a frustrating, uncomfortable, or painful tailspin. Removing this pre-stress causing subluxation can improve your resistance to daily stressors dramatically.

Research shows that it only takes the weight of a dime to reduce nerve transmission. Additional research has found that nerve compression can exist without pain and can cause deterioration within two weeks.

In this pre-stressed condition, your body becomes more vulnerable to outside stresses. The location of the subluxation can determine what types of symptoms, if any, you experience. For example, someone with nerve interference in the upper part of the neck might feel headaches, have allergies, or a stiff neck. Because the nerve fibers that come out of the upper neck also go to the entire body, pressure here can literally cause or mimic nearly every symptom or disease you can name.

Interference to the nerves in the lower back may cause a backache, leg problems and also affect ovary, prostate, bladder or bowel function. Interference in the middle of your back may affect your heart and lungs or cause tension, stomach problems, and digestive disturbances.

Remove The Underlying Problem
Like most serious conditions, vertebral subluxations can cause stress for decades without any symptoms. The birth process, childhood falls, sports injuries and poor lifestyle habits are just a few causes of subluxations. Rather than getting to the cause and removing this underlying problem, many people attempt to chase their symptoms away with drugs, or another type of quick fix, and then wonder why their condition returns. Removing the cause and optimizing the function of your nerve system is a better immediate and long-term plan.

Regardless or your symptoms, a chiropractic examination can locate pre-stressed areas in your spine that may be affecting your health on every level. Don’t wait for a crisis.

Avoiding Everyday Health Traps

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Are You Heading For An Everyday Health Trap?
Do you sit at a computer and talk on the phone all day? Do you wedge the phone between your ear and shoulder while you write? Is your desk, chair, keyboard or monitor too high or low? Do you text, surf the internet or watch movies with a hand held device? If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, then pay attention to this article and learn how to avoid these everyday health traps.

The health traps above cause repetitive strains that can have a similar effect on your body as a car accident, only it takes longer. Where a car accident takes a split second to cause injuries and health problems, repetitive strains may take a week, a month, six months or a year. The effects on your body can even lie dormant for decades without giving you any notice of a problem. Or, they can become sudden and dramatic.

Repetitive strains can cause vertebral subluxations in your spine that interfere with the function of your nerve system and affect your health on many levels. Headaches, neck pain, low back pain and herniated discs are just a few of the problems that can arise. Because your nerves control everything in your body, your organs and systems may be affected also. These symptoms and injuries can hamper your career and cost you a lot of unnecessary expense, time and suffering.

Here are 3 simple things you can do to avoid and prevent these everyday health traps:

Fix Up Your Workspace. Don’t wait for your company to do this for you or for a crisis to force you to do it. Back pillows, wrist rests, and headsets are not very expensive and can make a big difference. If you buy them yourself, you can take them with you if you change jobs or work from home. If you use a laptop, try standing at a counter instead of sitting at your desk. Move around your workspace instead of sitting during a call. Don’t underestimate the value these small changes can make on your body. Do them immediately.

Stretch and Watch Your Posture. By stretching your neck, shoulders and back periodically during the day, you will keep tension from building up in your muscles. Have you experienced soreness after a workout? The same lactic acid buildup that causes soreness after exercise causes muscle fatigue and weakness from these health traps. When texting and working with your handheld device, straighten up and be conscious of your posture, raising the device to eye level. If straightening up is uncomfortable, then you are way overdue for a chiropractic check-up.

Adjust Your Lifestyle. Avoiding everyday health traps can be as simple as adjusting your lifestyle. Having the awareness that you are doing things on a daily basis that may deteriorate your health and quality of life as you age will help you make changes in the moment that are good for you long term.

How long have these unhealthy everyday health traps been a part of your lifestyle? How many months or years of these unhealthy habits have you accumulated? If your answer is more than 30 days, then now is the time for a chiropractic check-up. Whether you have symptoms or not, you can prevent underlying health problems from becoming permanent by taking these appropriate action steps right now.

Health Care Leadership Adjustment

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We Are In Desperate Need of Health Care Leadership
Our world is in desperate need of health care leadership. Costs are rising into the multiples of trillions while the quality of the care is questionable at best. In my research for The 100 Year Lifestyle Second Edition, I was blown away by the research and how the numbers have changed in just the 6 years since the first edition was published.

You would think with all of the cost increases that have occurred we would see improvement. We have not. Life Expectancy in the United States has worsened moving from 37th place in 2006 to 51st in 2012 compared to other countries. Infant mortality has dropped to 45th compared to other industrialized nations. Where is all this money going? There are growing concerns that the Affordable Health Care Act will actually drive the costs up even more while the quality of the care continues to decline.

The Current Health Care System Needs An Adjustment
Our health care system needs an adjustment. The core problem is one of philosophy. Our current system is Crisis Care only. “Health Care” education is primarily done by drug companies whose ultimate goal is to sell their drugs to consumers. The side effects are scary and you can learn about them from any drug ad you watch on television, hear on the radio or see in a magazine.

A Philosophy Adjustment Will Optimize Your Health
Manipulating body chemistry is not health care. You and your family should consider taking a new philosophical approach to your well-being. Here is a simple philosophy to begin living right away to optimize your health for a lifetime:

1. Innate Intelligence
You have within you an Innate Intelligence. Present from the moment you were conceived, this Intelligence guides the processes in your body that turn food into cells, eliminates waste products, coordinates muscle contraction and communicates with or without your conscious thought to every cell, tissue and organ of your body via your nerve system. As long as there is no interference to this system, you have the capability to heal, feel great, be healthy and function well for a lifetime. Nurture this Intelligence for the development of your human potential and you will set personal records in all areas of your life.

2. Interference
Unfortunately, there can be interference to the communication and expression of this Intelligence within your body. This interference causes dis-ease, weakness, and imbalances within your nerve system that can cause all types of immediate health problems. Or, this interference can lie dormant and asymptomatic for decades, leading to severe health conditions, chronic pain, deterioration and disease down the road.

Nerve interference in the spine is called a vertebral subluxation. Lifestyle interference is a result of poor health habits such as overeating, poor nutrition, excessive drinking, taking prescription or non-prescription drugs, or sitting too much. Environmental interference is caused by toxicity from air, food, water, or chemicals, as well as accidents or natural disasters. All three types of interference can cause pressure in your spine and nerve system and affect your health on every level.

3. Adjustments
Remove the interference from your body through adjustments to your environment, lifestyle, spine and nerve system so that your body can heal itself and function at optimum health and peak performance levels for a lifetime.

The Power of Recommitment

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Commit to What Matters to You
We all know the power of commitment. Think about the last time you committed yourself to something that was significant to you. Was it your family, your health, your job, or learning a new skill? Commitment is energizing because you block out the world, focus your energy, and create meaningful results.

Too many people make a commitment, get the results they want, and then become complacent or back off of their commitment. When this happens, the results you created when you were committed mystically vanish into thin air leaving you wondering what went wrong, what happened, and why did it all come to a stop?

The answer is simple: it is not enough to commit to something that is good for you, you must recommit every day. This daily recommitment makes those areas of your life that are important to you a part of your lifestyle which leads to tremendous fulfillment and lasting results.

Recommit Daily
Stop wondering what you need to do to get your health back on track. Recommit. Recommit to eating healthy, exercising, getting adjusted on a regular basis and making choices that bring balance to your life. Recommit. Recommit to spending quality time with your family and listening to your spouse or significant other. Recommit. Recommit to the hobbies, passions, and activities that bring you joy. Recommit. Recommit to your job, nurturing your talents and abilities and building your skills.

Commitment is a one-time action. Recommitment, every time you are faced with a choice, is ongoing and is how meaningful lives are built. In addition to recommitting to the things you know you need to do, say no to the things you know are destructive to your health, vitality, and lifestyle. These usually include things like saying no to unhealthy foods, saying no to drugs, or saying no to mindless television and internet surfing.

We see the power of recommitment in our practice every day through the people who have made Lifestyle Care their top priority. Since this type of care is not based on symptoms, people who participate in Lifestyle Care typically feel healthier and younger every day even as they age. They get off the symptomatic roller coaster ride that comes with being committed one day and not staying committed the next.

Enjoy a Healthier, Longer Life
According to the New England Centenarian Study, you are more likely to live an active, healthy, long life if you avoid sickness in the first place. According to the Health Care Hierarchy of The 100 Year Lifestyle, you must make self-care and health care your top priority.

The power of daily recommitment will optimize the expression of your Innate potential for a lifetime. Recommit.

Why would you want to live any other way?

Vacation Motivation

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“Ahhhh….Vacation!”
When we are young, vacation for most implies a laid back schedule filled with adventure, fun and “me” time. We dream about vacation for weeks. We can hardly wait. When the day arrives, we say goodbye to work, hello to fun and exhale a contented sigh of “Ahhhh….Vacation!”

Take A Vacation Quiz
As the pressure of life grows, it becomes easy to lose sight of the purpose for vacation and let our lives get out of balance. What motivates you now to take vacation time? When you think of your vacation days which of the following applies to you or someone you know?

A.) Vacation is well-deserved time off to reconnect with family and friends and to physically and emotionally rejuvenate. I take vacations regularly.

B.) Vacation days are like money in the bank because I can buy the unused time from my employer at the end of the year. I try not to use all of my weeks.

C.) I am saving my vacation days because I have used or probably will use up all of my sick days this year. I wish I had more vacation days left.

D.) Are you kidding? I can’t take a vacation right now. There is too much at stake!

If you chose the first one for your usual response to vacation, good for you! Enjoy your vacation. You deserve it!

If you chose any of the other responses, you are looking at vacation time in an unhealthy way. Regularly using your vacation days for anything other than their intended use, means you may be heading towards a crisis. There are times when unexpected reasons arise and you’ll need to take time off; however, waiting to schedule vacations based upon “what if” is not a good way to plan out your calendar.

Quality Time Living
The 100 Year Lifestyle model of time is Prime Time, Prep Time and Play Time. Together these make up Quality Time Living, an important part of Lifestyle Care. Play Time is taking planned time off. It has many benefits and may help prevent forced time off as a result of a health crisis. Just like people who make the Critical Transition to Lifestyle Care with their chiropractic care often experience higher levels of health consistently, the same is true with people who plan for and build vacations into their lifestyle.

Vacations may help you live longer – A study by the State University of New York at Oswego that surveyed 12,000 men between ages 35 and 57, found that men who go on vacation every year reduce their overall risk of death by 20 percent. The Framington Heart Study indicates women who regularly take time off have a 50 percent lower risk for heart attack.

Vacations can raise energy levels – Experts from the University of Pittsburgh and Radboud University both said that people had more energy and felt more satisfied with life on vacation.

Vacations free your mind – The author of “How To Succeed In Business…” Robert Kriegel says that many workers get their best ideas away from work and Los Angeles psychologist, Robert Butterworth told ABC, “The break will allow you to refresh your brain cells.”

Vacations can strengthen relationships – A Wisconsin Medical Journal published findings that women who take two or more vacations a year are less likely to be depressed, tired, or unhappy with their marriage.

If you still believe you can’t take a vacation and there is too much at stake, in one way, you are right. There is too much at stake: The toll on your long term vitality, health and energy. Stress affects everyone differently. It is well documented that high levels of stress can contribute to heart disease, cancer, digestive issues and sleep deprivation. Stress can elevate cortisol levels and reduce the strength of your immune system. These are just a few conditions from a long list that can slowly sneak up on you over time or dramatically surprise you with the speed of their impact in your life. If you use up all your sick days then have to dip into your vacation days, where is the win?

You have the choice. What’s your vacation motivation going to be? Go ahead, adjust your lifestyle and take a vacation. You deserve it!

Recommended Vacation Reading: The 100 Year Lifestyle Second Edition, available now on Amazon.com

References from www.businessinsider.com and from www.prevention.com

The U-U of Chiropractic

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The U-U of Chiropractic is the Under-Utilization of the health philosophy, science and healing art that is at the foundation of chiropractic care. Why is Under-Utilization an issue for you and your family? Why should our culture take note?

Benefits of Utilization
The statistics on the benefits of a healthy spine and nerve system and chiropractic care are astounding and well documented by scientific literature and the tens of millions of people benefiting from the care. Here are some examples:

People under chiropractic care use medical services 58% less
http://www.naturalnews.com/031206_chiropractic_immunity.html

People under chiropractic care take less medication
http://www.chiro.org/research/ABSTRACTS/The_Impact_of_Chiropractic_care.shtml

They are 15% less likely to end up in nursing homes
http://www.naturalnews.com/030004_chiropractic_aging.html

They are more likely to get back to work faster after injury on the job
http://www.silcom.com/~dwsmith/manga.html

They perform better in sports and recover quicker when injured on the field
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0161475402749774

A Clear Message
In the past, mixed messages about the benefits of chiropractic may have misguided you on how to utilize the care. They sometimes leave the impression that it is just for back or neck pain. While chiropractic care is exceptional at helping people with pain and other health problems, that’s not what the care is about. The true benefits of chiropractic care will be experienced when you and your loved ones go beyond Crisis Care and make the Critical Transition to Lifestyle Care. This type of care is not about treating symptoms. It is about keeping your spine and nerve system healthy and balanced over the course of your lifetime, whether you suffer from symptoms or not, so your body can function at its optimum levels.

From the moment you were born, your spine and nerve system have been exposed to macro and micro traumas that can affect the growth, development and function of your spine and nerve system. Since nerves control your entire body, these traumas may cause immediate symptoms that can affect every area of your body, or they may lie dormant and asymptomatic for decades leading to deterioration and disease down the road.

Which Type of Care is Right For You?
So what is the appropriate level of utilization of chiropractic care? The answer is different for everyone and can be discovered through a chiropractic examination. You will find that the intensity of your Lifestyle Care will depend on the intensity of your lifestyle, health goals and the underlying pre-existing conditions that have impacted your spine and nerve system since birth. If you want to live an active, healthy, long life, you must have a healthy spine and nerve system. Period. Get your spine and nerve system checked today and find out how you can best utilize and benefit from chiropractic care. Start today, regardless of your age, and express your full potential for a lifetime!