You do not GET sick, you DO sick!

Every year people seem to get sick around the holidays. What is it about these festive months that makes us begin to cough, sneeze and become congested? The answer is not that there are more sickness creating viruses or bacteria in the world. It is that during these, sometimes trying months, we as a population submit ourselves to more stressors from our environment than any other time of the year. This choice to attend too many holiday parties, eat too much fruit cake and turkey, and get totally stressed out about our gift giving encourages an increased susceptibility to illness. I always tell all of my patients that you do not GET sick, you DO sick. This year, make it a high priority to focus even more on getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, managing your stress, not overextending yourself, exercising daily and getting your chiropractic adjustments to maintain your immune function all the way to 2010! For more information about how to do this please go to www.sheafamilychiropractic.com

You Cannot Feel Subluxation!

A subluxation is the misalignment of a joint in the spine or pelvis that leads to restricted motion at that joint and to nerve dysfunction. Unfortunately, you cannot feel when these misalignments take place. Just like you often cannot feel when you have a cavity in your teeth, subluxations can exist without you knowing. In fact, unless the misalignment has been there for many years or it has become severe enough, you may never feel anything. However, when your spine or pelvis is misaligned, just like the tires of your car, it tends to wear out faster. This comes in the form of degenerative joint disease AKA "osteoarthritis". In order to protect yourself from skeletal problems as well as from pain you must have a check-up by your chiropractor. For more information on the devastating effects of subluxation please go to www.sheafamilychiropractic.com

What Do Chiropractors Do?

Chiropractic is a natural form of healthcare that attempts to support the body’s inborn ability to heal itself. Chiropractors do this by limiting stress to the body. The stress that chiropractors predominately focus on comes in the form of a condition known as vertebral subluxation complex (VSC). Chiropractors also provide education and empowerment through the proper techniques and benefits of exercise, diet and stress management.

A vertebral subluxation complex has three main components. The first component is a joint that has become misaligned. The second component is that the misaligned joint does not move as well as it normally should. The third component that occurs due to this lack of motion is the reduction of the nervous system function. This process may occur with the creation of symptoms or it may be completely asymptomatic. That is why it is important to be checked for subluxations on a regular basis in a similar fashion as having your teeth checked by a dentist. By incorporating chiropractic care into your lifestyle along with eating healthy foods, getting adequate exercise and managing your stress from home, work and school you give yourself the best opportunity to live a healthy life. For more information on chiropractic or on lifestyle coaching please go to www.sheafamilychiropractic.com

Surface Healing vs. Core Healing

The most common thing that patients come into the office with are symptoms of pain. Their pain may be in the neck or back, down the legs or arms or even in the hands and feet. The great thing is that chiropractic is able to help to relieve these symptoms almost every time. The sad thing is that people believe that this is the most important and only thing that chiropractic can do for them. This is sad because this is the thing that chiropractic can do the least for them. Keep in mind that the goal of the adjustment is to allow the nervous system to function properly again. This enables the body's inborn ability to heal itself to be expressed or enhanced. This is where chiropractic can do the most for people. Unfortunately, most people do not understand this concept and feel as if once their symptoms subside that they are done with chiropractic. Nothing could be further from the truth. This short time spent using chiropractic and then stopping it would be the same as doing 20 push-ups today, then stopping, and thinking that you will be healthy the rest of your life because of those 20 push-ups. Chiropractic, just like eating properly, exercising, managing your stress, sleeping well and having your teeth checked is a lifestyle choice that is a part of your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly regiment. For more information about chiropractic, it's philosophy and how to incorporate it in your life check out www.sheafamilychiropractic.com

Body Compatible vs. Body Incompatible Care!

The most effective health care strategy known to man is to encourage the body's own healing capabilities. Therefore all health care treatments should be focused solely on doing just that. By helping to supply the body with the things it needs in order to express health we actually tap into this amazing healing capacity. Ensuring purity and sufficiency in exercise, nutrition and stress management we are able to do exactly this. These types of treatments are known as physiologically compatible health care. On the other hand, drugs and surgery, especially on a prophylactic basis, are examples of physiologically incompatible health care. Medication especially, has a goal of treating symptoms only. The goal of medication is not to rid the body of the cause of the problem, nor does it help to encourage the body's healing ability. The best and most effective way in which to create health in a human being is to supply physiologically compatible health care. Chiropractic is an excellent example of this type of health care because we are not taking anything out of the body, nor are we putting anything into the body. The goal of chiropractic is to improve overall body health. To learn more about body compatible care please go to www.sheafamilychiropractic.com or call (858) 668-1700 to schedule an appointment today!

Health Is Your Greatest Asset

Our individual health is the most valuable thing we possess. What is the one thing that can keep us from enjoying or even having the opportunity to experience our lives to the fullest? Our health! By creating and maintaining optimal health we are literally ensuring the greatest chance of being able to do the things that we value and love. So how well are you taking care of this asset? How well are you taking care of the health of your family? Are you making the appropriate lifestyle decisions in order to support your and your families goals? Maybe you do not have health goals. Only 10% of the population actually have health goals that are written down on paper. Are you part of the 10%? If not, it only takes a couple of minutes to make your intentions concrete. By writing down what you plan to do and how you will feel, you are challenging your mind to come up with solutions that will take you from where you are today to where you want to be! Become a part of the health solution in your community by actively modeling for others what it means to be healthy. As we all know, actions speak louder than words. Please call (858) 668-1700 or check out www.sheafamilychiropractic.com to find out more about protecting your most valuable asset!

Constant Coaching!

Can we pretty much agree that Tiger Woods is the best golfer in the world currently. I believe so. So that must mean that he does not to be coached any more right? Well, actually Tiger has three coaches. So if the best golfer in the world has three people reminding him about his technique, educating him further about golf and keeping him motivated, how many people do you think it would take to do all of these things for you in regards to your health? Especially if our health is our greatest asset that must be protected at all cost. I would argue that having at least one person monitoring your progress, keeping you motivated, teaching you the latest information and improving your health techniques would be the very minimum. Sadly, most people in our population today do not have a health coach. As a chiropractor, this is one of my main responsibilities. In order to create and then maintain optimal health year after year it is absolutely vital to have someone supporting you along the way. If you are interested in a health coach please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/

Sitting For Your Spine!

Did you know that sitting to your spine is like sugar for your teeth? If you do enough of it, you end up with decay and degeneration. The sitting posture has been scientifically shown to place more pressure on the low back than almost any other position. In fact, they did an experiment in which they placed probes into the discs of the lower back and had a person take on different postures while measuring the pressure at each position. What they found was that the sitting posture places over two times the amount of pressure at the low back in comparison to laying on your back or standing. What this means to us, is that jobs or school that have people sitting for 8 hours of the day is actually encouraging degeneration and dysfunction in the spine. The only way to improve this situation is to take mini-breaks every hour and to receive chiropractic care in order to maintain the function and alignment of your spine in order to fight the degenerative process. For more information on chiropractic care please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/

What If?

What if the healthiest and most productive days of your life were ahead of you? How would you change your activities and choices in order to make the most of those days? This is a question that I try to ask each of my patients. Every single one seems like that could not be or if it is they definitely were not planning on it. In fact I would argue that most people feel that health is something that is experienced as a young person and is progressively lost over our lives. I would argue against this belief. My personal goal is to be healthier tomorrow than I am today. We know that the more experienced we are the greater the likelihood that we can make better decisions. Why does this not usually take place with our health? Or, if it does, why do the changes only come after the diagnosis and treatment of something like a heart attack, cancer or diabetes? What if your healthiest and most productive days were ahead of you? The best way to live our lives today is with this in mind. Wouldn't you be more likely to eat a little healthier, get a little or a lot more exercise, manage your stress a little more, get a little more sleep, take better care of your teeth and your spine? All of these are choices that we have control over today. I challenge you to take the proactive measures that are appropriate for making your days to come the healthiest you have ever experienced! If you would like to learn more about creating this type of lifestyle please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/

Spreading The Good News!

For anyone interested in hearing tons of great information regarding how to create the mandatory environment and lifestyle in order to create health I would like to offer you my speaking services! Over the past year I have done over 25 public speaking workshops/presentations. The groups I have spoken to include public service groups like the Rotary Club or BNI, private talks to groups of families at their homes, photography groups, professional businesses like the Best Western Country Inn Poway and at schools like the Beauty Academy Poway. I am willing to speak to any group of 10 people or more. I have also provided lunch for many of these groups so if you would like me to do this I would be happy to do so. The best part about these talks is that they are FREE! There is no catch! My goal, as you can tell from my blog, is to improve the quantity and quality of life within my community and doing public workshops is one of the best ways to impact large quantities of people in a short amount of time. If you like what you have seen on the blog and want to know more about natural chiropractic care and how to create a healthy lifestyle then today is your day! Please call (858) 668-1700 and ask for the next available time for a health talk at your location. You can also email me at drdevinshea@gmail.com if you have any questions or you would like to speak to me directly. I will be posting videos of recent talks that I have given at the website http://www.powaywellness.com/ and click on "Programs" and then "Weekly Workshops".

Building Blocks of Health

Let's say you are going to build two houses from scratch and both houses have the same blueprint. For the first house you try to spend as little as possible so you purchase the cheapest materials you can find. For the second house on the other hand you spare no expense and buy all top of the line materials. At the end of construction for both homes will they be the same? Absolutely not!!! The house that was build with quality materials will be stronger, more resistant to weather and fire damage and much more functional. This same process applies to your health. The key is that your genes are like the blueprints to your body and your environment supplies the raw materials for building. So if you want to build a healthy and strong body you must give your body the proper diet, sufficient exercise, manage your stress, obtain adequate amounts of sleep, and receive dental and chiropractic care. Simple!

Being Abundantly Present!

Have you ever noticed how some people have an incredible ability to handle multiple tasks, projects and problems all at the same time without being stressed. Do you want to know their secret? They are abundantly present! This means that they have created incredible habits that enable to accomplish tasks in their subconscious mind while working on still others in their conscious mind. How can you create these positive habits? Practice! The universe rewards action. There are no negatives only results. When you are working on a project and things don't go the way you expected, notice what happened and how you can change your approach in order to get the outcome you are looking for. Continue to do this and your troubles and challenges will fall away. When you are abundantly present you can take on more tasks and be more efficient and not increase your stress level. To find out more about making the choice in your life to be present at all times please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/

Habits and Efficiency

The definition of a habit is "A repetitive unconscious response to a certain stimulus." By creating positive habits within your life you are able to take on more projects, more responsibility and become more efficient. How this works is the thing that you do habitually is now able to be run in the "background" rather than in the front of your consciousness. This opens your mind up to taking on new or more tasks at the same time. The beauty of this process is that good habits are just as hard to break as bad ones. So if you can create a positive habit like exercising on a daily basis or saying your affirmations then these become hard wired into your system and you are able to do these while thinking about new prospects within your life. Something that I am very excited about beginning is a morning ritual. This is a way of making some of the most important things in my life a habit. This includes doing some positive reading, writing in my blog, stretching, exercising, eating a healthy breakfast, and last but not least, telling my wife I love her. For more information about how to create healthy habits in your life please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/

Timing Is Everything!

One fact that I have learned recently is that although everyone needs to learn how to take care of their body's, the timing of when they are ready to receive the information is often tricky to navigate. At times I feel as if I am speaking to a brick wall and at others I feel overwhelmed trying to keep up with the demand of people are are so turned on by the chiropractic wellness philosophy. There does not seem to be a middle ground. It seems that the turning point for people who are disinterested into very interested is when they begin to experience symptoms. Maybe it is their neck begins to hurt or they begin having digestive problems. Whatever the instigator, they transform into a bottomless pit that can only be filled up the health related information. Although it is good that their interest is finally peaked I would argue that it is always much better to learn a little bit each day or along the way and keep yourself without symptoms rather than waiting until the symptomatic phase and the need to know it all right away. For information that you can digest at your leisure please go to www.powaywellness.com

Living Congruently!

One of the most difficult things to do in life is to know the correct answer or correct path and actually follow through with it in your actions. To often it is easy to fall into the trap of eating poorly, staying up to late and not getting enough rest, placing other projects ahead of getting your exercise or allowing stress to take over your mind. We all seem to know the answers to these problems, yet actually doing what is necessary to remedy these troubles is often very difficult. One thing that I have been using lately is an affirmation to help keep me living a lifestyle that will promote and maintain a healthy body. When ever I am tempted to deviate from what my body needs in order to express health I tell myself, "I am ecstatic about living congruently!" Although this may sound lame or contrived I would argue that it has been very effective so how it sounds does not matter much. An affirmation, especially one that begins with "I am" is interpreted by your brain as a command for your body to carry out. This makes a simple statement extremely powerful. To find out more information on affirmations please attend our workshop on stress management at A+ Family Chiropractic in Poway, CA or go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ to find out more.

Symptom Based Care vs. Wellness Care

Symptoms are our body's way of letting us know that we have been living a lifestyle that is not congruent with what we need in order to be healthy. Symptoms can also arise due to a trauma that is so severe that we are consciously made aware of the problem immediately. Symptom based health care is designed to start when symptoms occur and end when symptoms subside. This of course makes sense to a lot of people because if they cannot feel a problem then they must not have a problem. I would argue that this is a dangerous belief. If how we feel dictates how healthy we truly are, then why is it that often the first sign of a heart attack occurs when you are actually having the heart attack and not when you begin to have plaque build up in your arteries? Why does the first symptom of a stroke occur when you are actually having the stroke instead of when the problem actually begins many months to years earlier? Wellness based health care is designed to not be symptom based. Instead wellness based care is carried out on a regular basis regardless if symptoms are present or not. I like to think of wellness based care as "proactive health care." This way of taking care of your body is always more effective, more efficient and almost always cheaper financially to the patient in the long run. Not to mention cheaper in the sense that it is expensive emotionally and physically to the patient and to their family when that person has a health care crisis. To learn more about how to live a wellness/proactive lifestyle please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ immediately.

Chiropractic vs. Massage Treatments

Many people ask me if it is appropriate for them to receive a massage while under chiropractic care. In order to understand my answer it is important to understand what are the specific goals of each treatment. Massage works specifically with the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the body. It is designed to increase blood flow, lymphatic flow and healing of the area being worked on. It is also designed to help relax the muscle tissue and make the patient feel better. There are many different types of massage out there with many other treatment goals, however the general spa style massage is focused on these aspects. In contrast, chiropractic works with the joints of the spine, pelvis and extremities in order to improve the function, range of motion and alignment of the affected areas. Chiropractic also strives to improve the function of the nervous system which is housed and protected by the spine. When this is accomplished, the body's in born ability to heal itself is able to be expressed or enhanced.

Now that you understand the goals of the respective treatments the obvious answer is "Of course!" Chiropractic and massage used in conjunction with each other are a great tool for improving the quality and quantity of life for all people. To learn more about chiropractic and massage please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ or http://hubpages.com/hub/spinal-health

Realizing Your Dreams!

There are only about four things you need to do in order to create the life you have always dreamed of having! That's right FOUR! The first step is to know exactly where you are headed. This is the most important step because without direction, you efforts will often take you away from your ultimate life goals. As Stephen Covey always says, " Begin with the end in mind." Now that you now what you want, the next step is to find someone who already has created the life that you are looking to achieve. This person will become a mentor or model for you to study. Most commonly the things you are looking to accomplish have already been done before, so don't try to recreate the wheel if it already exists. By mimicking the actions of this already successful person you will be able to achieve your results faster and with less failures along the way. The third action you need to take is to take action. It does no good to study and understand what needs to be done in order for you to reach your goals if you do not take action to accomplish them. Always remember that the universe/world rewards action. So do not have paralysis by analysis. Take the appropriate actions toward your dream life. Lastly, now that you are moving toward your dream life you will need to constantly re-evaluate your progress in order to make sure that the things you are spending your time are moving you in the proper direction. This re-evaluation process is so important because often times you will find that you will need to adjust your efforts and maintain flexibility in order to achieve your ultimate aim. Good Luck. If you would like to learn more about achieving your ultimate life goals please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/

Spinal Phases of Degeneration

Misconception #1: The spine should only be adjusted if you are having back or neck pain.

This unfortunate theory that is extremely prevalent within our society is absolutely incorrect and in fact is actually dangerous for your health. In reality, every person's spine should be checked and maintained throughout life. In chiropractic we call this spinal hygiene. When the spine is not maintained throughout life degeneration and decay occurs. There are 3 phases of degeneration that occur as the spine breaks down. In a normal (healthy) spine, we should see curves in the neck, mid back and low back when looking at the spine from the side. In phase one of degeneration we see a generalized straightening of the spine. This is problematic because the curves are our primary defense against shock absorption. When our spine is straight we lose this ability to take on shock. Instead the forces from our daily activities are then transmitted to the spinal bones and to the discs. In phase two of degeneration we see that the discs begin to become smaller and smaller and bone spurring occurs around the spinal bones. If this process continues, phase three of degeneration occurs and the joints within the spine are completely destroyed. Bone on bone with lots of bone spurring is the final outcome. What is interesting is that age is not directly correlated with spinal degeneration. Instead, how well a person takes care of their spine has much more to do with how healthy their spine will remain. This means that maintaining great posture, regular exercise and consistent chiropractic checkups and adjustments are the key to spinal health over your life. If you would like a chiropractic spinal check up or are interested in chiropractic care please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ or http://hubpages.com/hub/spinal-health and make sure to print off the online coupon for a your initial visit!

Balance Is The Best!

When you are attempting to create a healthy body, my best recommendation is to look for a balance between these six areas. Exercise(motion), Nutrition, Stress Management, Spinal Hygiene, Dental Hygiene and Sleep. The reason for the need to create balance between these areas is if you spend all of your time working on only one or two, you will still not be truly healthy. For example, if you weigh 400 lbs but you are receiving chiropractic adjustments and you are stress free, you are still sick! At my practice I stress the importance of all of these areas in an attempt to educate people on how to actually take care of themselves. Keep in mind that the most effective and efficient way in which to create health is to limit stressor's on the body and allow it's natural ability to heal itself to be expressed. If you are interested in learning more about how to eat, move and think, please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ or http://hubpages.com/hub/spinal-health or please attend a workshop at A+ Family Chiropractic for free on Tuesday nights at 5:45 pm. Guests are always welcome and encouraged so please bring your family and friends!

The Only Constant In Life

For some poeople one of the most difficult aspects of daily life is dealing with change. Others seem to relish in the never ending cycle of new challenges. If you find yourself being pulled under by stress related to change in your life, try to remember that change is necessary for growth and with growth comes wisdom and success. If you CHOOSE to see changes as opportunities for you to become a better person, stretch your character or better your career or family, change can become very exciting! In fact, I would argue that very successful people would actually become nervous or anxious if they are not experiencing change on a daily basis. Lately, I have felt like there is a clock in my head that is constantly counting down until the next change in my life. If the clock runs out, I know that I have not stretched myself enough for the good of my own success in my career or in my personal life. If this sounds familiar to you and your clock has run out, I suggest taking a look at your priorities in life and making a to do list that is focused specifically on obtaining your goals. This list I guarantee will push you toward change. Remember, the universe rewards action! If you are interested in creating a positive change in your health please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ or http://hubpages.com/hub/spinal-health for more information.

The Living Principle

The human body has an inborn ability to heal itself. An example of this amazing adaptation occurs when people who have been smoking cigarettes for 20 years decide to quit and that very day the body begins to heal the lungs. This ability to heal occurs in all living organisms and is known as the "Living Principle". Chiropractors and other "natural health care professionals" truly understand that there is no better way to create a healthy body than from within. As a chiropractor, people hire me to improve the communication and awareness between their brain and the rest of their body. This improved function allows the body's inborn ability to heal itself to be expressed or enhanced. My goal for treatment is never to cure the patient with a certain adjustment for a certain condition, rather I am attempting to free the body from the stress created from subluxation in the spine. When subluxations are corrected, amazing results can happen as the body's healing powers are released. To find out more about natural healing from the inside out, please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ or http://hubpages.com/hub/spinal-health

Not All Chiropractors Are The Same!

Just like in every profession there are certain people within that vocation that you would rather work with versus others. The chiropractic profession is no different. Did you know that there are well over 200 different chiropractic techniques used within the United States? In fact, I would argue that there are many more. In my experience certain techniques work better than others for different patient complaints. To make this more confusing, certain chiropractors specialize in certain parts of the population. For example, some focus specifically on sports injuries, some on pediatrics or geriatrics, or even others focus on nutrition or pain management to name just a few. A couple of things I would suggest you consider when choosing a chiropractor are; did they take an x-ray? do they talk about the condition known as subluxation? are they specific with their adjusting or do they just adjust your whole spine every time? do you feel comfortable enough to relax completely when the chiropractor is adjusting you? If the answer to any of the above questions is "No" then you may want to consider changing chiropractors. Each of the aforementioned areas are vital to creating a great chiropractic experience. For more information on how to choose a great chiropractor please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/

Nutrition Media Myth

I want to address a very common problem in today's society. Lately, I have been seeing and hearing in the media, ads and from so-called nutrition experts that certain foods are beneficial to eat because they are good for this disease or this part of our body's. Unfortunately, these folks are missing the point. Nutrtionally, all we need to do is supply our body's with the necessary nutrients in order to create health and then we don't have to worry about which food we take for our prostate or which food we should eat for improved hearing, etc... The healthiest people known to man kind, the hunter/gatherer tribes around the world who did not suffer from western lifestyle diseases, did not know that eating tomatoes which have lycopene in them would help to keep their prostate from growing inappropriately. All that they knew was to eat the fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and wild game that was available to them. This plan worked for them and it definitely works in today's society if we are willing to make a sustained effort to stop buying the junk food, sugar, cokes and refined grains. Nutrition is easy. Make up your mind today and leave your health concerns behind you. To find out more about eating a diet that will maximize your life please visit http://www.powaywellness.com/ today.

Continuing Education

Fact #1: You can never know enough about your body and how to keep it healthy.

Fact #2: Repetition and "top of mind" are the keys to staying motivated

I have learned these two truths through years of being educated about the human body. It seems like although I have learned about a topic within health many times before, as life happens, my once very pertinent knowledge, becomes lost or forgotten in the shuffle. That is why repeating health workshops and attending seminars is vital to maintaining the necessary drive for creating a thriving body. Always remember, you are never too old or too young to learn the proper way to maximize what God has given you. Do not procrastinate. You are the youngest you will ever be today. Take advantage of your current situation and better your odds in the future with the appropriate steps toward wellness. For more information on health workshops, maximized lifestyles and chiropractic please visit http://www.powaywellness.com/

Repetition, Repetition, Repetition!

Something that I was reminded of today was the idea that repetition is the key to making gradual and progressive lifestyle changes. It is almost impossible to hear something once and believe it so profoundly that you never go back to your original habits. That is why it is vital to have someone in your life that keeps you on track. Kind of like a health coach, that is always reminding you about the things you already know to be true and giving you new information from which you can build upon as well. Every once in a while it is necessary to reignite your passion and devotion toward your health goals. If you are interested in making a long term and progressive change for the better please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ and learn more about changing your paradigm in regards to healthcare.

Preparing For The Future!

If you are beginning to think about becomming pregnant or if you are currently pregnant, now is the time to live the healthiest lifestyle you are capable of producing. New research is showing a direct correlation between the health of the parents and the health of the new born. This means that you should be taking your fish oil and probiotic supplements, getting daily exercise, managing your stress, receiving a regular chiropractic adjustment (especially the pregnant moms!) and eating a diet that is rich in fruits and vegatbles while limiting or cutting out the sugar and refined grains. This allows your offspring to experience the best possible environment for creating health for them! Do not start your child off by limiting their potential or making it more difficult for them to succeed. Do your part. If not for you, do it for your unborn child. If you are interested in creating the lifestyle that will maximize your childs potential please visit http://www.powaywellness.com/ for more information.

Creating Your Reality!

Where you are today is exactly where your decisions have taken you. What I mean by this is we create our own reality. All of the choices we have made over our lifetime have lead us to exactly where we are today. How did you do? Are you happy with where you ended up, or would you change certain aspects of your life? If you would like to change some things or just improve on what you currently have, the great thing is, YOU CAN! Just as you have had the power to create your life in the past you definetly have the power to create the life you have always dreamed about in the future. Now that you know what you would like to improve upon in your life, set your goals with an end date in mind and begin your transformation! That is all there is to it. Good Luck! If you would like to learn more about creating the lifestyle you have always dreamed about please go to www.powaywellness.com for more information.

Spinal Education

Fact:Your spine should be checked regularly throughout life, starting in the first few weeks of your life. Why you may ask? What problems could a child have with their spine at such a young age? The answer to this question is the birthing process. We all have this one act in common. The birthing process for the mother and the child is very traumatic even when done cesarian section. The earlier problems with the spine and nervous system are corrected the better chance the child has to maximize their true potential and avoid more serious problems throughout life. This idea goes back to the philosophy of creating a healthy body before waiting for symptoms to become present. To find out if your son or daughter may be appropriate for a chiropractic check-up please visit http://www.powaywellness.com/ and click on the heading "children and chiropractic". At A+ Family Chiropractic we also offer family discounts in order to make having your entire family under regular chiropractic care much more affordable.

An Ounce of Prevention Is Worth A Pound of Cure!

Prevention of illness is the most effective way in which to create a healthy population. Unfortunately our healthcare system is set up completely backward. What we have in place today should be called sickness care! We spend the majority of our healthcare dollars on medication and surgeries which are used to manage diseases that have already taken hold of our body's. I wonder what would happen if we changed our outlook on healthcare and spent the majority of our money on prevention through education? What do you think? I believe we would see a drastic decline in lifestyle diseases such as cancer, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, osteoporosis and obesity. We would also be setting a great example for further generations by showing them exactly how to create health rather than just telling them. For more information on how to become more proactive with your health please go to www.powaywellness.com

Prevention vs. Early Detection

Creating a proactive lifestyle that includes daily exercise, proper nutrition, sufficient sleep, effective stress management, dental hygiene and chiropractic adjustments is the most effective way in which to take care of your body. There are three levels of care in the health care system. The first is prevention. This is far and away the most effective level because it attempts to stop any problems before they start. Examples of preventative measures include annual physicals, dental hygiene, spinal check-ups etc...The second level is early detection. Early detection methods include mammograms, blood work, x-rays , MRI's, CT scans etc...Although this level of care is a good idea, the problems that may be found during this tests already exist in your body. The third level of care is sickness management. This level of care focuses on helping to treat the problem once you already have it. Again, although this is a good idea and necessary for many people, this should not be our primary focus in health care. Unfortunately, our government and the pharmaceutical industry have decided that this third level of care is where all of our money should be spent. In fact, only about 10% of the total health care budget is spent on prevention and education of the public. This makes absolutely no sense, because as we have just discussed, prevention is the most effective and most cost affordable way to create a healthy population. To find out how to create a proactive and prevention based lifestyle please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ to learn more!

Creating A Balanced Lifestyle

The key to creating a healthy body is the same as the key to creating a successful life, BALANCE! All work and no play leads to depression and burnout. All healthy food choices and regular exercise over a prolonged period of time leads to lack of motivation and again, burnout. Make sure that you subscribe to the 80/20 Rule so that this does not happen. The 80/20 rule states that 80% of the time you stick to the plan of daily exercise, positive thinking, chiropractic adjustments and healthy food choices. The other 20% of the time make sure that you are having an amazing time regardless of the short term health consequences. After a great weekend with my friends at a beach house I am reminded that living life to the fullest is one of the healthiest things we can do for ourselves!

Extremity Misalignments

Just like misalignments may occur in your spine and pelvis, the joints in your arms and legs also have a tendency to become misaligned and restricted in their normal range of motion. This will often lead to the creation of inflammation, irritation, pain and premature degeneration of the joint. A skilled chiropractor has the ability to check and to correct extremity misalignments which will help to restore the proper alignment and function of the joint as well as reduce or eliminate symptoms. An x-ray of the suspected area to rule out other complications is indicated and is also you by your chiropractor to determine the direction of misalignment. This information is then used to determine the direction of the corrective procedure. To find out more about extremity complaints including sprained ankles, carpal tunnel syndrome, shoulder pain, tennis elbow, knee and hip pain please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ to schedule an appointment.

How To Obtain A Healthy Body?

The ONLY way to obtain a healthy body is to allow the body's inborn ability to heal itself to be expressed optimally. This means that we need to limit as many environmental stressors as possible. Environmental stressors include; poor diet, negative thoughts, stress, sedentary lifestyle, lack of sleep, poor air quality, water quality and of course subluxations in the spine. When we keep these stressors to a minimum, the body, which is always striving for health, has no problem creating a health. As a chiropractor my job is to help people to do just this. We often call this approach to health an inside out approach. This means that health comes from within us rather than from taking a pill or having a surgery. These are outside in approaches to health as we are taking something foreign from the environment and adding it to the body. This outside in approach is only necessary when we are in a health crisis and must give up optimal health in order to live to see another day. At ALL other times, the inside out approach is more advantageous.

To highlight this approach to health, chiropractors remove misalignments in the spine and extremities which decreases the stress on the body and allows it to express health easier. For more information on how to create a healthy body please go to www.powaywellness.com

The Arc of Life!!!

Chiropractors often call the curve that is seen on an x-ray in a healthy neck "The Arc of Life". The curves that are seen when viewing the spine from the side are our primary defense against shock absorbtion. When we lose these curves, due to subluxations or trauma, our spine degenerates quickly because all of the forces are then transmitted to the bones and to the discs which can only withstand so much force.

In today's society in which the majority of the population is extremely sedentary and most of our time is spent in front of a computer, driving or watching television it is very common to see patients who have lost the arc of life. In order to let you know the importance of these spinal curves here is a stagering statistic; for every 7 degrees of lost curve in our neck, we lose 60% of the messages that normally travel between our brains and our bodies!!! Yikes. Luckily, chiropractic has been shown to at least maintain the current state of our spines and in many cases improve the curve. For more information on how to obtain and then maintain your arc of life please visit www.powaywellness.com

Positive Mental Attitude

In the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz, he speaks of mental approaches to living a happy and productive life. The four agreements that one must abide by include; always tell the truth, don't take anything personally, don't make assumptions and always do your best. Each of these agreements takes time and practice in order to use in your daily life, however when living your life by this code, you will sleep better, function optimally and experience a calm that the vast majority of people will never experience. This book takes about a 1/2 hour to read so please check it out. For more information about living your life at an optimal level please check out www.powaywellness.com

When Do Symptoms Occur?

A symptom is a sign from the body that it has reached the end of it's adaptive capabilities. When we are talking about chronic health problems and lifestyle diseases, symptoms are one of the last stages of the process. Think about what the first sign of a heart attack is, what about the first sign of cancer, what about the first sign of a stroke? By the time you are actually experiencing a symptom from one of these problems you have probably been working on creating that problem for years and years. This same idea applies to the creation of subluxations in the spine. Most commonly a subluxation will be created due to either a trauma or a repetitive trauma, such as poor posture, when someone is very young. Because they do not have a regular chiropractic check-up this problem lies dormant for years and years until it creates so much degeneration in a persons spine that when the person bends over to pick up a pencil, their "back goes out". This pain is unfortunately their first symptom and so they believe that it was the picking up of their pencil that has caused their problem and that their problem just recently occurred. We know now that this could not be farther from the truth. This is exactly why it is imperative to be checked for subluxations throughout your life, starting from the day you are born. For further information on subluxations and their dramatic effects on health please go to www.powaywellness.com

Spinal Anatomy Made Simple

As a chiropractor I work with the bones and joints in your spine as well as your nervous system. There are three regions of the spine and they each have a different proper name. The neck region is known as the cervical spine, the midback region is known as the thoracic spine and the low back region is known as the lumbar spine. There are typically 7 bones in the cervical spine, 12 bones in the thoracic spine and 5 bones in the lumbar spine. The proper name of the bones in your spine are called vertebra. The main job of the spine is to protect our nervous system. The spinal cord runs through a hole in each of the vertebra and connect our brains and the rest of our bodies. The nervous system to the human body is like the telephone wires that connect people over the phone and allow them to communicate back and forth with each other.The spine also allows for flexibility which enables us to flex, extend, laterally bend to either side and rotate to either side. Unfortunatley, because of this flexibility our spinal bones can become misaligned and stop moving properly. The misaligned bone causes irritation to the nerves that come off of the spinal cord and cause them to dysfunction. This can lead to a number of different symptoms with the most common one being pain. A chiropractors job is to find that area of misalignment (we call these areas subluxations) and correct them. This restores the proper spinal alignment and communication between the brain and the rest of the body. For more information and an amazing visual program that highlights spinal anatomy please go to http://www.powaywellness.com/ and click on the patient education center!!!

Motion Is An Essential Nutrient For Creating Health!

The latest research is proving that motion is a required daily nutrient for creating a healthy body. This makes sense because if you think about humans from an evolutionary perspective, our ancestors were constantly moving in order to hunt and gather food. This trained our bodies over time to become not only used to moving, but actually need it to maintain body-wide functioning. Movement deficiency syndrome occurs when a person does not take part in total body daily exercise. The cerebellum, which is located at the back of the brain, is responsible for coordinating all aspects of input into the brain. This includes balance and coordination, emotion, cognition, learning, affect and most importantly motion. Individuals who have injured their cerebellum expereince memory loss, changes in personality, balance and coordination problems and mood swings. A subluxation in your spine (this is the problem that chiropractors help to fix each day by adjusting the spine) is actually a segmental movement deficiency syndrome. Subluxations act as a stressor to the body and cause all sorts of symptoms including pain, muscle spasm, fatigue, numbness, tingling or weakness and many more. When a chiropractor adjusts a subluxation he or she is creating motion at the restricted joint and encouraging healthy body functioning! To learn more about subluxations, please visit http://www.powaywellness.com/

Vitamin C vs. Sugar and Their Effects on Immunity

Fact:
Vitamin C and Sugar are shaped almost exactly the same. Because of this similar shape, both Vitamin C and sugar use the same receptor in order to enter the cells in our body. If you are consuming a lot of sugar in your diet, the sugar out competes the Vitamin C for the receptors and actually blocks this essential anti-oxidant(Vit C) from entering our cells. Vitamin C intake is essential for creating a proper functioning immune system that is capable of fighting off all sorts of unwanted problems. Without it, we become susceptible to infection. In order to maximize your immune function, limit your intake of sugar and maximize your intake of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables! Simple huh. As always if you would like more pearls of wisdom such as this one please visit www.powaywellness.com Have a great day!!!