Healthy Living Chiropractic Newsletter
Cambridge Chiropractic
3939 Cambridge Road, Suite 100
(530)672–6451
www.cambridgechiropractic.com
Dear Patient and Friend,
Facts can be your best friends and not your enemy. "Don’t confuse me with the facts," is a funny phrase we sometimes hear. It is funny to us because we all know that sometimes we are quick to make decisions without knowing all of the facts. Sometimes we make impulsive health decisions without knowing all of the facts. Then, this issue isn’t very funny at all. When we have a health issue, facts can be very important. In fact, knowing the facts, can be the difference in life and death.
We need factual answers to the following questions:
- What is wrong with my body?
- What are my options to resolve the problem?
- Which option is the best for me?
Usually when our health is threatened in some way (injury or illness), we seek help from a source we trust. Children turn to mom and dad for help, while adults seek different health care solutions if they cannot resolve the problem themselves.
The more facts we learn, the more we understand that "going natural" is better for us in choosing foods and in choosing health care. Sometimes we allow advertising or the casual opinion of a friend to determine how we answer important questions about our health. We may see an ad on television, giving a list of symptoms, and we may decide that a particular medication will solve our health problems. So we ask the doctor to prescribe it, without ever answering the questions, "What is wrong with my body?" and "What are my options for making it better?" and "Which option should I choose?"
When it comes to our health, our most important asset, we need to know all of the facts. We need to know how the body works, and we need to know that the body has a natural ability to heal itself. The fact is...having a healthy spinal column is a critical component to health. The brain and nerve system perform the basic function of communicating messages to every tissue, organ and cell of the body and the spinal column protects this process. When a spinal vertebrae is misaligned, caused by an injury or simply an activity of daily living, these misalignments (subluxations) can interfere with the communication from the brain to the body, leading to many health problems. Chiropractors are educated and trained to detect and adjust subluxations, restoring health naturally.
If you have hesitated to seek chiropractic care because you have never tried it or you "don’t believe in it," take time now to learn the facts. Try chiropractic, and you will see for yourself how healthy you can be. Chiropractic is a health care system built on the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
In this extraordinary Patient Newsletter, Chiropractic Miracles, we will discuss different topics of interest, documented research studies, and even personal success stories. I will reveal to you my personal "Guide to Chiropractic Wellness" which will absolutely arm you with the tools necessary to make the best health decisions for yourself and your family.
Before we move ahead, let me first thank you for continuing to be a wonderful patient and friend and for choosing to live the "Chiropractic Lifestyle." I commend you for taking charge of your health and the health of those you love!
Mind and Body Are Heartfelt
While the health care revolution focuses on wellness and natural remedies, many scientific studies continue to reveal to us that dark emotions, stress and negative thoughts can absolutely endanger our health.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. performed a research study. They utilized monitors to track cardiac activity in 58 male and female patients who kept diaries of their activities and emotions. Researchers found that such emotions as sadness, tension, anger and fear more than doubles a patient’s risk of myocardial ischemia, a condition that restricts the heart’s blood supply and can often cause a heart attack. When the patient expressed feelings of happiness, tranquility and a perception of more control, their risk of myocardial ischemia was greatly reduced, as well as their risk for a heart attack.
"It’s possible that chronic stress...increases an individual’s cardiac risk," says James Blumenthal, Ph.D., director of the behavioral medicine program at Duke University Medical Center. Stress reduction techniques and activities, therefore, play an important role in avoiding or reducing the effects of unhappy emotions and helping you to get healthy and stay healthy!
Do You Know How Important The Spine Is?
Do you know the importance of a healthy spine and how it relates to health, well-being and longevity? Every day we experience traumas, accidents, jolts and strains but frequently, however, we do not stop to realize how these injuries can affect the health of our spine and body. Many times after an injury we experience immediate symptoms, but other times the symptoms don’t appear right away and the underlying spinal misalignments are left undetected and uncorrected, slowly degenerating the spine. This can cause improper nerve system function and health problems eventually may result.
For this reason, it is important to see a chiropractor immediately if you are involved in any kind of accident that may have jarred the spine. It is always easier to correct a problem sooner than later.
Merck's Newest Pain-Killing Alternative to Vioxx
New York Times, August 24, 2006
Merck is seeking approval for Arcoxia, the drug designed to be the successor to Merck's withdrawn painkiller Vioxx.
Vioxx was pulled from the market in 2004 after a study found that it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke. More than 11,000 lawsuits have been filed, alleging Merck was aware of the risks of Vioxx earlier and should have warned patients.
Merck has released the result from a study that found no more heart risk from Arcoxia than from Diclofenac, also called Voltaren, an older drug commonly used in Europe. The Arcoxia study looked at data from 24,000 patients, and two other clinical trials, bringing the total number of patients examined to 34,000.
However, the trials also held warning signs. Many patients stopped taking Arcoxia because of high blood pressure problems, and those who took Arcoxia may have had a slightly greater chance of developing congestive heart failure than those who did not. Voltaren might also cause some risk of heart disease itself, making the comparison somewhat dubious.
Arcoxia is a COX-2 selective inhibitor, just like Vioxx. Why should we believe that this medicine is any safer than Vioxx that killed 60,000 people before it was taken off the market? It is in the identical class of drugs, and the FDA has not improved in the least at protecting the public from dangerous drugs.
With the number of Vioxx lawsuits–and courtroom defeats–climbing, Merck is looking for another "blockbuster" drug to pay for that first disaster. So they're already crowing about the "positive results" of Arcoxia, another worthless painkiller they hope the FDA will approve very soon.
For your own protection, it is wise to remain highly skeptical of all drugs, but especially new ones. Also be suspicious of research funded by those who want to sell the product. When it comes to treating your pain, are you willing to take a chance on a drug...sold behind the counter or in front of it–that can cripple or kill you? Merck was very enthusiastic about Vioxx, too, when it first came out, and tens of thousands of people are dead as a result.
Days Ahead
Five Quick Tips on Avoiding the Everyday Type of Winter Blues
- Pay attention to your energy levels. If you get sleepier earlier in the day during autumn, do something about it now. It’s easier to maintain vitality than to build it from scratch during the winter.
- Get a half-hour of sunlight each day, preferably in the early morning or late afternoon.
- Replace fluorescent lighting and warm white bulbs with broad-spectrum bulbs marked "90 CRI," indicating that the bulb is 90 percent equivalent to natural sunlight.
- On overcast days, make sure your home is brightly lighted.
- Don’t hibernate during winter (or the summer). Plan a regular schedule of outdoor activities to ensure an ongoing relationship with the sun.
Source: Natural Health, Nov/Dec 2003
Basic Truth...
Pain...any pain–emotional, physical, mental has a message.
Once we get this message and follow its advice, the pain goes away.
A problem is an opportunity to discover your best effort.
Chiropractic...puts nothing in the body...takes nothing out of the body...treats no disease or symptoms of the body...makes no claim to heal...gives nature the credit...aligns the spine to restore vital nerve flow...gives nature a higher potential to heal the body!
Fascinating Facts To Think About
- The average working mother spends 44 hours at work and 31 hours on family responsibilities per week - in effect, holding almost two full-time jobs. The average working father spends 47 hours at work and 15 hours on family responsibilities.
- In a study performed by a team of Harvard University researchers who monitored 121,000 women, results showed that women who exercise as little as half an hour a day, merely walking, lowered the incidence of colon cancer by 17 percent. Those women who did engage in more strenuous workouts lowered their risk of cancer by 50 percent. Source: Possibility Living, Schuller, R.. Harper, 2000
- Olive oil keeps on winning. Researchers at Oxford University, England found in one study that countries with the highest intake of olive oil had the lowest rate of cancer. Olive oil decreases levels of a harmful acid in the body that may cause cancerous cells to grow, and increases the level of a cancer fighting enzyme.
- A surprising tension buster is commuting to work. Fewer than one percent of Americans would willingly eliminate their daily commute, finds a new study. "People use commuting as a de-stresser. For many people, it’s their only time to be alone."
- If you typically eat right before bed, a new Japanese study might convince you to move up your dinner time. Researchers found that not waiting at least four hours between finishing a meal and hitting the hay increases the odds of heartburn in people prone to it by 7.5 times. Lying down with a full stomach triggers this common and painful condition, a leading cause of insomnia. Source: Shape Magazine, April 2006.
I have finally regained the use of my left hand, thanks to my friend who insisted I visit a chiropractor to get help for my problem. I knew nothing about chiropractic care before my friend took me to see Dr. Petrice. Now I am so happy that she did.
I had lost the use of my left hand about nine months ago due to a pinched nerve in my elbow, and I had pain in my neck and between my shoulder blades. This was caused by a pinched nerve in my neck. I had been wearing a brace on my hand constantly and also had many sessions with a physical therapist. Still, I needed help with transportation, dressing myself, bathing and house cleaning.
After receiving chiropractic care, I now have almost total use of my left hand and do not need to wear the brace. The pain I was experiencing in my neck and back are gone and I am able to do everything I choose to.
Now I have a new awareness and understanding of chiropractic care. I realize that it is a great alternative to surgery and/or medication. I am so grateful that my friend referred me to Dr. Petrice. I am not sure what the quality of my life would have been had I not gone for chiropractic care.
Thank you, chiropractic, L. Galante
Closing Thoughts...Are You Richer Than 75 Percent Of People In The World?
As Thanksgiving approaches, this is a "perfect" time of year to be grateful for the abundance of happiness, health, love and prosperity in your life. To some people, these gifts may seem lacking at times. This information will give you some idea of just how blessed you really are. Sometimes, in the midst of plenty we forget to "Give Thanks" for all that we have. This is a great reminder!
- If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep...you are richer than seventy five percent of the people in the world.
- If you can attend a church or synagogue meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture or death...you are more blessed than three billion people in the world.
- If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation...you are more blessed than five hundred million people in the world.
- If you have money in the bank, in your wallet and spare change in a dish...you are among the top eight percent of the world’s wealthy.
- If you woke up this morning with more health than illness...you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week.
Waking up every day with "more health than illness" is a special blessing because health makes it possible to enjoy the other good things in life. Since optimal health is our most valuable possession we need to remind ourselves frequently that the choices we make help to determine not only the quality of our daily lives but also the length of our lives.
What is the true meaning of "Thanksgiving" to you? Is it simply just another day to eat until you can no longer get up off the couch and then eat some more?
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year because it is the time of year for "giving thanks." Thanksgiving is a golden opportunity to give thanks for the miracles in our lives, for our wonderful family and friends, and for our health, our happiness and the love that each and every one of us has in our lives.
I am extraordinarily thankful for the opportunity to serve my wonderful family of patients and friends. It is because of you that I am able to fulfill my higher purpose, to coach people to achieve optimal health and healing. I am thankful for the miracles that occur everyday when patients choose to live the "Chiropractic Lifestyle." I am thankful that you always share the miraculous benefits that chiropractic has to offer with all of those you care about. And I am thankful for the opportunity to serve all of your family’s health care needs.
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