Enhance Fertility with Chiropractic Care

Thirty-five year-old Tracy had tried everything: monitoring her cycles through body temperature, over-the-counter fertility predictors and finally, fertility-enhancing drugs and in vitro fertilization. But after three years of trying, she still wasn’t pregnant. She began to think she was “too old” to have a family, though she was seemingly in great physical shape.

Tracy is not alone. Thousands of women go to fertility specialists each year. “After fertility treatments fail, many women are told ‘no’ [about having children] because of their age,” says D’arcy Brown, DC. But chiropractic may offer hope. At least one recent study showed that, after receiving chiropractic care, previously infertile women were much more likely to become pregnant (Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research, 2003). And while reasons behind chiropractic’s success in treating infertility aren’t certain, there are a number of possibilities why it may work.

Dr. Brown, who practices in Aspen, Colorado, believes proper alignment works in several ways to increase the likelihood of becoming and staying pregnant. Chiefly, improper alignment of the cranial, spinal, and pelvic bones can hinder the nervous system, which controls a woman’s reproductive system, causing imbalances and hampering her ability to get and stay pregnant.

Distortions of the sphenoid bone in the skull— which can result from passage through the birth canal or from accidents later in life— are particularly problematic, says Brown, since misalignments there can affect the cranial nerve and pituitary gland. The pituitary gland is the regulator of a number of hormones important to fertility, including the follicle-stimulating hormone, estrogen, and progesterone. If any of these are out of balance, explains Brown, it can be very difficult to get pregnant.

Like Tracy, many of the patients Brown sees for infertility have tried everything. They come to chiropractic as a last resort. Brown first talks to them about their menstrual health history, noting signs of imbalance, which have often been problematic since the onset of menstruation, including heavy cramping, mood swings, and missing periods. “We balance the body [through chiropractic],” says Brown. Patients receive a combination of chiropractic and craniosacral adjustments, three times a week to start. After adjustments start to hold, patients visit once or twice a week.

How long should chiropractic take to work? Not long, says Brown. “We give it three months. Often women will become pregnant in the third or fourth month of treatment.” Brown has an impressive 75 percent success rate so far. Unless there have been serious compromises to reproductive health, he says, such as a history of extreme athletic activity or substance abuse, chiropractic may set the stage for a successful pregnancy for women like Tracy.

The Next Ten Years

What does the future hold in store for you? None of us can know with certainty, although some predictions are possible. On one hand, in ten years our lives could be exactly the same as they are now. But - on the other hand - the next ten years have the possibility of being gloriously impactful. What can we do to create the difference?

Chiropractic Care and the Next Ten Years

It is very possible to have a rewarding, fulfilling life when one's health is not good. But most people would acknowledge that good health, or at least improving health, helps to make the road much easier. With good health one has more energy, and with more energy one can do more things. Chiropractic care addresses many components of good health and helps a person achieve good health from a holistic or global perspective. Chiropractic care primarily focuses on the spinal column and nerve system. Improving spinal biomechanics and optimizing nerve system function improves energy levels throughout the body. Chiropractic care helps reduce pain, so you can get more out of your exercise. Chiropractic care helps makes rest more efficient, so you can get more out of your time spent sleeping. The many benefits of chiropractic care help you achieve higher levels of health and wellness. Chiropractic care supports all your other activities and endeavors in the field of health care.

What does the future hold in store? None of us can know with certainty, although some predictions are possible. Stock market indexes will rise. Then they'll fall. Then everyone will hope that the indexes will rise again. Hemlines will fall. Then they'll rise. Then in two or three years they'll fall again.

The French have a saying for all this - plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same. In fact, things have changed a lot in 10 years. The Internet exploded. Cell phones are everywhere. In the United States an African-American man was elected president. Longstanding dictatorships were toppled in the Middle East.

The next ten years have the possibility of being even more gloriously impactful.^1,2,3 Things do not necessarily remain the same. The actress Betty White has reinvigorated her career at age 89. Jeff Bridges won a Best Actor Academy Award at age 61, highlighting a 40-year career. The 2010 Best Original Screenplay Academy Award went to the 73-year-old first-time winner David Seidler. Leon Russell, the beloved musician/songwriter, was recently inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Well into his 60s, Russell observed that he had been "lying in a ditch on the side of the highway of life" when he his career was suddenly, unexpectedly resurrected by Elton John.

In the next ten years, for us, anything is possible. But in order to move beyond the "same old, same old" we are required to make a choice. Another old saying, "if it's going to be, it's up to me", remains true today. We need to make choices on our own behalf, choices that will further our growth and development and the growth and development of our loved ones. We can create a spectacular next ten years.

¹Fosha D: Positive affects and the transformation of suffering into flourishing. Ann NY Acad Sci 1172:252-262, 20093

²Bunkers SS: A focus on human flourishing. Nurs Sci Q 23(4):290-295, 2010

³Culbertson SS, et al: Feeling good and doing great: the relationship between psychological capital and well-being. J Occup Health Psychol 15(4):412-433, 2010

Master vs. Technician

What are you looking for in a practitioner?  Like anything else in life, when you want a service or need a service, which would you prefer?  A Master or a technician.  When life requires you to get a job done right, do you go with the basics, or do you go with what will truly take care of the problem?  Do you relieve the problem, or truly fix it so you don't have to worry about it again?  These are a couple of questions we all consider either consciously or sub-consciously when making choices.  And our choices, and more importantly our outcomes, usually show us what we have chosen.  I am reminded of a quote I use all the time in my office, "How you do the little things, is how you do everything."  And I try to teach that to all my younger practice members.  After all, they are still developing their habits and their way of doing things, right?  And they will probably benefit most by applying those words.  But what about the adult practice members?  What are they looking for?  How are they approaching life?  What do they feel they deserve?

We all live with certain blind spots.  And, at some point in our lives, we all are willing to put up with somewhat less then what we would ideally want for ourselves or our loved ones.  Let's face it, We compromise.  When we have certain problems, and are faced with various constraints, like time, money, people, materials, etc., we will have a tendency to take what is given to us, rather than have the courage to say, "This isn't what I asked for, or this isn't good enough."  We don't have to verbalize that to the person giving us less then what we would want or choose.  We may simply look at the circumstances and, because of the constraints, etc., we will take what is given and deal with it being less than ideal.  And if, over time, we are continuously given something lesser then what we asked for, we begin to be conditioned that perhaps we deserve less then what we would ideally want or choose.  This is one of the major things I deal with every day in my practice.  People who are willing to deal with whatever life throws at them, and reacting to life, instead of taking a stronger stance and demanding better, and creating their ideal life.  Once again, they compromise.

When it comes to a person’s well-being, there should be no room for compromise.  Yet it goes on every day.  Society has been conditioned to want better, but will choose less because of the conditioning they have experienced.  And yet so many practice members are told by their other practitioners, "This is the best that can be done for you." or "There is nothing else that can be done for you." "You'll have to learn to live with it."  Or perhaps, "There is nothing wrong with you, it's all in your head."  "Face it Mrs. Jones, you are getting older, and this is a natural process of aging."  How many of those statements inspire confidence? vs. How many of those statements sponsor being complacent?  I say it is a bunch of crap that a person should be told any of those statements.  Those are the limited thinking of the person making the statement.  What they are truly saying to you is, "There is nothing more that I can do, for I have reached the end of my understanding and hence, my ability to help you."  And rather then make a referral to a more qualified practitioner, they will not want to appear "less then" themselves, and will stand by their original limiting statements.  And what is worse is the person(s) will accept these limiting statements as truth, and then spend the rest of their lives with a health issue that certainly could change for the better, if given a broader understanding of the possibilities.  It all goes back to what goes on between a person's ears.  And then it also will depend upon the attitude and ability of the practitioner.  Which brings us back to how all this started.  Do you choose a Master, or a technician when it comes to your health and health care choices? 

You might be wondering, what is the difference between the two?  You appreciate the difference in terms, but how does that apply to reality?  How does that apply to your reality?  What makes a practitioner a Health care Master, vs a Health care technician?  Let me start with the technician, and then I will go to the Master. 

A technician is someone who has been trained in a particular discipline.  They have the necessary schooling, the proper degree and the licensing to practice.  That isn't what makes them a technician.  After all, the Master must meet the same criteria.  What makes them a technician is the way they go about their particular discipline.  One of the differences is, what sponsors their way of doing things?  Do they have the understanding as to why, what they are doing is appropriate for the person's particular case?  Are they doing or recommending the same thing for every person who is placed before them?  Are they understanding the reason for the choices of what they are doing and applying the understanding to that person, or are they simply going through the motions?  Can they explain, in simple terms, why they are choosing that particular way they are treating, and why that is the appropriate treatment for this situation?  A technician will do things because that's what they were taught to do when the situation is that particular way.  That's what they know, so that's what they apply.  And this is an easy thing to fall into, either from the practitioners stand point, or the patients stand point.  Heck, the patient doesn't know any better, right?  It all goes back to what we feel inside related to what we feel we deserve.  If the technician feels what they know is all they need, and it doesn't require a deeper understanding, because they never took the time to truly learn the reasoning behind the technique, they will simply go through the motions.    If the person receiving the care feels worthy of less, or non-deserving of the best, they will accept what the technician is giving, and that's the best it gets.  They will never ask the necessary questions.  They, themselves, will never understand the reason why.  And they will come to accept the care without fully understanding what the true outcome will be.  And they will continue to go to the technician, and it never gets any better.  Neither their condition, nor the situation they are dealing with.  What's worse is they will become 100 % dependent on the technician to maintain their situation or circumstance.  Yet this will create security within the technician.  Which is a good thing for the technician's survival.  After all, hasn't society created the need for security, along with the expectation of obsolescence?  Pay for the cheaper version now, after all it will probably become obsolete very soon and you'll need a new one later anyway.  But is that true for your health?  Is that the right attitude you want for your health?  Do you want to take that attitude and apply it to your most important asset?  Appreciate that this can be applied to any discipline, from mechanic vs. Master Mechanic, cook vs. Master Chef, salesmen vs. Master of Sales, technical plumber vs. Master Plumber, etc.  Is this the choice you would make under ideal circumstances for your health? 

A Master, on the other hand, understands the reasons behind everything that is being done.  A Master can see the big picture, or at least has an understanding of the big picture.  A Master expects certain outcomes, because the Master understands the process of cause and effect.  A Master begins with the origin and creates something new as an outcome.  A Master works with natural laws and understands the ramifications of choosing a particular path or course of action.  A Master will be able to explain the reasoning behind why they are doing what they are doing in simple terms.  A Master will be able to help the person see and feel the outcome before the outcome occurs.  A Master will take the time to demonstrate why a particular solution to a problem will yield specific results.  A Master will be able to duplicate the understanding within the person receiving the service.  A Master will be able to support the situation from every angle.  A Master will truly create another Master.  They will do this by giving the understanding necessary to allow the person to take full responsibility for their own situation.  They will return ownership to the rightful owner.  There will be no dependence sponsored. 

So when it comes to your health, what do you choose?  Do you choose a technician who goes through the motions?  Do you choose that because that is what you feel you deserve?  Do you do that because you never thought better, or have simply become conditioned to expecting and accepting less?  Please don't do that to yourself.  You deserve better.  Better choices, better understanding and most of all, BETTER OUTCOMES!   You deserve to Be a Master!

My Offer To You

If you are currently a practice member and have been accepting less than ideal outcomes, I want you to come to me and discuss what we need to do to get you the better understanding necessary so you can become a Master of your own health situation. I want to sit down with you and come up with a plan that you can implement to change your current level of health and function to better suit your ideal vision of what your health and life could be.  I don't want you to accept a life of less than ideal.  I want you to have radiant health, ideal function and abundance of energy based in the understanding necessary to sponsor and maintain such an outcome.  I truly want to help you transform your health and your life.  Do you feel you deserve that?  Could you get excited about that?  Will you allow yourself that?  All you need to do is call the office and tell us to schedule you for the Master Check.  We will take the time to address anything that is less then ideal related to your health and help you to understand what can be done to change your health outcomes.  If you feel you deserve better, you will call the Office right NOW!  (845)561-BACK (2225)  Tell us to put you in for the Master Check!  This $100.00 consultation will be given to you for FREE through the 20th of July.  So you must act fast.  That's only 4 weeks from today.  So call and schedule yourself for the Master Check and do it NOW!

If you are not currently a practice member and want to become a Master of your own health, I offer you the same opportunity.  Call the Office and register to come into one of my FREE Health Care Classes, held every Tuesday evenings at 6:30 pm in my office in Newburgh.  You simply have to call the Office at (845)561-BACK (2225) and tell us you want to come to a Free Health Care Class for you Master Check.  You want to become a Master because you deserve to be healthy.  In the class I will teach you how to take you first few steps toward Health Mastery.  But you have to call and register for this class, because class seating is limited.  So call (845)561-BACK (2225) today and begin your road to Health Mastery!

Fit For Death

I hope by entitling this article the way I did I was able to get your attention.  As Summer begins this week, many of you will be motivated (or I will encourage you if you haven't already started) to go out and begin to exercise in an effort to help shed that excess weight you amassed over the Winter.  But before you go off and try to make up for lost time, I wanted to help you appreciate how you can actually hurt yourself and create less health by exercising.  This occurs of course when you begin to exercise in an inappropriate fashion.  For it has been seen that too many people, with good intentions, end up creating bad results that lead to injuries and poor health through exercise.  For there have been plenty of instances where an Elite Athlete suffers a life ending Heart Attack while training or competing.  Yet how is that possible with an Athlete who trains all the time?  This, and other injuries occur because very few people, including your trainers and athletes, seem to truly appreciate the importance of creating health while improving their fitness levels.  Watching Sports Center, like I do every morning, there is a commercial for a new channel on Direct TV called "Fit Channel" which is devoted to programs related to improving your fitness.  And I'm sure there are various guru types who lead the different programs offered who have great looking physiques and magnetic personalities and do everything they can to motivate you to exercise.  And ideally, this is a great idea.  Unfortunately, the concept of improving ones fitness level before developing a proper base of health could lead to serious health consequences.  As mentioned above, if one exercises too hard, and the body isn't healthy enough to support the effort, conditions such as a Heart Attack can occur.  This is because most people think of Fitness and Health as synonymous, or at least closely linked.  I'd like to help you appreciate the difference between the two, and then give you some pointers on how to Improve Your Health, While Increasing Your Fitness at the same time.

Fitness can be defined as "the ability to perform physical activity."  As long as you can complete the desired activity, you can be said to be physically fit.  The more you condition your body to perform the physical activity, the better your body will become at doing it.  This doesn't necessarily mean that you are now healthy because you can do the specific physical activity.  Health on the other hand can be defined as "a state of optimum physical, mental, emotional and spiritual well-being, and not merely the absence of sickness, infirmity, or symptoms."  And if you appreciate the definition, one can be quite healthy, yet be unable to perform some physical activity in an efficient manner. 

Picture someone who lifts weights all the time and has big bulging muscles.  Obviously that person is physically fit related to lifting weights because they lift weights all the time.  Now ask that same person to run 3 miles, and they aren't able to do it.  And you ask, why is that so?  It's simple.  The person's body is conditioned to lift the weights, as the body has been trained to do that activity.  Yet when you ask their body to perform a different activity, such as running 3 miles, the body is unable to because the body is not conditioned to do so.  Now, you could have the same person who lifts weights all the time and has big muscles, yet they eat crappy food, drink alcohol regularly, and maybe even smoke.  Or perhaps that person also participates in using performance enhancing drugs.  That is a person who obviously can lift the weights and has a great physique to show for it, yet their body really isn't healthy on the inside. 

Likewise, picture a person who eats organic food, drinks only the most natural spring water, and doesn't participate in putting anything into their body that isn't natural, and has a perfectly balanced blood chemistry.  One could say this person is quite healthy.  Then ask them to go out and run 3 or 4 flights of stairs and see that they are gasping for air at the top of the second flight.  This person has plenty of health, but no real fitness.  It becomes a question of balance.  But how should one create that balance?

If you truly want to get your body functioning in both a healthy manner and a more fit manner, you will have to do the following.  Begin by doing the physical activity that builds both health and fitness.  Ideally you would have wanted to have started this earlier then now, but it's never too late to begin.  The activity I'm writing about here of course is walking.  Walking as an exercise is an activity anyone can do, and it helps to build both.  You will want to walk on a daily basis for a minimum of 30 minutes, but more ideally 45 minutes to an hour.  Maybe you will have to start out doing it for only ten minutes or less due to poor health and fitness.  The point is, begin by getting used to the activity of walking on a flat surface.  Don't worry about trying too much too quickly, as you will set yourself back, rather than moving forward.  And as you feel your body improve, you can add more time first, rather than speed.  Speed is the last thing you should be considering when you first start.  I can't emphasize enough that you simply want to get the time in, which will translate to distance, and worry about the speed after you have established a good base.  This will usually take a good 6 to 12 weeks for people who are beginning.  And don't be down on yourself because you are beginning.  If done properly, you will improve faster and eliminate the need for soreness and injury.   

 Once you have accomplished doing the walking for a minimum of 30 minutes for at least 6 weeks, you'll want to now get an idea of how you are doing, and if you are building both health and fitness.  This is done by employing a heart rate monitor.  If you utilize a heart rate monitor during your walking activity, and pre-program it to monitor your specific heart rate zone (designed to help you create more health while building fitness), a funny thing will happen along the way.  You will actually lose weight.  That's right, you will start losing all the weight you could ever want.  All of this is explained in my audio program, "Strategies To Restore Your Health And Wellness Through Understanding Nutrition And Exercise."  In the program I outline specifics for determining your personal ideal heart rate zone, and how to feed the body so you can eat more and lose weight.  I also cover the reasons why you are fat, why people get infections, why you crave sugar, along with how to read a label properly and how to properly shop for foods. 

As offered before, I will be making my audio program available for anyone who wishes to purchase it at the introductory rate of $75.00 through the month of July.  But you must act fast.  As of August 1, 2008, the price will officially return to $90.00.  Appreciate that the cost for this program is the same as a 1/2 hour consultation, yet you will be getting over 4 hours of "Strategies To Restore Your Health And Wellness Through Understanding Nutrition And Exercise."  In this I will walk you through the necessities for determining your specific "Fat Burning Rate," as well as help you to understand how you will have to begin eating more if you want to maintain that weight loss.  And once you have that understanding, you can then not worry about exercising and causing yourself health problems.  No more soreness or exercise related injuries because you will have the new understanding of Improving Your Health While Creating More Fitness.

So if there is anything here that interested you and you would like to begin exercising your way to improved Health and Fitness, call the Office at (845) 561-BACK (2225) and tell her you'd like to purchase "The Real Deal: Strategies To Restore Your Health And Wellness Through Understanding Nutrition And Exercise."  Don't be Fit For Death!  Begin your Summer by starting to exercise the correct way, and start creating a new you.