Staying Healthy - According to Mark Twain

"The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you'd rather not."  Mark Twain from "Following the Equator" (1897)

Mark Twain is recognized as having been a very insightful individual.  Even in his humour he was a remarkably astute observer of human nature.  This quote was likely very truthful back in 1897 when he wrote it and is relevant today as well. The implication is that what we like the most to eat, drink and do may not be the best for us.

Mr. Twain is reminding us that good health is the result of the choices we make.  Having a healthy lifestyle often means making choices which we would prefer not to make but need to make for the sake of our well-being.   There are three areas in which he says we need to make the right decisions and not necessarily the easy decisions.

The sad fact is that so many foods that we like and that taste good are really detrimental to our health.  They taste good because of added sugars, unhealthy fats and chemical flavour enhancers.  Yummy tasting food is often devoid of essential nutrients as well.  So these foods are not only harmful, but empty as well. These are the foods we want to eat.  To be healthy we need to make food choices based not only on taste, but on nutritional content.  Pick the vegetables instead of the ice cream.

The same is true for what we drink.  Drinking water or tea is a healthier choice than pop or beer.

Then Mr. Twain says we need to do what we'd rather not do. The list of lifestyle choices which lead either to poor health or better health are long.  Choose to get adequate rest and exercise.  Develop stress control methods. Establish supportive relationships. Enjoy the sunshine. Get regular chiropractic adjustments and adopt a healthy chiropractic lifestyle. 

Good health comes from deciding to do what is best rather than what is easy or what we want.  The results are worth the effort.

Healthy Lifestyle Really is Anti-Aging

For some time now I've tried to emphasize the importance of living a healthy chiropractic lifestyle.  There are many outward benefits that can be seen in people who live such a lifestyle.  They are able to do the things in life they both need and want to do.  They are resistant to disease and injury.  They feel and look good.  But what is happening on the inside of these people?

True health occurs at the cellular level.  When a person's cells are healthy, they are overall healthy.  A person's age is determined by how well their cells are working.  Recent news reports such as this one from Businessweek, "Veggie-Heavy, Low Stress Regimen Shown to Modify Cell Aging", reveal how a healthy lifestyle improves the health of cells.  Click and read the article.  It explains in a clear, simple manner the complex changes that occur in the telomeres within individual cells when lifestyles are improved.  The improvement is significant enough to be able to label the cells as being younger.  The lead researcher is quoted as saying, “Our studies are showing that simple changes in our lifestyle have powerful impacts in ways that we can measure.” Having younger cells is truly anti-aging at its finest!

The abstract from this study is found at the The Lancet  "Increased telomerase activity and comprehensive lifestyle changes: a pilot study".


Want to live healthier and longer?  Adopt a healthy chiropractic lifestyle.  Eat nutritious food, take nutritional supplements when indicated, get regular exercise, sleep soundly, manage stress, avoid toxins, protect your mental health, and keep your spine and nervous system healthy with regular chiropractic adjustments.  The take-a-way good news is that wherever you are now you can be healthier and younger by improving your lifestyle.

Life is Like Riding A Bike

"Life is like riding a bicycle.  To keep your balance you must keep moving."  Albert Einstein



Albert Einstein was a pretty smart fellow and not just in math and science.  When reading quotes from him, I have to conclude that he had a great grasp of what life is all about.  The quote above is certainly in line with a healthy chiropractic lifestyle.

Balance is a key to both physical and mental health.  I don't know whether Albert Einstein was referring to one or both of these areas of life when he made this statement.  Motion is crucial for health in both areas.

In physical health it's easy to see how motion is a critical element.  Motion tones our nerves and muscles and it keeps our circulatory system functioning.  As we move our body systems become coordinated so everything works together.  That is the prerequisite to having physical balance.

As a chiropractor, I am very focused on the how well my patients move.  The motion of the joints of the spine is particularly important.  Spinal joints that move either too much or too little will affect the nerves that exit the spine and go to all parts of the body.  This can lead to an imbalance in the nerves that control not only muscle activity but sensations such as pain and feelings as well as organ function.  When spinal joints loose their proper motion and the nervous system loses its balance, that is termed a vertebral subluxation.  Correcting vertebral subluxations with specific adjustments is what chiropractors specialize in.

Physical balance requires motion in more areas than just the spinal joints.  All the joints of the body must move properly and all the body's systems must be working together in a coordinated fashion.  Its the nervous system that assures the coordination of the entire body..

Being balanced mentally also requires motion.  Physical motion provides proper blood flow to the brain.  Through the blood the brain receives the oxygen, nutrients, and hormones necessary for it to work properly.  Also through physical motion the brain obtains stimulation from every part of the body.   Keeping mentally active is also necessary for to have mental balance.  Keep the mental "gears" turning through constant learning and stimulation to keep the mind healthy. 

A chiropractic lifestyle involves keeping the spine functioning properly as well as adopting healthy diet, exercise, nutrition, and sleep habit,   It's about managing physical, chemical, and emotional stresses so the body and mind can function the way they were designed to.  To be healthy we need to be balanced, physically and mentally.. Sitting in front of the TV in no way promotes balance.  Balance requires movement.  Take it from Albert Einstein, to be balanced we need to keep moving.  He was a wise man.

Staying Off the Treadmill

No, this is not an anti-exercise post.  The treadmill I'm referring to today is about running to get ahead but ending up going nowhere.  Specifically it's the medical treadmill I'm going to talk about.  It's the treadmill people find themselves on when they run from doctor to doctor, take test after test, are subjected to procedure after procedure, and take drugs followed by more drugs looking while looking for help with their health problems.  It's a treadmill that wears people down.  I see young people stressed into anxiety and depression, middle aged people worried to the point of developing new illnesses, and seniors totally exhausted physically and emotionally from being on this treadmill.  I also see people of all ages who have made a conscious effort to either stay off the treadmill or get off it once they recognize they are on it.  These people are both happier and healthier than those who are continuing to run.

I must let you know that I am not against tests, procedures and medications.  I am against tests just for the sake of running tests.  I'm against invasive procedures conducted before conservative methods are exhausted. While prescription medications can be absolutely essential for treating many conditions, they invariably have side effects.  These side effects usually necessitate additional testing and in very many cases more medication to treat the side effects.  The cycle of testing and medicating can become relentless; like running on a treadmill that can't be stopped.  This is especially true for chronic conditions for which medicine has a poor track record of treating.

Staying off the medical treadmill can be a daunting task.  The first step is to acknowledge that you are the person responsible for your health.  You can seek the advice of others and partner with other people, including doctors, but you must make the decisions regarding your health.  This is a crucial step.  It means you must become informed about your health situation.  You need to explore your options and  weigh the risks and benefits of any tests or treatments.  There are times you will need to say, "No".  No one but you can decide what is best for you.

The second step is to adopt a lifestyle that promotes health.  The best way to stay off the medical treadmill is to not get sick in the first place.  I've talked about lifestyle in several previous posts, but let me quickly list a few of the basics.  You need to eat nutritious food, drink plenty of water, avoid toxins, get adequate rest, manage stress, maintain good relationships, attend to spiritual matters, exercise, and look after your nervous system.

Now maybe you've had the misfortune of already having your health compromised through injury or illness.  You can get off the treadmill.  You must first go back to step one and take responsibility for your own health.  You need to become the decision maker.  Do your homework and find out as much as you can about what is afflicting you.  Research the treatment options.  Look for treatment methods that work with your body and aren't going to cause side effects.  Look for professionals you can partner with to help you reach your health goals.  Make lifestyle changes that will strengthen your body so it can heal itself.  The body is marvelously self healing when it's given the proper environment to do so.

In more than a quarter century of practicing chiropractic, I've observed many, many people enjoying wonderful health in their advanced years.  Invariably they are the ones who have made an effort to stay off or get off the medical treadmill.  They have decided to take responsibility for their own health.  As a chiropractor I count it a privilege to be able to partner with these people.  I advise them on lifestyle changes that will promote their health.  I also assure that there is no interference to the proper functioning of their nervous systems by adjusting their spines to correct vertebral subluxations.  Chiropractic allows the body to heal itself.

"I Know I Should ....

Exercise more, eat less sugar, avoid deep fried foods, get more sleep, take more time to relax, stop smoking, get more massages, get adjusted more often, look after myself better."  I hear some version of these statements from my patients on a daily basis.  The conclusion I have to draw is that almost universally people know what they should be doing to be healthier.  But they seem unable to do it.

I was watching a health guru talking to a large group of people.  He was telling them that there were three things each and every person needed to do to be healthier.  As the camera panned across the audience I found myself saying, "He'll do it." "She won't do it."  They aren't going to take his advice."  "That person is right into it."  The people who were going to follow the expert's advise were probably already doing the right things to a very large extent.  The people who were not already on the road to looking after their own health may have been nodding approval but there is only a very slim chance they will actually follow the advice.

We are an educated society.  There are some well known health principals that virtually everyone knows, like getting regular exercise, eating fewer processed foods and more natural foods, getting adequate rest, and practicing good hygiene.  But just because we know these things intellectually doesn't mean we will do them.  There is a great scripture verse that spells out the struggle we face.  "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak."  Mt 26:41  This applies to all aspects of our lives not just our spiritual lives.  Sadly most of us know what is right and yet we choose to do what is wrong.

I've observed that people make positive changes in their lives in one of two ways.  The first is to reach a point of crisis and the second is to make small incremental changes.

Alcoholics usually have to reach bottom before they will make the necessary changes.  Sugarholics usually have to have diabetic complications before making lifestyle changes.  The reality is that we all have unhealthy behaviours we are addicted to.  The sooner we acknowlege them, the sooner we can get on the road to becoming truly healthier.  That time of acknowledgement often comes at a time of crisis.  This is not the most pleasant way to be motivated to make changes for better health.

The second way to improve one's health is to make a small step forward today.  Take one thing and make it a part of your lifestyle.  Perhaps it will be to exercise 20 minutes everyday, or eat a more nutritious breakfast, or get more sleep, or see your chiropractor regularly.  When that one thing is a part of you, make another small change.  Over time you will become a healthier person.  Each positive result will help motivate you to make another change. The key to this approach is to make small achievable changes to avoid discouragement.  The changes are not dramatic like when we reach a crisis point, but they can be every bit as effective if we persist.  This is why I continue to pass on tidbits of information that you may find helpful.  Perhaps there will be something I say that will click with you and help you to change without having to reach a crisis point.

Keep Trim, Strong, Agile and Fast

There was an ad last year for a fitness club in Britain that was pulled because it wasn't politically correct.  I thought it was quite humourous.  Maybe I found it amusing because of the red neck in me.  The ad said, "ADVANCED HEALTH WARNING!  WHEN THE ALIENS COME, THEY WILL EAT THE FATTIES FIRST!

I certainly don't want to belittle those with weight issues.  I carry a few pounds more than I should.  I also have family members who struggle with being over weight.  Fighting to keep pounds off is no laughing matter, but the health club ad still put a smile on my face.  It should get us all thinking about our weight.


The reality is that those who are trim can run faster and fight better.  It is unlikely that we will have to run from or fight aliens.  But, we do need to run from and fight invaders that are forever attacking our bodies.  Viruses, bacteria, toxins, and stresses are all out to destroy our bodies.  Those who are fittest survive; those that aren't get sick and die first.

Sometimes we need a little jolt to get us to take action to make the changes that will help us to be healthier.  We may need to exercise more, eat healthier, take more supplements, reduce stress, sleep more, and get more chiropractic adjustments.  It's not just about losing weight or being physically fit.  It's about adopting a lifestyle that promotes your health.  Being the right weight is just one component of health.

For some people joining a health club can be a step in the right direction.  Even if the club runs an ad that is a little offensive.  If it motivates you to action, it's done a good thing.  Stay trim, keep strong, run fast, and remain agile.  You'll be one of the last to succumb to the aliens.

Mattresses

Getting quality sleep is a very important factor in achieving and maintaining good health.  Patients often ask for advise on purchasing a mattress.  The mattress needs to provide both comfort and support in order to be effective.  There are many good mattresses on the market and comparing them can be difficult when different brands have different features.  A knowledgable sales person is a great asset when trying to make a choice.  Certainly you will want to buy from a story that will give good service.  The cost of a mattress can look formidable but always keep in mind that you will be spending approximately one third of your life on mattresses.  That usually makes the price seem more reasonable.  Most mattresses come on sale regularly.

Consider your individual needs when shopping for a mattress.  Do you share the bed?  Do you have physical challenges, circulation problems, or a bad back?  Are you a large person who needs extra space or firmer support?

Look at the following areas when selecting a mattress:

• Size: A mattress should be large enough to accommodate not only yourself comfortably, but also your spouse if you have one.  Remember that it is normal for people to move and turn in their sleep and you don't want to distrurb one another.
• Support: A good mattress will support the body at all points while keep the spine in the same posture as when standing.  The heavier parts of the body, the hips and shoulders, should sink into the mattress enough to keep the spine in its normal alignment.  Too much or too little support and the spine will be contorted.  This can result in disturbed sleep and morning stiffness.
• Comfort: There should be a cushion on top that embraces the body and the surface should be breathable.  Natural fibres breath the best.  
• Durability: Look for materials that have know lasting quality.  Buy the best mattress you can afford  so you can have years of comfortable sleep.
• Construction: Metal coils provide the best long term support.  The greater the coil count in relation to surface area the more support and durability.  These coils may be concentrated more in the areas where there is more weight.  Connecting coils can reduce motion transfer.
• Warranty: The longer the warranty, usually the higher the quality of the mattress.  Never buy a mattress with less than 10 years warranty.  Keep in mind that the warranty is not necessarily an indication of how long the mattress will last.  It's there to protect you against flaws and defects.

Test the mattress.  Trying laying in all your usual sleep positions.  Make sure your partner is on the mattress at the same time doing the same thing.  Are you both comfortable?  Can you move without disturbing each other?  Sit at the edge of the mattress.  Does it support your weight or does it sag?  Take your time to do a mattress test.  Remember mattresses are a major purchase and can have either a positive or negative impact on your health over the life of the mattress.

Routines

As I got up before dawn this morning to do my exercise routine, I was muttering under my breath about the DST change last week.  Getting up to exercise can be difficult at any time, but this week has been particularly hard. However, I do know that keeping my routines will help me to adapt to the change.  (See my earlier post, Time to Change.)

During my warm up exercises I began to reflect on the importance routines for our overall health.  An exercise routine implies to me that I have a specific time and procedure to exercise, not that I do the same exercises all the time.  By having a routine, I make sure that my exercises get done.  If I leave it till I feel like it, I likely won't exercise.  For me early mornings work.  If I exercise in the evenings I have more trouble getting to sleep.

Likewise, I have a routine for taking supplements.  The containers are in a certain order in the drawer so I don't forget any and I have a specific time when I take them.  Occasionally I take a product that doesn't effectively work with my routine.  That supplement often gets forgotten.

In the evenings, my routine before bed helps me to unwind and calm down.  I understand how important my sleep is.  If you ask my wife, she'll tell you I'm usually asleep in less than 10 minutes (often much less).  If I don't have this time to unwind, I toss and turn for sometime before sleep is possible.

It's sad how things that are most beneficial for us to do are usually the first things we let slide.  Maybe it's because the important things are not always the most fun things. This is particularly true when it comes to our health.  Having established routines helps to make sure the important things get done.  And routines will help me adapt to this accursed time change.