June 2009 Archives

A valid question I suppose...would anyone like to volunteer for an experiment to find out if eating well can make you fat?  Doesn't make sense does it?

This(http://frenchkidsdontgetfat.typepad.com) is from my friend Ann S. who lives in Connecticut.  This blogger has a great answer to the above question.  Of course after we read what we should and shouldn't be feeding our kids, the mind starts to try and figure out how to feed them given our new set of rules.

Here's a great word that I heard from a Mom of 4 at church this Sunday..."I've been diversifying our grains."  Why she's doing this isn't the point as is the importance of the fact that this Mom isn't about hearing something new and then expecting her whole eating life to change overnite.  Changing eating habits is about learning and exploration-a journey.  We often eat just like our parents did...who eat like their parents...and so on.



Don't look to change the eating plan of your family as an overnite change.  This just sets us up for failure.  Look to find new and exciting ways to diversify your menu.  Getting the kids involved can only be a win/win situation.  They will learn to recipe hunt, to measure, to cook...and my favorite...to clean up!

Here's the first tip to get them involved...start a garden!  From seed to table is a pretty awesome process.

Have any tips for diversifying a family eating plan?  Please leave a comment!

Literally, I spent 2 hours Monday nite trying to get handle on what "Healthcare Reform" actually means-I am miffed.  It seems that President Obama is making some sort of run at political consensus building about nationalized healthcare.  And I can't get a handle on first of all, what does it mean in 1) change in the current system 2) the money required to initiate and administrate the change. 

 

In each article I read-one from Breitbart and the other from U.S News-there were over 100 comments.  Then, comments on the comments and comments to the comments of the comments.  Mostly centered on blaming someone or another for the state of the current "system."  All out name calling in some of it.  It is certainly a sticky topic...and expensive no matter how you look at it.

Today, I am going to challenge my practice members to higher levels of making theirs and their families' health a high order priority.  This is not a mindless activity-it takes connection and a familiarity with folks where I can talk to them about lifestyle stressors and help move them toward reducing them.  It also takes concern. But, I cannot be more concerned for a person's health than they are.  We all have to be concerned about the health of ourselves and our children and not just what to do when we lose our health (and how much that will cost and whether others should pay for it).

When we make our health a priority, we tend to feel less stress overall and can move forward to help our country make decisions that effect us all.  Please chime in on your opinions...but, again, if you enter into a blame game instead of constructive criticism, you stress your nervous system:)  Do we really need more stress?

 

Any of us know that owning a house means regular maintenance and upkeep.  Cleaning, painting, small fix repairs for the short list.  The better we do at maintaining, the longer the house will keep us safe, warm and dry.

But, sometimes, due to circumstances of failing maintenance or because of negligence, houses catch on fire.  When they do, we are very happy to see our fire department rolling down the street to put out the fire!  Their response time means whether or not the house can be salvaged, whether people will live or die inside the fire.  The fire department's job is very important when there is a fire. 

Now think of your body as if it were a house. 

The truth is that most of us maintain our houses and our cars better than we maintain our bodies.  The fire department in this case is the medical profession.  We rely on them for the ever increasing fires that occur within our human population.  And after the fire is out, the house requires a massive clean up in order to get it so that we can live in the house again comfortably.

Isn't it better to prevent the fire?  Does anyone really want to have to go to the emergency room or take 17 prescription medications everyday?  Of course not. 

Would you ever expect the fire department to do the regular maintenance on your house?  They might give you information on changing your fire detector batteries and making an emergency exit plan, but their job is not to help you maintain the house.  Just like relying on the medical profession to maintain your health is not only ineffective, it can be dangerous.  Ignoring your body until it becomes diseased, often means that it will not ever be normal again.

So, who do you rely on to help maintain your house?  Well, it takes YOU for one.  You are the most important party in the health of your body! 

In our practice, we spend time adjusting the human spine to minimize the effects of subluxation.  And we spend a lot of time coaching and encouraging people on how to minimize the tendency for their lifestyles to create subluxations and dis-ease.  Our job becomes very important when our practice members want to ignore the body's innate wisdom thereby creating an increased potential for injury-all without drugs or surgery.

So, if your house is on fire, please go to the emergency room.  But realize that when the fire is out, you will still need to clean up and maintain the most important asset you have-YOUR BODY!

It is interesting to me how many definitions of health and wellness are out there.  The definition of health from Dorland's Medical dictionary is "optimal physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmities".  But, ask most people what health and/or wellness means and they'll simply reply:  "Feeling good."

I can point out how often the opposite of "feeling good" actually means that your body is expressing health.  I can also point out how "feeling good" could mean you'll be diagnosed with cancer or heart disease tomorrow.  But, the dismal statistics on how unhealthy the people of our great nation are speaks volumes about simply relying on how you feel to tell you whether you are well or not.

So what does it mean to have optimal physical, mental and social well-being?  Well, first things first-do you have a good wellness chiropractor?  I'm not talking about a chiropractor that just "cracks" you once in awhile, never asks about the spinal health of your family and isn't generally concerned with your ongoing spine and nerve system health.  Folks,there are lots of us out there who are really great people, nice people, but if they aren't telling you about the awful effects of subluxation, they aren't telling you the truth about your health.

Physical well being...are you exercising on a mostly daily basis?  How is your diet?  Are you happy with your weight?  Do you think that ice cream is good for you because there is calcium in the cream?  Are you feeding your children hot dogs with some regularity?  Can you honestly say that you get 5-8 servings of fruits and veggies per day?

Mental well being...are you happy?  Satisfied with your life?  Feel significant in the grand scheme?  Spiritually well?  Sleeping 8 hours per night?  Able to relax and enjoy just being?

Social well being...do you like your spouse?  Do your children behave?  Interact well with others?

This is a short list of the questions that the answers to tell you quite a bit about your overall health-whether you have an ache or pain is just a small, though not insignificant, part of your total health.

Moms and Dads, remember that saying "actions speak louder than words"?  Your children learn how to maintain their health from you.  If you are not working on your health, your children won't either...no matter how much you say "do as I say, not as I do." 

 

Dear friends, family and community members,

Welcome to our new Albany.com blog!  In our blog, you'll find all kinds of information on healthful living, wellness and all things good. 

Please sign up to be regular voice of  comment, concern and opinion about what may be written here.  Occasionally, controversial topics such as vaccines, the sick care system and medication overuse will be covered.  We will remain as respectful as possible in expressing our views-we just ask that you do the same (ie: no foul language).

It is my pleasure to be the writer of this blog.  I have dedicated my professional career to educating my practice members and my community about moving well, thinking well and eating well with wellness Chiropractic care at the center.  As a mother and owner of a body, I've learned firsthand the importance of healthful living for a lifetime.

There is a well known quote about health and life that fits this particular blog:

Health is a journey, Not a destination

No doubt, as with life, we can be in for interesting ride...join us for some fun, education and empowerment along the way.

 

 

In health,

Dr. Sarah