December 2007

Dear Patient and Friend,

Flexibility is great for your health. Flexibility may help you thrive in the years to  come.  When individuals are taught to be flexible, it means they are pliable, adaptable and responsive to change. The dictionary elaborates on this definition by adding … “the ability of persons or things to accommodate to changing conditions.”

Many of us know people who are quite stiff, regimented and have a very difficult time relaxing. These people may have a difficult time accepting and adjusting to new circumstances. Being inflexible can add stress to relationships and become damaging to our health. In fact, research shows that being rigid and inflexible in our beliefs and behaviors can lead to heart disease. After suffering a heart attack, the medical doctor usually encourages the patient to “learn to relax” and become more flexible in life.

Flexibility is a term that we can apply to our physical bodies in addition to our attitudes, beliefs and behaviors. Physically speaking, we can look at the spinal column as a good example of “accommodating changing conditions,” because it is the most flexible joint in the body. The bones of the spinal column encase and protect the delicate nerves passing through the spinal cord.  This is why it is so important that the spine remain flexible in response to body movement. When the body is stiff, rigid and inflexible, it is much more
likely to have a breakdown in health.

Research shows us that the body tends to grow less flexible as we age. Physical inflexibility may begin with stress and eventually lead to the interference of nerve function. When flexibility has been lost in certain areas of the spine, the spinal bones begin to degenerate and may eventually become so malformed that nerve function becomes blocked.

Chiropractors, who regularly see what happens to the spine when flexibility has been lost in certain areas, specialize in looking at the spine to see when and where the spinal bones have become rigid or misaligned. This abnormality is called a “vertebral subluxation.”

If the subluxations are not corrected, overall health can be compromised. Many health symptoms may occur when the spinal bones become inflexible or misaligned. Low back or neck pain may be the first signal that spinal bones are misaligned. It is critical to have regular spinal evaluations to identify developing issues before they develop into more serious ones. If spinal bones remain subluxated and uncorrected, they can begin to degenerate, reducing the size of the passageway through which nerves pass. Nerve impulses are thus hindered from reaching certain areas of the body. One possible effect
of this degeneration is that uncorrected low back pain may lead to loss of bladder control because necessary nerve signals were interrupted.

Chiropractors help you maintain physical flexibility through regular spinal adjustments. Call today for an appointment so that you can optimize your health by maintaining flexibility of attitude, behavior and body.
Practicing chiropractic for more than 7 years, I have been at the leading edge in healthcare and I have coached hundreds of patients of all ages to take full responsibility for their health. Inside this issue, I will share with you a wealth of valuable information that is guaranteed to address many of your concerns and answer pressing questions. It will absolutely provide you with all of the tools necessary to empower you to make the best health choices for you and your family and guide you on a path to “optimal
health.”

Here we go…

What You Assumed About Weight Loss and Exercise May Be Wrong

Source: New York Times; September 12, 2006

A Duke University Medical Center report on the various factors that affect weight loss points to vigorous, sustained exercise as a key factor.

Estimates for the benefits of milder forms of exercise, such as a one-mile walk burning 100
calories, are imprecise at best, and often do not take into account factors that reduce their actual effectiveness.

Machines such as treadmills, for example, overestimate the calories burned by 10-15 %.

However, weight-bearing, gravity-fighting exercises like dancing, skating, running and
stair-climbing burn more calories, in the same period of time, than gentler water-based exercises or cycling, although some make up for this by cycling for long periods.

How skillfully you perform your personal exercise regimen affects calorie burn too. Poor technique may make you work harder and expend more calories, but you’ll quit faster and
may hurt yourself along the way.

Vigorous, sustained exercise does more good, not only for kids, but adults as well. And considering all the good exercise can do – beating diabetes and Alzheimer’s for starters – you’ll want to get it right the first time.  There is even compelling evidence that suggests exercise makes you smarter.

There are three important variables to consider when you exercise:

• Length of time
• Frequency
• Intensity

Most people don’t exercise at the appropriate intensity and as a result, aren’t able to obtain the benefits. When you use the right dose, you will receive absolutely amazing results. However, if you under or overdose, you will either not achieve the results you seek or  suffer from unnecessary side effects. The bottom line is that one of the best investments you could ever make in your health is your commitment to a regular exercise program that you can do for the rest of your life. This is because exercise is not like money. You simply cannot bank it.  Even if you were a world-class athlete, in about two weeks of non-exercise, you would start to experience serious de-conditioning.

The Most Powerful Doctor In The World Is YOU…

Our Society Is…

• Too quick to rely on drugs
• Too quick to consent to surgery
• Too quick to give away our power and decision making abilities to others

In a time when our society is making more responsible decisions about our environment, it seems logical that we would also look for a more holistic, more natural approach toward health care. It makes perfect sense to follow the laws of nature in caring for our bodies. How does chiropractic care fit into this approach?

Chiropractors educate patients to understand that the human body has the ability to heal
itself. A chiropractic adjustment removes any interference in the nerve system, which may be preventing the body from healing itself. When the nerve system is free from interference, the body can heal naturally. Clearly, chiropractic care is one of the first action steps we should take when dealing with a health concern. Chiropractic care is drugless, noninvasive and far less risky than many conventional medical approaches.

Medical care does serve an important role in a crisis situation when emergency care is needed. However, no drug or surgical procedure can restore the vital life energy that is halted by a subluxation (misaligned vertebrae). Only a chiropractic adjustment can restore the natural pathway of communication and allow healing to take place.

There is no doctor in the world more powerful than the inborn “doctor” within our own bodies. You are your own “Master Healer” and you know precisely how to run and maintain a healthy body.

Therefore…

• Natural and safe approaches to optimizing health should always come first
• Chiropractic care is the number one recognized natural health care system in the world
• Drug intervention should occur only when absolutely necessary
• Surgery should be considered only as a last resort

Call for your chiropractic appointment today and discover a natural and safe approach to optimal health.

Just How Important Is Good Posture?

It may come as a great surprise to many people that posture is just as important to health as a sensible diet, a consistent exercise program, adequate rest and avoidance of harmful substances such as tobacco, drugs and alcohol. Good posture helps energize the body and reduces stress and fatigue, leading to a higher level of physical fitness.

The good news is that each of us can start at any time to avoid or correct the problems associated with poor posture, and improvements can also begin at any age.

Today, posture related problems are increasing for a number of reasons:

• We watch more television than any previous generation.
• We are more electronic dependent, with more and more individuals working at sedentary desk jobs or sitting in front of computer terminals.
• More cars are crowding the roads, resulting in accidents and injuries affecting  posture.
• We drive in cars and sit in airplanes with poorly designed seats for extended periods of time.

Lifestyle Tips for Lifelong Good Posture:

• Keep Weight down. Excess weight pulls on the back.
• Exercise regularly. This helps keep the body flexible and muscles toned for proper muscle support for the spine.
• Sleep on a good mattress; it helps properly support the spine.
• Pay attention to injuries from bumps, falls and jars. Injuries in youth may cause growth abnormalities or postural adaptations to the injury that can show up later in life.
• Get regular spinal checkups. A Doctor of Chiropractic is trained specifically to reduce biomechanical stress from poor posture that can hinder proper body function.

Fascinating Facts to Think About

Did You Know?

• A study published in the journal Pediatrics, June 2002, reports that television viewing is associated with obesity even in very young children. This study of more than 2,700 toddlers, ages one to four, found that the higher prevalence of obesity was associated with children based on the number of hours they sat in front of the television.
• A study of more than 26,000 middle-aged to elderly men suggests regular exercise can significantly lower the risk of stroke, according to Medicine and Science in Sports and
  Exercise, April 2002.
• High fiber cereal can be a great breakfast boost. A half cup in the morning can sharpen mental awareness and lessen sluggishness brought on by sleepiness, as shown in a study from Cardiff University in England.  The fiber may aid digestion, which helps give the body nutrients it needs to stay alert.
  

  Source: Natural Health, May 2005.

• Sleep stabilizes appetite-regulating hormones, concludes a study in the Annals of Internal Medicine. In subjects who slept four hours on two consecutive nights, levels of leptin (the stoplight for eating) were 18 percent lower and levels of ghrelin (the hunger trigger) were 28 percent higher than when they spent 10 hours in bed. The sleep-deprived group reported feeling hungrier for calorie and carbohydrate rich foods.

• Whiten your teeth the natural way. “To keep teeth bright and prevent yellowing, you need to remove the staining bacteria,” says Lana Rozenberg, DDS. “This is exactly what happens
  when you chew certain foods that produce a high salivary flow,” she said. So, in addition to apples, take a bite out of pears, kiwis, celery, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and cucumbers. Brighter teeth are just another perk to eating healthy foods.

Closing Thoughts … Something to Think About…

Imagine a bank that credits your account each morning with $86,400. It carries over no balance from day to day. Every evening it deletes whatever part of the balance you failed to use during the day. What would you do? Draw out every cent, of course!

Each of us has such a bank. Its name is Time. Every morning it credits us with 86,400 seconds. Every night it writes off as a loss whatever of this we have failed to invest with good purpose. It carries over no balance.  It allows no overdraft. Each day it opens a new account for us. Each night it burns the remains of the day. If we fail to use the day’s deposits, the loss is ours. There is no going back. There is no drawing against the “tomorrow.”  We must live in the present on today’s deposits. Invest it so as to get from it
the utmost in health, happiness and success! The clock is running. Make the most of today.

• To realize the value of One Year, ask a student who failed a grade.
• To realize the value of One Month, ask a mother who gave birth to a premature baby.
• To realize the value of One Week, ask the editor of a weekly newspaper.
• To realize the value of One Hour, ask the lovers who are waiting to meet.
• To realize the value of One Minute, ask a person who missed the train.
• To realize the value of One Second, ask a person who just avoided an accident.
• To realize the value of One Millisecond, ask a person who won a silver medal in the Olympics.

Treasure every moment that you have. And treasure it more because you shared it with someone special. And remember that time waits for no one. Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the “present!”

-Daniel Bai