My mission is to help as many people in my lifetime as I can - especially children!
Our goal is to inspire you, to provide you with the latest health care options available, and to make you smile!
Wellness, what is it really?!
This “Germ Theory” I talked about last month is no longer the standard of health by which everything is measured. It is now being replaced by a new theory that is beginning to grow at an exponential rate. It is called . . . “Wellness.” I am sure you have come across this word, but do not necessarily understand what it means. Let me state emphatically that you are not alone.
Most people really have no idea what Wellness is all about. Most people’s concept of health includes getting up in the morning and feeling good. That is not health. It is not Wellness. Wellness means taking responsibility for your health and your destiny. This new movement has spawned a new industry, which includes natural health products, herbs, remedies, spas, fitness centers, etc. All of these methods are presently being used in increasing quantities to capture and maintain this elusive thing called “Wellness.”
There has been a drastic shift, or paradigm, in peoples’ thinking. The public began to feel, and be taught, that the suppression of symptoms equaled good health. In other words, people have been taught that when they no longer feel bad, then they must be healthy. Right? Wrong! This is dangerous thinking. It is an attitude that has created the multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical cartel. This present concept of health care rests on the idea of profiting from your illness and your symptoms. It has nothing to do with health care and has everything to do with profit.
This present concept of health has also generated the idea of arriving at a correct diagnosis for which to prescribe a drug, or a series of drugs to deal with the illness. As a society, we have become obsessed with the idea of treating disease instead of regaining health. We have become a nation on medication - and that is absolutely not OK!
The pharmaceutical industry has been a leader in defining the role Medicine plays in your health. Physicians have been indoctrinated to believe that the more pharmaceutical agents and drugs they use, the healthier the population will become. “Better health through better chemistry” has become a motto of today. This thinking has been supported wholeheartedly by medical associations of both Canada and the United States.
As a result, more and more people are turning to herbs and natural remedies to relieve their symptoms and combat their illnesses. In this manner, people are eliminating the dangerous side effects of drugs but haven’t really changed their way of thinking about health. We have been taught since we were children to think of instant health care. This essentially translates into “feeling better.” The old “take a pill and make it better” mentality is the biggest health care problem we face in North America.
Many people think that as long as they take some sort of a potion or natural remedy that stops their nose running, they are healthy. They believe that if gulping down laxatives keeps them regular, they are improving the condition of their body. The public thinks that since these remedies are “natural”, they must be good for them. This is absolutely insane thinking. The basic idea, you see, is still the same. We are searching for a natural cure for our symptoms rather than dealing with the fact that they are present in the first place. As a population, we need to stop thinking in terms of treating illness and start thinking in terms of creating Health and Wellness.
Health (not just the absence of symptoms) is something that we create from the inside of our body. It is not something we can achieve from taking a pill, an herb, or having the latest and newest surgical procedure. If we want to achieve Health for ourselves and our children, our goal needs to be: make certain that our bodies are functioning the way they were meant to, normally, with nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing, interfering with that process. That is the key.
Here is the problem: Many people don’t realize that Health is more than just the period between illnesses. It is also not the absence of symptoms. In other words, just because you feel OK, doesn’t mean you are healthy. It just means you feel OK and have no symptoms. That’s all it means. It does not imply your body is working any better. Health is judged, for example, by how your body is able to adapt to its own internal and external environment. If your body is exposed to some kind of germ or virus for instance, and if it is working normally, it should be able to neutralize the effect of that bug, without you even being aware that this is taking place. This is called health. If your body cannot adapt to such a situation, and handle it on its own, you may begin to get sick. The most amazing thing is that when your body is no longer able to handle a situation, it will actually “talk” to you in a language you can easily understand; symptoms.
To me, Health is like a candle that is lit when you are born and burns brightly throughout life. At the end, it flickers once, goes out, and that’s it. However, I have found that most people do not present with such an idealistic picture. This is what I would typically see: The candle is lit brightly at birth, it then has an ear infection, pneumonia, strep throat, tonsillitis, blows out a kidney here, has a heart attack there, liver failure, kidney stones, gall bladder, etc., - often it needs to be rekindled and restarted. That’s not health.
The medical approach has always been to prescribe antibiotics, pain remedies and all sorts of drugs to do the job your body was designed to do. People do not realize and understand that those drugs do nothing to help your body regain its ability to perform its functions in the future. In fact, relying on these drugs will actually hinder your body’s recovery. (Not to mention all the side effects that are associated with taking them.) There is no pill, potion or lotion on the face of this planet, which can possibly oversee the power of your own body to achieve Health! Most people do not realize that our normal state is to be healthy. Our aim then, as parents, should be to allow our children’s bodies’ to function with absolutely nothing interfering with that process. It’s that simple!
This is why “Alternative Medicine” is becoming mainstream. It appears that Western medicine is now beginning to be considered as “alternative.” Interesting concept! Why is that?
Well…the answer is simple. Many people are very dissatisfied with traditional health care. They are concerned about the side-effects of drugs and surgery, and are uncomfortable about changing their body chemistry with the use of drugs. They are also beginning to realize that drugs are big business, like everything else, and are having some difficulties entirely trusting their family doctor.
On the other hand, Chiropractic is appealing because it is a very simple concept, does not put anything into the body and does not take anything out. The public likes our philosophy: It is clean and easy to understand. But the most appealing aspect is that Chiropractic has no side-effects, except radiant health.
It is that combination which makes Chiropractic so popular…and so effective!
SO….
If you are tired of being stuck in the traditional “health” care model and want another approach, contact us today! We can’t wait to welcome you into the Prime Chiropractic family!
And as always, if you have any questions, or would information on any health topic, it would be my pleasure to help you!
Blueberries?!
Ok…They make your tongue blue, taste great in yogurt, on cereal, in muffins and most people enjoy their taste. And…they are absolutely great for you at the same time.
Here are some of their benefits:
Antioxidant activity – Blueberries protect the body against free radicals and chronic diseases often associated with aging. According to the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center in Boston, blueberries provide more antioxidant activity than most fruits and vegetables and have anti-cancer properties.
Anti-aging - Blueberries reduce oxidative stress and increase learning and memory. This is important because as our population ages there will be more difficulties with motor and mental skills.
Dr. Jim Joseph, Director of the Center, found that a cup of blueberries per day helps alleviate difficulties often associated with again.So…the moral of the story is that you should go out there and get some!