It has come to pass that I have listened to Dr. Dean Edell twice in the last couple of months. 

It is so very interesting for me to listen to someone who mixes so much personal opinion in with the "science" that he is declaring that stands behind him in making his opinions.  Well, science and his years in medicine-of which he has been doing quite a bit of radio and TV-so we're not quite sure how many years he saw patients.  In any case, if you have been in medicine for 30+ years, then you have to know that what you know changes almost daily with the volumes of information that is collected by science, that there is no way one famous doctor can stay on top of it and...you took an oath, "First, do no harm."

At one point, I listened to him denounce gluten intolerance and its effect on the spectral disorders of autism as "fad" and that the science didn't support this claim of reducing/eliminating gluten products for these disorders.  Being a person who has seen countless research articles pointing out gluten intolerance as the cause of many hard to diagnose maladies, I think "fad" means "I don't really know, but this is what I think."

Perhaps, Dr. Edell, we should consider a double blind study to find out? 

How many of your 6 million listeners have just heard you denounce gluten intolerance as a "fad" and have made the decision to ignore some symptoms they have?  Who knows?  How many of those people have undiagnosed celiac disease(gluten allergy) which increases their chances of mortality from heart disease and cancers?  1 in 133.

This weekend, I heard him snort and snark through information on the H1N1 vaccine and how people are basically stupid if they don't get it.  He cites, of course, the "science" which amounts to how many people died of H1N1 and then, the comparatively small amount of people who reported a reaction to the vaccine when given it. 

I'm sure I'm not the only one who has questioned H1N1. 

The symptoms are so random and well, flu-like that I'd like to know how many of the deaths attributed to H1N1 were actually cultured and determined to be the only factor.  And I ask this because I had a female practice member tell me at the beginning of the H1N1 broohaha that she had been diagnosed with it and then diagnosed again a few months later with a separate episode of flu like symptoms.  When asked if she had been cultured she said "no" and that it was just the assumption made because of the scare.

This is medical science?!

I appreciate Dr. Dean Edell for his genuine interest in science.  I also would like he and most of his colleagues to go back to school and take some actual courses on scientific research.

Happy New Year!  So many people are now feeling that fresh scrubbed feeling of a new beginning.  I admit that I am excited about good things to come.  Contrary to media implications of going from one decade of doom to another, let me submit that optimism is a learned skill and just like a new year resolution, requires work in order to maintain.

A study published in Nature Neuroscience by professor Xiao-Jing Wang tells us in a strangely mathematical way, that our brains are "hardwired" for pessimism.  This professor of neurobiology at Yale School of Medicine shows that there is a reason that we assume  cancer if a strange lump is found or when we hear that a fatal accident has occurred, we call to check on our family members.


And if it is a hardwiring situation, then we may have to work at changing a biological, pessimistic view that may be crippling our ability to enjoy our lives. 

Martin Seligman has written Learned Optimism and Authentic Happiness to address overriding this natural inclination.  There are websites, programs, meditations, affirmations, books and licensed professionals all aimed at creating a more positive outlook.

But, just like losing weight or committing to an exercise regime, overcoming inertia takes a plan and daily "exercise." 

If you know that you tend toward pessimism, make it part of your new year to look for the positive, not the negative.  Retrain your brain!

*Look for the doctors of AAC Family Wellness Centers at Calvary Tabernacle on January 9, 2010 doing our Extreme Health Makeover program featuring presentations:  "The Garden of Eatin', Move Well and The Power That Made the Body, Heals the Body."

Was reminded today by professionally famous "chiropractic advocate" Bill Esteb that any results seen through a Chiropractic adjustment on any person are just what was expected and not any sort of miracle. 

I, myself, have been told on a number of occasions that I was responsible for a thankful patient's recovery-not so.

The concept of Above-Down-Inside-Out has been embraced by the Chiropractic profession to describe the healing process.  Your body heals from the inside out and is coordinated by the brain and nervous system from above and down.

Unfortunately, it is also this concept which has been lost and the "inside out" approach of medicine has become the rule instead of the exception.  While the inside-out approach certainly has merit in emergent medicine, I, for one feel that it is exactly what has lead us to think that we can ignore the health of our bodies and then expect to be pieced back together much like an inanimate object-again, not so.

Think well.  You only have one body.  Treat it well and it will run well.  If you're confused, you know you're not well and you need help-call or email-we're here to point you in the right direction.  The more people begin to understand this important message, the healthier we will be individually and societally. 

The H1N1 Issue: Flu Pandemic, Fear Pandemic, or Both?

James L. Chestnut B.Ed., M.Sc., D.C., C.C.W.P.

The H1N1 issue has become so prevalent that I thought it appropriate to share some factual perspective. I realize that factual perspective is neither newsworthy nor popular when people are in the midst of a mob mentality of fear but I'm willing to risk unpopularity in order to encourage people to be guided by science, reason, and logic.

As you've heard me say so many times the key to finding the truth is asking the right questions. If we don't ask the right questions we will never get the right answers. Irrational fear usually comes from asking the wrong questions or failing to ask the right ones. As I often point out it is not what we don't know that poses the greatest danger, it is what we think we know that is false. We also must be aware of confounding factors creating self fulfilling prophecies. Sometimes fear is rational, sometimes it is not. Regardless, the most important thing is to ACCURATELY assess the threat and then identify an evidence-based, logical, reasonable, and RATIONAL response or course of action.

Let's start with the H1N1 flu virus itself. Clearly this flu virus is a reality and clearly it can lead to illness. The most important question is what kind of illness. The FACT is that the type of illness associated with this virus in over 99.9% of CASES is mild to moderate flu symptoms which include fever, nausea which can include vomiting, and of course general malaise. Not very pleasant to be sure but is this any different than the symptoms associated with the flu viruses that have been the source of the seasonal flu for the past 50 years? No. Although not every seasonal flu virus is associated with vomiting the truth is that vomiting is not considered serious. Seriously uncomfortable - yes, seriously risky in terms of death or severe complications - no.

But what about the deaths from H1N1? We all must admit and understand that even the thought of a child dying is enough to send any parent into hysterics. I can't think of anything more frightening. So let me be clear. I am not suggesting that the threat of harm or death to my child or any child is not something to fear. What I am suggesting is that we RATIONALLY assess the threat and then assess our fear level to see if it is appropriate. Good decisions, decisions that minimize threat and maximize safety, are NOT based on irrational fear. Fear is our worst enemy. Logical interpretation of available facts is our best ally.

Here is what we need to know before we can make a decision about an appropriate fear level associated with risk of death from H1N1. First we need to know how many deaths have been caused by H1N1 in any given population. The next question to ask is whether or not those who have died had underlying illnesses that made them more susceptible or more at risk. In other words we need to know how many of the deaths ASSOCIATED with H1N1 are actually CAUSED by H1N1.

To assess the absolute risk of dying from H1N1 we need to divide the number of deaths in any given population by the number of people in that given population. In Canada as of Oct 17, 2009 there had been a total of 1,604 hospitalizations, and 83 deaths associated with H1N1. By the way by this time H1N1 was already being portrayed as a DEADLY PANDEMIC. So, out of a population of approximately 35 MILLION there were 83 deaths. This means your chance of dying of H1N1 up to this point was 83/35,000,000 which is one in 421,687. This means the chance of death from H1N1 was 0.0002%.

To date these risks are similar in the United States and throughout the rest of the world.

It is not easy to get exact numbers on the number of deaths that are caused by underlying conditions or secondary bacterial infections but estimates are that these would represent at least 99% of all deaths associated with H1N1. So, if you do not have an underlying illness your chance of dying from H1N1 is 1% of 0.0002%. Not exactly worthy of widespread panic.

The chances of dying in a car accident, airplane accident, a fall, from complications of air pollution, from complications from industrial toxins or from medical treatment are EXPONENTIALLY GREATER. What is the difference? The media and the health authorities are not focusing your attention on these risks. You have more chance of dying in a car accident on your way to get an H1N1 vaccine than dying from H1N1. Statistically it could be concluded that it is an undue risk to get into a car and get the vaccine! I could not find any published peer-reviewed data to determine whether the H1N1 vaccine is safe or effective. In other words there is no available information that would be required for any other medical intervention that the H1N1 vaccine works or if it is safe. This does not mean it is not safe or effective, it just means we have no data which would be considered scientifically valid to utilize to form our opinions. Even if we assume the vaccine is safe and effective, statistically there is still more risk of death from the car ride to get the vaccine than from dying from H1N1!

So what is going on in my opinion? Well I think some very well intentioned people are allowing fear rather than science and data to guide public policy. I'm not alone in this opinion by the way. Have a read of the following quotes from a recent article published in The British Medical Journal entitled "Calibrated response to emerging infections" http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/extract/339/sep03_2/b3471. In fact read this entire article, I think it offers a very good perspective and it is very well referenced.

Pay particular attention to how the health authorities have changed the definition of a flu pandemic!

"Since the emergence of novel A/H1N1, descriptions of pandemic flu (both its causes and its effect) have changed to such a degree that the difference between seasonal flu and pandemic flu is now unclear. WHO, for example, for years defined pandemics as outbreaks causing "enormous numbers of deaths and illness," but in early May, removed this phrase from the definition."

Changing views of pandemic flu, before and after emergence of influenza A/H1N1 virus:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Aspect
 Before A/H1N1
 Since A/H1N1
 
One line summary
 WHO 2003-9: "An influenza pandemic occurs when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity, resulting in epidemics worldwide with enormous numbers of deaths and illness"
 WHO: "An influenza pandemic may occur when a new influenza virus appears against which the human population has no immunity"
 
Virus and immunity
 WHO 2005:"Most people will have no immunity to the pandemic virus"
 WHO: "The vulnerability of a population to a pandemic virus is related in part to the level of pre-existing immunity to the virus"
 
US CDC 1997: "When antigenic shift occurs, the population does not have antibody protection against the virus"
 US CDC: "Cross-reactive antibody [to A/H1N1] was detected in 6%-9% of those aged 18-64 years and in 33% of those aged >60 years"
 
Impact (health, social, economic)
 WHO 2005: "Large numbers of deaths will occur . . . WHO has used a relatively conservative estimate - from 2 million to 7.4 million deaths . . .
Economic and social disruption will be great"
 WHO: "H5N1 has conditioned the public to equate an influenza pandemic with very severe disease and high mortality. Such a disease pattern is by no means inevitable during a pandemic. On the contrary, it is exceptional"
 
CDC 1997: "The hallmark of pandemic influenza is excess mortality"
 CDC: "There are some pandemics that look very much like a bad flu season"
 
Canada 2006: "An influenza pandemic results if many people around the world become ill and die from such a [new form of influenza] virus"
 Canada: "An influenza pandemic does not necessarily cause more severe illness than seasonal influenza"
 

"But the 2009 pandemic, taken as a whole, bears little resemblance to the forecasted pandemic. Pandemic A/H1N1 virus is not a new subtype but the same subtype as seasonal A/H1N1 that has been circulating since 1977."

"Furthermore, a substantial portion of the population may have immunity. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 33% of those aged over 60 had cross reactive antibody to novel A/H1N1,which may explain why cases have been rare in elderly people." Interestingly a recent report by CBC in Canada indicated that 4 preliminary studies showed that the chance of having immunity to H1N1 is DECREASED if you have regularly been vaccinated for seasonal flu. It will be interesting to see if they pursue this any further and publish the results in a peer-reviewed journal.

"On 26 April, with 20 cases and no deaths in the US, the Department of Health and Human Services declared a nationwide public health emergency."

"The SARS outbreak showed that large numbers of infected people are not necessary to generate concern and fear over disease. The SARS virus is known to have affected only 8096 people globally, but the fear of infection, involuntary quarantine, travel restrictions and subsequent political antagonisms, and at least $18bn in losses were felt by far more. It was not the virus but the response to it that caused these social and economic harms."

So what is my conclusion; is the H1N1 issue a flu pandemic, a fear pandemic, or both?

My conclusion is that at this point it is a pandemic of fear and NOT a flu pandemic. Of course it depends on how you define pandemic! The data available make it clear that we are experiencing an H1N1 seasonal flu BUT that to date this is not associated with significant risk of death or serious illness.

The FACT is that the current level of alarm and fear are NOT supported by data. However, this could change. What we cannot say is that things will not get worse. There is sufficient data to date to strongly suggest that it won't but data can only accurately tell us what has happened not what will happen. Certainly the odds are that H1N1 will pass with the same overblown fear and unactuated threat as SARS. Only time and data with tell.

I do have some concerns about the fact that testing for H1N1 has now been virtually all but discontinued. The authorities are now assuming that any case of the flu is H1N1. This means we will NEVER have any valid data about incidence, prevalence, or death rates. All such assessments without actual confirmation of infection are, in scientific terms, invalid. The term they will use is speculative. Sounds better than saying we are guessing.

Another concern is that deaths associated with H1N1, as with all previous seasonal flu viruses, are vastly overestimated. The annual published death rates for flu are NOT from confirmed deaths due to flu and in fact even CDC published stats reveal that most deaths "associated" with the flu are actually not from the flu at all but almost entirely from pneumonia. Less than one percent of deaths reported as associated with seasonal flu are actually caused by seasonal flu and even in these deaths the vast majority occur in people with underlying conditions.

Another concern is that it is unlikely that we will ever get any data on whether or not those who have been vaccinated have been protected. If one actually reads the primary research studies (not the news or published summaries by health ministries) on the seasonal flu vaccine what one finds is that the data does not support claims that the regular seasonal flu vaccine significantly decreases the incidence of flu or complications from it. Recently there has been some admission that the vaccines do not prevent the flu and that indeed they only guess correct on which virus to vaccinate against less than 30% of the time. However the health authorities still justify recommending the vaccine by claiming it decreases the severity of flu and complications from it. All I am asking for is to have DATA guide policy not DOGMA.

One of the sources of controversy is that vaccine benefits are often reported as relative risk reductions not absolute risk reductions so when one applies the results in real life one quickly realizes that the actual reduction of risk for those vaccinated vs not vaccinated is not statistically significant. They often report that the flu vaccine reduces hospitalizations or deaths but they report the relative difference between vaccinated vs unvaccinated not the absolute difference. In other words there might be 5000 people in each study group and there may be 4 deaths amongst those unvaccinated and 2 deaths among those vaccinated. This relative difference is reported as a "50% reduction in deaths in those vaccinated vs not vaccinated". Of course what this really means is that if you are vaccinated, and you get the flu, you have a 2 in 5000 chance of death. If you are unvaccinated and you get the flu you have a 4 in 5000 chance of death. An absolute difference of 2 in 5000 - not even remotely significant and certainly not worthy of the national vaccination campaigns and the billions of dollars spent on the vaccines. YES, they do report things this way!!

Some good references on this topic are Jackson et al., Evidence of bias in estimates of influenza vaccine effectiveness in seniors, International Journal of Epidemiology 2006; 35: 337-344 and Jefferson, T. Influenza vaccination: policy versus evidence. British Medical Journal 2006; 333: 912-915 and Jefferson et al. Efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccines in elderly people: a systematic review. Lancet 2005; 366: 1165-74 and Simonsen et al. Mortality benefits of influenza vaccination in elderly people: an ongoing controversy. Lancet Infectious Disease 2007; 7: xxx-xx.

But doesn't it seem like we have more flu and more associated deaths this year?

Yes is does SEEM that way. However the truth is that although the flu seems to have come early this year it has not come with any greater incidence or seriousness - at least not yet. The real story is that although death rates are not significantly higher than most years there have been some deaths among children and this is just so tragic that it causes great fear and anxiety. HOWEVER, the risk to otherwise healthy children of dying from H1N1 is FAR less than the risk of dying in a car accident. This does not minimize the importance of these tragic losses, it just puts them in perspective in terms of absolute risk.

But aren't more kids away from school and adults away from work this year?

Yes, absolutely. However the frenzy of fear this year has changed things significantly and skewed them toward a self fulfilling prophecy. This year if anyone has even a sniffle they are kept home because we have all been told that we are in the midst of a deadly pandemic and that it is our moral obligation to stay home. In past years we have always gone to work with the flu because for the most part we can work through it. We can't logically use the number of people away from school or work as an accurate indicator of the severity of this year's flu pandemic. We have to use the data about illness rates, severity, and death rates. When we use this data to form our opinions and policies our fear level will certainly move away from hysteria.

What is ironic is that the health authorities have started vaccinating those people who have been identified as most susceptible to serious complications. They have also stated that we should avoid close contact in order to avoid spread. Now we have those identified as being most susceptible congregating in close contact waiting for the vaccine! Remember these people also had to put themselves at GREAT risk (relative to risk of death from H1N1) by traveling on the road to get to the vaccination site. Obviously the minute risk of death from a car accident is not a rational reason to avoid driving to get the vaccine if you think this is a good strategy. This is a valid use of risk analysis to help you put your fears about death from H1N1 into perspective. Fear and anxiety cause the release of stress hormones that down-regulate your immune system!

So what should we do; what is a scientific, logical and reasonable strategy?

Be rational, put things in proper perspective and ask the right questions.
Be scientific and logical. Get the facts and apply them to your strategy.
Don't panic if you or a loved one gets the flu. Keep hydrated, stay home, eat intelligently and REST. If severe complications arise go to your medical doctor or a walk-in clinic.
Be preventative. Eating well, exercising, and staying relaxed (Eat Well Move Well Think Well™) are evidence-based ways to optimize your immune defenses, to minimize risk of both becoming ill and of complications, and to maximize your recovery should you become ill.
Take Vitamin D - this is absolutely one of the most evidence-based interventions available for reducing incidence and severity of seasonal cold and flu. The data is very very strong. See the upcoming Vitamin D newsletter from Innate Choice www.innatechoice.com for more information and for references.

This is a recent Facebook post by a colleague of mine from Connecticut...I liked it a lot and feel the same way!  Read, enjoy and act!

"Here are the top ten dangerous thoughts about your health, and some considerations around those thoughts

1. Maybe it will go away.

Maybe it won't! But seriously folks. Have you ever walked into a home (maybe even yours!) and been greeted by the magnificent scent of fresh, homemade, apple pies baking in the oven? What a treat. You immediately recognize the aroma. After a while, however, your system acclimates to that sweet smell, and you are no longer aware of it. Has the aroma gone away, or have you just become used to it? Has your pain or problem really gone away, or has it become so much a part of you that you just do not even recognize it any more?

2. It comes and goes.

However, it comes back! Is this like a recurring nightmare? What's important here, is that it comes back, not that it goes away! Maybe the oil light on the dashboard of your car only comes on occasionally. Certainly, you know a problem is brewing. How long will you choose to ignore it?

3. It's not that bad.

Compared to what? If you have a toothache, how bad does it have to be before you get to a dentist? Do you know anyone who was told by their dentist that if they took care of their teeth, or came in earlier, it would have been preventable, or perhaps just a simple cavity? You let it go long enough, and you may need a root canal. Ignore your teeth long enough and you'll need new teeth. Ignore your spine & nervous system long enough and you are in serious trouble...remember it controls EVERYTHING!!!

4. It only hurts when I ...

This is analogous to having an alignment problem on the front end of your car. If you drive at 55, the front end wobbles. If you drive at 35, it doesn't. Does this suggest there is no problem with the front end? Here, too, let it go long enough and soon you'll not be able to drive over 15 without your front end wobbling, never mind all the other problems that show up (symptoms!)

5. I know what my problem is, it's ...

Most of the time, people describe their symptoms. "My problem is I have a backache, or a headache, a toothache." Great! So like the toothache, the symptom alerts you to the fact that there is an underlying problem. Let's wake up to the underlying cause of the problem, not the symptom. Depressing or numbing a symptom is like putting a piece of tape over the oil light or taking the battery out of the smoke detector.

6. I was told I have to live with it, so I do.

So, who told you you have to live with it? In my 16 years of practice, I have helped countless people who have been told they have to live with it. They felt that since they were told they would have to live with it, they indeed would. What they found, however, was after appropriate healthbased, honoring, specific chiropractic care, they were free to live without the "it!" Living with utmost health potential. The Asthma chld who no longer needs the inhaler. The colicky baby who can sleep through the night.The bedwetter who can have a playdate & sleepover. The grandma who no longer needs a walker.The spouse who is not a walking medicine cabinet, because they said it was in her head...the life changing stories go on!!

7. My doctor couldn't find anything wrong.

Has your doctor performed an in-depth, appropriate spinal screening, comparative thermal scan (measuring the temperature variation along your spine), or a surface EMG (to measure the comparative tension along your spine, which just happens to house the spinal cord, the master control system of the body)! If you hit a bump with your car and your car now shimmies and sways, would you take it to a body shop for an evaluation? They would find nothing wrong. (Unless the shimmy was so severe, you hit another car or a wall!) In my practice, I look at the alignment of your spine & nervous system to determine the underlying cause of your problems.

8. I've been this way for years, why change now?

Your body consistently regenerates. There is no time like the present to begin to lead a healthier, freer, more flexible life. Your body is a self-regulating, self-healing, self-regenerating system. Remove interference, and you have no choice but to heal!

9. I don't want to know!

Denial is as great a killer as anything else is. Back to the tooth analogy. How long would you choose to deny there is a problem with your tooth before you have to be strapped into the dentist chair? Honor yourself, take care of yourself.

10. It's because of my age!

I love this one! Many years ago, my father was told that the arthritis in his right knee was because of his age. He calmly asked the doctor, "So doc, how much older is my right knee than my left?" ( I told him to ask that!!) Please, give me a break. How many people older than you do not have what you have that you have been told, "It's because of your age?" This is a great excuse not to take care of yourself.

Take your power back. If you do what you've always done, see the doctors you've always seen, you'll get what you've always gotten. You are the only one who can take the responsibility of taking care of you -- do it!

Pass this along to those you know need to read this!! You know there are plenty of them."

Dr. Luigi

Come to find out this past week that a local, very large company will be increasing the cost of health insurance to their smoking employees more than $600 per year above what the non smoking employees will be charged.  How they will enforce this I can't figure unless they will be putting in secret video cameras or something of the sort.

A sign of things to come for all of us?  At one point, I grilled a disability insurance agent about their ability to find out about the health status of people-especially regarding the results of advertised "confidential" testing.  I was assured that this company had the ability to find out pretty near anything it wanted...left a bad taste in my mouth.

Let me shamelessly promote health.  Starting November 1 we will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Northeastern NY Regional Food Bank-bring in $50 worth of food and receive a consultation, health history review and a computerized nervous system stress test.  Do something good and get something to make you good-win, win.

Then, starting just after Thanksgiving, we begin collecting hats, mittens, gloves and scarves for children in need.  We call this Dress A Tree/Dress A Child and we have done it for 10 years in Guilderland.  Donations go to the rescue missions of Schenectady and Albany-the person with the largest gift (tons o' scarves) gets a special gift from AAC Family Wellness.

Our passion is to help people get and stay well.  Be a part of it this holiday season!

Many of you have seen this bumper sticker:  "If you're not outraged, you're not paying attention."  I'm fairly certain that it has something to do with politics, but I thought of it again today when I comtemplated my involvement in health care.  Here's how I apply this particular bumper sticker...

We spend the most amount of money on healthcare, yet don't even reach the top 10 as far as overall health of a country.

One in four children in New York are obese.

2 out of 3 people are taking more than one prescription medication per day. Averages for the elderly approach 15 different medications in a day.

Doctors are regularly prescribing psychotropic drugs to children under the age of 5 for behavioral disorders.

Every year the flu shot fails to influence the mortality rate of susceptible populations while the manufacturers make billions on the population's fear.

More women will declare "Early detection!" and "Save the Ta-Tas!" and "Until there is a cure!", but will not spend one second wondering WHY we are getting more breast cancer and at a younger age.

Medical procedures and malpractice is the number one reason why people are dying in this country.

Americans don't sleep enough and often can't.

The economy goes down and the profits for McDonald's go up.

Pharmaceutical companies spend billions marketing drugs to consumers...and doctors.

Medical insurance companies are "for profit."

Our average age of mortality is 77.

Your health is a marketplace-spend your dollars wisely and with an educated mind.  Your health is sacred-you only get one body in this lifetime-there is no way around a good diet and regular exercise.  Spend some time learning how to keep it healthy and then spend the time (and out of pocket money) required to do so.  Know that medications are only a stop gap and often cause great damage to the body.  Know that heart disease and cancers are lifestyle diseases-you have a great deal of control in whether you create these diseases or not.

There is a new book out called "Anti-Cancer."  It is written by a medical doctor who had brain cancer and went into remission.  He asked his doctors if there were lifestyle changes he could make to support his health and they had nothing to say.  Luckily, he has lots to say about lifestyle and cancer.

 

 

Define balance.  Merriam Webster has 9 different meanings for the noun and another 6 entries for its use as a verb.  Balance from the health perspective also has several meanings.

We can talk about the particular definition of "physical equilibrium".  Of a person who loses their balance due to vertigo or neurological imbalance or painful extremity or low blood pressure (and the list goes on).  A loss of balance in this sense equates with some serious dis-ease in the human body.

"A means of judging or deciding."  How often do we think about a food choice, our entertainment, a walk, a spinal adjustment or taking a drug and really examine the impact of such on our overall health balance?  Not enough, perhaps.

"Mental and emotional steadiness."  Do you have peace?  Think long and hard about this particular item regarding your health.  A lack of mental clarity and peace becomes physiological processes in our bodies which can build your body up or tear it down.

"An aesthetically pleasing integration of elements."  Although I will use this out of context, I like how it sounds.  Realize that when it comes to your health, a lack of balance takes away your health, your life.  Working toward balance not only gives you health, it gives you happiness and peace in life.

*Think Well-Your guide to achieving balance in your mind-will be presented by Dr. Michael Quartararo in our Guilderland office on October 13th and in our Ballston Spa office on October 14th both at 7pm.  Please join us!  For more information visit our website www.aacfamilywellness.com.

Haven't we all felt this at some point or another?  A sense of not being able to get anything going.  Of not really having a lot to say even though there are a million things going on in the world at any given time much of it worthy of at least a comment.  Here's how I'm choosing to look at this today...

...a calm in the storm.  The outside world is chaotic and hectic at times.  To find some peace amidst the hubbub is bliss.  Some words of how to do this:

Exercise, breathe, find some time alone even if it is just 15 minutes per day, and dare I say?  Avoid the news! 

*"THINK WELL" a presentation by Dr. Michael Quartararo will be held in our Guilderland office on October 13th and in our Ballston Spa office on October 14th.  Both presentations will begin at 7pm.  If you'd like to attend, contact us via our website:  www.aacfamilywellness.com.

Before you vaccinate, educate!  Especially this H1N1 business...and I do mean business. 

Doctor Admits Vaccine Is More Deadly Than Swine Flu Itself & Will Not Give It To His Kids

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1z7KSEnyxw

Here's what you CAN do to best protect yourself.  Simple health care... 
     1)  Get your spine checked for subluxations.  They interfere with immune system balance.
     2)  Make sure you are getting enough Vitamin D.  Research suggests that deficiency makes us more susceptible to viruses.  Kids are especially deficient.
     3)  Exercise.
     4)  Manage stress-there is a solution to every stressful situations.  Awareness is half the battle.
     5)  Wash your hands with regular, ole soap and water.  The antibacterial stuff is a drug/chemical that is more hazardous to your health than the germs it is designed to kill. 


Listen to AAC Family Wellness Center docs on 1540am at 9:30am every Saturday morning.  You'll get a brainful!  For more info on Chiropractic and wellness, visit our website:  www.aacfamilywellness.com