Fingerlakes Family Chiropractic and Wellness

Wed, 10/08/2014 - 16:58

"Arm Yourself Against Cancer"

I recently hosted a program at my office called “Arm Yourself Against Cancer”. I created this class out of my own fears, worries, and uncertainties regarding this health condition and out of my desire to help others overcome their own fears and re-establish their hope and certainty. I am driven to help end needless suffering and to help promote optimal vitality and wanted to put together a program to help accomplish these objectives.

Just mentioning the word “cancer” evokes a visceral reaction in most people. We hear the “c” word and instantly associate it with things like fear, worry, pain, suffering, attack, helplessness, battle, and death. There is not a single person who is not affected by cancer. It is one of the most rampant illnesses in our country and is on track to replace heart disease as the number one killer by 2030. How could this be? How can we be at the most advanced time in history yet also be sicker and unhealthier than we’ve ever been?  These are the questions our program set out to address.

The program presented a very unique perspective, one that I believe has the potential to revolutionize the way we approach health and healing. I am NOT a cancer expert. I informed our guests that the program was not going to focus on how to TREAT cancer, CURE cancer, or even PREVENT cancer. The program was going to be based on the FUNDAMENTAL ESSENCE of what health is and what illness is. Illness is NOT the PRESENCE of a condition. It is the ABSENCE of health. Because of this, fighting the condition becomes an endless battle we can’t win. Consider this metaphor: ice cannot exist in boiling water. If you are so ridiculously healthy, how could illness ever stand a chance of developing in the first place?

 From this framework, we spoke about the principles of health. What is health? How is it achieved and maintained? How do lose our health? We talked about the 5 essentials to optimal health: diet, rest, exercise, alignment, and mindset. We talked about stress and how our INABILITY to ADAPT to stress is what leads to our demise and breakdown and allows illness to develop. We talked about eating well, moving well, and thinking well. We talked about the perfection and intelligence within all living things and how humans are the nature’s crowning achievement, born with the incredible ability to heal, thrive, and function optimally. We discussed the brain-body connection and the role of alignment, tone, and flexibility on our body’s ability to express health and their effect on immunity and resistance. We talked about how we are genetically programmed for health, not sickness, and that OUR ONLY JOB is to NOT MESS IT UP.

In the quest to “Arm Yourself Against Cancer”, do not focus on cancer at all. Focus on health. Focus on enhancing, optimizing, and maximizing your health so that illness doesn’t even stand a chance. Stop running away from what you don’t want and start moving more effortlessly toward what you do. Trust in your innate ability to heal and thrive. Remember that illness is an EFFECT, not a CAUSE. Make every day count. And lastly, live by the mantra “if it is going to be, it is up to me!’
 

Mon, 07/07/2014 - 11:34

"Who the Health are You?"

Have you ever heard the expression “who you are speaks so loudly that no words are needed”? How about the phrase “who you are determines how well what you do works”? Or the words “what matters most is how you see yourself”?

These proclamations highlight the concept of identity. We each have our own unique identity based on our personal beliefs, values, experiences, and influences. Our identity dictates how we see the world, act upon the world, and make decisions in the world. Our identity is what drives our thoughts and behaviors, which in turn determine our experiences and outcomes. What is your health identity? How do you see yourself now and in the future?

Your present reality is a simple reflection of your current and past identity. If you see yourself as lazy and overweight, then guess what shows up. If you see yourself as strong and full of energy, guess what shows up then. It has been demonstrated time and time again through scientific studies and through real life experience that the human mind cannot tell the difference between an actual experience and one imagined in vivid detail. That being said, you can change your present reality - you can change the quality of your life - by simply changing your identity (the way you and your mind “see” yourself).

Gaining awareness of the role that your identity plays in your life experience is the first step is mastering your life. From that awareness, you can consciously and deliberately focus on, visualize, and affirmatively declare the person you wish to become. Since the order of achievement and fulfillment is be-do-have, then in order to “have” what you want in life and in health, your identity must first “be” in alignment with your desires.

If you want to be a millionaire, you first see yourself as a millionaire and then think and act like a millionaire and only then you will begin acquiring a million dollars. If you want to be an Olympic athlete, you must first see yourself as an Olympic athlete and then think and train like an Olympic athlete and only then you will begin competing at the level of an Olympic athlete. If you want to be strong, fit, healthy, and full of life, then you must first see yourself that way (“Be”). You must then perform the actions needed to produce those traits, like drinking mostly water, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, getting adequate rest, exercising regularly, seeing a chiropractor routinely, and keeping a peaceful mindset (“Do”). Only then will you start to experience your desired outcomes (“Have”).

Your present circumstances do not determine your future reality, they merely determine where you begin. Look inside at who you “be” at this moment in time. Affirm in the present tense the attainment of your dream life. Fake it until you make and act as if your dreams are already fulfilled. Transform your inner identity and you will absolutely transform your outer circumstances!

  Sat, 06/07/2014 - 15:20

"Going to the Chiropractor for Life"

This is a comment I’ve heard countless times over my career: “People say that once you go to a chiropractor, you have to go for the rest of your life. Is that true?”  My playful reply is always something along the line of: “Of course it is true. In fact, we learn a secret form of hypnosis in school that brainwashes people into coming in forever.” After a giggle, we chat about how silly such a comment is and discuss where this notion came from in the first place.

The truth is that everything we do as humans is for life, including taking care of or not taking care of our spine and nervous system. The question is, WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR LIFE? Will you eat healthy for your lifetime or will you eat recklessly? Will you exercise regularly throughout your life or will you only work out occasionally or even not at all? Will you actively work on strengthening your mindset, character, and emotional integrity with each passing year or will you passively let stress, overwhelm, and outside influences gradually erode your sanity? Will you brush your teeth, maintain good hygiene, and have preventative health screenings throughout your life? Do you see where I am going with this?

Perhaps the funniest thing to consider is how most people are willing to be put on prescription medications for life without ever once questioning that recommendation. In fact, the number of drugs a person takes increase proportionately with each decade of life. Is that part of your life plan? (Incidentally, people who proactively visit their chiropractor regularly take little to no medications and spend less money on crisis care. Just saying:) )

Specific to taking care of your spine and nervous system, which is what chiropractors do, it is important to understand that there are different levels of chiropractic care to choose from, ranging from relief to correction to wellness and peak performance. Some people never advance beyond relief care. They utilize chiropracticcare as a short term strategy to overcome an ailment or to help their body workthrough an injury or crisis. Others see value in restoring, stabilizing, and strengthening their body beyond a level they could achieve on their own and choose to advance from relief to correction. And a rapidly growing number of people see their health and well-being as their highest value and priority in life, knowing that their health is the foundation to everything else, such as their relationships, career, and quality of life. These people strive to advance to wellness care, with the goal of peak performance, optimization, and never-ending improvement. They know that they control their destiny and that if they take care of their body it will take care of them. They visit their chiropractor regularly (weekly to monthly), not to keep fixing the same problem over and over again, but to continually expand their health year after year after year.

Here’s the deal: how you care for your body is your choice. You can be proactive or reactive, consistent or inconsistent. You can mask symptoms or create solutions.

What will you spend your life doing?