Healthy Living Chiropractic Newsletter
Cambridge Chiropractic 3939 Cambridge Road, Suite 100
(530)672–6451 www.cambridgechiropractic.com

Welcome to our office's Chiropractic newsletter. We'd like to entertain you, inform you (and even inspire you a little).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Are you ready to make a promise?
• Understanding chiropractic
• Adapting to stress
• Chiropractic: Bringing out the best in you: Arthritis
• Fascinating facts to think about...did you know?
• Listen to what our patients are saying–S. Malins
• The importance of wine

Dear Patient and Friend,

Are you ready to make a promise to yourself that may improve the quality of the rest of your life? Many times during our lives we are asked to make promises about what we will do. For example, at 16 years old, we may receive a driver’s license that requires a commitment to obey the laws of the road. If we fail to obey these laws that are created to protect us, there will be consequences. We might be required to pay a fine and lose some amount of money or we might even lose our driver’s license, at least for a while. We learn many valuable lessons when we experience loss. Hopefully, these valuable lessons encourage us to pay more attention to the laws. Loss teaches us a practical lesson, and helps us to change our behavior in ways so that we don't make the same mistakes again.

When we experience the loss of a loved one, not only do we feel grief, we frequently feel a sense of regret that we didn't fully appreciate and value the relationship we had until it was lost. Usually, we can move forward and forgive ourselves and celebrate the happy memories experienced in the relationship. However, many times we decide to change our behavior with relationships still remaining in our lives. We make promises to ourselves to spend more time with family and friends and express to those we love just how much we value them. Loss teaches us how valuable time is.

We make promises to ourselves to reach goals of financial independence as well as happiness. However, these promises have little or no value if we don't have good health to enjoy them. It is my belief that health seems to be the personal asset most people take for granted. Because we take our health for granted, we may never have focused on creating a wellness lifestyle to insure optimal health today and in the future.

Here is a promise we can make. We can provide our own form of "health insurance" by making a promise to ourselves to make health our number one priority. Promises are very powerful because we are making a commitment to achieve something and nothing can stop us. My recommendation is that we utilize this power to create a wellness lifestyle focusing on our body’s natural ability to heal itself. Our health goals can be to prevent health issues before they arise by making a promise to ourselves to eat right, exercise, get enough rest as well as receive regular chiropractic care. Chiropractic care is a health care method based on the body’s natural ability to heal itself. If we already have health issues, we can make a promise to ourselves to try chiropractic care because a chiropractor may be able to identify and correct the cause of problems naturally.

Chiropractic care emphasizes the importance of the spine in keeping the body functioning properly and healthy. The brain is the body’s central command center. The brain constantly sends messages to all tissues, organs and cells of the body through the nerve system. The spinal cord protects the transmission of these vital messages. Vertebral subluxations (misalignment of the spine) can be caused by activities of daily life, including falls, accidents, sports, etc. Vertebral subluxations can interrupt these messages being transmitted throughout the body, ultimately causing the body to express symptoms and be unhealthy. Traditional medicine utilizes drugs and surgery to treat symptoms, while chiropractors specialize in detecting and correcting vertebral subluxations, restoring the body’s natural ability to communicate and heal.

Don't wait until you lose your health to begin to pay attention to it. Don't take your health for granted. Promise yourself today to include chiropractic as insurance of a healthy future.

So before we begin with this Special Edition Patient Newsletter, I must tell you that each and every one of us is born with "ultimate perfection." All of us are all born with the inborn potential to be truly healthy. And it is our decision to maintain a state of optimal health throughout our lifetime or to allow ourselves to become unhealthy and at disease. Yes, that is correct; it is your lifestyle choices that will ultimately determine the direction of your health.

Millions of people have benefited from the safe, natural, drug-free chiropractic approach to optimal health and wellness. They observe miraculous physical and emotional improvements as their body functions are freed from the stress of vertebral subluxation. Once these "interferences to your ultimate perfection" are corrected, the power that made your body can once again heal and reconnect your body and your brain. This always improves brain function and optimizes your health and quality of life.

So sit back, relax and enjoy this powerful and practical newsletter. Discover once and for all why you are getting better and healing if you are a patient, and why your friends and family need to strongly consider becoming patients. I am certain that when you finish you will be confident that you have made the best decision by choosing to live the "Chiropractic Lifestyle."

Understanding chiropractic

Being a practicing chiropractor for 5 years, I have the opportunity to meet a wide variety of people everyday. When patients enter my office on their initial visit, they enter with certain symptoms as well as very specific expectations of what it is they want to accomplish. Most commonly, they present with back pain, neck pain, headaches and other symptoms of disease and have a simple understanding, or should I say misunderstanding that chiropractors "fix backs." And, their expectations are that they want to feel better "NOW."

For these reasons, it is my belief that it is absolutely critical to take time to educate and empower every one of my patients so that they have a complete understanding of the following 4 things:

1. What exactly has caused their problem?
2. What it is going to take to correct their problem.
3. How long is it going to take to correct their problem?
4. Exactly how chiropractic can help.

You see, what I want every patient to understand is that as unique as each individual is when they enter my office, they ALL have certain things in common. For me, the very best part about being a chiropractor is in knowing that every patient that walks through the door walks in with a problem and the solution inside of them. Remember, healing always comes from within each of us. It is my responsibility as the Doctor of Chiropractic to help facilitate that healing by removing vertebral subluxations from the nerve system. When interference is removed, the body can adapt and heal on its own. How long that will take is unique for each individual.

It is absolutely critical to empower patients to live a healthier lifestyle–a chiropractic lifestyle. This includes proper diet, exercise, stress reduction and adding love to their lives. I find that patients who own a greater understanding of exactly what it means to be "healthy" can make the best health decisions for themselves and their families. I am truly proud that my chiropractic practice is comprised of families who choose to be lifetime chiropractic patients because they are empowered to live long, healthy and vital lives.

Adapting to Stress: Body and Mind–Dr. Ben Lerner, www.bodybygod.com

Health is a state of well being in three distinct areas: 1. Physical 2. Mental 3. Social.

One of my major rules for "Maximized Living" is "Peace Management." A negatively stressful life will rarely lead to a healthy body. A struggling, desperate individual will likely experience illness despite following most of the other important rules of wellness. Even if you could be healthy while experiencing stress, you'd just be a healthy miserable person. And, who wants that?

On the other hand, someone who has peace of mind, knows who he or she is, works hard to emerge victorious over struggles and experiences loving relationships will very likely enjoy ongoing good health. If you're not having a good time living in your body, it's hard for that body to be well or for you to call it healthy. The fact is, you can't separate your wellness from your emotions. Every feeling you have affects some part of your body.

All feelings create physiologic change. Skin, heart rate, digestion, joints, muscle energy levels, the hair on your head and endless cells and systems you don't even know about change with every emotion. These changes can be called the stress response.

Celebrations and tragedies alike cause a stress response in the body. Some stress is unavoidable. The only stress-free people on the planet can be visited at any local cemetery. On the other hand, stress becomes negative only when:

• Your response to it is negative.
• Your feelings and emotions are inappropriate for the circumstances.
• Your response lasts an excessively long time.
• You are feeling continuously overwhelmed, overpowered and overwrought from circumstance.

Our personality and emotions are not pre-determined and pre-programmed as we once thought. You are not who you perceive yourself to be! Many of us feel stuck inside a brain that doesn't work the way we want it to. What science has discovered is that we control our genes. They don't control us!

Although your DNA is your basic blueprint, it is triggered by our attitude and environment. By beginning to embrace and cooperate with life and recognizing how powerful you are, you can start to have a spirit of overcoming, experiencing positive, healthy stress, rather than living as a victim in a state of overwhelm, and negative stress.

Stress has become a serious health hazard. If you don't get a handle on it quickly, stress can take a huge toll on your physical, mental and social well-being. Let me share with you the simplest way to turn stress into your ally and not your enemy...

Regular chiropractic adjustments are the quickest and most effective way to reduce stress to your nerve system. Spinal nerve stress caused by a vertebral subluxation is a dangerous mechanism that damages nerves, weakens health and depletes energy stores. Many people may walk around with a painless subluxation for years without knowing it. Doctors of chiropractic are professionals who specialize in correcting vertebral subluxations, the cause of spinal nerve stress, which leads to increased energy, improved health and a rejuvenated body.

Chiropractic: Bringing Out The Best In You

Arthritis–the Chiropractic Approach

Arthritis is a disease of the whole body, most dramatically affecting the joints. Osteoarthritis, also known as degenerative joint disease, is the most common arthritis of all; almost everyone over the age of 50 has a touch of it. "It is almost as inevitable...as graying of the hair." In many people there are no symptoms, others have pain and some are even incapacitated by it.

Osteoarthritis often results from an unbalanced spine creating stress on the joints. Your body grows extra bone material in the joints to help deal with the stress. These bone growths can compress nerves, causing pain and affecting internal organs.

Medical treatment offers no cure for arthritis. Since the underlying cause is unknown, symptom treatments include a lifetime of drugs for the pain and inflammation in addition to hot packs and exercises. If a joint becomes severely deteriorated, then surgery may be considered. Aspirin, while it may reduce pain, stiffness and inflammation, may require 8 to 24 tablets a day and can cause stomach irritation, bleeding and ulcers. In fact, approximately 10,000 arthritic sufferers die every year from the gastrointestinal complications of various arthritic drugs.

For over a century, arthritic patients have benefited from chiropractic care. Chiropractic care has on occasion even reversed osteoarthritis, something previously considered impossible. And yet, chiropractic is NOT a treatment for arthritis. Chiropractic is a system of health care that improves the function of your entire body by removing or releasing blockages from your spine called vertebral subluxations. Vertebral subluxations weaken your nerve system and immune system, weakening your body. This can set the stage for sicknesses and diseases of all kinds–arthritis included.

Anyone with arthritis needs to consult a chiropractor for a spinal checkup to locate and remove their subluxations. As a general rule it is always wisest to search out the most natural, conservative methods before submitting to more invasive care such as drugs and surgery. The body has an inner wisdom that far exceeds our own. It can cure diseases that have no cure–even arthritis.

Did You Know?

Fascinating Facts To Think About

Fresh pineapple contains an enzyme called bromelain, which helps to reduce inflammation in the joints (good news for arthritis sufferers). However, canned pineapple does not have the same benefits because the canning process exposes the fruit to high temperature, which destroys the bromelain.

Just 5 to 10 minutes of sun exposure every day can yield important health benefits. A little sunshine may boost the brain’s production of serotonin, a chemical that can enhance your mood and sense of well-being. A little sunshine may help our bodies process vitamin D, which in turn gives us energy. A little sunshine may inhibit the body’s production of melatonin, a hormone associated with sleep. Of course, too much sun can lead to premature aging of the skin, cataracts and skin cancer. Appreciate the health power of small doses of sun, and protect yourself with sunscreen, sunglasses and clothing coverage if you're outside for longer stretches of time. Source: Bally Total Fitness.

Researchers have discovered that hardening of the arteries, which can lead to heart attack or stroke, can begin in people as young as 13. Even more alarming is the fact that 37 percent of 20 to 29 year olds and 60 percent of 30 to 39 year olds show signs of this condition. Source: Health, December 2001.

A study published in the journal Pediatrics, June 2002, reports that television viewing is associated with obesity even in very young children. This study of more than 2,700 toddlers, ages one to four, found that the higher prevalence of obesity was associated with children based on the number of hours they sat in front of the television.

A study of more than 26,000 middle-aged to elderly men suggests regular exercise can significantly lower the risk of stroke, according to Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, April 2002.

Coffee increases the body’s stress level, according to researchers from Duke University Medical School who found that on days when people consumed as much caffeine as is contained in four cups of coffee, their levels of the stress hormone epinephrine increased, on average, 30 percent and their blood pressure rose. The long-term result of ingesting too much caffeine could be an elevated risk of heart disease and stroke.

Some bottled waters are nothing more than tap water, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. Government regulations allow bottlers to call their product "spring water" even though it may be pumped from a well or treated with chemicals. Genuine spring water will always disclose the source of the spring on the label.

A researcher from Duke University in North Carolina reports that niacin appears to have a positive effect on blood levels of HDL, the "good" cholesterol. He compared a time release form of the vitamin to a known HDL-rising drug (gemfibrozil) and found that niacin worked twice as well. Volunteers taking niacin raised their HDL levels and average of 26 percent during the study, as reported at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Dallas, November 11, 1998, by Dr. John Guyton.

Listen to what our patients are saying–S. Malins

My six-year-old daughter Leah was experiencing chronic ear infections since three-years of age. It seemed as though almost every day of her short life she was taking some sort of medication or antibiotic. I could tell that the drugs were robbing Leah of her normally happy, active personality. She always seemed to be tired and run down. Leah would spike high fevers of 105 degrees on a fairly regular basis. She was constantly coming down with colds causing her to be irritable and cranky. This was just not the Leah I know and love.

I took Leah to many different pediatricians looking for an answer to this problem. The only options I was given were more drugs upon more drugs, surgery to put tubes in her ears, or the worst of all, the thought that Leah would just have to live with this and hopefully someday grow out of it. None of these options were acceptable for me.

A friend referred me to see Dr. Petrice. Her child had a similar problem and the results were very pleasing. I took Leah to see Dr. Petrice and on the very first visit she told me that she was confident she could help Leah to be a happy and healthy six-year-old once again.

I am proud to say that within three months of regular chiropractic care, Leah has not had one ear infection. Her fevers are gone and there is not a sniffle to be found. And most importantly, Leah is happier than ever. She is a vivacious six-year-old now in the first grade and she has not missed a day of school even when most other children do. We visit Dr. Petrice every week to maintain a healthy spine. I have started getting adjusted as well and have to say that I feel younger and better than ever.

Thanks to chiropractic and Dr. Petrice, my daughter is healthy and DRUG FREE.–S. Malins

Closing Thought–The Importance Of Wine

A philosophy professor stood before his class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with rocks, about 2 inches in diameter. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed– yes.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles, of course, rolled into the open areas between the rocks. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He then asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced a bottle of red wine from under the table and proceeded to pour the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed. "Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The rocks are the important things...your family, your partner, your health, and your children...things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full."

"The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else–the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the rocks. The same goes for your life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are really important to you."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled and responded, "It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a good bottle of wine."

Pay attention to the "big rocks" in your life. The things that are critical to your happiness and add to your family’s well being. Play with your children. Take your partner out dancing. There will always be time to go to work, clean the house, and do household chores.

Take care of the "big rocks" first–the things that really matter. Set your priorities. Make continuous learning and personal growth a priority for you. There is ALWAYS more that we can do for ourselves as well as others. Commit to helping other people accomplish their goals and be happy.

Just think about how much less stress we would encounter and how much more we can get accomplished if we focused on the "big rocks" first. Everything else is just sand.

Want copies of this newsletter for your friends? Stop by the office and we'll give you some hard copies or write to us and we'll add them to our mailing list. Please remember that everyone needs to be free from subluxations so bring your friends and loved ones for a spinal checkup.

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