Every now and then I see an article on a website that is surprising. What makes the article a surprise is the source. Example:
Today on kevinmd, a site known for it’s very old-school, allopathic train of thought, has released an article called:
We need health care instead of disease management
by Robert G. Dorfman
This is exactly what the chiropractic profession has been discussing for more than 100 years now. The trend of sick-care, and disease management is long over. It’s time for a change in the right direction. It’s time to see the “healthcare” profession in our country take on true health care.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
We’ve heard all the quotes that agree with the above. It’s the difference between taking care of our health versus trying to find a cure, or manage a problem. No one that I know would choose disease management over health care. So why do we continue down this road for so many years?
The time for a change is now. Start thinking of your health in this manner, and reap the rewards.
When deciding where to go for dinner, most people think of the monetary cost versus the quality of the experience. For instance, a visit to Taco Bell does nothing to most people’s taste buds, however the monetary cost is extremely low, so it makes up for it…..or does it?
Maybe it’s time that we start thinking of long-term costs as well. Research shows us time and time again that upfront lower costs often have a larger cost down the road. Take clothing for example. Buy a cheap pair of jeans and watch how fast they fade, rip, and tear.
STRATEGY:
With a handful of the decisions that you will make today, do a quick assessment as to long term versus short term benefit. I bet you find that you are programmed to make short term choices. This is neither good for you or your loved ones. If we start thinking long term more and more, the results could be huge down the road.
The most successful people are the ones that have a long term vision, the goals to support that vision, and the drive to achieve those goals.
Everyone in my office has heard me speak of innate intelligence. Innate intelligence, if you have not heard the term, is what is responsible for the healing within all living things. Innate continually does everything it can to keep you thriving in a not-so-perfect world. Without innate, there is no life.
Innate is not a new principle. The idea of innate has been around since the beginning of time. Innate is simply the difference between someone that is alive, and one that is not. Innate is the conductor.
In a highly orchestrated concert, innate is the conductor. Every member of the orchestra is vitally important to the concert. In fact without one member of the orchestra, the sound is diminished, the timing off, and the music will suffer. The conductor keeps it all working together, in harmony.
Today as you eat your not-so-healthy food choices, innate will decipher what it can use, and what it cannot. As you stress over a spreadsheet at work, take a moment to cherish and be thankful for your innate intelligence. For it keeps on working, with whatever resources you provide, to keep you as healthy as possible.
MMM
Are our emotions the results of circumstance, or our interpretation of said circumstance? (And, does this mimic our nerve system stress response?)
Yesterday was one of those days. I got started early, ran through my morning ritual of meditation and reflection. Then, everything seemed to go “wrong”. I left the house on time, however arrived 10 minutes late to my first appointment, so I skipped breakfast. This appointment ended on time, however I had no time to eat before my next appointment which was further away than I thought. Therefore, the second appointment I also arrived late. This time I was also 10 minutes late, so I decided to take the stairs instead of the tram. The stairs to this appointment were wet, which I saw, however were made of metal that was cut to provide traction. (Not enough traction it would seem)
So there I was sliding into my meeting, down 4-5 steps (the exact amount undetermined due to embarrassment). What made the fall significant (AKA bloody) is that the exact feature of the stairs that was suppose to provide grip to my shoes….provided grip to my skin. In retrospect, had I not been stopped with skin gripping metal spikes to my body, I would have slid about 50 feet to a concrete platform. So, maybe the bloody grip worked out in the end!
The meeting was about as expected…it was just a meeting for formality sake, and then I proceeded to find some food. As I took the tram past those dreadful stairs, I decided to check the weather report. You see, the day prior, I had decided that if I was going to go to a meeting that would most likely be boring, I would at least make it fun by driving my motorcycle to the meeting. So, as I ride the tram, I check the weather. Sure enough, the report stated rain was barreling toward my path to head home. (I forgot to mention that we are in a drought right now, so I had no expectation of this issue surfacing)
There I stood, looking at the area where skin was removed from my arm, fingers, and hip….contemplating the opportunity to beat the storm as long as I left right away. In a rush, I continued my stressful day to the next arrival point, hungry.
I did manage to get home without a major weather delay, and proceeded to make breakfast for lunch. Guess I figured I would just start over.
Sure, the day did not go well. I had a fall, was late twice, and did not eat till lunch time. However, I would bet that there were worse events that happened on that day, to other people. Someone lost a job, someone lost a loved one, someone lost a limb that day. Someone did not eat at all yesterday, and I am sure that someone had to walk to try to find a job, and came up empty.
There are constantly stresses in this world. The question that I asked at the beginning of this blog I’ll repeat again:
Are our emotions the results of circumstance, or our interpretation of said circumstance?
My circumstance was not ideal, however my interpretation was more out of context. I was angry, agitated and mad by lunch time. My mind simply did not adapt to the stressors I encountered. Once I realized that my day was really not that bad. That it was just a morning and I was now enjoying eggs and imported coffee. I was able to catch my emotions, put life into perspective and move on.
Everything has a cost. The cost may not always come in monetary form, however there will be a cost for benefit. Without always realizing it, we are paying for the things we want on a regular basis. Right now, I am listening to music as I write this post. The cost? I am also being sold products during commercial time. Don’t want commercials? No worries, then just pay a monthly fee for internet or satellite radio.
Let’s see how this works for our health:
Hungry? Choice 1- Visit a local grocery store (pay for the food)
Choice 2- Go to your local fast food establishment (pay for the food, and pay for the poor health consequences later)
Choice 3- Go to a nice restaurant with your loved one (pay more for your food, less for health consequences later)
Choice 4- Grow your own food (send time and energy for growing of food, not to mention water, and proper growing tools for your garden)
What is important to understand is that the cost doesn’t outweigh the benefit. The cost for me to go to a fast food restaurant is initially minimal, however has long term cost associated with it that I am not willing to pay. The cost for me to essentially neglect my health today is way too high to even consider. I know many from my childhood that essentially took this “cheaper” route with their health, and today I can enjoy time with my 3 year old, and know it was because of smarter decisions 5-10 years ago.
