Adaptation means that you (without thinking about it much) are able to change to suit the conditions of the environment. Take the simplest of adaptation signs: shivering.
Assuming the temperature drops (as it did just this morning here), your body uses sensors that sense this temperature change. This information is then sent along the communication pathway within your body to alert your control system that temperature has dropped. The control system then makes a CHANGE to react to this temperature drop. In this case, you shiver. A shiver allows the muscles to contract and relax to the point where you actually warm up your body through your muscular system. This simple act can make your body increase in temperature enough to prolong your survival.
This is just one example of adaptation within you. We all adapt, some better than others, to “stuff” going on in our environment. Which brings up a very important question. The answer to this question can literally stifle a nation’s healthcare system if answered incorrectly:
How do we know if our symptoms are a proper adaptation response (healthy), or signs that our body is not adapting properly (sick)?
Lately there has been a lot of talk about preparedness: Survival training, bug-out bags, portable filtration systems. The list goes on and on…
When you think of what the core of chiropractic can do for you, it is really about being prepared: Prepared to fight the stress of life, whether that be emotional, physical or chemical in nature.
When thinking of preparation, the number one priority is to be as healthy as possible. Health starts with a healthy nervous system. If you are not utilizing chiropractic care, chances are very high that you are not as healthy as you can be. Without chiropractic, years are shaved off your life both in quality and quantity.
Be prepared, utilize chiropractic for a healthy life. You owe it to your loved ones to be prepared for life stresses.
In this day of advanced electronic communication, we seem to be busier than ever. There is always an opportunity to be interrupted. Someone can easily reach you in a moment’s notice to get what THEY need. However, who is taking care of you?
Unfortunately, I believe we give our phones more attention than we do our health. However, this will have terrible ramifications if left unchecked. I see this daily in practice. The truth is that not everyone that comes to me will be able to reach the potential they desire.
One of our questions we ask every single patient (we ask them multiple times throughout their care) is this:
“Where do you think your health is on a scale of 0-100, and where do you want to be?”
EVERYONE wants to be at a 100. Most realize they are not there. Yet, the next question we ask is telling of their value of health:
“How long do you think it will take to get there?”
Most believe they are able to reach perfect health in a relatively short period of time. I like big goals, with short timelines, however it is important to understand that if I do not reach a certain goal, I do not give up. Neither should you. Your health is your biggest asset. We work with the segment of the community shares this value.
The basic definitions of words that chiropractors utilize are often misunderstood by the general population. For instance, “wellness”. For a long time, I was not able to understand why my conversations with words such as these were misinterpreted by others. Unfortunately, there are some very large companies that have hijacked the very meaning of the term, wellness. Let’s go to a source. From dictionary.com, wellness is:
An approach to healthcare that emphasizes preventing illness and prolonging life, as opposed to emphasizing treating diseases.
*Notice that wellness is opposite of treating disease.
Right now there are pharmaceutical sales/marketing efforts that use the word, “wellness” in describing their approach to health, which is eradication of disease. I call this con-wellness.
Please note, this post is not intended to challenge the difference of treating disease and preventing disease. There are times for both forms of healthcare. However, using the word, “wellness” to mean something beyond it’s actual definition is an unethical marketing ploy that people need to acknowledge.
The issue becomes more serious than just a pet peeve, when you start to think about the customer that truly things they are practicing wellness, in an attempt to stay healthy and prolong a healthy life. Then, later realizes that they have been practicing emergency care instead of true healthcare. The visits to the hospital, the increased need for medications, the decreased life-expectancy will all bring this realization to light.
So, how can we learn before our health teaches us?
Try using a simple little intellectual test when it comes to your health decisions. One question might be:
Does this product or service alter me chemically, physically, or mentally beyond what is natural and normal?
This is not always an easy question to answer. However, a chiropractor, whose job is to remove interference to the innate ability you have with you to heal, is a professional that knows the definition between true wellness and con-wellness.
I’ve seen a trend on Facebook in the last year that asks if you are safe. I assume, a way to check on friends that are in affected areas of significant events. It is unfortunate that this has become even a question, especially with the advances our society has made over the past 150 years: travel, electricity, phone, farming methods. The list is exhaustive, and yet we still have to “mark ourselves safe”. However, this isn’t a political blog, so I will get to my point.
I can appreciate knowing how everyone is doing in the event of a true crisis, however maybe we can make a “mark yourself healthy” option on social media.
Thank for a minute a little deeper.
Unhealthy habits negatively affect most Americans today. One way to measure this, for instance, is use of the Heart Rate Variability (HRV):
Research has shown that an increase from low to moderate HRV, decreases mortality by 400%.
Pretty significant, right?
Please do not misunderstand, I am not suggesting that we should not be concerned about terrorists, stabbings on campus or riots on Wall Street. I am suggesting, however, that we concern ourselves more with items we have direct control: Your health.
