How Can I Get My Spouse To Come In?

It's a question we hear all the time. If you’ve experienced great results from care in our office, it’s only natural to want someone you love to benefit too. Here are some approaches you may find more helpful than threats.

Ask questions. Rather than judge their unwillingness to try chiropractic, become curious. Since our behaviors are the result of our beliefs (conscious and unconscious), try to find out what belief(s) are standing in the way. Often it’s some unfounded fear or misconception. Find out what the real issue is.

Supply information. One of the best ways to defuse irrational fears is by sharing information. Let us know how we can help. What could we do to equip you with the information you need to make a difference?

Offer an invitation. We are open and welcoming to skeptics, doubters and cynics! We stand ready to field phone calls—even anonymous ones. Or bring your loved one with you to take an office tour on your next visit.

Give it time. Change takes time. Whether it’s making changes to the spine or changing someone’s beliefs. Be patient. Trust that your friend or family member will choose chiropractic if and when the time is right.

Every bodily function, controlled by our nervous system, is the key idea behind chiropractic. And since we experience our lives through our nervous systems, the decision to use chiropractic has huge implications. When you tell others, you’re changing the world. Congratulations!

Do I Need Antibacterial Soap?

By the looks of most bathrooms these days, just about everyone is using antibacterial soaps. In fact, it takes some effort to find soap that isn’t antibacterial.

Advertising teaches us to fear germs. You sell more antibacterial soap that way. It’s even marketed as a preventive measure against colds and flu. The problem? Colds and flu are viral, so anti-bacterial products have no effect. Antibacterial soaps contain carcinogens, are no more effective in killing germs than regular soap and are probably responsible for breeding stronger, more resistant strains of bacteria.

The U.S. Center for Disease Control agrees. It recommends that the most effective way to reduce the spread of infectious disease is washing our hands. But anti-bacterial soaps are not necessary. Neither is scalding hot water, since our hands can’t withstand the temperatures necessary to kill germs with heat.

Experts recommend that you use a combination of soap and comfortably warm water. Rub all surfaces of the hands for at least 20 seconds, especially under your fingernails. The soap and scrubbing action, along with the slippery surface created by the soap, do the trick.

10 Reasons NOT to Eat Sugar!

Sugar, in its many forms, is an increasingly common ingredient in processed foods. Many of us eat the equivalent of 53 heaping teaspoons of white sugar every day!

Here are ten reasons to avoid refined (white) sugar:

1. Sugar contributes to tooth decay because it decreases the effectiveness of a particular type of white blood cell that “eats” bacteria.

2. Sugar causes the body to release more adrenalin, which may explain hyperactivity in young children.

3. Calcium loss in urine occurs when a person consumes a soft drink containing sugar.

4. Ingesting sugar makes the pancreas work harder to produce insulin. Diabetes results when the overworked pancreas can no longer eliminate sugar from the blood stream.

5. Bleached with chlorine, when white refined sugar is exposed to certain organic compounds it converts to dioxin, a lethal compound.

6. Sugar can hinder weight loss because high insulin levels (see #4 above) cause the body to store excess carbohydrates as fat.

7. Sugar increases the likelihood of chronic fatigue.

8. Sugar increases mood swings, irritability and anxiety.

9. Sugar compromises the immune system because it lowers the efficiency of white blood cells for a minimum of five hours.

10. Eating sugar can decrease helpful high-density cholesterol (HDLs) and result in an increase in harmful cholesterol (LDLs).

Need to sweeten your food? Add raisins, dates or honey. Stevia is also a safer alternative. It’s available in several forms, has no calories and doesn’t raise blood sugar levels. Clearly, a better choice to satisfy any sweet tooth!