Do you want to change your health? It starts with your perspective. No, I’m not going to offer you mantras or affirmations, or tell you to think positively. But what I will do is point out something which guides how we make decisions about our health, but which we don’t often stop and critically evaluate.

Right now, the conventional approach to health is pathogenic. In other words, it’s about the factors that cause disease. This method has very distinct characteristic and principles. In a pathogenic mindset, you are either healthy or sick. The attention is on the specific diagnosis of the specific disease of the patient. Attention is also focused on the risk factors of the disease being considered. The starting point is the disease or problem.

Now let’s try a new mindset. The Salutogenic mindset. The word Salutogenic comes from the Latin salus = health and the Greek genesis = origin. A Salutogenic approach to health focuses on what makes us healthy rather than what causes disease. In this approach, you are not either healthy or sick. Instead, you are on a continuum, in which you are moving towards health or towards being sick. The attention is focused on the overall state of the health/illness of a person. Rather than just looking at the risk factors of the particular disease, the focus is on where the patient is on the health spectrum.

The starting point in this approach is the health potential of each patient instead of the patient’s disease or problem. A pathogenic approach is reactionary. Decisions are made in response to signs and symptoms of the disease. By definition, a Salutogenic approach is a proactive approach. Decisions are made to enhance each patients overall well-being.

Exercise, eating well, and taking supplements are all examples of a Salutogenic approach. Another familiar example is brushing your teeth and seeing your dentist regularly. Taking care of your spine and nervous system would be a less familiar example, but it can be essential in helping you realize your fullest health potential.

The next time you make any decision about your health, ask yourself: Am I being reactive or proactive? Am I focused on the disease, or am I focused on creating health? This change in your mindset can make all the difference.

Is this what the rest of his life is going to be like?

Doctor after doctor, specialist after specialist, we kept hearing, “ I don’t know what’s going on.” We couldn’t get any answers. This was what it was like for 3 years. He was constantly sick. Colds, sinus infections. On top of all of that he was having pain in his legs. He would tell me “ I can’t walk mommy, my legs hurt.” He was hospitalized twice during this time and was taking Motrin to get through the day.

“ I had a good job and a good salary, I ended up using a local food bank. It’s been a humbling experience. I was humiliated. The local pharmacies wouldn’t fill my pain pill prescriptions, they wrote me off as just another drug addict. I know why they call it the suicide disease because I have thought about it. It all started in 2012 when I got into a severe car accident where I hydroplaned and flipped my car three times. Thats what set everything off. Different doctors gave me different diagnosis, MS, lyme disease, hydrocephalus. And finally Trigeminal neuralgia. I really lost who I was, my personality. I’m starting to get that back. After starting care, my pain has greatly reduced, it happens less and doesn’t last as long as it did before. I’m able to focus more now, I’m back to running my household again and helping my boyfriend with his business. I know what I was going through really affected my family. I’m thankful that they stuck by me and helped me through this pain.”

Stephanie N.

• Is your head on straight? Improper head and neck alignment can disturb the blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow around the base of the brain. This can lead to a decreased amount of dopamine activation.  This is what we take care of in our office.
• Deep and controlled breathing
• Gargling water for 15-20 seconds

The heart and soul of our office is the exam. I know that might sound mundane and routine but without the exam nothing that we do in the office would make any sense. If you look in our office we have walls, a front office area, a lobby, a few hallways, and a bathroom. If you walked into our office accidentally you could easily think that you were in a dentist’s or a relator’s office. What we are doing within the walls is what makes us different.

The exam allows us to see if you have what we look for in our office, underlying structural abnormalities in the spine. These structural abnormalities causes havoc in two main ways. They disrupt proper neurological function primarily the involuntary nervous system and causes structural weakness within the body. You can read more about these negative affects of these misalignments here.

The results of the exam also establishes a baseline. Why is this important? Look at it this way.

Would you watch a football game with no scoreboard, down and distances, and yard markers? How do you know who was winning? If you were losing how would you know? If you are trying to score, how could you strategize and plan?

It would be very difficult. In most cases within healthcare, baselines don’t really matter since most care is geared toward symptom and pain management. As long as symptoms change and pain is reduced then most providers are satisfied.

At our office, we look beyond pain and symptom management, we are looking for the restoration of proper structural and neurological function. This makes our exams and your baselines the foundation of all we do here.

Here are the components to our examination:

3D Structural Analysis

Structural Radiographs

aOS (Autonomic Operating System)

Neural Thermal Analysis

A mentor and instructor of mine used to tell me, “either it works or it doesn’t”. Some might have took his words as comfort for the work that we do but I took his words as a challenge to always measure and test and push forward our understanding.

If you are looking for something beyond pain and symptom management schedule a consultation with us and let us see whether our care can work for you.

Spring Doesn’t Have to Mean Suffering from Allergies

Springtime is wonderful, but for some, it can signal the start of allergy season.  That can mean itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, congestion, and headaches.  Fortunately for our patients, their bodies become more adaptable and better equipped to handle the environmental changes that spring brings.  In addition to keeping your body’s wiring system (the central nervous system) tuned up and functioning optimally, there are other natural options for people who are prone to dealing with allergies this time of year:

• Local honey – eating a tablespoon of raw, locally sourced honey each day can help keep seasonal allergies under control by building up a tolerance to the pollen that is prevalent in your area.  One of the reasons why this natural remedy works so well is because of the bee pollen, which is known to help fight infection, boost immunity, and ward off allergies.  Honey makes a delicious addition to your tea, smoothies, or oatmeal!
• Neti pot – clearing the sinuses of congestion and pollen is a great solution for seasonal allergy sufferers.  When using a neti pot to rinse the sinuses, make sure to use warm, distilled water with sea salt.
• Eat anti-inflammatory foods – reducing overall levels of inflammation in the body can help with allergies and many other health problems.  Nutrient-dense foods will give your immune system the boost it needs to repair your body and fight off common environmental allergies.  Some of the best inflammation-fighting foods are:

o   Garlic

o   Leafy greens

o   Lemons

o   Fermented foods (sauerkraut, kimchi, yogurt, miso, etc.)

o   Bone broth

• Eucalyptus oil – using this oil can help to reduce inflammation and harmful environmental microorganisms that can trigger an allergy attack.  Eucalyptus oil can be diffused, or you can try adding a few drops to your laundry detergent during allergy season.  It can also be mixed with a carrier oil (i.e. coconut oil) and rub it on your chest before going to sleep.

Allergies don’t need to have their own season.  By increasing the adaptability of your body, strengthening your immune system, and giving your body the proper nutrition, suffering every spring can be a thing of the past.