REMEMBERING MICHAEL JACKSON

I treated Michael Jackson. When I was an intern in a chiropractic/naturopathic clinic in Eagle Rock California in the 70’s, Michael Jackson’s mother brought him in for treatment. As I recall he was fourteen at the time. At that time I believe he was known as a member of the Jackson Five and it was before he went out on his own. What struck me about this boy was how incredibly shy he seemed to be. Whenever I say to people I was shy as a child I am looked at in total disbelief. They seem to find it hard to believe that I was ever shy. Interestingly enough, it remains even today. This is the part of me however that related to Michael Jackson. I immediately experienced empathy for him that I did not understand until years later.

Through much of my life I’ve known what it was like to feel alienated and alone even though surrounded by people. To me that seemed to epitomize Michael Jackson’s life. I did not really follow his career (check out the links below for more information about him), I just occasionally paid attention to him when one of his many hits grabbed my interest. I was particularly intrigued with “Thriller” and used it many times in Halloween productions over the years. My intention here is only to reflect on my observations of a boy that never really seemed to leave his childhood. He had the ability (because of his extreme and unusual circumstances brought about by fame and wealth) to create a surreal life. I believe he never did experience passage into adulthood as most of us know it. With the absence of the natural evolution that journey brings, he remained isolated and mostly lived in a world of his own. This is not atypical for very talented and creative individuals…and it can make an existence very lonely.

The search for meaning and purpose in life can be a very painful and lonely even amidst success, fame, and notoriety. I have a lot of compassion for anyone who struggles in their life to find true love, a sense of belonging, or true value for who you really “are” rather than what you bring to the table for someone else. I believe to be truly healthy we have to come to terms with many of these kinds of conflicts and issues. Oftentimes life passes us by before the realizations and resolutions come along. We are fortunate indeed when we have people in lives that not only unconditionally love us and recognize those struggles but also employ courage taking the time and energy (and it can take a tremendous amount of both) to help us through to stable ground. I would have wanted that for Michael Jackson.

Find out more about Michael Jackson by visiting these sites.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001391/

EXERCISE AND YOU

I am frequently asked “where do I get all my energy” and “how is it that I never seem to have a down day and always seem to be enthusiastic?” First of all these kind of questions make me laugh. You would laugh too living in my shoes because I have to work just as hard at it as you do. I would like to think that I am special and have been gifted with an unusual body that doesn’t respond to universal laws. In other words that I wouldn’t have to work at staying healthy and maintaining my energy and attitude like everybody else does. The truth is, I pay the price I get the benefits! If I violate natural laws, then I receive the negative consequences just like you do!

This body we have is the only vehicle we will have in this life to help us complete what it is we are here to accomplish. It is repairable but it is no replaceable. Wisdom dictates we take good care of ourselves so that we support rather than abuse our body’s ability to repair itself. The benefits come as the body rewards us with a better quality of life.

Relevant but not the topic of this message (and yet always relevant and endlessly worth the repeating) is the simple principle of nourishment for the body and the results: “garbage in” gives you “garbage out.” Let’s assume for now you are in touch with that first big step in the right direction (and we will be talking mountains about this) and you already respect and nourish your body with the food it needs. Next comes the effort to keep the body strong, flexible, and resilient in responding to life demands. I refer here to those efforts in your life that demonstrably fine tune your musculoskeletal structure. All systems in your body work synergistically so as you strengthen and tone the muscles, joints and soft tissues you simultaneously strengthen your cardiovascular, immune, hormonal, and nervous systems. That is why exercise is critical to get healthy and stay healthy. I believe the most important starting point in embarking on an exercise regimen (with the objective to keep it in place) is to take the time to discover what it is that you enjoy doing. I don’t care what anyone one says, if you don’t enjoy it…you won’t do it for long. We will be discussing in detail the many different type of exercise for strength training, increased flexibility, enhanced endurance, but you first want to get a feel for what feels right for you.

One person’s ambrosia is another’s poison. What I like you may not tolerate or even like. You must respect your individuality, your personality, your body type, your energy, physical limitation and demands. This is one of those spectacular opportunities for self -introspection to discover what it is that “turns your wheels”, and then find the courage to get to it! I have found that to maintain strength, flexibility, and the endurance I want I have to do quite a variety of things. The challenge is to determine what they are and then how you plan to fit them into your life. Believe me, once you understand the importance and the “magic” of the benefits, you will find the way to make it happen! I have had to do a great deal of experimenting to find out what I can do that challenges me, makes me stronger and most of all what I enjoy doing. I love to dance and I rarely miss and week without dance. Everything else is thrown in for variety and for the purpose of toning muscle and giving me more energy and increased flexibility. I strength train with weights and exercise bands for muscle tone, pilates, stretching and yoga for core strength and flexibility, and aerobics, biking, hiking and walking, (rarely running) for cardiovascular strengthening and endurance.

That is my formula for getting and maintaining energy. My formula for maintaining a good attitude is simple: “ others appreciate being around me much more when I laugh, sing, smile and reflect on the positive and encouraging rather than when I cry, complain, whine, and remain problem instead of solution focused”!

WHY I'M A HEALTH AWARENESS MENTOR - Have You Ever Asked Yourself What's Happening To Me?

Have you ever asked yourself, how did I get where I am and what is it telling me where I am going? As I try to assess my life I acknowledge I am just like everyone else. We come into this life with a genetic framework that somewhat determines the journey our life is going to take. The color of our hair or in my case the absence of hair, our height, weight, color of our skin, predisposition to certain diseases, and the list goes on and on. The point is no one enters this life with a clean slate. There is a certain aspect of our lives that is already predetermined by our genes. I guess we could use that as excuse for going no where and doing nothing with our lives because in concept our physical makeup is already going to determine the outcome. However, then enters the next layer of intrigue…..our gifts, our talents, and our abilities. These seemingly intangible aspects of our being along with our personality seem to blossom without true comprehension of where they came from and why we have what we have. If that weren’t enough, then we add in the most intriguing dimension of all…our personal experiences. This rather interesting formula or pieces of the puzzle really do define who you are and furthermore dramatically states the fact there is not another person on the planet or for that matter anywhere else that is just like you.

You might say, “so what’? I’ve said it myself. And then, especially at times when I wasn’t feeling very good about myself, things were going all wrong, felt like no one loved me, or I wasn’t feeling well thrown in, I saw no purpose at all to my life. I do believe at one time or another this is a universal experience that we all get to feel. It can be chaotically cathartic, traumatic or just the opposite as a quiet awakening as to who we are, and what are meant to accomplish. My personal belief is that discovering our purpose(s) is one of the most important breakthroughs that we have in life, because that is something no one else can do for us. It is uniquely your own, discovered by you, and acted upon or not by you.

I won’t even pretend to completely understand what is happening in this world, why we are here, how each one of us fits into the big picture and where are we going, but I do know with certainty every one of us matters and plays a significant role. In our day most of us will be influenced or interact with many different people in constantly changing circumstances. If just one of those experiences changed or didn’t even exist that would change our day and perhaps even significantly change our life. We are here to influence and be influenced. What we do with that power and that understanding is the question!

Reviewing my own life, the frustration of this process has led me down many different and oftentimes emotionally painful roads in my attempt to figure out what it is that I should be doing with my life. I am sharing this with you to help you understand why I have been becoming a health awareness mentor for over 50 years. It is my observations as much as my personal experiences that keeps me frustrated, in awe, and motivated to understand how our health affects our journeys and the quality of our lives.

Actual Health, how we define and perceive our health, is at the core of the quality of our life. It permeates our lives and affects everything we do. This is why health and all its complex components is fascinating to me. This is why it is my purpose to guide people through a process of understanding their health. Just like your “unique genetic framework, personality, gifts, talents, abilities and experiences “ really do define you as person, it underlines the fact that your health and how you take care of it will be different from how anyone else views, reaches for or maintains their health. Like it or not you are on a unique journey. Why would you want to be put in a box with a label to be treated a certain way when you know for a fact no one else, lives in your body or can really comprehend what you experience. Only you know for sure how that feels or how and what you feel. With that in mind doesn’t it make sense that the one and only person who should be in control of your health “is You’! Herein lies the “magic of Health awareness mentoring”. It is the journey to understand your health, take responsibility for it and reap the benefits of being in charge of your own life.

YOUR BLOOD TYPE - A View of Health

I am endlessly fascinated by the multi-dimensional aspects of every person’s health. As a chiropractic physician and Health awareness mentor I am continuously evaluating my patients health from many different perspectives. This week I had a very interesting conversation with a patient (actually these kind of conversations occur frequently). This is a female patient in her late twenties with a history of recurring health issues that have landed her in the emergency room many times in the last three years.

Multiple doctors and many tests have not been able to give a definitive diagnosis in most of these crises she has endured. Most the time she has had to just wait out the passing of her symptoms such as severe abdominal pain, strong headaches, constipation, and sinus pain.

I recently suggested she read the book “Eat Right 4 Your Blood Type” by Dr. Peter J.D’Adamo, www.dadamo.com/ and experiment with the diet recommendations for her specific blood type. (This is research I have embarked upon this past year which I have found to be very significant in many of my patients’ health status.)

Following my suggestions she started to eliminate a few: simple foods in her diet that according to her blood type where inflammatory to her digestive tract. In just two weeks she started noticing a significant improvement in her digestion, elimination, headaches and sinus problems and to her surprise had lost seven pounds. She admitted a profound difference in her health in an amazingly short period of time.

As we look at the true nature of health it is apparent that the nervous system, the circulatory system, the hormonal (endocrine) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endocrine_system system, the immune system, the digestive and elimination and our mental state are intimately and inextricably interrelated. No one doctor will have all the answers in all of these areas that is why specialization exists. My objective as a Health Awareness Mentor is to educate and empower individuals to take an honest and critical look at their own health.

Once this takes place you are more prepared to take action and explore the many options available to you to address any health concerns you have. I believe it is a universal law that no one will watch after your health and take care of you like you can take care of yourself. Obviously there are exceptions, but I am talking about the majority of us. I also believe as we learn to listen more carefully to what our bodies are telling us we will learn to recognize warning signs of approaching health problems.

The next step is to be courageous and choose not to ignore the warning signs so that we are able to address problems in the earlier and more manageable stages. This process puts each individual in much more control of their life and their health.

President’s Mandate for an Expeditious Health Care Reform is a Big Job!

If there is any one issue that ranks high on the list of concerns for physicians it is the right to practice without excessive governmental intervention. The outcome of this issue directly affects both the doctor/patient relationship as it affects the doctor/insurance reimbursement relationship. At the core of this particular battle you will also see a “fight to the death” for the privilege of doctors to make medical decisions without governmental (bureaucratic) influence.

One thing is for sure, the totality of the necessary changes is huge with opposition on all sides. There will inevitably be changes that we are not going to like because it will entail difficult choices and compromises. This is an important time in our history because it will affect every citizen’s life. Please let us know what you think and to find out more about healthcare issues discussed at the White House check out his link:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/

NEVER TO LATE FOR A SPINAL TUNEUP

When you care about your car, you take it to the shop for the tuneups it needs – oil changes, tire rotations, new brakes, etc. Your spine is no different. It needs a regular “tuneup” as well, complete with chiropractic adjustments. Chiropractic tuneups can serve three purposes:

1. Evaluate the state of your body, even if you have no pain.

Even people who feel fine have areas of their spine or extremities that are out of normal alignment. When we adjust those bones back into place, people feel better in some way. If we waited until we felt pain, we would all wait until we needed root canals or crowns before going to the dentist!
2. Address major or minor pains you currently have, but haven’t been too worried about.
Have you had any nagging discomforts or pains coming from your spine or extremities? Do these discomforts prevent you from doing the activities you enjoy? Instead of wondering if the pain will continue to get worse or stay that way for the rest of your life, give chiropractic a try. You don’t have to live with pain.
3. Prevent future problems that can and likely will arise from your joints being out of alignment and not functioning at 100 percent.

Our society is moving toward preventative health care. Chiropractic has been at the forefront of this concept since the chiropractic profession was founded in 1895. Arthritis, overuse injuries (like carpal tunnel syndrome and tennis elbow), rotator cuff injuries and knee problems are just some examples of conditions that may be prevented with chiropractic care.

Scheduling chiropractic tuneups allows you to take care of your body so that your machine functions as well as it possibly can. Please remember to make time to care for yourself; you are worth every penny.

CALL ME TODAY FOR A SPINAL TUNEUP: (208) 888-7242.

CHIROPRACTIC RATED HIGHEST IN SATISFACTION FOR BACK PAIN IN CONSUMER REPORTS STUDY

In April 2009 Consumer Reports released the results of a patient survey study, that was published in their May 2009 paper edition, showing that chiropractic rated highest among patients in satisfaction of relief of back pain. Results of the study were reported on in several news articles including an April 6, 2009 WebMD article and an April 8, 2009 CBS news story. The survey noted that 80% of US adults report having back pain some time in their life. Of those responding to the survey chiropractic received the highest grade with 59% saying that they were "highly satisfied" with their results. Physical therapy and acupuncture rated second and third with 55% and 53% respectively. In comparison, satisfaction with medical specialist and primary care medical physicians rated only 44% and 34% respectively. CBS News medical expert Dr. Jennifer Ashton commented that the results of this study reflect what she is seeing in her practice. She noted that back pain is the most common ailment in the country and it is difficult to treat. Dr. Ashton stated that her patients are looking elsewhere, "They're staying away from things like medication, prescription drugs and surgery." Dr. Ashton also warned against a "quick fix" to get rid of the pain. She noted, "A lot of times that's prescription narcotics, which is actually probably the worst thing for you." She also warned, "Surgery is another option, but one that should be used as a last resort." American Chiropractic Association President Glenn Manceaux, DC, responded in a press release, "For the treatment of back pain, few options are better than chiropractic. As shown in this latest survey, chiropractic spinal manipulation is an evidence-based and effective treatment for low-back pain and other musculoskeletal injuries. Coupled with the high levels of patient satisfaction, patients should turn to chiropractic as their first choice.” Dr. John Maltby, President of the International Chiropractors Association added, "For well over 100 years chiropractors have been seeing a large number of patients suffering with back problems. And although chiropractic does not directly treat the pain, we do work to correct the underlying structural and neurological problem that in many cases is causing the problem. This study shows what we have known for a long time. Chiropractic get results and helps people lead normal and healthier lives."

AMA Gives Obama Warm But Wary Reception

In his highly anticipated speech to the American Medical Association, President Barack Obama said he wants the AMA onboard the healthcare reform train -- but he won't delay its departure if the AMA hesitates. http://www.medpagetoday.com/tbindex.cfm?tbid=14691
Read the article from Medpage Today and let me know your thoughts. My comments will follow.

President Obama Has Town Hall Meeting in Wisconsin on Health Care Reform

With Congress working to pass legislation by early August, the once-improbable goal of significant health care reform stands a chance of becoming a reality. Here is a link where the most significant issues are summarized. There is certain to be intense and heated discussions as the negotiations move along.

President Obama lead a town meeting on his first visit to Wisconsin since the election. Wisconsin's health care system overall is among the most efficient in the country. But cost variations can be seen in the state.

Read the full article from the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel that was reported on June 10, 2009. http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/47732797.html

The Alternative Health Care Model and Health Awareness Mentoring

So what do I mean by an alternative health care model? I mean a health care system where the primary focus is on prevention more so than on treatment of disease. We already have in place a huge health care model that addresses illness and disease. I am suggesting we start participating in a second health care model simultaneously focuses on us getting healthy and staying healthy. I differentiate between disease and the absence of good health as a process or phases of deterioration that the body goes through prior to disease actually showing up in our bodies. Without becoming too involved in that discussion for now let’s focus on a concept that prevention could very well be a wise way to manage our daily lives to better maintain more energy, strength, endurance, stress management and a positive attitude. With those elements in action in our lives we will be less susceptible to the predisposing factors of disease or poor health.

So how can you benefit by participating in an alternative health care model? Good health starts and remains constant with an attitude or disposition. Daily living brings us endless distractions on what we need and want to do in a single day. If thought is not given to what we are going to do in a day to improve or maintain our health, then actually almost with certainty nothing will be done and one more day will have passed by without a program in place to make that objective a reality. Inherently therein lays the heart of the alternative health care model. Think of it is from the inside out as opposed to the outside in. From with it starts with each of us honestly assessing our lives and our lifestyle and taking actions that clearly state we appreciate and honor our health. From the outside side in means we really don’t pay attention to our health until the disease process is already upon us forcing us to take action. Unfortunately and oftentimes it is then too late to regain our health. It’s about paying attention and taking action before a problem arises.

Life to Your Years’ objective is to create an awareness that will evolve into an understanding of the importance of our health in our lives. It’s like anything else of value in our lives that when taken for granted, true appreciation fades, apathy sets in and before long an asset becomes a liability. We start by paying attention to what is, assess the attributes and the deficits and then create a plan of action to get healthy and stay healthy.

Actually it sounds simple and if taken a step at a time it is simple. The challenge becomes to consistently stay on course, committed and consistent. How many times have you embarked on a diet to lose weight, undertaken a weight lifting or jogging routine or a specific nutritional regimen only to discover you ran out of motivation much sooner than you were willing to admit. That’s the reason for Health Awareness Mentoring. Health care and truly taking care of you is not a small task. The truth is you need a team that is working on your behalf to keep your current and focused on what needs to be done and how to prioritize your energy and efforts. It certainly would be very beneficial for you to know the most current and up to date information on what’s happening in the nutritional field, advancements in medical technology, legislative updates that affect your health, changes and updates in exercise physiology, and environmental and sociological issues that affect your health. This is the objective of Life To Your Years and health awareness.

Dottie Hines - Living Legend

I am a very fortunate person to have many individuals come into my life and I feel that way about Dottie Hines. Dottie has worked with me for over twenty-five years growing strong and truly has become an amazing individual. She is very excited by my starting this blog and this new journey we are taking. I will let Dottie tell you in her own words:

"When you are able to be passionate about what you believe in, work then becomes a joy". Previous to my exposure to chiropractic I worked for over thirty-five years in the medical field in hospitals and for doctors. Having been associated with Dr.Sams for over twenty-five years now my career truly stands as a testament to him and chiropractic. This is where my heart is and where I belong.

Dr. Sams and I have a wonderful working relationship built on trust, respect and cooperation. Dr. Sams and I are in absolute agreement in philosophy and practices in how we treat our patients. We listen carefully and individualize treatment according to each patients unique circumstances and needs. In addition to the power of education we understand and utilize the power of laughter, empathy and compassion to help reach those goals the patient sets for themselves.

It is very common for patients to acknowledge that working with us they feel accepted, respected, and well taken care of as well as inspired to take better care of themselves. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve patients in such a healthy environment.

With each new patient that comes into our office they immediately sense the overall care and respect we have for them in being their health awareness mentor and advocate.

As we continue to grow I look forward to working with all our existing patients and welcome our new patients as well. I'm sure that you will have a wonderful experience in Dr. Sams care and sense the true meaning of a health awareness mentor.

"Approaching New Health Care System"

We are going to want to know how we will fit into the new emerging health care system. I will briefly comment on how it is evolving and then introduce you to options you may want to consider.

Committees are currently feverishly crafting out with mandated deadlines from the President what health care is going to look like in the future. The President has requested deadlines for getting a new system in place as quickly as possible. This process is certainly a bipartisan nightmare because creating a system that basically makes everyone happy is virtually impossible. The complexity of creating a cooperative working agreement among the many special interest associated with health care is incredibly challenging to say the very least. The most basic issues and those that directly affect you as a consumer have to do with patient advocacy. Simply stated conservatives are unwilling to relinquish the right for you as a patient to choose your own health care providers and specialized procedures. This means they vehemently resist relegating health care decision making to the bureaucrats. A purely socialized medical health care delivery system as we see operational elsewhere in the world virtually eliminates those choices. We will be having an ongoing discussion as the details of the new rules and regulations unfold. We will be watching as well to see the inevitable legislation that will follow.

Since we are on the eve of a new Health care delivery system you might now want to pay attention to how that will affect you as patient. Whether or not you are currently dealing with any health issues this will be important to you. The reality of life is that it is just a matter of time (when, not if) everyone must deal with health issues. Being prepared for that reality will significantly reduce the associated stress, time and cost when it does occur. It is the American way to ignore any of this until the crisis hits and we literally find ourselves forced out of denial into action. Let’s consider a simple and sane approach to be prepared for the inevitable. Whether or not you like doctors and whether or not you are traditional or alterative health care oriented, it is wise to realize that medical doctors are and will continue to be even more in the future the entry gate into the health care delivery system. Being prepared in advance for when health issues do show up is going to be well worth your time. If at present you have not already done so, consider the importance of establishing you and your family with a physician that you like and with whom you have good communication. I call this a “comfortable rapport” that allows you as the patient without hesitation to ask questions. At the very minimum it will give you immediate access to emergency health care and hospitalization should the need arise. Becoming a partner in your own health care is going to be critical to maintain an excellent quality of life. As we talk more about you in the new health system we will continually be giving recommendations to help you feel more empowered as a consumer and certainly more in control of your health.

In future postings I will be focusing on an alternative health care model. We are going to be examining various alternatives to addressing health issues. We hope to expand your thinking on the subject and continue to empower you in your decision making.

A New Journey and a Welcome

I want to welcome you to "Life to Your Years Chiropractic" health awareness blog. It is my expectation that by visiting this blog frequently you will discover that I am not your typical chiropractor and that I have an unusual and thought provoking approach to health care. As a health care provider I have been a practicing chiropractor and a health awareness mentor for over 25 years. My objective through this blog is to educate and inspire my patients to be responsible for their own health and happiness.

I have been frustrated with our current health care model because in our culture we are not conditioned to make our health a high priority. Health care is extremely expensive and yet not extremely effectual in addressing illness and disease because we wait until they are at our doorstep. My philosophy in health care is to inspire a proactive approach in understanding the components of health and then taking responsibility to maintain health and help prevent illness and disease...a much more rational and cost effective way to manage our health and our lives.

Even before I became a Chiropractor I had a fascination with the natural approach to health care. My journeys have exposed me to many different methodologies and alternatives to addressing health issues that exist side by side with traditional medicine. Many of these techniques and remedies previously considered ineffectual are now well researched by the medical community and accepted by mainstream medicine. This has been a very slow and painful process to bring these alternative practices to the public's attention.

I acknowledge that the human body is an amazing adaptive mechanism that science in all of its wisdom and advances is far from duplicating. I have witnessed for years that an "ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is just as true now as it has ever been. Understanding how to take care of our bodies and whenever possible avoiding unnecessary intervention allows the body (in its own wisdom and healing abilities) the greatest opportunity to heal itself without interference. I recognize that surgical procedures really don't allow you to undo what is once done. For these reasons, I recommend exploring the more conservative, non-invasive and non-toxic methodologies first.

The intention of this blog is to focus on the many different aspects of health, to inspire an interest in self-help, inform you of current health issues, to stay in touch with what is happening on the legislative arena that affects you and to examine various methodologies in addressing specific health concerns.

This blog is part of my website www.lifetoyouryearschiropractic.com that is being developed to become a one stop health information location that will not only educate you on the current health information but will also serve as a resource to explore options in locating a variety of health care practitioners.

Please join our community and visit us frequently on this fascinating health awareness journey.

I look forwarding to hearing from you.