The spine is also designed to protect your spinal cord, which connects a series of nerves to your brain, and allows you to control your movement. Without your spinal cord, you could not move, and your organs could not function. In order to stay healthy, keeping your spine and spinal cord healthy and functional should be at the top of your list.

The spine is made of 24 bones, called vertebrae. A normal spine will have an S-shaped curve when you look at it from the side. This allows for an even distribution of weight, and keeps you healthy as you move day to day. When you experience stress, injury, disease, or trauma, this curve can begin to change. Nerves are affected or injured, and respond accordingly. Over time, this can have a profound impact on your overall health.

Chiropractic care is designed to keep your spine adjusted and working properly. When the spine doesn’t function properly, it loses its ability to protect your nerves. And if your nerve system isn’t protected, it allows problems to creep in, causing damage throughout your system. If caught early enough, adjustments can improve the condition of your spine. While it may not be able to correct your spine to original condition, major improvements can be made over time. And the only way you can see if chiropractic care is a solution for you is to start with comprehensive initial consultation.

We are a Blair Chiropractic office, and start with a series of x-rays to find out the current condition of your spine. We believe in educating you along the way – the only way to gain improvement is if you take control over your health, and help your body improve.

Are you ready for better health? Stop by for your initial consultation today.

The fact is, stress is real. It’s something you can actually track and measure. Science shows that higher stress levels can lead to a variety of health problems. The good news is your stress can be managed.

Stress management starts with identifying the sources of stress in your life. This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Your true sources of stress aren’t always obvious, and it’s all too easy to overlook your own stress-inducing thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Sure, you may know that you’re constantly worried about work deadlines. But maybe it’s your procrastination, rather than the actual job demands, that leads to deadline stress.

If your methods of coping with stress aren’t contributing to your greater emotional and physical health, it’s time to find healthier ones. There are many healthy ways to manage and cope with stress, but they all require change. You can either change the situation or change your reaction. When deciding which option to choose, it’s helpful to think of the four A’s: avoid, alter, adapt, or accept.

Learn how to say “no”
Know your limits and stick to them. Whether in your personal or professional life, refuse to accept added responsibilities when you’re close to reaching the goal. Taking on more than you can handle is a surefire recipe for stress.

Avoid people who stress you out
If someone consistently causes stress in your life and you can’t turn the relationship around, limit the amount of time you spend with that person or end the relationship entirely.

Take control of your environment
If the evening news makes you anxious, turn the TV off. If traffic’s got you tense, take a longer but less-traveled route. If going to the market is an unpleasant chore, do your grocery shopping online.

Avoid hot-button topics
If you get upset over religion or politics, cross them off your conversation list. If you repeatedly argue about the same subject with the same people, stop bringing it up or excuse yourself when it’s the topic of discussion.

Pare down your to-do list
Analyze your schedule, responsibilities, and daily tasks. If you’ve got too much on your plate, distinguish between the “shoulds” and the “musts.” Drop tasks that aren’t truly necessary to the bottom of the list or eliminate them entirely.

Take time for yourself
It doesn’t have to be hours every day; even something simple can do the trick. A bubble bath before bed. Reading a chapter in a book when you get home from work. A great massage once a month. And your regular trip to the chiropractor to help keep your body in top shape.

You can take control of your stress – are you ready?

Yes, there are times when the drugs that they produce save lives.  I am not disputing that.  However, most of the drugs they produce and market have nothing to do with saving lives; they are symptom cover ups and quick fixes for things that healthy living and a positive attitude would correct.  It’s a branch of legal drug trade that I have a problem with.  We now have 1 in 6 adults in this country on Prozac or a similar “lifestyle” drugs, we have nearly 8 million children on Ritalin, we have antibiotics that are over prescribed by at least 50%, and the list goes on and on.

Let’s face it; we have a massive drug problem.  In 1998 the U.S. spent $93 Billion on prescription drugs, and in the same year, spent $96 Billion to treat the side effects of those drugs.  Not to mention the real kicker:  prescription drugs properly prescribed and taken KILL 106,000 Americans each year, and that’s only in hospitals and does not take into account nursing homes, people taking drugs at home or any drugs that are taken or given improperly.

You may ask why I encourage patients to stay drug-free or why I push you to refer friends and family to our office for what chiropractic has to offer – well – look at the alternative!

The scariest part of it all is that while you are reading this article the legal drug trade has marketing executives in fancy suits, in fancy board rooms figuring out ways to get more drugs into you, your friends and your family.  To make it even worse, some of those executives are there just to figure out how to get more drugs to our children.

In the words of the band, the Temptations, “I ain’t too proud to beg!”  I beg you to tell people you care about to try chiropractic, to come find out what chiropractic has to offer.  If we can merely keep someone you love from taking unnecessary medication we may literally save their life!  We may keep them from becoming one of the 106,000 Americans that lose their lives to the most profitable business on the planet:  The legal drug trade.

Making healthy choices will not only improve your health today, it can also counter your risk for such illnesses as heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Combine healthy eating with daily exercise and regular chiropractic care, and you’ll be on track for having a long, healthy life.

1. Eat a wide variety of foods. Instead of trying unhealthy diet fads, make wise choices from each of the food groups. Vegetables, whole grains and fruits are all great choices, and should be added to every meal.

2. Keep portions moderate. Meal portions have grown bigger every year, especially in restaurants. Try splitting an entrée with a friends, or taking half home for lunch or dinner the following day.

3. Choose organic vegetables and fruits. Especially in the summer months, head to your local farmers market for the freshness. With many different choices in grocery stores, make sure you pick one that has a variety of fruits and vegetables, and concentrates on finding organic sources.

4. Steam, never microwave. Multiple tests have been performed measuring the levels of flavonoids (antioxidants) that remained in fresh broccoli after it was cooked by steaming, pressure cooking, boiling or microwaving. The results showed large differences: Conventional boiling led to a 66% loss of flavonoids compared to fresh raw broccoli while pressure cooking led to a 53% loss of flavenoids (the majority of it was found in the cooking water). But when broccoli was microwaved the loss of flavonoids was 97%! Steaming had minimal effects, in terms of loss of antioxidants; there was almost no difference in antioxidants between raw and steamed.

5. Drink more water. Our bodies are about 75% water. Water helps flush our systems, and is an important part of any healthy diet. Yet study after study shows the majority of Americans are dehydrated. Bottom line – drink more water.

6. Don’t eliminate all together. If you love ice cream, find alternatives that are just as satisfying. Try different brands of frozen yogurt, or reward yourself with a special ice cream treat from time to time.

7. One step at a time. Don’t make a complete overhaul of your eating habits at one time. Instead, introduce items slowly, and work to keep one thing in place before you move on to another. For example, don’t eliminate all sweets from your diet in one day. Limit sweets to a few times per week, and gradually work your way down to where you don’t need sweets at all.

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Instead of letting the tension build, why not give yourself a mini-vacation?

1. Breathe deeply.
One of the best ways to relax and feel the tension slip away is by breathing deeply. Use this a couple of times per day, or whenever you are feeling particularly stressed. Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Breathe in and out slowly 10 times, focusing on your breath and relaxing. Slowly open your eyes, and enjoy feeling more centered, and a lot calmer.

2. Stretch out your neck.
There is a right and wrong way to stretch the muscles in your neck. Think of a plus sign. Slowly move your head forwards and back, touching your chin down to your chest, and lifting your chin towards the sky. Then slowly turn your head, looking over your left shoulder, and turn again to look over your right shoulder.

3. Take a meditation break.
After you’ve practiced your breathing and stretching, why not continue with a five-minute break and meditate? Take advantage of your relaxed state, and focus inward. Continue to let the tension in the rest of your body dissolve, and remain calm and relaxed.

Not only can a few minutes a day help you become healthier, and live a life with less stress, it can also help you achieve more at work. A few minutes relaxing can help you be more focused on particular points of your job, and help you define answers in a new way. You’ll be surprised at how much quicker an answer may come to you after a few minutes away from your desk.

• Draws the blueprint and organizes every living organ for your body
• Regulates, directs and controls the body all of the time
• Knows when something is wrong inside of you and how to fix it.
• Rebuilds all tissues, organs, muscles and bones
• Tells you when to sneeze, when to blow your nose, when to go bathroom, when to sweat and when to shiver
• Raises the skin into a blister when the skin is burned
• Heals a broken bone or cut on the skin
• Tells you when to blink your eyes
• Grows your toe nails, fingernails, and hair
• Beats your heart and puts air into your lungs
• Regulates your body temperature
• Tells you when you are tired, thirsty or hungry
• Gets any sick organ or part of the body well
• KEEPS YOU ALIVE!

Your innate intelligence resides in your spine and travels from your brain to your body. If there is an interruption or disturbance to your body’s inborn wisdom, odds are you are Subluxated.

SUBLUXATION is a condition that occurs when the top two vertebrae in your spine misalign causing the messages from the brain to the body to become distorted due to the pressure placed upon the Brainstem.

Living in this state, your body is breaking down and beginning to malfunction.  The longer you live in this state, the weaker the body becomes.  Sickness and/or disease will eventually ensue.

Call today for a spinal scan and evaluation to see if you have a Subluxation.
It may just change your life!

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This type of advertising has lead to people deciding that they need a drug based on the commercial and going into their doctor demanding a certain type of pill.  Unfortunately, it is estimated that about 50% of the time a patient demands a pill they will get it – even if the doctor would not have taken the same action on their own (scary!).  This has obvious negative effects on the lives of millions.  Prescription drug side effects are now the third leading cause of preventable death in this country, now add in the growing trend of Joe Average at home deciding what pill should he should have actually getting it.

Medical doctors are fed up with the situation because they get blamed for much of the problem when they are really in a no win situation.  The American Medical Association recently held hearings with the Food and Drug Administration to try and stop the problem.  Dr. Angelo Agro, of the American Medical Association, has proposed a ban on direct to consumer ads (like the ones you see on TV) and summed up his case in a hearing with the FDA with this quote, “The public is not being given the whole truth.  By its very nature, advertising is  biased.  We are not against information being brought to the patient, but we have a problem when it’s biased, limited and brought about by multi-million dollar organizations that have a profit motive only.”  Well said!

Adolf Hitler once said, “If you lie long enough, loud enough, and with conviction, people will call it truth.”  I think$2.5 Billion dollars annually in television advertising gives the drug companies the ability to lie very loudly, and they have been doing it for a long time.  People are taking the drug companies’ message as truth.  And the result has caused more injury and death than even Hitler could have imagined.

Please don’t let these giants of legal drug pushing win.  The entire health field is against direct to consumer advertising, and you should be too.  Don’t read the ads, don’t watch them on TV and don’t believe a word that you hear from an advertising campaign that is only designed to make money, not help your health.  All drugs are risky and dangerous, if you must take drugs let your medical doctor decide what to do, not an advertising executive!

The best approach, of course, is to stay away from prescription medication at all cost.  You can do that by working on your health over your lifetime, by promoting normal body function and keeping your nerve system free of interference.  Lifetime chiropractic care works to maximize normal body function and keep the nerve system functioning 100%.

source: By Dr. Chris Thornell

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From the April 26, 2004 release of the peer-reviewed scientific journal (The best, most accurate research is peer-reviewed), the “Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research” (JVSR), comes a very large literature review study showing the multiple benefits of chiropractic care (maintenance and wellness care) on people who are not suffering from pain or other obvious problems.

This literature review looked at more than twenty studies involving subjects who were specifically described as, “asymptomatic,” “healthy,” “normal,” or “free from physical injury.”  In addition, an equal number of studies were found also documenting objectively measured health benefits in subjects who had no symptomatic presentation, (asymptomatic).

The results of this large review showed measurable objective improvements in things such as range of motion, blood pressure, heart rate, plasma catecholamine levels, immune responses, enhanced respiratory burst, pupil reactions, slower heart rate, improved pulmonary function, as well as many other objectively measured indications of improved body physiology. (Most of these are because of improved balance of the Autonomic Nervous System.  The Autonomic Nervous System is involuntary and imbalances can cause asthma, high blood pressure, heartburn, etc.)

The conclusion of the study stated, “Data reviewed in this article lend strong support to the popular contention that chiropractic adjustments, for the purpose of correcting subluxations (correction goes far beyond symptom relief), confer health benefits to people regardless of the presence or absence of symptoms.”  The JVSR article authors further conclude, “A significant amount of preliminary evidence supports that people without symptoms can benefit from chiropractic care.  It is plausible that chiropractic care may be of benefit to every function of the body and have the potential for long-term, overall health benefit to those receiving chiropractic care.”

Slowdown the aging process naturally!

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I’d like to tell you about a lie most people aren’t aware of.  This particular lie happens to be the most expensive lie in history.  This lie costs our country somewhere in the vicinity of $1 Trillion per year and also has another expense that comes in the form of human life, about 200,000 to be specific.  The lie that we have all been taught is that how you feel is more important than how you function.

Let me explain how this lie affects you:  You have a fever.  You feel very poorly, so you go to your drug store and get a drug to help you feel better by getting rid of the fever.  The fever goes away, you feel better.  The part that most people don’t get is that the fever is not the problem.  Fever is a perfectly healthy, natural response of the body to rid itself of some bacteria, virus or toxin.  In fact, a fever is the most powerful stimulus the immune system can have.  While your body is trying to raise your body temperature to rid itself of something that isn’t supposed to be there, you may feel badly, but you are functioning perfectly.  If we take the fever away to feel better, we have the potential of getting much sicker and risking death if we are not able to get rid of the invader.

Another good example would be food poisoning.  If you eat tainted food the healthy response is to throw up, therefore ridding your body of toxins.  You may feel terrible while you throw up but you are functioning perfectly.  If you take some drug to stop the nausea and vomiting you might feel better, but you will get very sick or die if your body doesn’t get rid of the toxins.  The same scenario is true of almost all symptoms; a cough is your body trying to get rid of foreign objects in the lungs, does it make sense to stop that with a cough suppressant?  A runny nose is the body’s way of preventing pollen and dust and bacteria from entering further into your body, does it make sense to take a drug to stop that?  Diarrhea is your body’s way of getting rid of foreign invaders, why would we want to stop it with a drug?  How you function is always more important than how you feel.

If everyone in the country understood this concept there would be no market for over the counter medications or most prescription drugs.  99 percent of drugs treat how you feel, not how you function. Oh, and by the way, these drugs kill 200,000 Americans every year.  The most important thing you can do in your health care is support your body’s function and that is why chiropractic care is so important.  Chiropractic is the only profession with the objective of removing nerve interference to enable your body to function more efficiently.  So, while no one can guarantee that you will always feel good, chiropractic will guarantee that a body free of nerve interference will always function better!  And that’s no lie.

1. Eat a healthy breakfast every day.
A healthy breakfast is the cornerstone of a good diet. Studies have shown that people can lower their cholesterol by eating a healthy breakfast that is high in fiber. By starting your day out with a good energy source, you’re setting yourself up for a great day.

2. Drink water.
Water is fundamental to help our bodies’ function, and impacts everything from circulation, to digestion, the absorption of nutrients. Start with 8 ounces of clean water every morning, and continue throughout the day.

3. Eat your fruits and vegetables.
Everywhere you look, emphasis is placed on eating fresh fruits and vegetables. We know fruits and vegetables supply many nutrients that are important for your health. For example, dark colored berries contain antioxidants; orange color vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes have high levels of beta-carotene. And the health benefits continue throughout the rainbow of colors. Make sure you incorporate some of each into every meal you eat.

4. Spend at least 30 minutes each day outside and away from your desk.
Sunlight is just as important to our bodies as proper nutrition, water and exercise. 30 minutes outside every day can affect your mood, and provide Vitamin D, which stimulates healthy bone density, and help fight several types of cancers.

5. Stay active.
Instead of thinking of it as working out, think of it as playing. What do you enjoy most? Head out for a 30 minute walk. Build a snowman. Hike along your favorite trail. Take a bike ride with the family. Do something you enjoy, and it will be more about playing instead of working.

6. Schedule some quiet time.
What do you do that helps you relax? A quiet room filled with candles and a good book? Or maybe it’s waking up to a few minutes of meditation. Connect with yourself, and give yourself the gift of good health.

7. Establish a relationship with a wellness doctor.
Most of the news is filled with people going to the doctor when they have a problem. It doesn’t have to be that way. Instead, find someone who can help you stay healthy all throughout the year. As a chiropractor, our goal is to help you get healthy, and stay healthy. Fine tune your body this year, and keep it healthy all through 2010 and beyond

Happy New Year!