Blood Type Test Kit

Click on the attached link to get a great deal on a blood type test kit. Knowing your blood type can be beneficial to setting up your diet.

Yup, straight ahead. If you want diabetes and you want it now, fast food like, straight ahead. And for only a dollar!

Essential Oils Technique Testing

I would like to thank all of you who helped me towards my CARE Class Assistant (CCA) status within CARE (Center for Aromatherapy Research and Education). I had my “return demo”, for the Vitaflex and Raindrop techniques, on Sunday evening with a CARE instructor from Vancouver Island, Canada. She is a SCCI (Supervising CARE instructor). She was also here in Salt Lake City attending the CARE Summit that was held here this year. She was a tough examiner. She failed her niece who took the same test I just did. Whew!!! I passed!

My next step is to continue my education to become a CCI (Certified Care Instructor) which entails doing more Vitaflex and Raindrops, written tests, assisting in teaching, teaching, viewing DVD’s on essential oils chemistry…….and more stuff.

In the meantime, we are having a great time at the Young Living Grand Convention here in Salt Lake City. Gaining lots of information to bring back to share.

If you were the unfortunate recipient of a nasty cut, you know what it's like to get stitches.  With a little local anesthetic and some skilled suturing, your cut looks much cleaner.  After a few days when the stitches come out, you barely notice there was even a wound.  So did the stitches do the healing?

Stitches and Chiropractic Adjustments have one thing in common… they can't ‘heal’ you.  Sure, both may be necessary after an injury.  But both can only create a cleaner environment for the healing to take place. Stitches align skin to seal a wound, adjustments align vertebrae to ease nerve pressure – but it's the healing power of Life inside you that completes the job. Take the best surgeon in the world and have them suture an incision on two different bodies. One alive and one, well, not alive. When the stitches are remove from the living breathing person you say “What a great doc!”. When the stitches are removed from the non-breathing one the wound opens. Well, that doc didn’t do a very good job, right? Wrong. There was no life force to do the healing.

The next time you come in for an adjustment to instantly fix your headache, your sciatica or your sleeping problems, understand it isn't the adjustment that produces the result.  It simply creates an environment more conducive for healing.  The doctor inside you is the one who deserves credit for the work.

A patient of 'A Wellness Place' is renting/selling a house in St. Louis and told him I would help him by posting it on my blog. It's a great place, I've been in it. You might know someone looking for a place too! Check it out from this link:

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5377-Bermuda-Dr-Saint-Louis-MO-63121/63712753_zpid/

National Men’s Health Week

National Men’s Health Week is celebrated each year as the week leading up to and including Father’s Day

National Men’s Health Week, a time to focus on preventable health problems and wellness and to encourage early detection and treatment of disease among men. It’s an annual reminder to exercise, eat healthy, quit tobacco, and get regular health screenings.

As a chiropractor and a man, I know changing our habits can be a challenge, it takes time. Change is easy, thinking about change is hard.  And sometimes the benefits aren’t immediately apparent.  We men are notoriously stubborn.  So it comes as no surprise to learn that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women are twice as likely as men to visit the doctor for annual exams and preventive services.  Women live longer than men, too. In chiropractic and medical practices alike, women take care of themselves more often.

Men can do better.  Today we have more knowledge and resources than ever to help us live healthier, smarter, and longer.  We just have to be willing to man up and take care of our health.  It starts with a few simple steps:

·  See your doctor for appropriate care and health screenings. .

·  Know your numbers.  Know your blood pressure, cholesterol level, and body mass index (BMI), NSFi (Neuro spinal function index), pronation index for the feet,  and maintain optimal control of these factors through diet, exercise, smoking cessation, chiropractic adjustments, spinal pelvic stabilizers.

·  Manage any health conditions you already have, such as diabetes, heart disease, or lung disease, and become a knowledgeable partner in your care with your healthcare provider. Know your options for care.

To quote Congressman Bill Richardson (Congressional Record, H3905-H3906, May 24, 1994):

“Recognizing and preventing men’s health problems is not just a man’s issue.
Because of its impact on wives, mothers, daughters, and sisters, men’s health is truly a family issue.”

Release the brakes on your nervous system

Do you ever feel like you're spinning your wheels when it comes to staying healthy?  You feel that you eat right and exercise correctly five days a week and try to get enough sleep – you've got the 'pedal to the metal' when it comes to staying fit, but something's holding you back.  Maybe it's time to pay more attention to your Nerve System.

Although you've got one foot on the gas, Subluxations can put the brakes on your progress.  Subluxations are troublesome misalignments in your spine that irritate your Nerve System and rob you of potential health energy.  The effect is like trying to drive with your foot on the brakes.  You've got your fitness throttle wide open, but you're going nowhere fast.

If you want to stop spinning your wheels when it comes to your health, prioritize your spinal care.  When it comes to unleashing more health horse power, nothing releases the brake like Chiropractic can.

Estrogen a Culprit in IBS (Inflammatory Bowel Disease)

Millions of women around the globe swear by hormone replacement to ease symptoms of menopause.

However, use of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) comes with health risks, and now gastrointestinal health may be a new addition to the growing list. According to new research, use of hormone replacement therapy may put women at greater risk for inflammatory bowel disease. The study, which looked at postmenopausal women taking HRT, found that while older women were at increased risk for ulcerative colitis, younger women experienced a greater risk of Crohn's. I have attached an article from http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/DDW/32794

Estrogen a Culprit in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

By Nancy Walsh, Staff Writer, MedPage Today

Published: May 20, 2012

Reviewed by Robert Jasmer, MD; Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco and Dorothy Caputo, MA, BSN, RN, Nurse Planner

Action Points

• Note that these studies were published as abstracts and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
• Postmenopausal women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are at increased risk for developing ulcerative colitis, whereas younger women using oral contraceptives are more likely to develop Crohn's disease.
• Note that it is unknown why the effects on inflammatory bowel disease would be different for estrogen levels associated with oral contraceptives compared with those with hormone replacement therapy.

SAN DIEGO -- Postmenopausal women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT) are at increased risk for developing ulcerative colitis, whereas younger women using oral contraceptives are more likely to develop Crohn's disease, a researcher said here during a session on inflammatory bowel disease.

Among current users of HRT, there was a 74% increase in risk of ulcerative colitis (HR 1.74, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.77), compared with women who had never taken hormone replacements, according to Hamed Khalili, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues.

But among premenopausal women, the aged-adjusted hazard ratio for Crohn's disease was 2.65 (95% CI 1.53 to 4.60) among those currently on oral contraceptives compared with those who had never used these agents, Khalili reported here during the annual Digestive Disease Week.

Estrogen is thought to have various effects on the intestinal barrier, modifying colonic permeability and mediating inflammation through effects on estrogen receptors, which could lead to changes in gut immunity.

However, previous research has been limited to retrospective analyses and small numbers, so Khalili and colleagues examined rates of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in the Nurses' Health Study, which began enrolling women in 1976.

For the postmenopausal HRT analysis, they included 108,589 women whose median age was 54 and who had no history of either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease.

During 1,891,153 person-years of follow-up, there were 138 new cases each of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis.

Risk of ulcerative colitis was increased not only among current users of HRT, but also among former users (HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.71).

The risk of ulcerative colitis was higher with longer use of HRT (P=0.02 for trend), but that risk dropped based on the length of time the woman had stopped HRT.

The adjusted risk was 2.11 (95% CI 1.16 to 3.84) among those who had not been taking the hormones for 5 years or less. The adjusted risk was 1.27 (95% CI 0.72 to −2.24) for those who had stopped more than 5 years previously.

The type of hormone therapy used did not appear to influence ulcerative colitis risk.

Among these older women, there was no association between HRT and Crohn's disease (HR 1.19, 95% CI 0.78 to 1.81), Khalili said.

In the oral contraceptive analysis, Khalili and colleagues followed 232,730 women for a total of more than 5 million person-years.

During that time, there were 309 cases of Crohn's disease and 362 cases of ulcerative colitis.

For Crohn's disease, the risk remained elevated even among past users of oral contraceptives (HR 1.50, 95% CI 1.13 to 1.98).

After adjustment for multiple reproductive factors including age at menarche, parity, and menopause status, the multivariate hazard ratios for Crohn's disease remained at 2.66 (95% CI 1.52 to 4.64) for those currently taking oral contraceptives and 1.40 (95% CI 1.06 to 1.86) for those who had done so in the past.

In contrast to the HRT study, this analysis found no link between oral contraceptives and risk for ulcerative colitis, with a multivariate adjusted hazard ratio of 1.22 (95% CI 0.71 to 2.09).

Together, these two analyses suggest that estrogen influences the biological pathways that lead to inflammatory bowel disease, Khalili said.

As to why the effects would be different for estrogen levels associated with oral contraceptives compared with those with hormone replacement therapy, he observed that "estrogen has pleiotropic effects," and there may be different risk factors at different ages, but said he had no specific mechanism to offer.

One implication of the study was that clinicians might advise women who have a strong family history of Crohn's disease to use other forms of birth control to minimize their chance of developing the condition.

Khalili had no financial disclosures.

One co-author is a consultant to Policy Analysis, and a second is a consultant for Bayer AG, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, and Pfizer.

Primary source: Digestive Disease Week
Source reference:
Khalili H, et al "Hormonal replacement therapy and risk of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease among postmenopausal women: results from a large prospective cohort of U.S. women" DDW 2012; Abstract 401.

Additional source: Digestive Disease Week
Source reference:
Khalili H, et al "Reproductive factos and risk of ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease: results from two large prospective cohorts of U.S. women" DDW 2012; Abstract 402.

My, how times have changed!

New Patient Celebration!

Energy Medicine

Like he said, energy is everything. Match the frequency. Everything in nature is vibrating at a frequency. That frequency will either mesh with yours or clash. Have you ever sat in an airplane or been on and elevator and just know you would really not want that person to sit or stand next to you, before they even got near you? Your frequencies did not match even that far away. Nutrition you consume, drugs you take. Frequencies.


 Sometimes your frequencies are out of tune. Ever see those balancing acts where they have plates spinning on top of a stick? After a while the plate starts to wobble and get out of balance and its frequency begins to diminish. There are many things we can do to 'balance our plate'. The right food, needed nutrients. Homeopathic remedies through FCT (Field Control Therapy), Meditation, quite time to lower excessive frequencies. Even essential oils 'vibrate' at different frequencies. The oils can be utilized to help balance our wobbly plate and balance our frequencies. Your nervous system is vibrating at its frequency. A well 'tuned' nervous system is essential to life. Your nervous system, through your spine, communicates with everything in your body. 


We eat 'different' foods to support our 'balanced' diet. We should incorporate 'different' natural help available: chiropractic, essential oils, homeopathy, meditation. Body mind spirit.

Here come the judge!

There's an honorable judge seated at the bench of your existence – watching, listening and ruling..... on every aspect of your health and performance with one purpose in mind… to maintain order.  How far reaching is it's influence in the court of your Life?

It presided over your prenatal growth.... from one cell to 100 trillion in your first nine months.  It ruled over your milestone development as an infant, your maturation throughout adolescence, and as an adult.......it continues to strike balance between the scales of breakdown and repair as you to heal and re-create yourself every single day.

No doctor.....can match its wisdom......no pill can sway its resolve.  When it comes to your health and ability to reach your peak potential, there's only one judge capable of keeping your body in order......the innate intelligence that built it in the first place.  Trust it.

The battle of the bulge

The battle of the bulge.

What is taking up your space?

I was able to reduce my 'space' by over 22 grapefruits! And I did not lose any tangerines!

I have helped numerous others do the same. Come into the office, lets talk!

Complete and thorough healing requires time

“Paint’s Not Dry Yet…”

You're a few weeks into your Chiropractic care and you're starting to feel better.  You want to get back to your routine as soon as possible.  There's a ton to do around the house, the garden, you've got a family to take care of and you can't wait to get back to the gym.  You have an urgency to start 'living' again.  Problem is… the paint's not quite dry yet.

It's not uncommon to feel 'done' after a few adjustments. When the innate recuperative abilities of your body kick in, you might look and feel remarkably new – like a fresh coat of paint. But like a fresh coat of paint, looks can be deceiving.  What seems completely dry (healed) on the surface may still have a few tacky areas underneath. It is similar to casting a broken bone. After a couple of days it ‘feels’ better, but, the bone is not mended yet. If you jump the gun and try to re-hang the fixtures, you might ruin the finish and need to start all over again.

Complete and thorough healing requires time.  Even though you may feel like your old self after a few Chiropractic sessions, it's no green light to go back to your old activities.  The stabilizing phase of care (where you feel so good you wonder why you're still coming in) is where all the 'paint curing' happens.  Give your body the time it needs to completely dry and you'll be happier with the end results. 

Healing is a process of RE-creating yourself

The Sixth Principle in Chiropractic states there is no process which does not require time, including the healing process.  BJ Palmer (the developer of Chiropractic) believed that with time and clarity in the nerve system, the body could heal itself in just about any situation.

A sick cell is replaced by a healthy one – healthy cells become healthy tissues – healthy tissues become healthy organs – healthy organs make a healthy human being.  The conversion from sickness to wellness is an innate process that can only be performed by the doctor within you, via a well toned nerve system.

Healing is therefore a process of RE-creating yourself, one cell at a time, over a period of time.  The power that made your body is more than capable of converting you from sickness to wellness.  All it needs is a clear pathway and enough sand in the hour glass to accomplish it.

Symptoms are your body's attempt to save itself

A family physician tells his patient "There are 3 stages of pain. The first stage, the pain is bad enough to catch your attention. The second stage it takes hold of you, and at the third stage it finally compels you to do something about it."  The patient asks his doctor, "When it gets to stage three what should I do?"  Without a blink, the doctor turns to him and says "take some Motrin…" (A true and all too often sad story)

The worst part is the patient actually thought it was good advice.  When he relays the story to his Chiropractor, the Chiropractor responds "If your smoke detector went off in your home, the 1st time it would probably catch your attention…  the 2nd time it would most likely take hold of you.  But if it went off a 3rd time and you were finally compelled to do something, would you take the batteries out so you wouldn't have to hear it anymore?  "Of course not," the patient replied "that would be stupid…" The patient got the point.

The moral of the story… Symptoms are your body's attempt to save itself.  Masking your symptoms (whether it’s pain, nausea, diarrhea or fever) with drugs doesn't fix the problem, it can actually make the situation worse.  Wouldn’t it be smarter to get to the CAUSE of the problem and deal with it the RIGHT way.  That's why they call Chiropractors DC's  because they are Doctors of finding the Cause! 

Chiropractic and Head Forward Posture

(borrowed from scienceinbrief.com)

Hyperkyphotic Posture 

 (Dowagers hump, extreme head forward posture, those people who walk around like they are looking on the ground for something. 

Stuff in red is from me) 

Predicts Mortality in Older

Community-Dwelling Men and Women: a prospective study ¹

Some of this is technical, but all very informative. 

The Facts:

a. The authors studied the association between thoracic hyperkyphosis and mortality in over 1300 individuals with a mean age of 73.

b. If the individual laid on their back and was unable to rest the head on the table without putting the neck into hyperextension they were considered to have thoracic hyperkyphosis.

c.   Patients were followed for an average of 4.2 years.

d.   Those "with hyperkyphotic posture had greater mortality rates. Increased severity of "kyphotic posture" appeared to be associated with a higher risk of mortality.

Discussion: Obviously, the inability to bring the head back to neutral resting position COULD be also caused by factors other than thoracic hyperkyphosis, but what's important here is that POSTURE appears to be associated with early mortality. Interestingly, thoracic kyphosis was found to be twice as common in men (44%) as women(22%) in this study, which seems to be at odds with conventional thought that thoracic hyperkyphosis is commonly caused by osteoporosis, a condition much more common in women.

The "NORMAL" Thoracic Kyphosis (curve)...

              Obviously, a radiographic evaluation of the T spine gives us a much more accurate idea of the sagittal curvature.

              Harrison defined the thoracic kyphosis as ELLIPTICAL in shape, having a Jackson's (Cobb) angle of 44.2 degrees from T1-T-12. Realizing the difficulty of visualizing both T1 and T12 on the radiograph, Harrison recalculated the model to reflect a thoracic kyphosis of 33.3 degrees between T 3 and T10. ²

Vaz et al, define the average thoracic kyphosis as 47 degrees in healthy young adults. ³

Boseker et al, defined a range of "normalcy" between 20-50 degrees in healthy children. ⁴

So you can see that opinions vary as to what is actually normal. I encourage interested readers to come to do some reading and establish in their mind what they consider to be the appropriate upper limits of thoracic kyphosis. Personally, I generally tend to view curves in excess of 40 degrees (as measured from T3-T10) as suspect. That's just my opinion based on my reading of the literature, but 40 degrees is an upper limit you will find frequently cited. Regardless of which value you consider appropriate, it is important to have some sort of firm upper limit, above which you will start considering clinical intervention.

Clinical Management:

A number of tools have been looked at for treating thoracic hyperkyphosis but definitive research is still sorely lacking. Some options you may want to consider are exercise, bracing, and spinal remodeling (chiropractic). Here are two simple, inexpensive tools I have found to be helpful.

Thoracic Rolls

One method of actively addressing the thoracic kyphosis is to simply place the patient over a large foam roll (in the 10-13" diameter range work well for this), have them cross their arms on their chest and raise their hips up, and then "roll" themselves up and down over the roll by alternately flexing and extending the knees. This does two things. First, it introduces a fulcrum effect into the mid T spine to help reduce the kyphosis. Secondly the rolling motion helps mobilize the spine and costovertebral articulations to promote a reduction of kyphosis.

  

Thoracic Arch

                      Another method is to simply allow the patient to passively rest over a foam roll or fulcrum, working up from 1 minute to 20-30 minutes. This time frame allows for stretching of the paraspinal tissues to occur and for the spine to "remodel" into a reduced kyphosis.  

I generally start with the patient over the arch with the fulcrum at the apex of the kyphosis as shown above. Once they can comfortably relax for the full 20-30 minutes without any problems or soreness, I place a 1" spacer beneath the arch to raise it up and increase the leverage effect into the mid thoracics. Occasionally, I may end up placing an additional spacer or two as needed to effectively introduce extension into the thoracics.

References:

1.Kado DM, Huang MH, Karlamangla AS, Barett-Connor E, Greeendale GA. Hyperkyphotic posture predicts mortality in older community-dwelling men and women: a prospective study. JAGS 2004;52:1662-7

2. Harrison DE, Janik TJ, Harrison DD, Cailliet R, Harmon SF. Can the thoracic kyphosis be modeled with a simple geometric shape? The results of circular and elliptical modeling in 80 asymptomatic patients. J. Spiinal Disord Tech. 2002 Jun;15(3):213-20.

3. Vaz G, Roussouly P, Berthonnaud E, Dimnet J. Sagittal morphology and equilibrium of pelvis and spine.Eur Spine J. 2002 Feb;11(1):80-7.

4. Boseker EH, Moe JH, Winter RB, Koop SE. Determination of "normal" thoracic kyphosis: a roentgenographic study of 121 "normal" children. J Pediatr Orthop.2000 Nov-Dec;20(6):796-8.