Setting Intention for a Happy ^ Healthy 2013

For the early part of my life, I remember setting resolutions on January 1^st. These were goals that were usually pretty grand. Not long ago, I started thinking about how I could set goals that I could not only manage but reach. Do you remember the movie, “What about Bob” with Bill Murray? It was all about the baby steps and creating new habits and patterns. I’m going to use those concepts myself to create healthier habits and patterns. While I eat healthy most of the time, and have been getting more exercise, there are other things I want to add to my life that will be a part of me to create more balance and a sense of well-being.

I was a competitive tennis player starting when I was about 12 and continued until the age of 30. I was able to maintain a very healthy and happy body even through my late 40’s. Then all of the sudden I found myself overwhelmed with life. Dealing with a very bad injury that was causing constant pain for several years, unable to get a restful sleep combined with trying to maintain a practice and being “present” for my young child. Things snowballed and all of the sudden I found myself  40 lbs overweight and struggling to find the way to get myself feeling as great as I did before the injury.

For me, I know that setting small goals and taking baby steps is the answer for me to maintain my intention throughout the year. So, that is my plan and I’m sticking to it. Here are my ideas that I hope you will also find helpful.

The Keys to a Healthy 2013

1.       Get plenty of good sleep. Adults require 7 to 8 hours of “good” sleep to stay healthy. Anything less than that will not allow your body to heal as it should. To get a more restful sleep, try the following:

a.       Sit in a relaxed way prior to bed…without the TV or radio on. Think about something that makes you happy…like walking in the mountains or on the beach. Strive for 5 minutes but if you can only manage 2 minutes, it is a great start.

b.      Drink and eat fewer foods that are stimulating after 3pm (ie sugary foods or foods with chemicals, caffeine, chocolate, etc.)

2.       Create a positive mental attitude. There is a great book by Bruce Lipton, PhD called “The Biology of Belief”. He talks about how we can create great health just by creating healthy thoughts.

Create a Gratitude Journal. Spend 1 minute every day writing down what you feel grateful for. There is a lot of evidence that feeling grateful for something every day and expressing it will change the way you feel.  And if you are grateful for a person in your life, don’t forget to tell them!

3.       Exercise or movement. I had a clinician while I was doing my internship that used to walk around the hallways shouting, “movement is life”. Not only does movement keep your blood flowing through your body at a higher level, that blood brings oxygen which is vital to keeping our cells healthy. Start with 2 minutes per day…walking in place….doing a sun salutation or two …jumping jacks…whatever it is that is something you think you can do and will do. Finding an exercise you like is most important so that it does not become “work”. If you like to dance, put uplifting music on and dance for a few minutes. Increase this every week by 1 minute. If you have a dog that you walk, go for a brisker and longer walk. Start creating the habit of getting your body moving by finding a time every day to create this new pattern. The added benefit is increased endorphins flowing through your body which will create a feeling of happiness!

4.       Eating healthy. By keeping to our theme of baby steps, let’s say you have a diet with sugar, grains, other chemicals (found in pre-packaged food or caffeine) and not a big fan of vegetables, we will keep this easy. Find one thing you can begin to change immediately. Don’t go for the whole enchilada…that’s too difficult to maintain. So, if you drink 3 cups of caffeine per day, with sugar. Start by making it half decaf and start decreasing the sugar. Also, none of that refined sugar crap…go with raw organic sugar. If you are drinking tea, replace the sugar with honey. Start by changing one thing and working on building that each week but incorporating more whole foods like vegetables and fruits and less packaged products into your diet you will find that you feel much better.

5.       Start decreasing the amount of gluten in the diet. Most people I know don’t even know what it is and how it can be affecting them. Gluten is found in most grains and packaged products. When it breaks down in the body can cause inflammation. It can cause the foggy feeling in your head that you notice after eating and may be the reason why you are exhausted in the evening. Try going gluten-free for 1 week and notice the difference in how you feel. You might be surprised!

6.       Reduce stressors. Find the stressor that is causing you the most grief, sit down, and work on how you can decrease the problem. Develop a map as to resolve this.  Receiving body work is a great way to release the stress from your body, which may give you the “opening” to find a solution to your stressor. There is also a great Chiropractic technique called Logan which stimulates the part of the nervous system that will allow you to feel relaxed, have less thoughts running around your brain, and releases endorphins. If you’ve been dealing with stress for a long time, your body might have forgotten how to get back to “normal”. This type of adjustment works wonders!

7.       Keeping the immune system strong.

a.       Vitamin D is essential to keeping us healthy. It’s cheap and easy to find in the store and particularly important to supplement during the winter months.

b.      White blood cells are the key to devouring those “bad” viral and bacterial invaders in our body. Chiropractic adjustments release extra white blood cells to keep you healthy.

c.       To make sure you have enough good bacteria in your gut, which helps to kill those viruses and bacteria, take a good probiotic (before meals to have the best effect).

d.      Make sure your nervous system is working at its’ best. The nervous system is what controls and coordinates the functioning of all of our organs. If there is impedance to it working optimally, the organs will start being stressed and may cause dis-ease or lack of health. Chiropractic is what will keep your nervous system working well so you can achieve optimal health.   

People are continually amazed at how I can be exposed to “germs” (when my sick patients come in for their adjustments) and not get sick. I do attribute it to receiving regular adjustments to keep my immune system strong, taking Vitamin D and a good probiotic, getting lots of sleep, and eating really healthy foods (only “good” grains, lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, healthy nuts), and believing I won’t get sick. I will work on exercising daily this year as I do feel and look better when I do.

Just remember to do what you can. If you are not sticking with your plan, don’t beat yourself up. Just reassess and figure out how to move forward. Remember, this is not about doing something for a week or two. You are creating a healthier lifestyle. So relax and enjoy the journey.

Wishing you a very Happy and Healthy 2013!

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Nugget--Foods-that-heal--foods-that-inflame.html?soid=1109295818860&aid=GFCdjfyIkc8

http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Nugget--Foods-that-heal--foods-that-inflame.html?soid=1109295818860&aid=GFCdjfyIkc8

Doula helped by Chiropractic

My take on avoiding future tragedies.

As I sit here reflecting on the day of my birth on the tragedy in Connecticut, the deep sadness I feel is immense. My heart is so heavy, not only for the families directly affected, but for our country. While I am grateful that I still have my daughter to hug, the pain I feel in my heart is so deep, like a knife has gone through it. How could this tragedy have happened, or better yet, why do these tragedies keep happening? Like many problems, we tend to focus on the symptoms or the superficial aspects and not look deeply at the cause (s).

I didn't seek to have a child, it just happened like a miracle. I had felt for a long time that the world was becoming so dangerous that it wasn't a place I wanted to bring a child into. To me, it seemed like people were becoming increasingly disconnected from their families and communities. Life was becoming crazy, from the increased cost of housing to goods and services. Vacations were minimal in most people's lives and it just felt that there was not a sense of balance or ease in the world. Then the miracle happened at the age of 44. I was pregnant and I was so thrilled. While I was still worried about raising my daughter in a crazy world like this, I was hoping that I could, at least, provide some safety net for her.

I don't claim to be an expert on these matters but I have some strong feelings about what has happened to our country...and why we keep seeing these tragedies. Not only the mass shootings, but the horrific murders that occur regularly.

There is no doubt that we must change our gun laws. What is the purpose of being able to carry a semi-automatic weapon except for mass murder. Limiting ammunition rounds is a great start but if someone wants to protect themselves, do they really need to have more than one gun? Maybe there are exceptions that could be looked at on a case-by-case basis for those with "real" needs. Of course having more extensive background checks and re-licensing, like you do with your car, sounds like a great idea.

But, limiting guns is still only treating the symptom. If not guns, the assailant might use knives or a bomb. What is the reason that these people are becoming so violent? While we certainly need to limit the types of guns people can possess, let's take a look at the "why" this has become such a problem.

One area that I think we need to address is the gratuitous violence we see, not only in TV shows and the movies but in video games. There becomes a numbing effect and desensitization when someone is exposed to violence regularly. It becomes to some, acceptable. Even young children are exposed to violence in animated shows. And, it has been shown that extended use of screens (TV, computers, etc.) can be linked to behavioral changes. Check out this video for more info. Watching the news on TV can also be very depressing. I stopped watching the news after 9/11, and greatly reduced watching the TV in general since that time. If you have a tendency towards depression, being glued to the tube can put you into a black hole that is hard to pull out of.

Look at the food that is offered. So many chemicals in most store bought items that are toxic to the brain. MSG, refined sugar, food dyes, etc., can cause damage to the brain. Even grains and gluten can cause inflammation. You know that foggy feeling you have after eating grains, that is inflammation. It might be subtle at first, but if you eat a really healthy diet for a few weeks that is whole food based and then eat something "bad", you will notice how horrible you feel. Having a regular diet of processed foods and soda can cause behavioral problems including anger and rage. One of the first things I do as a pediatric chiropractor working with a child with ADD/ADHD and behavioral problems is clean out their diet.

Harris Coulter, PhD, a medical researcher and historian, discusses in his book, "Vaccination, Social Violence, and Criminality", how vaccines can change the brain. Through his extensive research, he describes the range of neurological damage that can occur from mild to severe inflammation of the brain, aka encephalitis. It can express itself from the child having staring spells, difficulty crawling, eye problems (cross eyed or repetitive eye movements), ear infections to convulsions. Other effects can be a disruption in their sleeping, hyperactivity, lowered resistance to infection, and allergies (food and otherwise). 

Dr. Coulter describes certain personality changes that occur after the damage and some people that have had inflammation of the brain may be fascinated by burning buildings, given to outbursts of rage, and have a tendency towards impulsive behavior, including suicide. They rarely show remorse for what they have done as they probably see it outside of their ability to control it. "Vaccination, Social Violence, and Criminality develops the thesis that the "sociopathic personality" which has emerged on a mass scale in recent decades -- and which is responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime and social violence -- is causally linked to the childhood vaccination programs. In other words, vaccination causes encephalitis which in turn leads to these post- encephalitic states and conditions." For more info on this subject, check out this online article. 

Then we have to look at the narcotics regularly given out to our children for depression, ADD and ADHD. It's criminal when you think about how over prescribed these medications are that cross into the brain. Do you know that if your child has been on Ritalin, they can never serve in the military? It's because it is a Class II Narcotic and having received this medication as a child will change the blood chemistry of the brain.

The side effects from Ritalin include: agitation, nervousness, anxiety, insomnia, depression, craving cocaine, aggression, hallucinations and more! Side effects from Prozac include: mania, loss of one's own self of reality and thoughts of suicide. Gwen Olsen, a woman who worked as a drug rep for 15 years learned the hard way about the problems with anti-depressants. Not only did she have severe side effects, her niece committed suicide from the roller coaster she was on in connection with these types of drugs. 

I was listening on the radio to a report about one mom whose teenage son had depression. It was recommended that he start an anti-depressant by his doctor. They started the medication and he started having behavioral problems and his depression greatly deepened. When they realized this, they slowly withdrew his medication. One of the problems with SSRI's is that you just can't stop taking the medication. After the drugs were out of his system she realized that he was just going through normal teenage "stuff" and just working through these issues with talk therapy. 

We have some major work to do as a culture and country. Taking a pill for every ill does not get to the root cause of the problem, and can create new ones. Vaccinations need to be examined by people that do not have a vested interest. Countries like Japan that don't vaccinate until a child is 2 years old has a much lower Infant Mortality rate than the U.S. and much lower crime rate. Even the CDC has people making recommendations not based on science but personal interest. TV "personalities" and politicians need to ratchet down their hate speech. Movie and TV studios must have less gratuitous violence in their productions. And, there must be stricter gun regulations. 

Getting more connected with your family, neighbors and community and spending less time in front of the "boob tube", computer and video games are great starts. Increased exercise and time outdoors, less homework, and a focus on the arts for children will reduce their level of anxiety and depression and will allow young children a way to get out that excess energy they have. Even decreasing the after-school activities will reduce your and your child's stress. Running from place to place increases anxiety in many. Teaching your child how to reduce stress through deep breathing and not running away from their problems through being connected electronically will help them to resolve conflict. And realizing that some problems take work to resolve that a pill won't. There are a lot of wonderful natural healing therapies that are appropriate for children such as Chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture, homeopathy, yoga therapy and more that get to the root of the problem and not just treat the symptom. With the support of our communities and our government (with input from us) taking the appropriate action,.we can have a brighter future for our children. 

Audio Recording: 'EPISODE 3: Using Chiropractic Care to Re-bala...' From 'Holistic Life Designs Net...'

Here's a recording of an interview that I did.

Audio Recording: 'EPISODE 3: Using Chiropractic Care to Re-bala...' From 'Holistic Life Designs Net...'

How can the body heal itself?

We are born with the wonderful wisdom called Innate Intelligence. Innate Intelligence is the “thing” that allows a sperm and an egg to come together and form a zygote. It then divide thousands of times before differentiating into the cells that make up our brain and nervous system. From the creation of the brain and nervous system, the body then “creates” all the cells that make up our organs. Since the brain is the master computer and the nervous system is how the body communicates between the brain and the rest of the body, it only makes sense that it is created first. 

It is this Inner Wisdom that allows the body to create a fever when the body has been invaded by a viral or bacterial infection. This intelligence allows our body to eliminate either through the bowels or orally when we’ve ingested food that has gone bad. When we eliminate in this fashion our body is working well to keep us healthy.

Innate Wisdom teaches our body to heal from a wound, to create the best flora in our gut that allows our immune system to work. It’s what causes the tickle in our chest that prompts a cough and it’s what creates mucous in our sinuses that allows us to discharge a virus or bacteria that is trying to find a home.

This wisdom not only created us from two cells but it also created a “system” to keep us healthy.

Symptoms are ways that are body knows it is time to go into action, to destroy or eliminate invaders. A high fever is designed to kill bacteria while a low grade fever kills viruses. By suppressing these symptoms, we go against nature, against the natural healing ability of the body.

Our Innate Intelligence allows our body to create whatever “drug” our body needs to heal. When it does so, the immune system gets stronger, not weaker. Each time we get sick and we allow our body to heal itself, just like exercise makes us stronger, so does allowing this Wisdom to do the healing.

I’m not suggesting that there is not a time or place for medications. Sometimes there is but remember that drugs do the work for your body. They don’t create health and in many instances, you might find that you are sicker longer. Because most drugs have side effects, you can create new problems. For instance, when you take an antibiotic, you wipe out the good bacteria that are an integral part of our immune system.

When you allow the nervous system to work as it should, unimpeded, it will release the natural healing ability of the body. The first cells that differentiated when the sperm and egg united created the nervous system (and brain) because it is the nervous system (and brain) that created all the other cells and organs of the body. While the brain directs the healing activities of the body, it’s the nervous system that carries out the orders for healing.

So, how do you keep the nervous system working optimally so the body can heal itself? How can you allow the Innate Wisdom of the body to continue to function so perfectly that you can get healthy? Easy. Chiropractors are trained in finding and removing interference to the nervous system allowing your body to not only heal itself, but stay healthy. When the interference (subluxations) are gone, the Innate Wisdom is free to start doing her job. By combining Chiropractic care with lifestyle modifications (stress reduction, diet, exercise, rest), you and your family can start getting healthier today. Chiropractic care is extremely safe and people love the way it makes them feel. Give your Innate Wisdom an opportunity to fully express itself and let the healing begin!

Move-a-ment is Life!

As I was walking on Thanksgiving morning and enjoying the feeling of moving my body on a beautiful day, I started thinking about a clinician during my internship who used to walk the halls saying, "move-a-ment is life". He was an Italian man with about 50 years experience as a Chiropractor and was revered by the staff and interns. During my internship, I had the opportunity to observe him adjusting tiny little babies with ease and confidence. He had shared his wealth of knowledge and experience in seeing all sorts of health problems turn around with Chiropractic care.

And while we all know how important it is to move our body regularly to stay healthy, you might not realize the significance that movement plays in other areas of our body. First of all, when we move our body, we are helping our blood to get oxygenated which helps our cells to get healthier. Since our cells comprise the essential components of everything and make up our organs, keeping them healthy is critical.

As Chiropractors, we put movement in areas of the spine that are restricted. The "adjustment" that Chiropractors perform to free up these restricted areas (also called subluxations), allows the spine to become more flexible. Increased flexibility = less degeneration (arthritis) in the spine = increased vitality and the ability to enjoy life. 

While improved flexibility is fantastic as it will help us to enjoy (and become better at) our athletic endeavors and experience less pain, there is so much more. The real miracle occurs when this increased flexibility also allows the nervous system to work better. Since the nervous system is the part of our body that controls and coordinates the functioning of all of our organs, when we get the nerves to work better....life becomes better. Our organs can begin the healing process and our health improves. 

Taking care of your spine is as important for living a long, happy, healthy and pain-free life as moving your body daily to keep your cells full of fresh oxygen. Remember, "Move-a-ment IS Life"!

To find out more about how Chiropractic can help you get healthy, visit our website at www.TarlowChiropractic.com.