"The only real education comes from what goes counter to you."

Andre Gide

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May 2004

Welcome to May! It is Better Living Month in the office so for more details please check Office Happenings.

Contents

1. Adjust Your Reception
2. Question of the Month
3. Fitness Corner
4. Health News
5. Office Happenings

Adjust Your Reception

Growing up on a farm, our choice for television was simple. Two channels or three if the weather and the antenna was turned just right. As for the two channels, sometimes the picture was clearer and sometimes it was fuzzy. It was usually bad after a storm and the antenna had shifted from where it was before. That brought my Dad up to the roof. What followed was a series of fine adjustments to the antenna as someone relayed back and forth to him what the reception on the TV was like. The picture would be good until the next weather hit and Dad would have to go up to the roof again.

Chiropractic care shares many of the principles of the story I just told. We all have our own televisions working for us 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It’s our nerves. Those televisions carry the perceptions of what is going on outside and inside of us. It’s how we see our day unfolding but also things like how well our liver or spleen is working today. To have that process go smoothly, we need good, or even better, great reception over that nervous system.

As for the antenna in this situation, that is our brains. From our brains comes the information that tells our hearts to beat, stomach to digest and how to solve a problem facing us. It is the source of life in our bodies. That important information is picked up by the nerves, giving us the ability to take on the day. How well we do that depends on how good our reception is. That brings us to crux of the matter. What controls our reception?

Our spines control how clear we receive the messages from our brains. They can help you get picture perfect reception on your nerves. But storms can happen, not unlike the ones that happened on the farm. Those storms can be a stressful day with the kids or at work, overdoing it in the yard and too many visits to the cookie jar. They throw the reception of nerves off by misaligning the spine. If we don’t deal with the effects of the storms, it reduces how healthy and how vibrant we are. 

With this being better living month in the office, start by getting your reception clearer by taking care of your spine. Make sure your body’s television is crystal clear. With a healthy spine, your TV can even go from picking up two channels to picking up 222. And doing that with plasma screen clarity. You don’t have to send your Dad up to the roof, you just have to see your chiropractor. 

Question of the Month

Can being under regular chiropractic care help my golf game?

A healthy spine and nervous system go hand in hand to keep you at your best athletically. In a game such as golf, there are many skills and actions that have to be coordinated at precise times. From the fluidness of your swing to the touch on your putter, the part of your body that has the greatest influence on these is your nervous system. It is the relay system that keeps the mind and body connected. The spine can support the nervous system and you can perform these skills better or it can interfere with it and throw off your timing and touch. In fact, professional golfers such as Tiger Woods use regular chiropractic care to maximize their performance. Keep your spine and nervous system healthy to keep your game on par.

Fitness Corner

Would you like to learn some of the latest tips from the world of fitness and health? Subscribe to Scott McDermott’s free newsletter and this month you will receive information on: 

1) Target and Maximum Heart Rate Scale Scandal! (Check this out!!!)
2) Ineffective Weight Loss Techniques
3) Carb Blockers, Fat Blockers, Insulin Mimickers - what does it all mean?
Subscribe today!

Health News

Cautions concerning over-the-counter pain relievers

An Aspirin a day may not be good for everyone and Acetaminophen, found in Tylenol, may have a link to adult asthma. Aspirin can lead to stomach and brain bleeding as well as kidney failure. To read more from the studies:
http://www.healthscout.com/news/1/517730/main.html

http://www.wcanews.com/archives/2004/apr21c.htm

These two studies show that the seemingly harmless act of taking pain relievers can have some very serious side effects. This is food for thought when you or someone you know uses these products. It is always a good idea to consider what the pain is trying to tell you and get to the bottom of it rather than covering it up.

Study: Cholesterol levels change with seasons 

“Cholesterol levels tend to rise in the winter and fall in the summer — variations that in some cases could affect treatment decisions, researchers say.” To read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4837632/ 

I will sum up this study with the author’s own words. The author called the study “a reminder that a single cholesterol reading at any given point in time is only a snapshot in a moving picture that can vary over time. They also underscore recommendations that doctors measure patients’ cholesterol levels more than once before prescribing medication,” the author said. Important stuff if you have high cholesterol and are weighing your options. Get checked more than once and consider the timing of the test.

Office Happenings

1. Better Living Month. The focus in May for the office is about ways to improve your daily life. Themes will include tips for safer and healthier gardening, golf and how chiropractic care can prevent injuries and improve your game, some great ergonomics suggestions and stress-reducing strategies for everyone. We will also be accepting donations throughout the month for the Food Bank as a way to help others as well. Make sure we see you in May!

2. Wellness Orientation Workshops. Why does Doc Stacy always look at my feet while he is adjusting? How could chiropractic care really make me healthier? For the answers to these and many other questions, join us for one of our W.O.W.’s in May. The dates are Monday May 10 and Wednesday May 26. They start at 5:30 pm here in the office. Bring a friend! 

3. New Product in Office. Tired of using the door jam or a tennis ball to get at those hard to reach knots and trigger points? We now carry the Pressure Point device which allows you get to those spots whether you are at work, home or traveling. It’s a great gift as well. Contact Carol for more information.

4. Massage Therapy. Rayana Bragg is no longer with us as of May 1. She is moving on to pursue other things. We wish her all the best and we will have another therapist very soon.

5. 24 Hour Relay. It’s that time of year again. Our office is entering a team in the Piper Creek Optimist’s 24 Hour Relay to benefit the youth of our community. This non-competitive, all-fun event is a great way to help yourself and those around you. Contact Carol to sign up. We only need one hour of your time and for you to raise a few pledges. You’ll get a free T-shirt, complimentary adjustment and great sense of making a difference.

6. Office Closing. We will be closed Monday May 24 for Victoria Day.

7. Science Festival. We are part of the great event again this year. It is Saturday May 29 from 10 to 4 p.m. at Central Middle School. Stop by and say hi.