NEWS & MEDIA

There is a lot going on these days and because of the news and media, many people feel like they are on a virtual roller coaster hanging on for life. That is an incredibly stressful way to live. There is news about the automotive industry, the economy, the job market, pirates, swine flu, weather, our government, and so much more that easily hooks our attention. Once our attention is hooked, there is this thing they do that puts us on this virtual roller coaster and it is hard not to go for that ride...and they do that for a reason, to get you to tune back in. Now I am by no means saying don't listen and don't be informed. Be aware, stay on top of the stuff that effects your lives, but know that they are taking you on a roller coaster that you didn't necessarily sign up for. It is their way of keeping you watching what is coming next, keeping the TV on and letting their advertisers fill your minds with products to buy and drugs to look into because your body doesn't know how to handle itself. And this swine flu thing...I have heard the word over 50 times in the last two days. It is a flu and the body can handle it. There have been a few cases, 20 as of the other day, in the US and no one has died from it here. The very best thing you can do in these times is keep yourself healthy and keep your immune system boosted. How do we boost the immune system? Eat a balanced diet full of fresh, unprocessed foods, get enough rest (3-4 hours doesn't cut it for most people), drink plenty of water (half your body weight in ounces), exercise regularly, keep a positive attitude, and get your nerve system checked. The nerve system and the immune system are directly related and keeping the nerve system clear by chiropractic adjustments allows the body to work at it's full potential. So stay informed, stay healthy, and enjoy the ride called LIFE instead of the roller coaster ride the media is taking you on!

MY BEARTHDAY

I love sharing my birthday with Earth Day. I love the idea of it and I have become really clever and write it bEARTHday, or at least I think it is pretty clever. So yesterday was my bEARTHday and it was a good one. I pretty much did my regular Wednesday stuff, wake up early, work, massage or acupuncture (massage yesterday), clean up my house, do laundry, go back to work, hot vinyasa yoga class, come home, eat and sleep. But it is Earth Day as well and Mother Nature has her ways of letting us know that maybe she isn't so hot with what we are all doing to the Earth. Most of you probably noticed that there was sunshine, rain, hail, wind, sunshine, wind, rain, and ended the day with sunshine and 35 degrees. That is Michigan weather for ya however I think there was a message in the madness yesterday. I caught something online about Oprah asking everyone to go one day without using a plastic bag. Try that as a challenge. Lets be more conscious. We need to be in order to have a safe and healthy Earth for all of us and future generations to live on. Recycle, reuse and reduce our waste products. Make a difference, it just takes being a little more aware. And thank you for all the bEARTHday wishes. I look forward to many more trips around the sun!

So the conference that I went to over the weekend....AMAZING!!! I was in the presence of some amazing practitioners. It was a lecture format conference for the first day and the second was a panel discussion between the audience members and the presenters. On the panel was the Traditional Chinese Medicine provider to the Queen of England, the developer of Naturopathy from the West Coast, Ayurveda practitioner that was raised in the area of the world where it was developed and grew up that way, the Chiropractic Philosopher that is revising and up-grading the philosophy that our profession was built on, an MD, as well as a few others. It was really exciting to be in the audience and listen to the different perspectives. There was some really cerebral/heady stuff going on as well as some stuff that anyone can easily wrap their heads around. The bottom line is it is about life. It is about the principal that the body is way more intelligent than many (and especially the medical field and pharmaceuticals which run our health care in this country) people give it credit for. There was a strong undertone to the lecture of the health care system here in the United States is broken and run strictly for money and greed. We need a change! There is a wisdom controlling and coordinating the body and is not making mistakes in the process. It is doing exactly what needs to be done according to the internal environment it is dealing with. And this idea is exactly central to the chiropractic profession. It is wonderful to be part of a health care field that is based on truth. As mentioned previously, I received continuing education credits for being there, however those types of events, I will choose to be a part of regardless. Amazing, powerful, truth, community, and HEALTH!

VITALISM

As a Doctor of Chiropractic, I am required to get so many continuing education credits each year in order to keep my license. There are a number of ways to do that though most of them include sitting in a classroom, which I am not very fond of. So if I am going to be required to sit for long periods of time, I better be listening to something good. Most chiropractors do local conventions to get the work out of the way as easy as possible, but I am not one to take the path of least resistance. This weekend I will travel down to Atlanta, GA to sit in on a conference about "Vitalism" at a place where they are having "The World's Greatest Conversations".

What is vitalism? Vitalism is the doctrine that all the functions of a living organism are due to an unknown vital principle distinct from all chemical and physical forces.

This simply means that we are more than what we see. There is a life force that controls the body and orchestrates all of its activities. This vital force is what is present a living human being and absent at death. Because chiropractic is based on a vitalistic philosophy (the body is self-healing, self-regulating, and adaptive), I work and teach those ideas everyday. The conference this weekend will have a number of different professions presenting on that same topic and that has me very interested. I will let you know...

One of my favorite parts about the Midwest is there are four distinct seasons, my favorites being fall and spring. It may seem strange, but there are actually people that dread these two times of the year. ITS “HAY FEVER” SEASON!!!!!So I ask you…what is “hay fever” anyways? (you truly can google anything!) Researchers say that “hay fever” is a misnomer and is not caused by hay and it does not cause a fever. It is characterized by runny nose, itchy eyes and congestion. Most people have at least a mild experience during these seasons. Listen closely as I share a secret with you….IT IS TOTALLY NORMAL!! Our whole environment changes as the land prepares for the transition of the season. Some examples: the grass turns green, flowers come into bloom, the trees bud in preparation for leaves, etc. Because of this, the spring air we breathe has very different particles than the winter air and the body has to adapt to the change. So what does that mean for you??? Switching gears for a moment… We all know that some countries eat very different diets than we do. Many times, the average American’s digestive system cannot work with the food and drink in another country and results in violent episodes of vomiting and diarrhea. Our bodies work on a “supply and demand” basis. So if you lived in that area long enough, the body would adapt and create different digestion chemicals and patterns in order to work with what is taken in. In time, the whole digestive track would literally change to accommodate to the new diet. What an amazing body we have!So what does digestion have to do with hay fever? Our mucus linings in our sinuses change in order to work with the changing environment around us. So in other words, we have “winter sinuses” and “summer sinuses” and the transition time happens to be fall and spring (seasonal allergies/hay fever time). Due to the “supply and demand” concept in the body, new mucus linings are created to adapt to the new environment. In the process, the body has to slough off the old, hence runny nose, congestion and watery eyes. These symptoms are often inconvenient and many people look for a pill or elixir to stop the whole process. Ask yourself “Does it make sense to stop this process?” The messages that expedite the transition are carried along the nerve system which is what I, as a chiropractor, work directly with. From this point forward, do yourself a favor and let this process run its course since it is a sign that your body is taking care of itself. Let regular chiropractic adjustments aid the body in being its very best during this process and always!!

MSU ENERGY

Many of you know, either because I have told you or because you have been in to see either myself or my dog dressed in our team colors, that I am a huge Michigan State fan. I have always been, since I was born. But it is not easy being green sometimes and last night was one of them. I am the fan that wears the colors, and cheers really loud and knows all the words to the fight song and all that stuff. And when I say it isn't easy being green, I mean it is challenging to sit there in the stands and watch their lack of performance last night and remain calm. It isn't a feeling of upset at them, it is more that I just really, really, really, really, really wanted them to win last night. I knew it was a long shot since I watched North Carolina beat up on Villanova two nights prior to that. Our seats were in a mixed fan section but the large group of UNC fans were one section over from where we were so the energy remained high, unfortunately not in our favor. In the end, I am really proud to be a Spartan. They made it that far and though they seemed totally psyched out by their opponents, it was a wonderful experience to be amongst that sea of green. Either way, we always have the coolest mascot! SPARTY ON!!!

HOPING FOR A VICTORY!

On the banks for the Red Cedar,

There's a school that's known to all.

It's specialty is winning,

And those Spartans play good ball.

Spartan teams are never beaten,

All through the game they'll fight.

Fight for the only colors:

GREEN AND WHITE!

Go right through for MSU,

Watch the points keep growing.

Spartan teams are bound to win,

They're fighting with a vim

RAH, RAH, RAH.

See their team is weakening,

We're gonna win this game.

FIGHT, FIGHT, RAH TEAM FIGHT,

VICTORY FOR MSU!!!!