This question has come up from time to time, Why would I go to chiropractor if i don't have anything wrong with me? And that's a great question! And here's a simple answer, to keep it that way! But all seriousness, most people think about chiropractic for neck pain or back pain, or maybe even headaches ad allergies, but it is so much more than that...
   You see, chiropractic wasn't founded to fix pain at all. It was founded on the principle that your body has an innate ability to heal itself. Your body is constantly healing itself, turning over cells, forming new ones, repairing tissue, and it can do that perfectly as long as there is no interference with this process. The way your body heals it's self is controlled by the "Master System", the central nervous system. It controls all functions of the body. It send messages and information from the brain down the spinal cord and out nerves to every cell, organ, and tissue in your body. It happens no other way.  Now, because of certain traumas, some sudden like a car accident or some over time like sitting at a desk 8 hours a day (this is one I see a lot in my office) individual bones, whole sections, or even whole curves of your spine can shift out of place. This shift is called subluxation. When subluxation happens, it literally blocks the information from getting to all the organs at 100 percent. If subluxation is left there, over time the organs that those nerves go to, will degenerate and lead to disease. 
      The type of subluxation that I see a lot in my office is loss of the cervical curve, that's the curve in your neck, and like i said before this often caused from sitting at desk. You see, we weren't designed to sit at a desk 8 plus hours a day, we were designed to move. So if you aren't doing anything to counteract the consequences of this unnatural posture, why would you be shocked on what your xrays look like? And this can have serious health consequences. Dr. Breig who is a neurosurgeon and Nobel prize winner, so smarter guy than me, says when you lose the curve in your neck, it stretches the spinal cord 5-7 cm and causes disease. 
    So back to the original question, Why would i go to a chiropractor if i don't have anything wrong? That's because pain or symptoms are a horrible way to judge your health. People wake up everyday feeling fine and get diagnosed with cancer, they wake up feeling fine, and have their first heart attack. How you feel doesn't necessarily mean everything is fine. Pain is often the last thing to show up, that's because less than 10 percent of your nerves are dedicated to pain sensitivity, the other 90 percent are dedicated to the communication process that explained earlier. So don't wait until it's too late to start taking care of your health, it's always far more difficult to regain it than to prevent it. If you would like to get checked for subluxation contact my office today for a free consultation at my flag ship office in Dallas, Texas.

   Like everyone in the Dallas Fort Worth area, when I heard the news of Kidd Kraddick's passing I was devastated. And the funny thing is, I've never met him, didn't know him. But I think that's the kind of effect he had on people. My wife and I moved to Dallas almost exactly 5 years ago. And Kidd Kraddick in the morning instantly became part of our day. He was hilarious, and to be honest just so much better than anyone else on the radio. Back in California, I had never heard anyone that could touch him either. Usually when music isn't playing, I flip stations, but you never did that when Kidd was on the air. 
   As most of you know, I had a radio show myself for a while on KLIF 570. It was a health radio show that was live once a week on saturday nights. I finally gave it up because i wanted my Saturday nights back. But I was live once a week for an hour. And let me tell you talking in to a microphone by yourself in a room for an hour is harder that it looks. I would spend my whole saturday prepping for just that one hour. Researching during the week, gathering articles, and then prepping on saturday. This guy did it 5 days a week for four hours a day! And brought his A game every single day. 
   What if we all attacked out day like that? With that same enthusiasm? And I know what you might be thinking... Well if i had his job, I would. And here's the thing, If you attacked your day like Kidd did you would have the job of your dreams. I've read Kidd's bio, he didn't start at the top, didn't have some lucky break. It was a long road, he could have given up at any moment. Sometimes we are so close to gold, but we drop the shovel just inches away. So I challenge you to attack everyday with enthusiasm, like it's your last. Because life is short, and as far as i know you only get one run. Here at least. You will be remembered for the effect you had on people, nothing else. Not what you accomplished, not how much money you had, but the effect you had on others. How are you affecting others around you?
      "Keep looking up cause that's where it all is." - Kidd Kraddick

2 reasons why people get sick

1.  They ‘catch’ something; pick up a germ or a virus

2.  They ‘develop’ something, typically in genetically weak areas.  An imbalance in the body, something not working right, causes illness and disease. 

What is causing my immune system to become weak and body to be out of balance?

      a. Your immune system is weak

      b. Toxins are attacking your body

      c. You have nutritional deficiencies

      d. You have trapped mental and emotional stress
   
    If you are getting sick with a cold, the flu, sinus infections, etc more than 1-2 times per year, you have a weak immune system. And the thing is you only have one immune system, the same one that keeps you from getting a cold is also responsible for killing mutated cells to prevent you from getting cancer. You want this working as efficiently as possible at all times! Do get get this further evaluated contact our office for a free consultation.

   Prices for new cancer therapies have increased to up to $10,000 a month for a single drug, causing dismay among patients and insurance companies alike.
   Cancer drug costs rose nearly 16 percent last year, while other prescription drugs averaged a 3 percent price increase. Avastin, which is used to treat colorectal cancer, currently sells for $50,000, and that price could jump to $100,000 if Avastin is also approved to treat breast and lung cancers.
    What's more, these expensive medications often only give patients a few more months of life, making many question whether or not the price tag is worth it. Erbitux costs nearly $10,000 a month, but no studies have shown that it even helps colorectal cancer patients live longer.
   The bulk of the cost of these drugs is often handed off to taxpayers, since many cancer patients are covered by Medicare. However, many patients must pay at least part of the costs, and some are turning down care because they cannot afford the expense. USA Today July 11, 2006
Chemomotherapy  Causes Cancer
   "A study of over 10,000 patients shows clearly that chemo's supposedly strong track record with Hodgkin's disease (lymphoma) is actually a lie. Patients who underwent chemo were 14 times more likely to develop leukemia and 6 times more likely to develop cancers of the bones, joints, and soft tissues than those patients who did not undergo chemotherapy (NCI Journal 87:10)."-John Diamond
   Children who are successfully treated for Hodgkin's disease are 18 times more likely later to develop secondary malignant tumors. Girls face a 35 percent chance of developing breast cancer by the time they are 40 - which is 75 times greater than the average. The risk of leukemia increased markedly four years after the end of successful treatment, and reached a plateau after 14 years, but the risk of developing solid tumors remained high and approached 30 percent at 30 years. (New Eng J Med. March 21, 1996)

In my office, we have doctors who specialize in postural correction. Forward head posture (Thoracic Hyper kyphosis) is a postural pattern that we see, treat, and correct often. But many people have no idea how much this postural abnormality affects their health. See what this highly regarded peer reviewed journal said about it….

 Journal of the American Geriatrics Society -Volume 52 Issue 10 Page 1662 - October 2004 doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2004.52458.x

Hyperkyphotic Posture Predicts Mortality in Older Community-Dwelling Men and Women: A Prospective Study Deborah M. Kado, MD, MS*, Mei-Hua Huang, DrPH*, Arun S. Karlamangla, MD, PhD*, Elizabeth Barrett-Connor, MD+ and Gail A. Greendale, MD*

Objectives: To determine the association between hyperkyphotic posture and the rate of mortality and cause-specific mortality in older persons.

Participants: Subjects were 1,353 participants from the Rancho Bernardo Study who had measurements of kyphotic posture made at an osteoporosis visit between 1988 and 1991.

Measures: Kyphotic posture was measured as the number of 1.7-cm blocks that needed to be placed under the participant’s head to achieve a neutral head position when lying supine on a radiology table.



Demographic and clinical characteristics and health behaviors were assessed at a clinic visit using standard questionnaires. Participants were followed for an average of 4.2 years, with mortality and cause of death confirmed using review of death certificates.

Results: Hyperkyphotic posture, defined as requiring one or more blocks under the occiput to achieve a neutral head position while lying supine, was more common in men than women (44% in men, 22% of women, P<.0001). In age and sex-adjusted analyses, persons with hyperkyphotic posture had a 1.44 greater rate of mortality (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.12-1.86, P=.005). In multiply-adjusted models, the increased rate of death associated with hyperkyphotic posture remained significant (relative hazard=1.40, 95% CI=1.08-1.81, P=.012). In cause-specific mortality analyses, hyperkyphotic posture was specifically associated with an increased rate of death due to atherosclerosis.

Conclusion: Older men and women with hyperkyphotic posture have higher mortality rates.

At ADJUST Dallas We Correct this!!! Studies are now revealing how deadly forward head shift, thoracic kyphosis mentioned above (humpback), and the loss of the curve in the lower back are linked to disease of all kinds as well as early mortality (death).

 Taking care of your spine just makes sense. In the last five years, research has rolled in on how the position of your spine will determine organ health and longevity. Now research by highly-esteemed research hospitals like Cornell and Johns Hopkins is showing the damaging effects of increase or loss of spinal curves.

They missed one thing: Doctors who special in postural correction can correct these things and do it very easily with the technology they possess today. If you’re not maintaining your spine, gravity is causing deadly kyphosis. If you or anyone you care anything about is not making up for the physical, postural, and gravitational abuse your spine gets every single day by seeing a postural expert on some sort of consistent basis, you’re just ignoring what common sense and the science of today is telling you to do. Ignorance may seem like bliss now, but with kyphosis, it won’t be bliss for long. 

The chance of you or a loved one living to 60 years old in good health is almost impossible! I know, your still thinking, “It’s not going to be me!”

*50% of the people who do live to 80 years old have Alzheimer’s disease.

*The research shows that this generation of children will spend more time taking care of their parents than their own children!

*Within 30 years if you do live past 60, there will be over 20 million people in a nursing home or receiving 24 hour home health care!

Is this the way you want to live your life? 

Is this the way you want your children to live their life?

 Why are we getting sicker, more diseased, more depressed, and taking more medication than ever before?  Because our current health care system, our medical model, is focused on sickness--- not wellness.
Our medical system says they are doing better at preventing and treating cancer and heart disease, but look at this research!

*  1 person is diagnosed with cancer every 30 seconds!

*  More Americans will die of Cancer in the next year than have died in all  

    the wars the United States has fought combined!

*  Even adjusting for age, the percentage of Americans dying from cancer

    has not improved since the war on cancer began!

*  Every 25 seconds someone is diagnosed with heart disease and every 45

    seconds someone dies!

*  More people are diagnosed and die from heart disease than ever before

    and its getting worse and worse!

There is only one way its not going to be you or your family, you have to leave the Medical Model and learn where true health and wellness comes from!

Schedule a free consultation at our clinic Adjust, than you will be right when you say,

“It’s not going to be you!”

   Last year here in Dallas Mosquitoes were the hot topic all summer and this year not much has changed. Last summer, we had an outbreak of West Nile Virus, and people were taking very harsh measures to avoid being bitten. The city of Dallas, and many surrounding suburbs began aerial spraying for them. In fact, last year I had to take off four days of work to leave town every time they sprayed. My daughter was very young and I did not want her breathing in the toxic pesticides. They might kill mosquitoes, but do you think they it's safe for you? Of course not!
    So what are we to do to avoid them? Even the spray you buy at stores is loaded with toxins if it has DEET and other harsh chemicals. There are natural sprays, my wife actually even made one at home. Most commercial insect repellants contain a chemical known as DEET, which should be used with caution, if at all. Many studies have found DEET to have harmful effects. 
   Fortunately, there are plenty of tricks to keeping biting bugs at bay, and they don't involve applying toxic chemicals to your skin. 

Simple Preventative Measures to Avoid Mosquito Bites
  You can avoid most assaults by staying inside around dawn and dusk, which is when they are most active. If you must be out during those times, wear light-colored, long sleeved shirts and long pants, hats and socks. Mosquitoes are also thicker in shrubby areas and near standing water.
    Body temperature and skin chemicals like lactic acid also attract mosquitoes, which explains why you’re more likely to be “eaten alive” when you’re sweaty, such as during or after exercise, so trying to stay as cool and dry as you can may help to some degree. You may also want to forgo bananas during mosquito season. According to Dr. Janet Starr Hull, “there’s something about how your body processes the banana oil that attracts these female sugar-loving insects.”
   She also recommends supplementing with one vitamin B1 tablet a day from April through October, and then adding 100 mg of B1 to a B100 Complex daily during the mosquito season to make you less attractive to mosquitoes. Research also suggests that regularly consuming garlic or garlic capsules may help protect against both mosquito and tick bites. The American Mosquito Control Association (AMCA) has a helpful factsheet of things you can do to prevent mosquito breeding on your property. The Three D’s of protection from mosquitoes are:
        Drain—Mosquitoes require water in which to breed, so carefully drain any and all sources of standing          water around your house and yard, including pet bowls, gutters, garbage and recycling bins, spare              tires, bird baths and so on. 
      Dress—Light colored, loose fitting clothing offer the greatest protection.
      Defend—While the AMCA recommends using commercial repellents, I highly recommend avoiding              most chemical repellents, especially those containing DEET. Instead, try some of the natural      alternatives suggested in this article. 

Steer Clear of Chemical Repellents,    

   It is very hard for me to find kids today who haven't been told they need to tubes in their ears from chronic ear infections. Just like it is very hard for me to find a woman nowadays who still has her gallbladder or hasn't had a hysterectomy. It's like all of a sudden we just aren't developing properly, or we just don't need these organs anymore. Many of these surgeries are unnecessary and can be dangerous. Almost a notion that we are somehow flawed, but we can fix it through drugs or surgery. That philosophy goes completely against mine. I believe we were designed perfectly! That all we need is already inside us. That we heal from the inside out, not the outside in. All we need is no interference.

   Yesterday at the office I had a rep from a large chain store drop off some free samples of a variety of health related items at my office. I had my front desk put them in my office so I could go through them before just leaving them for patients to take. MegaRed fish oil was one of them. No I already have a fish oil, that in my opinion is the best on the market, for sale in my office. But just out of curiosity I inspected the ingredients on the back. Here is the key when inspecting ingredients on supplements. Don't just look at the active ingredients, but glance down at the "other ingredients", that is usually where you find the garbage. So in MegaRed fish oil that is suppose to be "healthy" for you. It also has the artificial colors Red#40 and Blue#1. If you do not know about these food coloring's already they are extremely toxic. 

    A question I get from a lot of parents in my practice is "Where do I even start?". Usually that is followed with another phrase like, "He or she wont eat vegetables" or "They only wan't the junk food". If you too have contemplated this, let me tell you, you are already on the right track. You are actively pursuing how to make your family healthier. And I know it's hard sometimes, right now every time my family goes to our favorite Italian restaurant all my daughter wants is gelato. But we must not give up, currently our children's health as a nation is very disturbing. According to the CDC:
1 in 88 children have autism
1 in 54 boys are autistic
1 in 20 kids suffer with seizures
1 in 10 have ADHD
1 in 9 have asthma (some report 1 in 4)
1 in 6 have learning disabilities
1 in 5 are considered developmentally disabled
1 in 3 are overweight
   If those numbers weren't already worse enough, they are all still on the rise!
Just in the 3 year period from 2002 to 2005 according to the medical Journal Pediatrics we saw a:
103% increase in Diabetes medication for children
47% increase in asthma medication
41% increase in ADHD medication (a type 2 narcotic by the way)
15% increase in cholesterol medication
   So what do we do? One of my favorite quotes comes from Mark Twain, he says " If you find yourself on the side of majority, it's time to stop and reflect." And this can be directly applied to the health of our kids. Just "doing our best" or doing what other parents are doing is not good enough. It's what have gotten us these current stats. So I recommend looking around, is your family doing the same thing that all the other families are doing? Is your kid eating all the same things his friends are eating? Maybe it's time to go against the stream, and change these stats, at least for your family.
   But why would these numbers be rising? Whats to blame for this? Well when we look at childhood diabetes and obesity, is there more processed foods today then there was yesterday? Of course there is. Are corporations like McDonald's and Coca-Cola worried about going out of business right now? Of course they're not, because we are buying their products! When it come to Autism, is there more childhood shots and vaccines given today than there were 10 years ago? Way more! This is something that can no longer be ignored. In regards to chronic disease in children, are kids on more antibiotics today than 25 years ago? For every sniffle or cold! We are producing kids with suppressed immune systems. 
   Here's the thing, statistics are telling us that what we are currently doing isn't exactly working. Are you going to break this trend? Are you going to ask your doctor why it is completely necessary to vaccinate a baby for Hep B when the only way it is transmitted is through sex or IV drug use? Or why are vaccinating for chicken pox when the way to achieve life long immunity is to just get it as a child. We all got them. And we are now seeing that kids vaccinated for them, are starting to get them as adults, which is extremely more dangerous. Are you going to question why we are vaccinating for polio when there hasn't been a single case in the US besides kids who were vaccinated for it? Are you going to let your child go through the natural cycle of healing also known as a fever rather than jump straight to Tylenol? Look around, see what is going on, and my best advice is do the opposite! If you want more information on vaccines, chiropractic, how to make sure you family is as healthy as possible, and are in the Dallas area, contact our office. We exam all children for free.