What's the Big Idea?
Some of us already knew about it when we showed up at chiropractic college. Those who didn’t, quickly did. After all, it’s the very foundation on which chiropractic is based.
What is it? It’s the “Big Idea.”
To appreciate the big idea, consider a couple of the smaller ideas that seem to dominate the traditional model of health care.
Pain relievers are a small idea. Sure, if you have an ache or pain, relief is a big deal. But ingesting a drug that stops your brain from sensing pain, besides being a small idea, is actually a dangerous idea! Taking a drug that allows you to virtually ignore your body’s plea for help can seem like a big help, but artificially quieting your body’s cry can have serious consequences.
Germs are a small idea. They’re all around us and our body successfully deals with them all the time. (There are over 300 different types in your mouth right now!) They’re only an issue on those rare situations when we create such a hospitable environment, that germs are able to flourish beyond our immune system’s ability to control. Germs are small, but the fear is needlessly large.
Just what is the Big Idea? It’s the idea that you and I are self-healing. That perfect health is our birthright. When we work as we were created we’re naturally healthy and are able to heal. When you’re not healthy, something is interfering with this ability. Since your nervous system controls the whole show, that’s where we look.
Restoring nervous system integrity, allowing the body to heal itself is a Big Idea. It’s why chiropractic care successfully helps so many different health problems.
Immune-Nervous System Link
With the fear mongering associated with the possibility of the so-called bird flu, I’d like to remind you what was happening around this time of the year back in 1918. That’s when the Spanish influenza pandemic claimed over 25 million people around the world.
The death rate among patients who consulted doctors for medical treatment often exceeded 6.5%. This contrasts significantly with the .06% to 1.2% death rate recorded among patients consulting chiropractors.
Why the huge difference?
While suspected at the time, and more obvious today, there is a connection between the nervous system and the immune system. When disturbed by subluxations the nervous system can have a dampening effect on the immune system. In fact, most of us can recall getting a cold or some other illness immediately following periods of stress, sleep deprivation or the “let down” after taking an important test or completing a big project at work.
Whether you’re concerned about the flu or know someone who is, the best defense is a good offense. Make sure your nervous system is in tip-top shape so your immune system can work to its fullest potential.
Prevention: one more reason why regular chiropractic checkups make sense.
"I don't want you to catch what I have."
From time to time we get calls from patients notifying us that they are either too sick to keep their appointment or fearful that their presence in our office would needlessly expose us to their germs.
Allow me to correct some serious misconceptions!
- If you’re sick, you probably have subluxations and could benefit greatly from an adjustment. Try to keep your appointment. It’s likely to help your recovery.
- If we were to somehow “catch” everything that our patients had, we’d be sick all the time. But we’re not. Because…
- We do many things to keep our immune systems strong. Among them is getting regular chiropractic adjustments. Just like you should be doing.
We appreciate the concern and consideration. But we’d rather you came in anyway.
In This Issue
- What's the Big Idea?
- Immune-Nervous System Link
- I don't want you to catch what I have
- Why Diets Don't Work!
Why Diets Don't Work!
“What do you think of Atkins? Or the Zone? Or South Beach?”
It’s a question I get all the time from patients who have either begun a slimming program or considering one. They’re looking for confirmation as to which diet is easy and effective. But virtually every diet has a serious flaw. It’s the diet part.
Name the diet, and if someone follows it, they’ll usually lose some weight. When they reach their goal, they congratulate themselves and soon return to their original eating and exercise habits. Soon, they’re back to where they began. But discouraged and disillusioned.
This is so common, it even has a name: the Yo-Yo Diet.
I mention this because many people see their chiropractic care as a short-term “diet” of sorts. They come in religiously while they’re hurting. But discontinue their care when they’re feeling better. Later, they experience a relapse.
That’s because lasting spinal changes are made with continued care after symptoms subside. In fact, many cases, because of so many years of neglect, require some type of ongoing supportive care for the rest of their lives.
So rather than a brief episode, getting and keeping our nervous systems interference-free is a lifestyle choice. That’s why we have more and more patients who opt to see us on a regular, ongoing basis. They’re the ones that tried the chiropractic diet and decided to go for the chiropractic lifestyle.
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