Do you suffer from neck pain or back pain?

As much as I talk about pain being a poor indicator of health and how your body's ability to function dictates how healthy you are, it is still a very big problem for thousands of people in this country. Every day, millions are reaching for a bottle of aspirin or Tylenol to relieve some type of pain. Most don't even know that they are poisoning their bodies at the same time and setting it up for failure further down the road.

Take aspirin for example, we are taught to take it for aches and pains. You should even take one a day as you get older to show your heart that you care about it. Right?!

Did you know that your aspirin is causing your stomach and intestines to bleed everytime you take it? They fail to leave that part out of the commercials. Or how about your liver and kidneys? They have to filter everything out of your body.

Being that ALL medication is processed as a poison (because that's what it is) in your body, it will cause damage to either one or both. As a matter of fact, Tylenol is now reported as the number 1 cause of liver disease. You cannot assume that something is not dangerous to your body because you buy it at the grocery store without a script.

Here's something else I bet you didn't know: you don't suffer from a deficiency of aspirin or Tylenol! I usually get a few chuckles when I make that statement so feel free to insert yours here. Your pain does not come from not having a high enough level of pain killers or antiinflammatories in your system. Pain is a perception of the brain or signal.

This means if an area of the body loses its ability to function then at a certain level your brain decides, "Hey, I guess I better tell him/her about it." It then throws out a signal to you, preferably where the problem is, so that you can correct the problem. Sometimes the brain gets the location right and sometimes it does not. This is because less than 10% of your nerves actually deal with pain, everything else is function.

Let me translate. By the time you are feeling pain, then something else has already lost its ability to function properly somewhere else. So how do I know that? (Glad you asked)

All nerves exit from the spine and every single cell, tissue, and organ in your body is hooked up to a nerve. Every nerve controls more than one thing. Part of the nerve goes to control a group of muscles and the other part goes to organs and tissues. If you have pain, then something is not functioning properly. The nerves exiting that part of the spine are now affected, which disrupts the messages being sent to whatever parts of the body it controls.

For example, lets say you have a job where you work at the computer a lot. Now you notice that your neck is starting to get tight on a daily basis and some pain actually starts to creep in from time to time. The nerves exiting that part of the spine also go to control areas of the brain, your eyes, your nose, your sinuses, your throat, etc. All those areas are not allowed to function as well as they normally would.

Now I am not saying that you will also have problems in all those areas. What I am saying is that now you are set up to have problems in those areas. Let's say with no stress on the neck your sinuses can function at 100%. Now let's throw a little stress in there and a couple of misalignments and now they can only function at 75%. Who do you think is more likely to get a sinus infection - sinuses functioning at 100% or 75%?

I get asked all the time what the deal is with chiropractic. Why shouldn't we just take Advil or whatever else? My response is that we look at the body differently than most MDs. We try to find an area of the body that is not functioning properly, which is causing problems (symptoms) there or somewhere else, and restore normal function. If you go to your RD (that's regular doctor), they will ask for your symptoms and prescribe medication to correct those.

So let me ask you this? What makes more sense, addressing the cause of the problems or the effects of the problems? In which scenario do you think a reoccurrence is least likely? This is why pretty much all the research you can find on the effectiveness of chiropractic says we are just as good or better than medication.

The more things you can improve or problems you can solve without drugs or surgery, the longer your body will last you, and the more you will be able to enjoy it later in life.

Obama's Health Plan Won't Matter

Being that I am a health care provider, it seems like everyone wants to know what I think about the possible reformatting of our health care system. I have given it some thought and I have come up with an answer. But before I give it to you, I must first say this.

There absolutely needs to be some kind of change in the system we have or it will continue to spiral downward and get more and more out of control. However, change does not mean better it ONLY means different.

So now my answer to the question…..it doesn’t really matter. Before anyone gets upset, let me clarify.

When I say it doesn’t matter, I mean in relation to helping out the health crisis this nation finds itself in today. The World Health Organization has us listed around 35th (+ or – 2 spots) on the healthiest nations in the world. We are number 1 in emergency medicine (what medicine was to be used for) but way down on the list for chronic, preventable diseases.

Let me ask you some questions. How many people have health insurance? I think we can all agree that most people have some form of health insurance. When are you allowed to use your health insurance? If you are thinking “when you are sick,” then you are right. When do most people go to the doctor? When they are sick or have problems, and in the mean time, do nothing until they have another problem.

You see, we currently have a sick-care system and sick insurance – NOT health care with health insurance.

We have been brainwashed for several decades now that your health is all about how you feel. If I’m not in pain/sick, then everything is good. When pain/sickness is present, now there’s a problem. When it stops hurting, the problem is fixed and all is good once again.

This just simply is NOT how your body operates. We are not machines with nuts and bolts. We are dynamic, biological systems that are constantly assessing, compensating, and adapting to the environment we are in. Unless you can think of the exact moment you experienced trauma when your pain began, then it is something that has developed over time. Even then, the scar tissue left behind from an injury will cause that area to prematurely decay if not payed attention to.

Until we adopt a system that puts more emphasis on the prevention of health problems, we will always have a messed up system. You can’t wait until your car breaks down before you decide to take care of it and expect it to perform at a very high level. We all get that with our cars and our teeth, so why do we not get that about our health.

The health care crisis in this nation has little to do with the presence or absence of a health insurance policy. The crisis originates with the thought process currently used with respect to our individual health. The government is not going to get you or your children healthy. The insurance companies are not going to get you or your children healthy. We’ve been following there lead for several decades now with vaccination, drugs, and surgeries and look where it got us.

Obviously each individual case is different, and I would never say that we don’t need any of those things. In the right circumstances it is greatly needed. If I break my arm or my appendix ruptures, don’t come at me with some herbal paste to rub on my skin. Get me to a hospital first for some pain medication and possibly surgery. After things are stabilized then I’ll probably check out your herbal remedy.

The overhauling of our system needs to start with changing our out-dated ideals of health and use some of the research we’ve been spending billions of dollars on over the last 20 years and start applying it. Then we need to develop a system that encourages the individual to be more responsible for their own health. Until that happens, we will always end up right where we are at today.

Studies show millions of US kids are lacking in vitamin D

When I came into work this morning and pulled up my homepage on the internet, one of the top stories was entitled "Studies: Millions of U.S. Kids Lacking Vitamin D." I immediately clicked on the link to read the article. The first two paragraphs are as follows:

"Millions of U.S. children have disturbingly low Vitamin D levels, possibly increasing their risk for bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other ailments, according to two new studies that provide the first national assessment of the crucial nutrient in young Americans.

About 9 percent of those ages 1 through 21 — about 7.6 million children, adolescents and young adults — have Vitamin D levels so low they could be considered deficient, while an additional 61 percent — 50.8 million — have higher levels, but still low enough to be insufficient, according to the analysis of federal data being released Monday."

This is a HUGE problem and kids are being set up for failure. Parents in general are taking a back seat to their children's health. It is assumed that they are getting all the vitamins and nutrients they need in their Poptarts, school lunches, and happy meals.

According to the article, about 70% of children have insufficient amounts of the super important vitamin in their bodies. You think we have health problems now?! Just wait and see what happens if nothing is done to correct this problem. Heart disease, cancer, viral infections, and so on will go through the roof.

I am not trying to point a finger at anyone and say you stink as a parent. I'm only trying to raise your awareness of a very serious problem that could easily go overlooked and have damaging effects to your child's health. I have 3 kids of my own and never really thought about this vitamin until Dr. Mercola started touting it's importance recently, so I'm preaching to myself at the same time.

I'm sure by now you're thinking to yourself, "So how do I make sure my child is getting enough of the good stuff?" I'm so glad you asked.

First, we need to turn off all the video games and cartoons and get kids outside playing. It's not the playing part for the vitamin D but the sun exposure. Your body will naturally make the vitamin when your skin sees the light of day. In fact, one theory behind why the flu is more prevalent in the winter is because of dips in the general populations vitamin D levels from keeping skin covered up.

Getting kids more active will have a lot of positive health benefits besides boosting their vitamin D levels. It will also help their bodies develop neurologically, promote a healthier immune system, and help prevent type 2 diabetes. Of course, regular exercise for kids does a lot more for their body then just those few things. I just wanted to hit some highlights.

Second, you need to find a high quality Vitamin D supplements for your kiddos. I say high quality because that is important in the world of supplements. In general, vitamins and herbs are still very loosely regulated. Brand X in the grocery store doesn't always make sure that what they have in their pills match what the label says on the outside and the vitamin in said pills aren't always of a good absorbable form of whatever you are taking. If you don't take the time to know who you are buying your supplements from then you are literally urinating or pooping your money away.

I would also like to point out that there is no 1 company that is the "best" with a secret formula to get you more vitamin D. There are several companies that produce quality vitamins. The company I recommend is web-based because I can't find any brands in the grocery stores that are reliable.

I hope that I have raised the awareness of at least 1 person. Have an excellent day!

5 myths of vaccines

"Vaccines: Top 5 myths about childhood vaccines" was the title of an article on the front page of MSN Health. I just couldn't pass this up.

Now before I get started I'll throw out my disclaimer. This will only be for information purposes to try and get you to think outside of the box a little and make informed decisions when it comes to injecting your child or yourself with anything. I am not telling you whether or not to vaccinate your child - only you can make that choice. (and YES, it is a choice)

The reason I am writing on this because "they" call it the 5 myths. According to my trusty iPhone dictionary app., the definition of myth is "an imaginary or fictitious thing; an unproved or false collective belief that is used to justify a social institution." So let's take a look at these 5 "myths" (I think I've already used up my quota for quotation marks and I'm just getting started).

Myth #1: Vaccines aren't necessary

This myth is anything but a myth. In fact, it couldn't be any farther from a myth and closer to the truth. The only way vaccines would be completely necessary would be if our body could not code an antibody for whatever illness we are being vaccinated against. Your body is more than capable of killing off any infection you are told to vaccinate against. Your immune system has the ability to code for several trillions of antibodies for diseases we haven't even discovered yet. In fact, your immune system can code for more antibodies than your own DNA would allow for. In order for this statement to be true, then all children who do not get vaccinated would surely acquire the sickness and die because the body would not be able to defend itself from such a powerful infection like those "they" want you to vaccinate against.

Myth #2: Vaccine side effects are dangerous

This one is very puzzling to me. Why did "they" set up special government funds that pays millions and millions of dollars every year to parents whose children were permanently or fatally injured from a vaccine. But here lies the thought process of the system. Your little boy or girl is a necessary sacrifice to ensure "herd immunity" or higher public health. If their side effects are so minor, then why do "they" make it so hard for the public to get a true list of side effects.

Myth #3: Vaccines cause autism

I guess this one is a partial truth. It's not the vaccine causing autism but the mercury they use to preserve the mercury that does the damage. I personally know 2 families with children who were fine until receiving a round of vaccines containing mercury and soon developed autism. Mercury is one of the most dangerous neurotoxins known to man. I don't care how many methyl groups you add to it. IT'S TOXIC! Do not be fooled that they have removed mercury from the vaccines. They have only lowered the amount in them. All the stats show an exponential growth in autistic children right along with the increased use of mercury containing vaccines. Just because the vaccine makers haven't produced research to show a definite link, and why would they, doesn't mean there isn't a connection. It's like the OJ thing. No definite connection was ever made but most people know he was at least connected to it if not guilty of committing the act. All they have to do to silence the accusations is inject newborns and toddlers with mercury and observe for any side effects. They won't do that research because they know it's not safe.

Myth #4: Vaccines are given too early

This one cannot be called a myth because they are given too early. There is a much less lower risk of adverse reaction with delayed vaccination. We're talking about injecting newborns with mercury, aluminum, animal parts, formaldehyde and much more. You can't tell me that it's not dangerous to do that to a body with little or no immune system to defend itself. It's also safer to break up the shots into single shots and not all at once. MMR is the equivalent of taking 3 different vaccines. It's a lot easier for a young immune system to defend itself against 1 vaccine at a time than 3 to 6.

Myth #5: It's OK to skip certain vaccines if you have safety concerns

This one down right makes me mad. Here's the translation: You don't have a choice parents! Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.........oh yeah.....and...WRONG! This multibillion dollar industry would love for you to believe that you don't have a choice on whether or not you want to all vaccines, a few vaccines, or no vaccines. You always have a choice. These are your kids, not theirs. 2 of my 3 kids have never been vaccinated against anything and my oldest stopped at age 2, and none since. Guess what?! They are all healthier than most of the kids we know. The two that have been adjusted since birth and no vaccines have never had ear infections. My oldest had ear infections all the time before we stopped vaccinating and adjusting him. I"m not saying vaccines cause ear infections. I'm saying when you give the support an immune system needs to be healthy and not drug it the first chance you get, the better it works.

Here are the 3 real myths about vaccines "they" want you to believe:

#1 All vaccines are totally effective
#2 All vaccines are safe
#3 Vaccines are mandatory, you have no choice

I have no problem when my patients tell me that they vaccinated their children. Far be it from me to tell anyone what's best for their kids. All I ask is for parents to make educated decisions.

My question to Dr. MD and Mr. Pharmaceutical

I was searching for ingredients on a supplement I heard someone started taking and realized that the company does not advertise the ingredients on their website. HUGE RED FLAG!!!!! You better know who you are buying your stuff from because no vitamin company has to put in their pills what they say are in the pills! That is my public service announcement for the day...

Anyways, that's not why I'm writing.

As I was scrolling down websites, I clicked on a blog that supposedly had the ingredients listed somewhere. Going down the page to find it, I came across a post that was about why vaccinations are good and why we should continue to "stick to the schedule" to preserve public health. I'm sure you can all hear me rolling my eyes even as I type that.

I couldn't help but think, "What public health?" I don't know what country they live in, but the one I live in is not getting healthier and healthier! We, collectively, are getting sicker and sicker. My question to them is very simple:

Why should we continue to follow down their path if it is not making us healthier?

The medical model we live, and die (ironically), by has been in place for about the last 50 years. The AMA and pharmaceutical companies have brainwashed the public and instilled unnecessary fears in our minds to the point that if we sneeze, we need to take something; if our child's temperature goes up a degree or so, we need to run them to the doctor's office.

A major foundation in our medical model for public health is our vaccinations. A majority of us and our kids have been vaccinated routinely for the past 40+ years. So if they are a key component of us being healthy, then why have we not gotten healthier over the last 40+ years? We are the highest medicated society in the world, so why are we not the healthiest? We have the best doctors and surgeons here, so why do our preventable, chronic, degenerative disorders keep increasing as time goes by?

Does health come externally (medicine, vaccines, etc.) or does it come from within (immune system, proper nutrition, etc.)?

I know that I don't have all the answers to the United States health problems. But looking at the track record of how things are going following their model, I want more for me and, most importantly, my family.

The table is now open for discussion...

Truly Inspirational

As I sit here in my office today answering emails, I came across a forward from my favorite mother in the world. Yes, I know she is my only mother, but she is still my favorite. As long as she tells me I'm her favorite (and only) son, then I can tell her she's my favorite mom.

I was glad to see that it was not a long storybook forward that I have already received a thousand times before. The message was simple "Do not judge a book by its cover," and a link. I noticed it was a YouTube link, so I had no idea what to expect. Once I clicked on the link, I immediately realized that it was an excerpt from the show Britain's Got Talent. Mainly because of the huge billboard that could be seen.

Earlier this morning on the way to work, I caught the tail end of a conversation from good ole' Kidd Kraddick about some lady on a talent show that shocked everyone when she sang. Allegedly, she has only sung for her cats in her house until that moment.

She came out on stage in a very plain outfit and definitely did not have the body that would turn many heads upon entering the room. During the brief interview when she revealed she wanted to become a professional singer, you could actually hear the crowd laughing at such a ludicrous dream for her. Surely, this 47 year-old woman was out of her prime and out of her league. Obviously, this was just another cruel attempt for some producer to have a new butt for their jokes.

From the first note sung, the crowd screamed with applause and the look on the judge's faces were of total shock. I, myself, even thought that this had to be fake somehow. This angelic voice could in no way, shape, or form belong to the woman who stood there on TV. As I sat here listening to the clip, the room must have become very dusty or full of allergens because my eyes began to water. How wrong was I to make preconceived judgements about someone and whether or not they could do something? This 7 minute clip should be a prime example as to why we don't judge people before we know them because sometimes, just sometimes, we might be wrong and miss out on something beautiful.

Please take 7 minutes out of your day to watch this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

What is healthcare?

I was listening to educational stuff this morning when a couple of big questions popped in my head that I thought I should start a dialogue with. For you English nuts, I believe I just ended a sentence with a preposition and I should not. OK.....

What is health care and, for that matter, health insurance?

If I ask that to an audience, someone almost always answers, "It's for when you're sick."

If health care and health insurance is only to be used when you are sick, then where does the health come in? Should it be renamed to sick care and sick insurance?

If most MDs are only trained in sickness, then why do we rely on them to manage our health?

What are you doing to prevent your body from breaking down physically, mentally, or nutritionally?

If we waited for our cars' engines to make funny noises before changing the oil, then how "healthy" would our cars be?

If we waited for a toothache to go to the dentist, then how healthy would our teeth be?

Should I wait until my body breaks down before I choose to seek help? If so, would it cost more money to fix a broken down body or maintain a healthy one?

I really look forward to any comments on this one....