Cause or Effect
Many of us have been misled into thinking pain is a problem.
Headache? Numb it. Gall bladder malfunctioning? Remove it. Sore throat? Soothe it.
All of these so-called “solutions” make the symptom the problem rather than attending to the underlying cause.
Imagine if you approached your car with the same attitude. Engine noise? Turn up the radio. Annoying vibrations at highway speeds? Drive slower. Squealing brakes? Turn the radio up even louder!
Ridiculous, right? Yet many of us employ this attitude when it comes to our body. We occupy this miraculous self-healing, self-regulating organism, and if we’ll listen, it warns us when things are amiss. First, with a little whisper. Then a serious warning. Or finally by SHOUTING!
Then we have a choice: address the underlying cause (fix) or merely quiet the warning sign (patch).
Chiropractic care produces great results by attending to the cause, rather than merely suppressing symptoms. Do you know a pill-popping symptom-treating friend who could benefit from chiropractic care? Encourage them to give us a call. Or bring them along with you on your next visit.
Do You Yo-Yo?
I’m not talking about yo-yo tricks like “Walk the Dog” or “Rock the Baby.” I mean, does your weight go up and down? Are you famous for exercising, then stopping?
We’ve been led to believe that maintaining our weight, fitness and spine is a once-in-a-while thing, rather than a lifestyle habit.
That’s one reason why diets are so disheartening. Most of them have a beginning, middle and end. Then we resume our former way of eating and gain it all back.
Some of our patients take this approach with their chiropractic care, too, stopping as soon as they feel better. Since their soft tissues and muscles never strengthen (that happens with continued care after symptoms subside), they relapse. Then we start over again with frequent visits.
Proper nutrition, rest and exercise, plenty of water and an interference-free nervous system are lifestyle choices. True health is a journey, not a destination; a process, not an event; a habit, not a diet.
Survivor
We’ve become a disposable society. We’re lucky if our television lasts 10 years. Computers? Two or three years! We grumble, but few of us would prefer Windows 3.1 to our current operating system!
Unlike mechanical devices, some say our bodies are designed to last 120 years or longer. To achieve this feat, our bodies are designed to survive. In fact, many everyday symptoms are merely survival strategies.
Runny nose? Survival strategy. Extra mucus production enhances immune system function.
Bleeding from a cut? Survival strategy. Blood contact with air invokes the clotting response.
Diarrhea? Survival strategy. Remove toxic food as quickly as possible.
Vomiting? Survival strategy. Remove toxic food even more quickly!
Pain? Survival strategy. This warning system tells us to make a change.
When you consider how many survival strategies our bodies use, you understand why the nervous system is so important—it orchestrates the whole show.
In This Issue
How’d You Sleep Last Night?
If you find yourself yawning throughout the day, it may be because you aren’t getting enough sleep. Or enough high quality sleep. The problem? It may simply be the amount of light you’re exposed to.
Drowsiness at Work
Many shift workers have difficulty sleeping well because their work schedules conflict with their bodies’ natural sleep-wake cycle clues.
Melatonin, which is a hormone produced by the pineal gland in the brain, affects both our desire to sleep and the quality of our sleep. Darkness enhances melatonin production, while light inhibits it.
Therefore, shift workers typically experience drowsiness when at work and suffer from insomnia when they try to sleep during daylight hours.
Night Lights
Because bright lights can disturb the normal production of melatonin, and interfere with your ability to get a good night’s sleep, make sure your bedroom is completely dark. Create a darker environment by using light–blocking shades, lined curtains or even an eye mask to block out all light.
And don’t overlook night lights and those bright clock radio lights! Even an area of light the size of a coin falling onto your skin can affect the production of melatonin.
The Elderly Suffer Too
One of the major health complaints for the over-65 population is difficulty sleeping.
This may be due to the fact that many elderly people do not spend sufficient time outdoors and therefore, lack an adequate amount of bright light exposure.
Getting outside more, or increasing the level of light in their homes during the day and early evening hours may actually alleviate the major cause of their sleep distress!
Patient Login