In these modern times, the entire world seems to be more and more dependent on drugs. Drugs in war and drugs in peace, drugs to kill insects, drugs to wake you up and drugs to make you sleepy, drugs to speed you up and drugs to slow you down, drugs to relieve pain, drugs for every phase of life, young and old alike. Does this make any sense to you? It makes no sense to me!

More and more, the medical profession is questioning the misuse and overuse of prescribed drugs and are showing serious concern about the side effects of these drugs as well as the potential risk of addiction to them. We can’t listen to the radio, watch television or read a magazine advertisement without being alarmed by excessive urging for us to take drugs or give them to our children for every type of disorder. Take a moment and notice just how this advertising directly affects you and your family. Look in your medicine cabinet at home or your purse and your desk drawer at work. What form of medication do you rely upon? Is it any wonder people suffer needlessly from stress, nervous tension, digestive disorders, headaches and chronic pain? I ask you to STOP and research how you can escape from this medicine trap.

Doctors of Chiropractic do not prescribe drugs. For over 114 years, chiropractors have empowered people to understand that every function of the body is controlled and directed through the nerve system. Health comes from within. When the nerve system is clear of any interference and the communication from the brain to organs and tissues is 100%, the function of the body will be normal, and normal function brings health.

Doctors of Chiropractic focus on the significance of the spinal column as the key to health. The spinal column is the strength and serves as support for the body. It connects the larger bones and the attachment of major muscles. And most important, the spinal column houses the spinal cord and contains openings between the vertebrae for nerves to exit and provide direct communication between the brain and the body. Thus, the spine is the master control centre for the entire nerve system and the key to health!

During our busy everyday lives we experience different forms of stress such as physical stress (accidents, falls, lifting heavy objects, etc.), emotional stress (children, work, divorce, etc.), and chemical stress (processed foods, drugs, pollution, etc.) These forms of stress can cause misalignment of the spinal bones resulting in interruption of nerve flow and proper communication from the brain to the rest of the body. This is called a vertebral subluxation and results in diminished body function, lowered immune resistance and ultimately diseases.

Chiropractic care is a health care approach based upon the body’s natural ability to heal itself and is a very important step in a commitment to optimal health. Optimal health is one of our most valuable possessions. We should value ourselves enough to strive for the highest level of health. When we take responsibility for the choices we make regarding health, we give ourselves the best opportunity to achieve all of our health goals. Chiropractic care can help give us the natural health we deserve when we commit to learning more about our body and take all of the necessary steps to stay well.

I believe that our society is:

Too quick to rely on drugs

Too quick to consent to surgery

Too quick to give away our power and decision making abilities to others

In a time when our society is making more responsible decisions about our environment, it seems logical that we would also look for a more holistic, more natural approach toward health care. It makes perfect sense to follow the laws of nature in caring for our bodies. How does chiropractic care fit into this approach?

Chiropractors educate patients to understand that the human body has the ability to heal itself. A chiropractic adjustment removes any interference in the nerve system, which may be preventing the body from healing itself. When the nerve system is free from interference, the body can heal naturally. Clearly, chiropractic care is one of the first action steps we should take when dealing with a health concern. Chiropractic care is drugless, noninvasive and far less risky than many conventional medical approaches.

Medical care does serve an important role in a crisis situation when emergency care is needed. However, no drug or surgical procedure can restore the vital life energy that is halted by a subluxation (misaligned vertebrae that “chokes” on the nerve). Only a chiropractic adjustment can restore the natural pathway of communication and allow healing to take place.

There is no doctor in the world more powerful than the inborn “doctor” within our own bodies. You are your own “Master Healer” and you know precisely how to run and maintain a healthy body.

Therefore...

Natural and safe approaches to optimizing health should always come first

Chiropractic care is the number one recognized natural health care system in the world

Drug intervention should occur only when absolutely necessary

Surgery should be considered only as a last resort

Call your chiropractor to set an appointment and discover a natural and safe approach to optimal health!

Flexibility is great for your health. Flexibility may help you thrive in the years to come. When individuals are taught to be flexible, it means they are pliable, adaptable, and responsive to change. The dictionary elaborates on this definition by adding, “… the ability of persons or things to accommodate to changing conditions.”

Many of us know people who are quite stiff, regimented and have a very difficult time relaxing. These people may have a difficult time accepting and adjusting to new circumstances. Being inflexible can add stress to relationships and become damaging to our health. In fact, research shows that being rigid and inflexible in our beliefs and behaviours can lead to heart disease. After suffering a heart attack, the medical doctor usually encourages the patient to “learn to relax,” that is, become more flexible in life.

Flexibility is a term we can apply to our physical bodies in addition to our attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. Physically speaking we can look at the spinal column as a good example of “accommodating changing conditions,” because it is the most flexible joint in the body.

Research shows us that the body tends to grow less flexible as we age. Physical inflexibility may begin with stress and eventually lead to the interference of nerve function. When flexibility has been lost in certain areas of the spine, the spinal bones begin to degenerate and may eventually become so malformed that nerve function becomes blocked.

Chiropractors, who regularly see what happens to the spine when flexibility has been lost in certain areas, specialize in looking at the spine to see when and where the spinal bones have become rigid or misaligned. This abnormality is one aspect of what chiropractors call a “vertebral subluxation.”

If the subluxations are not corrected, overall health can be compromised. Many health symptoms may occur when the spinal bones become inflexible or misaligned. Low back or neck pain may be the first signal that spinal bones are misaligned. It is critical to have regular spinal evaluations to identify developing issues before they develop into more serious ones. If spinal bones remain subluxated and uncorrected they can begin to degenerate, reducing the size of the passageway through which nerves pass. This is one way nerve impulses are hindered from reaching certain areas of the body. One possible effect of this degeneration is that uncorrected low back pain may lead to loss of bladder control because necessary nerve signals were interrupted.

The bones of the spinal column encase and protect the delicate nerves passing through the spinal cord. This is why it is so important that the spine remain flexible and free of nerve interference in response to body movement. When the body is stiff, rigid and inflexible, it will have a breakdown in health.

Chiropractors help you maintain physical flexibility throughout the entire spine with regular spinal adjustments. Call your chiropractor for an appointment so that you can optimize your health by maintaining flexibility of attitude, behaviour and body.

Oh what a crazy time we live in! It seems that I cannot open my iGoogle account without seeing hysteria on the flu. So, in an effort to ease your pain and suffering, I offer the following:

Protect Yourself from the Flu!

De-stress – Stress is NOT bad. It is designed to get your body into a “fight or flight” mode. That is, it is designed to get you out of the stressful situation. Fight or flight occurs so you can run away from the stressor(s) or fight the stressor(s). We are NOT to stay in the stressful situation! It is so important to cultivate a less stressful life. There are books written on this and there is not enough time or space in this article to go over the ways to de-stress, but I know that if you are reading this article, you already know at least one thing you could do to reduce your stress level! Like the Nike commercial says, “Just Do It!”

Get Enough Sleep – This activity ties into idea #1, de-stress. Sleep is when you recover from the stresses of the day – physical and emotional. If you lack sleep, your body’s immune system will be lowered and that makes you more susceptible to getting sick. Ideally you want to get 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night and do your best to be in bed by 10!

Drink Water – Again, I know that if you’re reading this article you’ve already heard much about how much water to drink. Let me put your mind at ease as to how much to drink, especially if you are not mathematically inclined. You need to drink enough water to keep the colour of your urine pale yellow. Certain colours of your urine can indicate problems, diseases or imbalances in your diet, especially your water intake. How simple is that?

Eat Organic – Local organic foods have much less toxins that stress your body and make you more susceptible to getting the flu. Also, organic foods are more nutritionally balanced in that they have not been given just the nutrients that make them grow faster. They provide you with more vitamins and minerals to boost your immune system. Next best choice is local fruits and veggies. They will have more nutritional value than something picked unripe more than a thousand miles away.

Antioxidants – Antioxidants protect your body from damage caused from free radicals. Antioxidants include the ACE vitamins – Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Vitamin E. But these are not the only ones. Beta carotene, selenium and lycopene are also important. Most of these are found in the dark and bright fruits & veggies such as berries, carrots, broccoli etc.

Vitamin D - Although Vitamin D is not an antioxidant, it is necessary for immune function and to reduce inflammation. We are heading into the cloudy season here in the Okanagan and it will be necessary to supplement Vitamin D.

Lastly, Move Your Spine Properly – Doing something active everyday is a very important aspect to being healthy. More than 50% of the nerves that sense movement are in the spine and they “charge” your brain and that is why exercise & Chiropractic are good for you! Having a properly moving spine can boost your immune system and counteract the free radicals that are produced from exercise. Also, you don’t have to start with intense workouts in the gym, anything is a good start. Do something that you can, it will boost your confidence to do more to get to that place where you’re “sweating up a storm.” Start with something simple like walking, then progress to biking, swimming, all the way up to cross-­country skiing! Remember, Chiropractic care will help keep you active and allow you to get better results from exercising!

Well, there you have it. My list of seven simple things you can do to help ward off all variants of the flu and other infectious diseases. As the season progresses, I will unpack many of the ideas above, but if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at okankiro@gmail.com!

Yours in health,

Dr. Troy