PHYSICAL LABORER
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
One of the oldest laws of Human Health and Anatomy is Hilton’s law as espoused by Dr. John Hilton MD in 1862, which is widely found throughtout all major medical literature & research states; “The nerve supplying the muscles extending directly across and acting at a given joint not only supplies the muscle, but it also innervates the joint and the skin overlying the muscle.” In other words… you should move it or you will lose it!
This clearly illustrates that every day we must move every joint in our body to its full range of motion, against resistance, in order to maintain good health and function. Our ancestors were great at this – lots of bending, twisting, running, reaching, stretching, lifting, and carrying, which translated to full joint rotations against resistance on a regular basis. Modern man, on the other hand, has become used to modern conveniences that lessen our need to use our bodies to their full extent. We’re surrounded with comfortable seating, transportation, indoor lighting and superfluous technology that make our lives easier, and as a result most of us no longer use our bodies in the best ways to stay healthy in our modern environment.
The cornerstone of a healthy anatomy is motion, and keeping our bodies in full motion has numerous health benefits which have been shown to impact us even at a cellular level affecting our immune system, emotional composition, metabolism, anxiety, clarity of thought , stress reduction and a plethora of additonal benefits to human health.
WHAT WE NOW KNOW
Modern research reinforces our belief that manipulating each joint has the most positive impact on joint health throughout the body, so joint analysis is the first assessment we do with every patient. Clinical studies have repeatedly proven that chiropractic joint manipulation and restoration of movement will reduce pain, prevent deterioration and restore overall health. A few of the major countries that have led the way in research findings which reinforce chiropractic benefits are:
- United Kingdom – Meade Study
- Canada – Manga Report
- New Zealand – NZ Inquiry on Chiropractic
- United States – Wilk’s Trial
Our lack of mobility, and inability to maintain full range of motion at each joint, is causing an epidemic of back and joint pain, but studies show the best way to improve symptoms is through spinal manipulative therapy (SMT), this is the main focus of our clinic and should be of all Chiropractic providers. The goal of Canada – Manga Report, or spinal adjustment, is to restore motion to the affected joints and eliminate pain and dysfunction. It is also imperative that we provide our patients with a better understanding of the demands put upon their bodies so that they can work to prevent the physical deterioration in their day to day lives which is currently plaguing modern society.
TREATMENT PROTOCOL
Your treatment will begin with an assessment focused on your daily environment and the factors contributing to the dysfunction of your joints. We’ll perform orthopedic and neurological exams, as well as a functional movement screening using our Spinal Health Assessment (SHA), to determine your limitations and dysfunctions. The result of your SHA, your Spinal Health Score ranging from 0-100, is then used to map your path to proper movement, restore mobility, and revitalize health.
X-RAYS
Diagnostics are an important part of establishing your care program. In our office we X-ray your spine and specific problem areas looking for alignment, curves of the spine, degeneration and arthritis so that we can properly assess your symptoms and be safe and effective in your treatment.
One thing that sets us a part from many chiropractors is that we will not only X-ray when you first come to the office but we X-ray again after as you complete your acute care visits. We do this in order for you to see the changes that have been made and help you understand how to maintain these changes moving forward.
REPORT OF FINDINGS
Next, you’ll meet with the doctor to discuss the most effective plan for your needs and personal health goals. At this Report of Findings, we’ll use your assessment results and Spinal Health Score to outline a safe and efficient course of action to help you achieve the desired results; we will discuss the frequency of any necessary visits and the duration of treatment; while taking time to answer all the questions you may have. Once you and your doctor are comfortable with a plan, we’ll get to work.
RE-ESTABLISHING MOVEMENT
Remember, motion and movement are Essential Nutrients that keep your body healthy and feeling great. Our goal in designing a treatment plan for you is to restore proper motion and proprioception, your brain’s necessary comprehension of movement, to eliminate pain and discomfort. To do this, we’ll use chiropractic adjustments, or SMT, on the spine and joints involved, and retrain your body to move as it was intended.
ANALGESICS
When Patients begin care during the acute phase of injury inflammation is common. We’ll first work to reduce inflammation and decrease your pain. Depending on your circumstances, we may try icing or analgesics, to provide temporary relief. These products are topical creams or gels, which will allow for less pain at first to encourage more movement and healing at a faster pace. They are not a solution but can often work great to get patients moving and restoring daily function.
ROCKTAPE
When a patient arrives at the clinic experiencing acute pain of any joint or muscle, RockTape can be used on the skin to help restore some immediate function, which will reduce pain short term. RockTape lifts the top layer of your epidermis, which will fire proprioception. This brings the brains attention to the area of injury, increasing blood flow and healing.
ACUTE CARE
In order to understand acute care and the ability for chiropractic to resolve pain during treatment, we look to the above referenced Randomized Control Trials performed by several countries, regarding cost, effectiveness and safety. It was also very interesting to look at the results in the additional RCT research performed by Maltby et. al. regarding duration of care and desired effect at maintaining resolution of correlating pain symptoms. Maltby et al. Article 1 focused on the average time of treatment someone needed for the management of acute low back pain. When analyzing this study it states, “assuming a constant linear dosage response curve, in studies with chiropractors as the treating doctors it was estimated that 28 visits were needed to document, resolve, and stabilize this condition.” Maltby et al. Article 2 focused on upper back pain, and neck pain which states “assuming a constant linear dosage response, the data indicated a minimum of 24 visits on average would be needed to document, resolve, and stabilize these conditions.”
TARGETED APPROACH
It bears repeating, both Hilton’s Law and modern research indicate restoring proper joint motion is the most effective way to promote healing and long-term spinal health. Research proves that environmental factors like diet and mental wellness affect how our bodies feel every day. Therefore, we begin every treatment plan with a chiropractic adjustment (SMT), then determine if other modalities should be applied, such as:
- Targeted rehab and functional exercises to re-establish movement patterns and proprioception to the affected joints.
- Lifestyle evaluation to identify your environmental stressors affecting overall health.
- Dietary assessment to help you achieve nutritional goals essential for decreasing iflammation and eliminating pain.
Every patient is different, with multiple factors contributing to their health and wellbeing. Our practitioners have worked diligently to cultivate a deep understanding of human health and wellness, so they can provide comprehensive, individualized care mindful of the triune of health as taught by Dr. James Chestnut: EatWellMoveWellThinkWell.com
THERAPY TO SUPPORT YOUR CARE
DENNEROLL
During your Report of Findings you will be shown how humans are born with 3 natural curves to their spine, which gives them the ability to be upright and on two feet. Throughout our lives we can lose these curves either through trauma or more commonly through poor posture, lack of exercise, and poor lifestyle habits. This decrease in proper function can lead to neck pain, back pain, and headaches. In our office we will assess your spine and then look at restoring the curves by using an orthotic device known as a Denneroll.
Once the curves reach the proper radius measurements coupled with your adjustments we will see a full return of proper function. The Denneroll orthotic is a styrofoam pillow which uses a patient’s body weight and gravity to restore the curves of the spine and allow the ligaments and muscles to return to normal length, both crucial for long-term health.
(Denneroll a Randomized Controlled Trial supporting cervical curve rehabilitation)
SPINAL DECOMPRESSION
Another modality used within our office depending on your personal exam findings could be Spinal Decompression, which decompresses the spine by way of mechanical traction. The spine can become compressed by injury or more commonly over time, by way of degeneration due to poor posture, too much sitting, improper motion, dehydration of discs etc.
By using decompression in the office we can help to hydrate the discs during your treatment and create more motion in the joints. This therapy will allow for relief of back pain, neck pain and a return of function. The decompression table works by having the patient lie in their most comfortable position on the table while a traction cable pulls and releases, decompressing the spine, creating a negative intradiscal pressure to promote retraction or repositioning of herniated or bulging discs.
(Clinical Studies on the Effectiveness of Spinal Decompression Therapy)
MANUAL THERAPY
We may use manual therapies or myofascial release techniques in the early stages of care, which are effective for relieving tight muscles and fascia. Loosening up the tissues allows us more flexibility when administering chiropractic adjustments, or SMTs, and helps to restore joint motion more easily.
Many times patients who have dealt with pain and dysfunction for quite some time have incorrectly altered the way they use muscles to compensate for the pain. When necessary we will use these techniques to loosen up tight muscles by stripping the area and creating motion and healing.
FOAM ROLLER / LACROSSE BALL
We may spend some time focused on training you in the proper use of foam rollers and lacrosse balls to improve your functionality either in the office or between sessions when at home. These tools can help greatly with soft tissue work, allowing you to address muscle tension as soon as it occurs, and create more balance in your musculature. The improper use of these items can often lead to pain or discomfort by irritating facet joints, so it is imperative to learn and practice proper technique for maximum benefit.
Lacrosse balls are a great way to up the intensity of the soft tissue work allowing you to still be in control and have the ability to do soft tissue work when you don’t have access to someone who can perform manual therapies. Lacrosse balls travel easy and are a great way to work through the knots and tight muscles you may experience as we address your pain and move toward the return of function and health.
ORTHOTICS
One of the things we examine in depth in the clinic is your kinetic chain and how it is functioning from the ground up. At times, we see a breakdown in the feet causing the kinetic chain to be out of balance causing compensations. Orthotics help to temporarily establish a solid foundation for physical activity, and provide support and help balance the kinetic chain. This can be a great tool during the acute care program, to re-establish proper strength and function and get your kinetic chain back in balance. The ideal theory behind orthotics is that they serve as a temporary measure, not a permanent solution, in your care program returning normal function and balance.
YOUR DIET’S EFFECTS ON SPINAL HEALTH
While the focus on movement helps us understand the first part of the triune of health, the second element in the triune is our diet. It may seem obvious that the food we eat directly impacts our physical health, and yet, some of the most common stressors in our patients’ lives are related to diet. Consuming processed, poorly cultivated, chemically-treated food creates toxicity and chronic inflammation, and consequently, higher rates of disease. The practitioners in our office are committed to helping you nourish your body and reduce the inflammation wreaking havoc on your health, by evaluating and guiding your diet throughout your treatment.
The first step toward a proper diet is eating well. But to achieve optimal health, humans also need three essential nutrients we don’t produce naturally on our own and due to the changes with todays environmental factors we can no longer achieve sufficient levels without supplementing our diet,: omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D3, and probiotics.
Omega-3 fatty acids are now most commonly derived from fish oil and have a long list of benefits. Used by every cell in our body for thousands of different functions, omega-3s greatly reduce inflammation, increase brain and cardiovascular function, boost athletic performance, and promote weight loss, just to name a few. In the earliest days of human existence, it was consuming animal meat loaded with omega-3s that lead to the formation of our neocortex, the layer of our brain responsible for communication and rational thought. Though we can find both plant- and animal-based sources for omega-3 fatty acids, it is the animal-based omega-3s that provide the fuel our cells need to thrive.
5 Randomized Controlled Trials & Peer-Reviewed Research supporting Omega-3
(Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) as an anti-inflammatory. Maroon JC, Bost JW.)
(Polyunsaturated fatty acid regulation of gene expression… Ntambi, J.M. & Bene, H.)
(Association of Marine Omega-3 Fatty Acid Levels & Heart Disease… Farzaneh-Far et al)
(DHA and EPA and their effects on Anti-obesity/Weight Loss. Li & Huang.)
(Positive effects of Dietary Omega-3 and Blood Circulation. Stebbins et al. 2010)
Vitamin D3 levels in our blood is another key element in determing a healthy immune system and reaching homeostasis. It’s not only great for our bones, eliminating aches and pains, but it is also used by every cell in our body to develop a properly functioning immune system. Our internal environment recognizes Vitamin D3 as a vital element to human health in fact the absence of VitaminD3 in the body would likely be death! (Severe Effects of Vitamin D Deficiency. Aihara et al…)
When we combine D3 with vitamin A in a natural form like cod liver oil, the rate of the absorption of Vitamin D3 doubles and becomes more effective because the two work synergistically. The reasoning behind this is that the two vitamins share a receptor site and therefore increases the ability and effectiveness of each vitamin. (Ng et al. Vitamin D and vitamin A receptor expression and the proliferative effects..) We offer a combined OmegA+D in our office to make it easier and more cost effective for our patients to obtain sufficient levels and achieve balance and homeostasis.
6 Vitamin D Randomized Control Trials or Review of RCT’s
(Vitamin D deficiency and chronic low back pain.. Al Faraj S, Al Mutairi K.)
(Vitamin D – A Necessary Nutrient for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain… Stewart Leavitt, Ph.D)
(Vitamin D Increases Positive Immune System Response. Rode von Essen et al)
(Defense of Epidemic Influenza through Vitamin D. Aloia, J et al.)
(Effects on Aging through Higher serum Vitamin D concentrations. Richards, JB et al.)
(Vitamin D Deficiency preventing the Epidemic of Respiratory Infections. Cannell et al. 2008)
Probiotics are the “good bacteria” found in our bodies known as the microbiome. It is estimated that a healthy microbiome consists of 100 trillion “good bacteria” cells. These probiotic bacteria aid the digestion and absorption of nutrients, proteins, and fiber. They enhance the communication between our gut and the rest of our body, especially the brain. Probably their greatest function, is reducing inflammation not only in the gut but everywhere in our body. Their sufficient presence strengthens our immune system (70% of our immune system is found in our gut) to fight infection, harmful microorganisms, disease-causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi by attaching to the gut wall to make sure that these things have no way of penetrating through our intestines and therefore preventing “leaky gut.” Unfortunately due to modern sanitation practices (Chlorinated water, pasteurization processes, chemically treated foods) our microbiome is being depleted and likely at its lowest level in human history. In addition our increasingly sanitized lifestyle has become a contributing factor to modern society’s loss of ability to maintain healthy “good bacteria” levels. On a daily basis each human should be consuming at least 30 billion CFU’s per day in fact it is stated in the literature by Bengmark that the current human diet consumes 1 million times less than our stone age ancestors. The absence of this bacteria makes us susceptible to disease causing bacteria, viruses, and fungi which increases our chances of colds, flu, inflammation and chronic disease.
5 Probiotic Peer Reviewed and Randomized Control Trial Research
(The role of Biosurfactants, fiber and Probiotic Bacteria in the Immune System Bengmark, S. (1998)
(Think Twice: How the Gut’s “Second Brain” Influences Mood and Well-Being… Hadhazy, A. (2010)
(Systematic review of intestinal bacteria fighting off Infection. Gough, E. et al. 2011)
(Daily Probiotics’s Reduction of infection incidence in athletes… Gleeson, M. Et al)
ABOUT DIET
LOOKING AT LIFESTYLE
Part of your treatment and assessment will include discussions on the importance of lifestyle in achieving optimal health and preventing pain from returning. To get the most out of life, humans need frequency of movement, the right nutrients, and positive mental health. Focusing in these three areas will not only help to eliminate pain but also to restore your highest levels of function and overall performance (Homeostasis). In order to better understand lifestyle we have to look at the history of human health leading to modern day and the reasoning behind the recommendations we offer every patient.
UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY OF THE HUMAN DIET
Looking back through the history of the human species we notice some very important trends in dietetic patterns beginning with the Paleolithic era – Neolithic era and eventually evolving to the diet of modern man, which help us understand many of the challenges we currently face. The original Human Diet is a very simple one to comprehend just not as easy to accomplish in todays environment. As early man started to migrate from the jungles and into the plains it caused the largely vegetation based diet to change. It is widely accepted that hunters and gatherers from earliest homo sapien species began to hunt and eat meat. This may seem simple in theory but as we started to eat meat from the animals that we harvested, we began to ingest fats and proteins which supported our species health, wellness and ability for higher thinking. These animals who lived in the plains maintained a very high Omega-3 content in their bodies due to their grass fed diet. Adding the meat of these properly grazed animals became very important, as those fats are what formed what we now know to be the neo-cortex layer of modern man’s brain. Our brains are largely made up of and fed by these Omega-3 fatty acids.. It has been long held and widely accepted that our species capacity for greater thought and intelligence is due to a larger brain size, as cited in the work of Jersion 1973;. “Compared to mammals as a whole, humans have the largest EQ found for any mammal” (Omega 3)
Another important benefit that we see in the earliest stages of human development is the consumption of large amounts of proper bacteria. Understanding the origination of food sources helps us to understand where these Bacteria developed. The soil from which food was harvested contained much higher levels of bacteria than we see today and had not been depleted from over farming and chemical treatments. The animals we harvested grazed on natural lands and were not improperly fed with gluten filled grains nor were they chemically treated during the preparation for consumption. In addition our water supplies were natural and contained their own positive bacterial flora, absent modern day chlorine and flouride treatments, all of these environmental factors contributed to the positive impacts of our gut flora levels and overall health. We now understand through modern science that developing the gut flora (digestive bacteria makeup) was hugely important for the development of the human species and our ability to remain continuously healthy.
Restoring these bacteria to our diet are imperative to the development of a vital immune system which allow us to become resistant to disease and illness. Essentially, our species formed a mutually beneficial or symbiotic relationship with the bacteria where neither could survive without the other.
Biological organisms must create and maintain balanced relationships with proper levels of bacteria in order to thrive and remain healthy. This Essential Nutrient is predominantly missing in modern mans diet and causes a deficiency that must be corrected so that we can achieve our highest opportunity at health. (Probiotics)
TODAYS ENVIRONMENT
Fast forward to modern man: We now live in an environment where we have the “luxuries” of having mass produced food, GMO’s, pasteurization, growth hormones, and the list goes on. Our animals are no longer living according to their species origination free ranging and eating grass, now they are fed a diet filled with grains to get bigger and fatter faster. This helps mass production but not nutrition. The moment a cow eats grass it forms Omega-3 fatty acid. On the other hand, the moment a cow eats grain it forms the highly inflammatory Omega-6 fatty acids which humans are now consuming at a 2000 pecent higher rate than Omega 3’s and causing stress on the body. This is resulting in chronic inflammation and the diseases we now see to be all too common. (Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity, Cancer, Stroke)
”The typical North American diet is severely deficient in Omega-3 fatty acids and severely toxic with over consumption of inflammatory omega-6 fatty acids. In fact, researchers believe that the majority of Americans have so little omega-3 in their bodies that test methods cannot even detect it.” (Omega-3 fatty acids (fish oil) as an anti-inflammatory. Maroon JC, Bost JW.)
Our immune system is also taking a gigantic hit as we have become extremely sanitized. -”The average daily consumption of probiotic bacteria is now a million times less than that consumed by our healthy ancestors.” (The role of Biosurfactants, fiber and Probiotic Bacteria in the Immune System Bengmark, S. (1998) This in turn leaves our immune system vulnerable to infection.
The lack of Omega-3 fatty acids along with a decrease in bacteria are negatively impacting our health as a species. When you couple these with the fact we have much less exposure to the sun causing a majority of people to be deficient in Vitamin D3, chronic illness is running ramped. Vitamin D3 is an essential nutrient that our ancestors had plenty of.
”In the research investigations to date, patients found to have deficient Vitamin D3 concentrations had been variously diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome, hyperesthesia, rheumatic disorders, osteoarthritis, back pain, bone and joint pain, muscle weakness, and other chronic somatic complaints.” (Vitamin D – A Necessary Nutrient for Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain… Stewart Leavitt, Ph.D.)
Vitamin D3 plays many roles in the body, most significantly in the immune system. We cannot live a healthy life if we are deficient in Vitamin D3, or any of the essential nutrients we had so readily available as an early species, that we now see deficiency across the board. Vitamin D3 is synthesized in our body when we are exposed to ultraviolet B rays of light from the sun which converts cholesterol into vitamin D3 by way of the liver and into our cells. This process used to provide us with enough D3 to be sufficient and healthy. With the modern conveniences such as shelter, clothing, sunscreen etc., we no longer have enough sun exposure to be sufficient. Most of the population is now deficient in D3 and as a result we see a decrease in overall health. For best absorption and use of D3 it should be consumed with Vitamin A. These two work synergistically and increase effectiveness by sharing a cell receptor site. They can be found in Cod Liver oil in the correct natural ratio.
CHOOSING CORRECTLY FOR YOUR HEALTH
So, if we need essential nutrients to be truly healthy, what’s the best way to get them? Research shows even a well-balanced diet doesn’t provide the levels our bodies need for optimal health. It is not possible, in today’s environment to get all the vitamins and nutrients that we require as a species. We used to have abundant exposure to the minerals and vitamins that our bodies needed by maintaining a healthy relationship with our environment. Our food, water, shelter and daily activities allowed us to prevent disease by maintaining great cellular health at every level.
Today’s environment leaves us with mass produced food that is inflammatory, chemically treated, genetically modified, and less nutrient dense than any time in history. As a result many people turn to vitamins, supplements, and neutraceuticals (natural products designed to treat symptoms like medicine). The problem with many of these naturopathic products is that they are intended for other uses – to address acute issues or as a multi-symptom catch-all, and they don’t really provide the amounts of Essential Nutrients we truly need to build health.
The idea behind being healthy is simply to acquire and maintain sufficient levels of what our species needs to live and function at our highest potential i.e. nutrition, movement, emotional balance. Our modern allopathic healthcare has moved towards symptom based treatment through diagnostics, prescribed antibiotics and biologics soley focusing on the symptom instead of the cause with a neglect to homeostasis. Our naturopathic providers and suppliers have followed the model of symptomatic care and are doing the exact same thing with “natural” remedies in the form of vitamins, supplements, and neutraceuticals.
We caution our patients against these choices. Instead, we focus on recommending naturally sourced, organic Essential Nutrients. Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as it sounds; we strongly encourage patients to research products before they buy to ensure the manufacturer is providing the quality of Essential Nutrients they need, as we now know synthetics can cause more harm than good. We have every patient bring in their supplements on the second visit so that we can help them understand how their supplements are supporting or not supporting them in achieving sufficiency of Essential Nutrients and leading to homeostasis. It is our responsibility to give all of our patients the tools required by our genetic code to be healthy and fight inflammation and chronic illness the same way our stone age ancestors prevented disease.
Multi-Minerals-The product we offer our patients is 100% organic and is available in our office. They’re a natural way to replenish important minerals missing from your diet due to common mass food production, and the smart alternative to synthetic supplements, which have been shown to very often cause damage, disease, and dysfunction in our bodies. The damage caused by synthetics to our bodies can make us susceptible to a plethora of diseases and dysfunctions.
(Rothman, K. Tetratogenecity of High Vitamin A Intake. NEJM 1995: 333;1369-1373.)
(van Helden et al. (2009) Free Radic Biol Med. 2009 Jan 15;46(2):299-304. )
(Franceschi, S. et al. (1997) International Journal of Cancer; 72:56-61.)
(Carper, J. Food: Your Miracle Medicine. New York: Harper Collins 1998. )
COMPLETE RECOVERY BY THINKING WELL
The third element of the triune of health is how to manage the stress in our lives. One of our responsibilities as health care providers is to help you understand that stress is a toxin which affects our bodies and its ability to heal, so during your SHA, we’ll explore your stressors and coping skills, then design a plan to help you address those issues that are negatively impacting your health. It is often overlooked that in order to be healthy and pain free, we need to address how we think throughout every day. Our outlook shapes our thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and ultimately our behaviors. Research shows that how we think and view the world we live in is one of the most important things we can do for our health. One of the greatest research articles written on this topic is ‘Weaving Medicine Back Together: Mind-Body Medicine in the Twenty-First Century’ By M.D. Gilbert. This paper states “There has been a substantial body of laboratory and clinical research evidence built over the past three decades making the scientific connection between mind, body, and belief system indisputable.”
We know from the research article Stress and Its Impact on Overall Health and Longevity by Vitetta et. al. that positive thoughts have a positive benefit and need to be sufficient in our lives, they also concluded that negative thoughts or a deficiency of positive thoughts create toxicity in our bodies. Looking at the previously mentioned paper, it states “Stress and pleasure play a critical role in wellness and disease, with stress contributing significantly to the risk of disease. It is becoming increasingly clear that pleasure is also important. Even if a person is stressed, if they are also feeling good, stress will have fewer ill effects.” This illustrates that a person cannot be healthy if there is deficiency or toxicity in their life. This is especially important when we look at the quality of thoughts and beliefs of every individual. One of the most important things we help our patients to understand and implement is the role a proper mindset can play in their recovery and ability to heal properly in order to live a happy healthy life.
MAXIMUM PERFORMANCE
Our bodies function best when we achieve sufficient levels of Essential Nutrients. That is to say, when we have enough Movement, enough of the right nutrients, and hormonal balance because we have managed our stresses, we will maintain a level of homeostasis. Being at homeostasis is the ultimate goal in health! When we lack essential nutrients, when we don’t get enough movement, or are overly stressed, the result of toxicity, and our allostatic load, or “wear and tear” on the body increases, moving us further away from optimal health. In his 2000 study on the subject, Bruce McEwen explains in-depth how allostatic load increases relative to the increase in chronic stressors, which ultimately leads to chronic illness. (Allostasis and Allostatic load McEwen, Bruce Ph.D) The goal in our office is to help you understand the decreasing allostatic load by increasing sufficiency in movement, nutrients and stress management in order for you to be the healthiest version of you.
We know from the research article Stress and Its Impact on Overall Health and Longevity by Vitetta et. al. that positive thoughts have a positive benefit and need to be sufficient in our lives, they also concluded that negative thoughts or a deficiency of positive thoughts create toxicity in our bodies. Looking at the previously mentioned paper, it states “Stress and pleasure play a critical role in wellness and disease, with stress contributing significantly to the risk of disease. It is becoming increasingly clear that pleasure is also important. Even if a person is stressed, if they are also feeling good, stress will have fewer ill effects.” This illustrates that a person cannot be healthy if there is deficiency or toxicity in their life. This is especially important when we look at the quality of thoughts and beliefs of every individual. One of the most important things we help our patients to understand and implement is the role a proper mindset can play in their recovery and ability to heal properly in order to live a happy healthy life.
MAINTENANCE CARE FOR CONTINUED IMPROVEMENT
One of the most challenging things to remember about our health is it’s relationship to the process of life and what issues we might expect to face as a part of growing older.
We often believe that pain and poor health occur as a result of getting older and our bodies simply become more fatigued by use in daily life. This is a process we call the plain of degeneration. Degeneration is a legitimate theory in health but we often get confused as to the difference between what naturally occurs over time due to degeneration and what we incurr through our repetitive bad choices.
The truth is we are all degenerating but the questions is …
“At what rate?”
Other great questions:
“How do I choose to be the healthiest I can be for my age?”
“In what way did my age contribute to my pain?”
“How can I can do anything about getting older?”
The answer to all of these questions and more are in our choices. We mentioned the answer throughout this article multiple times and summarized it in the declaration known as the Triune of Health as taught by Dr. James Chestnut where he tells us to look at;
How we Eat, How we Move and How we Think or manage our stress.
It sounds so simple and it really is, but just not always easy! Our job is to help you overcome pain by resolving the symptoms you are now experiencing and then to help educate you on how to keep the pain from returning. The great thing about our job is the simplicity of the answers that all people need, but the hard thing about our job is the complexity of achieving those answers in todays environment. It takes effort but it is possible to live at your healthiest version of self throughout your entire life.
We we’ll dive deeper into this topic during your acute program of care and eventually assist you in obtaining your healthiest life by developing a simple approach to your maintenance of wellness through your Care Continuum.
THE RELATIONSHIP: MY PAIN & DEGENERATION
Towards the end of your treatment, we’ll perform a final Spinal Health Assessment (SHA) to evaluate your progress and confirm your condition has been resolved, then release you to our elective maintenance program of bi-weekly adjustments. This regimen was established based on the findings of the Senna-Machally study, which proved a period of extended support ensures proper healing, continued improvement, a decrease in symptoms, and better long-term health.
The maintenance period begins with a Lifestyle Health Risk Assessment (LHRA), which gives us an updated look at your physical condition, environmental factors, and stressors that impact your health and performance. With your individual results, we then create a customized 90 Day Lifestyle Plan geared for maximizing your long-term health. This robust plan empowers you to reach your health goals through stress management and mindfulness techniques, recipes for balanced nutrition, and a fitness regimen you can follow every day from home with no equipment needed.
Our ultimate goal is to set you up with an understanding of how to maintain good health for the rest of your life. Innate Choice has designed this program to encompass physical, mental, and environmental wellness, which dramatically improves our patients’ quality of life.
