One of the most common questions I receive from my chiropractic patients is, ‘What is the CAUSE of my symptom (secondary condition)? Is it a muscle thing? Is it my bones? Are my nerves the problem?’

     This is a fair question, and one that understandably comes with a lot of confusion. By the time we see most people at Nexus Chiropractic, they have already tried multiple other approaches to their problem and been told multiple different things.

     Structural chiropractors and orthopedic surgeons tend to focus on the alignment of the bones and therefore see the bones as the cause. Massage therapists tend to focus on the muscles and therefore communicate that to their clients. Obviously, neurologists and some chiropractors focus on nerves.

     The reason this can seem so confusing is that they are all correct but each focus through their own lens. The reality is that the BONES, MUSCLES and NERVES are all intimately connected and cannot be separated from one another.

    BONES, in addition to providing structure, serve as protection for the spinal cord and NERVES that pass within the spinal canal and between each vertebra (spinal bone). The spinal cord and nerves are extremely fragile structures that are quite sensitive to pressure, and more importantly – stretch.

     If the bony structure of the spine is significantly altered or abnormal, the NERVES can be pinched, pulled, and damaged, leading to altered function in our bodies (including pain).

     The job of the spinal cord and NERVES is to relay information from our bodies to our CNS (central nervous system – including the brain) and from our CNS back to the organs, tissues, and cells of our bodies. We have sensory nerves – which include pain, autonomic nerves that coordinate organ and gland function, and motor nerves that determine the tightness or laxity of our MUSCLES.

     A damaged or compromised NERVE (perhaps caused by a misaligned spine), could potentially lead to MUSCLES that are either too tight (spasm) or too lax (weak).

     Here is where it all ties in. If a MUSCLE that attaches to the BONES of the spine is too tight or too loose, it will cause that BONE to be misaligned which will then compromise the spinal cord and NERVES, which then give a faulty signal to the MUSCLES, which then……….You see the loop that is created.

     At Nexus, we always assess the BONES, MUSCLES and NERVES on every visit. Not only do we look at each one separately, we assess how they are interacting with each other. A spine and body with a high level of INTEGRATION between these systems creates a person who functions at a high level and is extremely adaptable in life.

     Once the assessment is complete, we INTERVENE at the level of the NERVOUS SYSTEM. This is why our intervention is so gentle compared to those who intervene at the level of BONES and MUSCLES.

     As the NERVOUS system returns to normal, the signals to the MUSCLES normalize and as they normalize, they return the bones to their proper position and normal function is restored.

     So, the next time you ask, ‘What is the cause of my problem, doc? Is it the BONES? Is it the MUSCLES? Is it the NERVES?’ The answer is, ‘Yes.’

P.S. Greg, thank you for asking the questions many people have, but do not ask!

P.S.S. Happy 125^th Birthday to Chiropractic!

     Everybody likes homeruns. They are exciting. They are rare. They are special. They are fun and sexy. Yet, it takes much more than homeruns to win games, let alone championships.

     When it come to health it is no different. People love detoxes, hacks, 30 day challenges, fasts, cleanses, Russian squat programs, special secret supplements….and the list goes on. All of these are homeruns and get people quite excited.

     While there is certainly nothing wrong with homeruns and many of the above health strategies can be beneficial, it can be easy to fall into the trap of thinking they are all we need. This is a catastrophic trap to fall into.

     In twenty years of chiropractic practice, I have noticed that the people who most readily jump on board with the health ‘homeruns,’ also tend to be the least healthy people.

     Does this mean you shouldn’t use those strategies? No, they can help to kick start you into your next phase of health. The key is not to see them as an end all and be all. What happens AFTER the homerun is the most important factor in long term health.

     One of my favourite baseball players when I was a kid was Pete Rose (before the gambling allegations). Pete Rose was not the most talented, biggest or fastest player in the league, or even on his team. What Pete was was CONSISTENT – consistent in his approach, preparation, training and play. THAT was what he did better than anyone else.

     Pete Rose – a mediocre talent – ended his major league career with 4,256 hits, an all time record. He also led his team to 3 World Series championships. How did he do this? He hit singles, every day.

     What does ‘hitting singles’ mean? It means doing the little things consistently. Simple things. Boring things. ‘Unsexy’ things. Over and over again. Daily, weekly, monthly. Doing the work.

     I love the thrill of weightlifting competition. I love breaking personal records and winning titles.

     Do you know what I love even more, though? It is the secret to whatever success I have had in the sport. I LOVE hitting singles. I love going into the gym and putting in the work when nobody is watching. I love finishing all of my prescribed sets – especially when I don’t feel like it and the only person that would know if I quit early was me.

     Consistently exercising everyday is going to give you far greater results than any 30 day challenge. Healthy daily eating habits will make you much healthier than any juice cleanse. Daily meditation will do more for you than a weekend retreat with a guru.

     At Nexus Chiropractic, most people start with an initial, more frequent plan of care because frankly, that is what is required to get most people’s spine and nervous system back on track. We see some phenomenal results during this initial plan of care.

     While critically important, I don’t believe it is THE most important. What is most important is what happens afterwards. How are you caring for your spine and nervous system afterwards on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

     It may seem counter intuitive, but the folks who get the greatest value and the most profound results from our care are the people who in the long term continue to show up regularly for their visits and do their prescribed exercises.

     Very simple, kind of boring. Doing the required work. Hitting singles. Reaping the rewards.

As the holiday season approaches, we have noticed two patterns emerge over the last 19 years of chiropractic practice. The first is that we see our highest rate of missed visits and people falling off from care as the perceived stress of the season builds through late November and into December. The second pattern is that we see more ‘emergencies’ with people in crisis during the month of December than at any other time of the year.

     It is not a coincidence that these two phenomenon happen together and it gives us some insight as to why so many people end up spending the holidays overwhelmed, sick, and in pain when it really should be one of the most cherished times of the year.

     So, how do you not only survive, but actually thrive this holiday season? There is a simple formula to help you to make it happen.

     The first step is to acknowledge and accept that there WILL be greater stresses on you. When I talk about stresses, I am referring to not only mental/emotional stress, but also chemical stress (food and drink), and physical stress (shoveling, lack of sleep).

     We know going in that we are going to have some late nights, eat some cookies, drink some bubbly and have to deal with dear aunt Sue’s passive aggressive insults. We know we will have the ‘normal’ time and money stress inherent of the season. Acknowledging this will allow us to create a plan to mitigate this stress. By doing this we can enjoy the fun without losing our health or our minds.

     The common denominator amongst these stresses is that they consume our energy and leave us depleted. If we become too depleted, we move into what is called an ‘energy poor’ state and that is when we get sick, have our back ‘go out,’ develop headaches and experience complete overwhelm.

     The solution to an energy poor state is very simple – add energy to the system! How do we do that? We do things to build up our energy reserves before we reach a crisis. Because we know that we are heading into a season of energy depleting stress, we can actually plan practices in advance that will keep us out of an energy poor state.

     Here are some ideas to build your energy reserves both leading up to and during the holidays.

     Knowing you will be eating some not-so-good for you food – make sure you continue to eat plenty of healthy food too. If you are going to eat those butter tarts, make sure you are loading up on high quality meats and produce as well. During the holidays I really focus on eating a healthy breakfast as a way to build up energy.

     Supplements can also be an advantage at this time of year. Vitamin D, high quality fish oil, magnesium, zinc, and a greens supplement are a great idea.

     Daily exercise is an excellent shield against stress. It is easy to fall out of a routine – especially while traveling – but it doesn’t take much to get massive benefit. Some push-ups, burpees, and air squats can get you what you need in less than 15 minutes. I keep a kettlebell in my car at all times!

Even a brisk walk (bonus points for getting fresh air) can keep you on the right track.

     Meditation or even just some quiet time set aside each day is crucial for dealing with the mental stress and chaos of the season.

     Those familiar with the Neurospinal Optimization care we provide at Nexus Chiropractic know that what we do works by allowing the nervous system (and thus the spine and body) to move from a fight or flight state to a normal relaxed state that is required for healing and restoration. Staying on track with your visits and at the very least doing your SRI exercises is a great weapon to have in your arsenal against the stress of the season.

     The take home message is to make sure you continue to do the things that fill up your fuel reserves so that you can get the absolute most out of what can be a magical time.

     Because we understand this, Nexus will have office hours over the holidays. We will be open on Monday the 23^rd and 30^th and then will be back to normal starting Thursday, Jan. 2^nd.

Happy Holidays!

Just like you can make a horse move by using both the carrot and the stick, humans are motivated by both pain and pleasure. Which one of those two that acts as your primary motivator will have a dramatic impact on the results you achieve and the quality of your life?

     For the most part, humans respond more readily to the stick than they do to carrots. Most people would do more to prevent money being stolen from them than they would to earn the same sum. What moves you more? Carrots or sticks?

     The reality is that life will always give you both carrots and sticks. Tasty pleasures to pursue and painful sticks that will leave bruises and scars. We can, however set up our lives in a way that provides us with MORE carrots (which are also healthy) and as a result reduce how often we need to be hit by sticks.

     Let’s use health as an example. The predominant approach most people take to their health is that they only respond to sticks. When they have pain, symptoms, or a disease they seek a diagnosis and the appropriate treatment to manage the bruises from the stick. The bigger the stick, typically the more extensive the treatment. If the treatment is successful and the blow from the stick is no longer hurting, they go back to normal and wait for the next stick.

     This is how the vast majority of our health care and health insurance system is set up also. Have a problem, get fixed, repeat. While ‘Prevention’ is a wiser approach and definitely a step up, it is still about avoiding the stick and not about earning carrots (getting healthier).

     The healthiest people I know typically don’t spend much time or energy worrying about sticks. They enjoy carrots and focus their efforts on their tasty goodness. Sure, some sticks show up from time to time and they deal with the bruises, but because they are so healthy, they are few and far between and can deal with them much faster when they must.

     Being hit with sticks is not a fun way to live our lives, and as the hits accumulate, we become battered and bloodied. Eating carrots, on the other hand make us stronger, fitter, happier, more energetic, more fun and to some extent immune to stick attacks!

     Ask yourself what it is that you focus on in life? Do you wait for pain in order to act or do you get after the good things in life? Do you move from one health problem to the next, or do you see your level of health improve each year? How about in your finances? How about in your relationships?

     The care we provide at Nexus Chiropractic – believe it or not – is based on getting you carrots. Yes, most people come in bloodied by sticks and some of that must be corrected. Most of our results though, come from IMPROVING the health of the spine and nervous system and helping them to become more AWARE and ADAPTABLE, so that not only are they more functional – they are more able to navigate around the sticks.

     Eat more carrots – they are healthy and taste so good.

This week marks the 18th Birthday of Nexus Chiropractic. In addition to making me feel old, it also fills me with gratitude to everyone and everything that has contributed to our success and longevity.

Some of you have been with us the entire 18 years and others may have only recently joined the Nexus family. I thought it would be nice to summarize our history to provide some insight to how we arrived here in 2018 and maybe create some feelings of nostalgia for those of you who have been around awhile.

I graduated from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa in February of 2000. Having no experience in either business or the real world, I chose – by default – to come back to my hometown of Cornwall. I was lucky enough to have passed all my board exams shortly after graduation and was ready to open my own practice.

Before becoming Nexus, the practice was called Gault Family Chiropractic. GFC officially opened on Aug. 14, 2000 at 421 Marlborough St. (what is now Doggie Styles Day Spa).

When I started practice, I used a very specific, but very different technique system called Gonstead. As a chiropractic student, I was the president of the Gonstead technique club, which at the time was the largest of it’s kind in the world. I had also attended hundreds of hours of extra curricular seminars in Gonstead while still in school.

Gonstead employed the regular use of x-rays and a temperature sensing instrument that required men to be shirtless and women to wear gowns. As a result, we had change rooms that fed into the larger room where I worked with people one on one.

Another major difference in the office at that time was that I worked without any staff. I was the chiropractor, answered the phones, took payments, made appointments, paid the bills and even scrubbed the toilets. In hindsight, this was a very stupid business decision yet did allow me to learn ALL facets of the business.

My first employee was a family friend, Elsie Craig who was between university degrees. Over the next year and a half, we kind of figured out how to properly run a chiropractic office before she went to teacher’s college and Sandra Hanniman joined the practice as my assistant.

About 9 months into practice I steadily grew frustrated with the results I was getting with patients. In particular with my long-term patients who understood the overall health benefits of regular chiropractic care. My frustration was that they would initially get better and healthier and then after awhile they plateaued and further care only maintained them. My expectation and objective was for people to continue to improve in health and wellness over time.

To move past this, I diligently refined my technique and made small changes to my clinical approach, but nothing was creating the results I wanted. It was around this time that I listened to an interview with Dr. Donny Epstein and he had an answer to many of the questions that had been swirling in my head. He expected the same outcomes I wanted for my patients and he had developed a technique around that.

Skeptically, I registered for his Basic Level Seminar in Toronto to see what it was all about. The first thing that struck me was that it looked weird because it was so gentle. There were no forceful adjustments or ‘cracking.’ This was a major challenge to my idea of what a chiropractic adjustment required.

To make a long story short, what I saw over the course of the weekend was a very precise and gentle system that created reproduceable results. Other technique leaders were taking the seminar and were blown away at the results. I was also fortunate enough to be used as a demo by Dr. Epstein on several occasions and what I personally experienced gave me no choice but to begin to provide this care to my patients and community.

I recall the internal dialogue I had with myself after receiving one entrainment. It was, “Oh sh*#! Now I have to go home and do this.”

So, I literally went home and started adding the new work to what I had already been doing. After a short period of time I started shifting patients over to the new work solely because I realized that those I was still forcefully adjusting were not progressing past a basic level of care.

This began the second epoch of Nexus Chiropractic.

In 2004, I met a local massage therapist named Matt Beaudette. When we met, Matt was working on opening his own business, and had a vision for an entire ‘Wellness Centre.’ The timing was right for me and we became partners in Adolphus Wellness Centre which is where Nexus Chiropractic remains to this day.

Shortly after moving to Adolphus St., Sandra moved to Ottawa and both Cindy Besignano and Adele Gannon were hired to the expanding practice. That was 14 years ago, and they are still here!

In 2007, I started moonlighting. At that time, I was offered a job by a company called X-CELS which trained chiropractors around the world in communication, personal development, and practice management. I was very happy to work in this capacity for 6 years.

In 2010 we built an addition onto 24 Adolphus St. By this time Matt had moved on to Acupuncture school and I bought his portion of the building. My family was growing so my wife Beth and I decided to move our young clan into the house portion of the building. So, while the addition was being built (what is now the entrainment studio) I worked and gave workshops out of our future living and dining rooms.  I do recall Lukas coming down during an Introductory Presentation and entertaining the crowd with a pair of underwear on his head!

The Gault Family Chiropractic era ended, and the Nexus Chiropractic era began in 2013. We decided on this rebranding simply because we wanted to practice being about more than just me. I was looking to bring on another chiropractor (I am very picky, which is why it has not happened) and it would not be fair to them if my name was on the sign.

In 2015 the work I was doing improved in a significant way. Dr. Epstein began teaching a more advanced version of his work to a group of dozens of doctors from around the world. I was part of the pioneering class of this program – Master-E and continued on with it for the second year of Master-E Plus. While the Master-E work looks almost indistinguishable from what I was doing before, the outcomes are much more powerful (and requires much greater focus and presence from me).

So far, this history has focused with the changes that have taken place at Nexus. Just as important, there have been some fundamental constants in the practice. One constant has been the use of technology in objective evaluation of patients. I have always felt it important to have an objective baseline for each patient in the form of a detailed initial examination. Equally important is periodically objectively measuring changes that occur with care.

Why objective pre and post evaluations are important is because of another of our constants – that we have always focused on the primary underlying conditions – not chasing symptoms. This is crucial in helping people in a deeper way than just treating the surface, which can be akin to placing a band-aid over a bullet hole.

A third constant is that we have always been dedicated to professional development and technical and clinical mastery. Both staff and I are constantly learning, travelling to seminars, reading and taking courses – far beyond what is professionally required. We invest so greatly in this because we want to serve our people to the highest level possible.

It has been a challenging, fun, and absolutely rewarding 18 years and I am looking forward to many more. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my gratitude to EVERYONE who has made this possible and allowed me to do what I love for a living.

Thorin Gault, D.C.

Aug. 18, 2018

I am at the point in my life where men my age start to experience the dreaded ‘mid-life crisis.’ While I have not run out and purchased a red sports car, I have noticed that what I value has changed.

The two material possessions I have been most excited about recently were a pair of Red Wing boots and a pair of selvedge blue jeans. Maybe not as cool as a Corvette, but better in my opinion.

What do these boots and jeans have in common – other than going great together? I chose both of these items because I knew they would get better with age and wear.

Did they cost more money initially than most of their competitors? Did they require a longer and less comfortable ‘breaking in’ period? Do they require more involved and time consuming care and maintenance? The answer to all of those questions is yes, and it is worth every penny and hour spent.

It is worth it because in the long run they will last longer, be of higher quality, and actually get BETTER with each year that passes.

I think we can apply the same concepts to our life and health. One of my pet peeves is listening to folks my age and older resigned to the fact that they are getting old and that their health and physical performance are – and will continue to – decline. One does not have to look too far to find evidence showing that this is ABSOLUTELY not inevitable.

Celebrities such as Laird Hamilton and his wife Gabby Reece are perfect examples of what is possible with the correct approach to life. I compete in Masters (old timers) weightlifting internationally, and there is no shortage of men and women who leave you inspired and in awe.

So, how do you do it? How do you age like a fine wine in such a way that you can’t wait to see what the product of the next year will be? Simply, treat yourself like a pair of Red Wing boots!

First, you must start out with great materials. With boots, that is simple – you just pay for the good stuff. For many people and their health and physical body, this can be a bit more of a challenge initially. Perhaps years of trauma, stress, bad habits and good old wear and tear have left you feeling broken down. That’s ok, things just need to be cleaned up a little.

Depending on how hard the past has been on you, a variable period of REALLY fixing your diet and lifestyle, smart exercise and balancing your structure and function is required.

In my Neurospinal Optimization chiropractic office I refer to this as Cleaning your Windshield. The structure and function of the spine and nervous system are abnormal enough that it is like driving a car with caked, muddy windshield – causing you to constantly bump into things and

create more damage. Before get to move you forward (aging like a fine wine), we must clean the windshield.

In my experience, the best way for most people to do this is under the supervision of a professional, whether it be a chiropractor, physical trainer, naturopath, nutritionist, psychotherapist, or a combination of several.

The next step is care and maintenance. Once the windshield is clean and the major damage is fixed, we can start moving forward, but the car must still be cared for and we need to make sure the mud on the windshield doesn’t cake up again. Cleaning my boots on a regular basis, rubbing them with hydrating cream and applying leather protector are essential. Would I do that with a cheap pair I was planning on replacing next season? Of course not. I want to pass these boots on to one of my sons, so I do the work!

At Nexus, most of our patients continue to see us periodically after their windshield is cleaned for this reason. They are less dependent on care at this point, but choose it stay on the right track an move smoothly down the road.

The final phase goes hand in hand with care and maintenance. That is Refinement and Optimization. In life we call this wisdom. Because the windshield is clear and the vehicle is well taken care of, we are now free to explore all of the amazing places in life. Even though we may not be able to run around expending energy non-stop like when we were 19 years old, we are actually getting healthier because we are more aware of what we need and wiser in all of our choices.

My boots are getting better over time because each wear is molding them to my feet and movements. Because they are of high quality material and I put the time and sweat into their care they are free to become wiser with wear and tear.

The most fulfilling part of my job is working with people on THIS path – and it doesn’t matter the actual age. I see eighty year olds getting more out of their life and health than ever and I see the same thing with some 20 year olds. It is never too early, and it is never too late to start aging like a fine wine.

In over 14 years of chiropractic practice you begin to notice trends, or patterns at certain times of year. When it comes to the weeks leading up to the holiday season we have noticed two distinct and very much related patterns.

The first is that people who are otherwise regular and routine with their care tend to miss visits as their schedule and stress levels become more chaotic. There is nothing like the holidays to shake up our healthy routines.

The second pattern we tend to see are lots of people with acute crises of back pain, headaches, illnesses and other secondary conditions that sometimes require some intense care in our office to ensure they don’t spend Christmas on their backs.

These trends are certainly not only seen in our office. When people have more to do, more things to spend money on and extra stress, they also tend to eat less healthy food, exercise less, and stay up later at night – neglecting the things that keep them healthy during the rest of the year.

When you add these factors to the fact that many people experience their greatest levels of stress during the holiday season (ain’t family wonderful?) it is no surprise that it is common for people to spend what should be the most wonderful time of the year sick, in pain and unable to enjoy themselves or their families.

The fact of the matter is that it is very easy to become overwhelmed this time of year. I also know that by approaching your health correctly during the holidays will allow you to both have fun (this is very important) and stay healthy. I actually believe that the change of routine, having more time off of work, spending time with loved ones and YES, even indulging in some treats provides an opportunity to boost your health if you do it right!

The first step to a healthy holiday is to acknowledge that you are going to indulge a bit. If you wait all year to eat some of grandma’s famous cookies go ahead and enjoy them. When we make things a ‘treat’ we don’t stress about our indulgence and it actually prevents us from completely going full gluttonous. In addition when we really ‘treat’ ourselves it becomes much easier to get back to our routine when the holidays come to an end.

The second step is the most important and is really quite easy – yet is most often missed. While we treat ourselves to some not so healthy things, it is essential that we continue to do the healthy stuff, too. We need to make sure we get lots of veggies and clean meats while in addition to plum pudding. Meditate and get regular exercise while staying out late. Take our vitamins especially while dealing with our in laws!

As I have applied this over the years I have found a formula to actually improve my health over the holidays even though I love to indulge as much as the next person. I use the extra time off from work to exercise a bit more and meditate regularly. In spite of changing schedules I try to see my chiropractor even more often leading up to and during the holidays. I also increase my supplementation with fish oil, probiotics and vitamin D where appropriate to counteract the increased stresses faced at this time of year.

My wish for you all this holiday is to be able to fully celebrate and participate in whatever way makes you happy, NOT sick, in pain and frustrated. A little time and effort spent doing the good things will allow you to enjoy what we don’t typically enjoy the other 11 months of the year. There is nothing I would love to see more than a reversal of that pattern I have seen over the past 14 years. It is up to you.

In the first article in this series we introduced the idea of going deeper to get better – meaning that when faced with a problem or challenge, successful people look beyond what is on the surface and address the deeper underlying cause.

As a health practitioner I have certainly recognized this pattern in people over the past 12+ years in my office. This model of success is also evident when looking at finances, career, sports and hobby performance, relationships and literally every other important part of our lives.

The benefit to going deeper is that we actually get to the bottom of what is causing our problem, leading to a more sustainable and long-term solution. The ADDED benefit is that addressing underlying causes will often have an impact on other secondary problems we did not necessarily know were related, resulting in an overall increase in our quality of life.

Please understand that I am not making it wrong to patch up a surface problem – crisis do arise from time to time that must be handled. I think we can all agree though that crisis management is hardly a great way to go about our health, finances and relationships.

So, in this article, I wanted to give some examples of going deeper in order to make it more applicable for all of us.

Let’s say someone finds themselves in a financial crisis. They are in debt and are having trouble making ends meet. What would be a superficial patch to this problem? They could buy a lottery ticket hoping to win enough to pay their debt. They could file for bankruptcy, effectively wiping out that debt, or perhaps they have a wealthy parent or relative who could pay it for them.

All of these options would take care of the surface problem (that they owe money) and depending on the circumstance may be a good short-term option. I think we can all see that none of these would really address the underlying cause though and would not be enough to create a long-term solution.

Going deeper would require looking at what caused this unmanageable debt. Was it poor spending habits that need to be corrected? Perhaps poor investing advice? Perhaps business or employment conditions that led to a loss of income? There are many possibilities that may be addressed to truly correct the problem and if we don’t look past just paying the debt it will never happen.

Another secondary condition I hear about frequently is back pain. Because chiropractors have such a great reputation (lol!) usually by the time people consult with me they have tried many other products and services for their pain. Most or all of these potential solutions focused on the secondary issue (the pain). Some worked for a while and some didn’t but the reality is that it kept coming back.

My job is to look deeper. What is underlying the secondary condition? Why does it keep coming back? What must shift in order to get a sustainable change? This is why people undergoing a program of Neurospinal Optimization in our office not only get great changes with back pain, but also notice results with other secondary conditions. In fact, as their spine and nervous system become more optimized they actually find it easier to go deeper themselves and become less reliant on our care.

Hope these real life examples helped. Next article we will look at what it means to be…..DOOMED!

Let’s be honest – the public has a lot of distrust when it comes to chiropractors and their recommendations for care. I hate to admit it, but some people have a perception that chiropractors try to ‘get you’ to come in more (or more often) than you really need to so that they can make more money. In fact, I have spoken to people in other cities who raved about how pleased they were to find such an honest chiropractor who just told them to come back whenever they were in pain. To some, chiropractors are right up there with used car sales-people when it comes to trust.

While I have no doubt believing that a few chiropractors are less than scrupulous – like any other profession – people need to understand that a chiropractor’s recommendations will differ based upon their objectives and focus.

Most chiropractors are of the ‘traditional’ variety. They focus mostly on reducing muscle spasm, increasing range of motion and reducing pain and are typically pretty good at achieving those objectives. So, a doctor focused on getting you out of pain will make recommendations based on what they find and then when the pain is gone you are done. When the pain comes back, so do you.

At Nexus/Gault Family Chiropractic, we focus on something different. Our focus is Neurospinal Optimization which has the objective of detecting and correcting Neural Resistance (NR). Neural Resistance is when your nervous system is literally strung too tight or too loose like a poorly tuned piano.

We are usually unaware of NR, especially at the beginning. Over time, if it is not addressed a variety of SECONDARY Conditions may result. Some of these secondary conditions are back pain, headaches, poor posture, muscle spasms, and – because the nervous system coordinates  our organs – even anxiety and digestive problems.

Now, because we are focusing – and measuring and monitoring – what is underlying or PRIMARY to the secondary conditions we recommend a plan of care designed to correct the Neural Resistance – not just the secondary conditions that often take care of themselves when their cause is cleared up.

While everyone is different, there are certain minimum requirements that we have found necessary to take care of moderate NR. We have different objectives for our patients and therefore different recommendations and results.

Is this care for everyone? Nope, some people only care about having their secondary conditions handled and for them, working with a good traditional chiropractor, physiotherapist or massage therapist will be a better fit.

On the other hand, someone who wants to have their Neural Resistance handled, yet wants to follow the recommendations designed to only address secondary conditions will be disappointed. It just doesn’t work and in fact we prefer not to work with these people for obvious reasons.

Once a patient has successfully completed an initial phase of care and reduced their NR to an acceptable level, we OFFER optional PROTECTION plans that allow them to protect the investment they made during their initial care, and OPTIMIZATION plans that will allow them to continue to progress in their care.

I hope this article sheds some light on why chiropractors make the recommendations they do and why they are sometimes drastically different. I also hope it explains the purpose behind the recommendations we make at Nexus/Gault Family Chiropractic and why we get the results we get.

Clear Day is less than 2 weeks away (April 20, 2013) at the Martintown Community Centre. There are still some spots available, so let Adele or Cindy know if you would like to participate in this transformational event.

In Last week’s article we discussed how you can stay healthy and still have fun during the holidays. The message was essentially to keep doing what makes you healthy all year round – eat good stuff, exercise, relax and get entrained regularly. I have had feedback from some of you looking for more specific practical tips to survive and thrive during such a hectic and stressful time of year.

So, here are some easy and time efficient ways you can WIN this holiday.

Make Treats, Treats. If you want to eat goodies, do so but make them treats. At mealtime, eat good nutritious food. I try to do this with my kids all year round. We start every day with a nutritious smoothie, pack them a good lunch and then meat and veggies for dinner. Through the holidays minimize sugar, grains and anything processed during meals. Then savour the cookies and plum pudding(my fave).

Optimize Vitamin D Levels. This is an easy and inexpensive way to boost your health – especially during Northern winters. Most northerners are vit. D deficient and need to supplement during the winter. Get a good quality supplement and if you are concerned with your levels ask your G.P. or Naturopathic Doctor to be tested.

Get Intense Exercise. Sometimes during holidays time can be of the essence. This is no excuse to not exercise. With high intensity training you can make a huge impact on your energy levels, metabolism, and immune system in just a few minutes per day. This is easy to do in a gym by lifting weights. If you are travelling and don’t have any access to equipment you can do 20 seconds on/10 seconds off intervals of air squats, pushups, planks, jumping jacks, stair climbing, burpees or even walking. Be creative. Only 5 minutes of this a day will make a world of difference. Remember intensity is different for everyone, so be aware.

Alone Time, Daily. If you keep a daily schedule put this in first! This could mean meditation, affirmations, a warm bath, reading, prayer or personal reflection. It could take an hour or 5 minutes but do it every day. It is amazing what a few minutes with yourself while everything is turned off can do for your mindset and health. See this as a daily pressing of your “reset” button.

Get Entrained or Do SRI. Not only is NSA great for releasing physical, emotional and mental stress it actually makes you more adaptable to it by connecting you to your internal resources. If you are out of town or your NSA office is closed, commit even more to your Somatorespiratory Integration exercises. I will personally getting 2 entrainments on Dec. 21^st and arranging a visit to an NSA friend the week between Christmas and the New Year.

I hope these simple tips are helpful. Taking action starting NOW! will help you to not only survive this holiday, but THRIVE!

Thank you for reading this far. Click HERE for a classic and funny Christmas movie moment.

« There is no need for temples, no need for complicated philosophies. My brain and my heart are my temples; my philosophy is kindness. »
Dalai Lama

« One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds. »
Gandhi