I have blogged countless times on the topic of the flu shot, the flu, or the marketing frenzy that is known as "flu season". But this article that ii came across this week I felt was worth a blog. If you haven't read some of my past blogs you can search through the archives, i also have 2 hour long radio shows dedicated to the topic you can listen to by clicking on the "media" show tab. 
   The article is titled "Don't believe everything you read about flu deaths". Here is a link to it here, http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/lawrence-solomon/death-by-influenza_b_4661442.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false. If you read the article you'll see that the CDC tells us that roughly 36,000 people die every year just in the United States from the flu. These statistics is what spearheads their scare tactics and media created frenzy to run out and get a flu shot before you die. And then, like I have said before after the scare of this year being "the worst fluwe have ever seen", which do you not see that they tell us that every freaking year!...comes the supply and demand trick, "there is a shortage of this years flu shot".... It's basic marketing....create a demand than pull it away, Created a hysteria, how in the world is there a shortage every year? You think they would eventually start making "enough". It total BS!
   If you read further in the article the National Vital Statistics report only around 500 flu deaths per year. And according to multiple medical journals only 15 to 10 percent have the actual influenza virus, while the others only have flu like symptoms. In 2001, there were only 18 deaths with a confirmed flu virus. 18! Far from 36,000! And most of these people have compromised immune systems to begin with, ie elderly. So 18 people a year, or get your flu shot and expose your self to toxins and Alzheimer's causing heavy metals that are in your shot every year. Your choice, but be informed, this article is a must read.

   My daughter had a fever last week. It lasted for a bout three days. When I tell people that it got over 103 and I never intervened with Tylenol or some kind of fever reducer from a doctor or hospital I get some strange looks. Let me tell you, I strongly feel that a lot of our health problems and compromised immune systems can be directly related to intervening too quickly with fever reducers and antibiotics. 
   My daughter is two and a half years old. At that age fevers can tend to get higher than adults, even though I myself can run very high fevers. My wife seems to hallucinate at 101, where my fevers can reach 103 and I'm sick but still conscious. She would tell you that I still would complain more though. Sorry, got side tracked... Where was I? Oh my daughter, ...so 103 really isn't that high. When she would reach 103 we would put her in a tepid bath and use cold wash clothes to keep the temperature under control but still allowing the fever to run it's course. If it went over 104, that's my personal threshold where I would give her something or take her somewhere. Fevers always tend to spike at night as well, which is convenient for parents to get sleep right? 
   But why is it so important to let fevers run it's course? You see your body is very smart, smarter than you, smarter than me, smarter than any doctor on this planet. When it decides it needs to raise it's temperature that's because its trying to get rid of something, something that is not suppose to be there. A fever is part of the body's natural healing process. Your interferon levels are at their highest point when you have a fever. If you get a fever, your body is doing it's job, and should be allowed to. 
   My daughter's fever broke in the middle of the night on the third day. And now she is fine. Was never that sick, just a fever for three days. Very different than some kids you might know that are sick all the time, and are constantly on antibiotics for little bugs or sniffles, and are given Tylenol when their temp hits 99. Be smart, don't let the fever get out of control, but let the body run it's course. Make sure your child is getting plenty of fluids if they are running a temperature as dehydration and make things more serious and spike a fever.
   One thing I didn't even mention in this blog is how dangerous overuse of Tylenol for kids can be or anyone for that matter...
 

   You can't go anywhere without seeing a Low T billboard or commercial. Now i have blogged in the past about Low T and the dangers of using artificial testosterone, but today i want to ask you ever wonder why all of a sudden we have so many men with Low T? I have had patients in their 20's in my office who were diagnosed with Low T and on a testosterone medication! And almost every man in my office in their 40's has claimed to have been diagnosed at some point by some doctor with Low T. Now dont get me wrong, I think the marketing and playing on emotions of the middle aged man with decreasing libido, strength, ad stamina have a huge role in this increase. What an easy prescription to sell right? Dont have the energy you did in your 20's? No motivation to go to the gym? Want your love life back? Ummm Yes, Yes and Yes... Am I right?
   But when you dive in to it further, you will find, in my opinion and many other doctors, that there is a giant culprit of the Low T epidemic. And the guilty bandit is Cholesterol Lowering Medications. Your body needs cholesterol to produce its sex hormones. So if you drive your cholesterol down too far, you’ll be lacking in testosterone, a critical hormone for men and one that women need also. When testosterone drops, your bones, muscles, emotions, energy levels, and not too mention libido all drop too. 
   Think about it... Almost every male over 40 is on a cholesterol lowering medication. Now there are many other reasons why you don't want to find yourself on a statin. You can listen to my radio show on it here. http://www.adjustdallas.com/media.html. Or you can read this article http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/statins_b_4548593.html where Harvard is starting to think the risks of Statins outweigh the benefits. But there is a huge link to sex hormones. This is another example of the vicious cycle of the allopathic model. You are on a statin for high cholesterol (which by the way I have patients who have been put on one when their total cholesterol is in the 180's which is ridiculous if you ask me) but then you are diagnosed with Low T so you are put on Androgel or something else, which was caused by the first medication. It's a never ending cycle once you start down that path. To schedule a free consultation and to map out a plan to approach your health concerns naturally contact us at 972. 701. WELL.

   That sounds like a simple question right? With a simple answer. But too often I see people putting other priorities in front of their health. Your kids youth football team, the bowling club, the playoff football game, your job, the yard, insert any obligation here, i have heard them all. All the obligations on why you may be too busy to exercise, eat at other places besides fast food, or to make chiropractic appointments. But at the end of the day none of this will matter. Most likely your kid won't be in the NFL, beer drinking and bowling won't make you healthier, the stress from your job that you take home isn't helping anyone. So i ask you what is LIFE without HEALTH? It is worthless, unfulfilled, some might say torture. A quote i love is:

 "Without Health, life is not life, it is only a state of languor and suffering." -Francois Rabelais 

   What kind of state is your health in? 

   Once in a while this happens, and it still gets to me almost more than anything. Let me run you through a scenario... A wife hears me speak on a health topic, something grabs her attention, motivates her, to schedule an appointment with my office afterward. She has made a decision that will most definitely benefit her health and take her closer to reaching her health potential. She is so motivated by what she hears in the presentation that she schedules an appointment for her husband too. She doesn't call to ask him, it seems like a no brainer to her. She had made the decision that she wanted to improve her family's health. Which in all honestly, most males that are patients in my practice were drug there by their spouse. Males can be stubborn, especially when it comes to health.
   But the next day, a message is left on our recorder that her husband doesn't want to do it (which is fair, he wasn't in the presentation, he doesn't know me), but not only that, she would like to cancel her appointment as well. This is the part that irritates me. I don't know what it is, maybe it's because I am a chiropractor, and somebody told him at some point in his life that we were quacks. Wouldn't be the first time I heard that. Maybe he had a medical doctor in his family who bashes what I do. But his stubbornness squashed her hope, her dream, and her goals. The point of this scenario, is do not let anyone make your health decisions for you. Not a spouse, not an insurance company, not anyone. YOU are the only one who has to live with the outcome of those decisions. Was the husband healthy? I don't know, I never met him, but i can tell you from past experiences that in these type of situations the husband is usually very unhealthy. So who are you going to take your advice from? 

   Feeling a little down today? Today, i just found out, is know as Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. A scientist came up with this deriving a formula that came to this conclusion based on weather conditions, debt levels, failed New Year's resolutions (Geez only 6 days!), the number of days that have elapsed since Christmas, the need to have something to look forward to, and general motivational levels. 
   Here's the thing, no one can control your happiness, not even a day of the year. The only one in control is YOU. Happiness is a decision. I read a book once that said "Depression is the most most sever form of selfishness." And at first that may come off harsh, but think about it. There are many people in the world that have it much worse than us. And most likely you have someone who loves you and depends on you, to some extent. Being happy isnt always easy though, at least to maintain. It's an art form, something that requires practice. And during this conscious practice, there are bound to be set backs. It is how you are going to respond to those that's going to make the difference, and ultimately shape your character. 
   Maybe your life hasn't been exactly what you thought it would be. Not in the profession you dreamed of, maybe you were heart broken by someone. Heck, I have to watch a guy that I played ahead of in high school right now in the NFL playoffs! Sure that is something I dreamed of as a kid, but what am I going to do? Waste my life sulking? I am thankful for my blessings, including not having to practice anymore! But every day feeling "blue" is a day wasted. And how fast 2013 went by, Im beginning to see that these days aren't unlimited.