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

Dear Patient and Friend,

What do we do when we see the warning signals of the blinking lights, a lowered bar and the ringing sound alerting us that a train is coming through? We immediately stop the car and wait for the train to pass. We have been trained to know that railroad tracks represent possible danger. And we know the appropriate actions to take when we see and hear these signals. We have learned to behave in a certain way when we realize that this danger threatens us.

Sometimes we experience certain warning signals in our lives and unfortunately, we don’t always recognize them and take the necessary action steps. There are no blinking lights, no lowered bars and no ringing bells to alert us to certain dangers that may affect our health and well-being. If we eat too much, don’t get enough exercise, or take too many pills, no alarm system stops us from doing these things. However, we have nagging worries about these bad habits. These worries, in addition to our reluctance to change our habits, hold us back from having the health and happiness we deserve.

Communication plays a valuable role in health. The body’s communication system begins in the brain and is transmitted to the rest of the body by the nerve system.

If anything occurs to interfere with this communication from brain to body (such as the misalignment of a spinal vertebra), health issues can result. In addition, self-talk (the silent communication we have with ourselves through our thoughts) can either help us or hurt us. Our body’s physical health depends upon the uninterrupted communication process of the nerve system. Our body’s psychological health depends upon our positive or negative self-talk.

Both physical and psychological problems may have their own warning signals if we can learn to be aware of them. Headaches, back pain and digestive issues are just a few physical warning signals. Stress, worry and sadness are just a few psychological warning signals.

Consider your own self-destructive patterns of thought or behavior. Take a minute to answer the following questions. Are you aware of behavior you would like to change? Does your healthcare method seek to find and correct the cause of your problem, or does it just treat the symptom with pills? Do you have positive or negative self-talk? Do you live each day in a mindful way?

Stop, look and listen to your body and your thoughts. Then become proactive and take the necessary action steps on behalf of your own health and happiness. Empower yourself by improving your habits of thinking and by choosing the natural healthcare method of chiropractic care.

Chiropractic care is a healthcare approach based upon the body’s natural ability to heal itself and is a very important step in a commitment to optimal health. Optimal health is one of our most valuable possessions. We should value ourselves enough to strive for the highest level of health. When we take responsibility for the choices we make regarding health, we give ourselves the best opportunity to achieve all of our health goals. Chiropractic care can help give us the natural health we deserve when we commit to learning more about our body and take all of the necessary steps to stay well.

Preventative Antibiotic Use Questioned For...Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections

July 11, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that using antibiotics as a preventative to ward off repeat urinary tract infections in children does not prevent the infections from recurring. In fact, the report says, this practice leads to antibiotic resistant infections that are much more dangerous.

The study, performed at the Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania, was based on the records of nearly 700 children. The researchers concluded that as many as 180,000 children in the United States have a urinary tract infection by the age of 6 and up to 40% of those have backflow problems which can cause a growth of bacteria to remain in the tract.

Lead researcher, Dr. Patrick Conway, said "We found that daily antibiotic treatment was not associated with a decreased risk of recurrent urinary tract infections, but was associated with an increased risk of resistant infections." The authors concluded that pediatricians should "discuss the risks and unclear benefits of using preventative antibiotics with families for children with recurrent urinary tract infections."

Chiropractic care offers a wonderful solution to many common childhood illnesses, including recurrent urinary tract infections. Chiropractic care is a gentle, safe and noninvasive approach to restoring the natural, inborn healing powers of the body. Regular chiropractic care can help anyone, at any age, achieve optimal health.

Parents who often appreciate the importance of checkups for their child’s teeth, hearing, eyes, ears, nose and throat draw a blank when it comes to their child’s spine. In fact, a spinal checkup could be one of the most important of your child’s life.

Finally, although more than 6 million women contract HPV each year, a woman's immune system is often strong enough to clear up the infection on its own. About 90 percent of HPV infections simply clear up within two years.

Understanding Chiropractic

Being a practicing chiropractor for many 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 come in with back pain, neck pain, headaches and other symptoms of disease and have a simple understanding, or should I say mis-understanding 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 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 it takes 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.

September Is...Discover Wellness Month

There has never been a more important time than right now to get and stay well. That’s because over 50 percent of personal bankruptcies are related to medical debt and a majority of those families who go bankrupt had health insurance at the time they first got sick. Most people don’t realize that conditions such as heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, stress and chronic pain are often preventable conditions that are a result of people’s lifestyle choices.

That is why wellness doctors across America are working together to help their communities choose better health through better living. Discover how staying healthy can make you rich by following the 7 simple steps to dramatically improving your life. By working with your wellness doctor, you can learn more about how to improve your alignment, exercise, nutrition, healthy thinking, healthy habits, what wellness essentials are best for you and how to create a wellness team of professionals committed to helping you reach your goals.

First...realize that your health is your most important asset, the more of it you have, the richer you are. This simple shift in perspective is what it takes to realize that better health is a journey, not a destination. A lifetime of wellness will help ensure that you are fit enough to enjoy the best of your life.

Second...make sure to create a community of like-minded wellness oriented people in your life. Better health and wellness is said to be socially contagious, so connect with people who can help you be the person you want to be and support you in doing the things you need to be doing. This way, you can be healthy enough to have the life and lifestyle of your dreams. Ask your wellness doctors what they recommend you do to take your health and wellbeing to the next level. It’s your life and you’re worth it.

Fascinating Facts To Think About

• J.S. Wright, D.C. conducted a study and reported to the Journal of Chiropractic that 74.6 percent of patients with recurring headaches, including migraines, were either totally relieved of pain or experienced reduced headache symptoms after receiving chiropractic adjustments.
• Americans buy one-third of all anti-anxiety pills sold worldwide each year, while they make up only five percent of the world’s population.
• Eating pecans every day can lower cholesterol levels,, say researchers at Loma Linda University. Those subjects who replaced 20 percent of their daily calories with pecans more than doubled the effectiveness of a low fat diet and they didn’t gain weight.–Health, December 2001
• For a heart-healthy fix, add black currants into your fruit salad.. New research from the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry shows that the sweet-tart berries pack about the same amount of antioxidants as cranberries and blueberries.–Self Magazine, March 2005
• A hostile heart. New research from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine suggests that we take anger and anxiety to heart - literally. In a study that tracked 200 middle aged women for 10 years, those who reported anxiety about their public image, who had a hostile attitude or angry traits and who suppressed anger, showed greater thickening of the carotid arteries which is a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

After suffering with pain for over 25 years, the most wonderful thing has happened to me. I am totally pain free and able to enjoy the things I have always loved to do. I love to dance, play tennis, shop and spend quality time with my grandchildren.

I suffered from chronic and severe neck pain, back pain and headaches resulting from an automobile accident 30 years ago. Even the easiest of activities caused me much pain. I tried everything to help relieve my pain but nothing helped.

My husband has been seeing Dr. Petrice for some time and has been helped tremendously by chiropractic care. I was hesitant to give chiropractic a try because I really didn’t know much about it. However, by this time I was willing to try just about anything. I was desperate.

On my first visit with Dr. Petrice she explained what my problem was and how chiropractic can help fix the cause. He/she also explained a recommended care plan to correct the problem long-term and not just mask my pain for the short-term. I was fully committed. After all, I had been suffering long enough.

After eight weeks of care at three visits each week, I am totally pain free. I feel like a new woman. At this time, my care plan is two visits each week and soon I will be promoted to a wellness plan.

I am very grateful for chiropractic care and Dr. Petrice. I now have my life back. I thought I ever would. I am playing tennis three days a week, I can shop all day long, and my husband loves to take me dancing on Saturday nights. WOW!

Thank you chiropractic, Thank you Dr. Petrice,—T. Emmonds

Closing Thoughts...Life Resolutions

• No one ever gets out of this world alive.
• Resolve therefore to maintain a good sense of values.
• Take care of yourself.
• Good health is everyone’s major source of wealth.
• Without it, happiness is virtually impossible.
• Resolve to be cheerful and helpful.
• What you give to the world comes back to you.
• Resolve to listen more and talk less.
• No one ever learns anything by talking.
• Be cautious in giving advice.
• Wise men don’t need it and fools won’t heed it.
• Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and wrong.
• Sometime in life, you will have been all of these.
• Do not equate money with success.
• The world abounds with big money-makers who are miserable failures as human beings.
• Resolve to not procrastinate another day, for it is the thief of today’s peace of mind and tomorrow’s happiness.
• Resolve to be the person you want to be...today!

Ann Lander