Getting better at anything requires an increase in awareness. The faster and more completely our awareness increases, the faster we will improve at whatever it is we wish to get better at.

     What does an increase in awareness mean? First, it requires that the SENSITIVITY of our perception is enhanced. We pick up greater subtleties with our senses.

     I was recently watching a Netflix series on some of the greatest BBQ pit masters in the world. Instead of using thermometers to know if the grill is the correct temperature, they simply place their hand on the grill and instantly know if and how many more coals must be added to the fire. This is subtle awareness.

     The second part of increasing awareness is being able to hold multiple perspectives. This means that we can be aware of more and more variables at the same time. This is essential in learning how to drive a car. At first we place all of our awareness on each piece of driving (gear, then clutch, then mirrors, then steering, etc) but after a bit of practice we can hold awareness of all of these perspectives at the same time (and be much safer and more effective at the same time). A NASCAR driver must be able to hold many MORE perspectives at once in order to succeed in a race.

     One of the key features that is distinct about the Neurospinal Optimization care we provide at Nexus Chiropractic is that we know that increasing awareness is absolutely required for long term success. In my opinion, awareness is a too often ignored piece in many forms of health care. In fact, many health care interventions actually look to DECREASE awareness, which over time, can be quite detrimental.

     When we intervene without increasing awareness – or worse, deadening awareness – we leave ourselves vulnerable to repeating the same problems over and over again.

     When we increase awareness, not only are we less likely to end up in the same predicaments, we will be more adaptable and have greater resourcefulness when problems do arise in the future.

     For those of you who have had care at Nexus, you know that we ask you lots of questions. All of these are designed to enhance awareness  What did you notice happening during the visit? What changed after? Did you feel what just happened? Are you aware of how your spinal structure just shifted? What do you think that pain/tension means? Is there a larger pattern involved in your condition? Did you feel how your breath got deeper and moved through your entire spine?

     We also give periodic questionnaires so that we can more specifically know if your awareness is matching up with clinical observations and if more or different coaching and cuing is required.

     The SomatoRespiratory Integration (SRI) exercises we teach are also designed to increase body awareness. First they improve our ability to notice more subtlety of breath, movement and energy. Next, they expand our awareness of multiple perspectives as we can pay attention to all of these factors (and more) at once.

     How can we start to increase the awareness of our bodies and health at home? I use this exercise with many of my patients and you can do it too.

     Use the moments of transition between pain and less/no pain, or feeling crappy and feeling good as an opportunity to develop more awareness.

     When you find yourself feeling bad, whatever that means for you in the moment (physically, mentally, emotionally), catch yourself and STOP.  Now notice as many things as you can about yourself in that moment of feeling bad.

     What is your posture like? Are you breathing shallow or deep? Is the breath in the nose, out the nose, or something else? How are you moving (slow or fast, smooth or rigid)? What have you been doing recently? What have you been eating and drinking? What is your emotional state? What have you been thinking about? What was your last thought before you noticed you felt ‘bad?’

     You get the idea. The point of this exercise is to notice as many subtleties as you can (be creative). Create the clearest and most detailed picture of what you feeling ‘bad’ looks like. I have found this exercise works best when you write it down.

     Now comes the fun part. When you notice that you feel better, good or even great, do the same exercise. Go through the exact same questions as above. Write them down.

     Once you have those two descriptions of you ‘good’ and ‘bad,’ you can use this new awareness to your advantage.

     If you find yourself feeling ‘bad’ and you want to feel ‘good,’ look at your contrasting lists. Change your posture to the one that is associated with ‘good.’ Shift your breath to the one that works best for you. Move your focus to something that energizes you instead of bringing you down. Perhaps you can exercise or move your body in a way that changes your entire experience.

     This is only the beginning of the process. As you apply this exercise more and more you will start to become UNCONSIOUSLY aware of when you start to move towards ‘bad’ and UNCONSIOUSLY start to shift back to ‘good’ automatically. This is when profound, long term results start to show up.

     Awareness is a powerful and necessary tool in creating long term health, and to achieve lasting results in any endeavour. Unfortunately it is rarely harnessed and often ignored.

     How and where can you seek out greater awareness in your life and health?

Thorin Gault, D.C.

Sept. 11, 2020

When it comes to health problems, we have 4 ways in which we can approach them. All four have their own benefits and are appropriate at different times. Which we choose for a given situation is not only important in having short term success, it is also paramount to achieving the health we want long term.

Let us take a look at each of Patch, Fix, Protect and Optimize.

     Patching is what we do when we know there is a larger problem, but we need to buy ourselves some time in the short term. Your old springs a leak and you know it will need to be replaced, but you need to finish watering the garden. So, you wrap some duct tape around the hole, so the flowers don’t die today.

The Patch strategy is a great one when we are in crisis and if something is not done immediately, disability and even death may result. If someone were shot with a bullet inside them, yes, the bullet will eventually need to come out. However, in the short term, compressing the wound with a bandage will keep them alive long enough to be properly fixed.

Antibiotics can be a great patch when faced with an infection that may kill you. They buy you the time (save your life) so that you can make changes that will strengthen your health and immune system in the future.

Patches can become a problem when they are used as fixes. Antibiotics used unnecessarily will harm your long-term health. Pain medication used simply to cover up a secondary condition(symptom) actually allow people to continue to damage their bodies without knowing it – leading to more serious problems down the road.

Most people truly only need patches (hopefully) a few times during their lives when in serious crisis. When we need them, they are wonderful. When we over use them, we suffer needlessly.

The Fix strategy is one that looks to get to the cause of the problem. It looks to correct the primary condition leading to the secondary effects. If faulty electrical was leading to burned out light bulbs and malfunctioning appliances the patch solution would be to replace them. The Fix solution would be to hire an electrician to correct the wiring.

When we Fix something we typically gain parallel benefits as well. Corrected wiring improves the function of EVERYTHING requiring electricity. Perhaps the electrical bill goes down as efficiency increases. Safety also improves as the chance of a devastating electrical fire decreases.

The Fix approach works the same way with our health. Taking a pain pill may make us feel better for awhile but correcting abnormal spine structure and nervous system function is not only more sustainable but leads to a myriad of health benefits besides.

The Protect strategy begins to move beyond being focused on problems or symptoms. Once we have corrected what was abnormal we have a choice to do some regular work to keep it that way. Protect recognizes that maintaining proper function is better than waiting for the next crisis. Once we get the old piano in tune, it is much less work more enjoyable to have it retuned on a regular schedule than to let it get back to it’s previous state and start over again.

A health crisis can be a time, energy and resource draining thing to face. They are certainly not convenient. Some attention to Protection is a great way to stay healthy long term and avoid future problems.

Finally, we come to the Optimization strategy. This is where exceptionally healthy people spend most of their energy and attention. Instead of focusing on patching, fixing and preventing problems, they look to optimize and improve their health, function and performance regardless of problems.

They know that the best way to be healthy is to continually improve their adaptability and efficiency. Does it mean they will never have a crisis or problems? Of course not, but they will sure be better equipped to handle them when they occur.

Unfortunately, most people spend most of their lives in Patch, and Fix modes when what they truly want are the benefits of Protect and Optimize. Fortunately, changing that only requires a few simple decisions.

At Nexus Chiropractic we are not interested in patching people up. Very few people entering our office truly need patching and if they do, a trip to the ER is probably in order.

We begin seeing most people from a Fix perspective, which is what we do during the Initial Phase of Care (IPC). By addressing abnormalities in the spine and nervous system (Neurospinal Shift) and objectively measuring those changes we know our patients are going back into life healthier.

Once the system is normalized, people may now choose to enter either a Protection or Optimization program. This is where we see people really create long term health strategies that spill over into not only physical benefits, but mental/emotional well-being, greater energy and vitality and an over all greater quality of life.

After reading this article, take some time to look at where you are perhaps frustrated with your health, or not getting the results you would like. Maybe a small shift in your approach is all you need to get what you want?

Thorin Gault, D.C.

April 17, 2018

Part 4 – Holistic vs. Isolated

In the last two articles, we looked at principles lived by the minority of our society that are truly healthy. The first was that they focus on building health as opposed to fighting symptoms and disease. The second was that they seek to enhance awareness instead of sedating.

This article delves into the third principle of healthy people, which is that they see things in a holistic way as opposed to an isolated way.

Holistic is defined as, ‘characterized by comprehension of the parts of something as intimately interconnected and explicable only by reference to the whole.’

What this means from the perspective of health, is that something happening in one part of our bodies is impacting, and being impacted by other parts of our bodies, and even lives.

I learned this very early in my chiropractic practice, almost 18 years ago. At the time I was practicing a very mechanical technique that understood that the spine was an integrated whole. So, I took full spine x-rays on almost all my patients. What I noticed was that very often, when someone would come in with low back trouble, their low back would look good on the x-ray, but their neck was messed up. The opposite was also true.

What this means is that where we have a problem (secondary condition or symptom) is not necessarily where the problem is. This also means that it is important to assess and address the entire system HOLISTICALLY in order to create a solution.

If you have light bulbs burning out too quickly in your house and appliances shorting out, you could go around replacing the parts, OR you could have an electrician go down to the electrical box and address what is more likely to be the main problem.

Unfortunately, many common health care approaches spend too much time replacing light bulbs and not enough time seeing the big picture. In this case changing light bulbs just delays the inevitable.

A holistic approach to health also involves a lot more than just the physical/mechanical. Healthy people look to their lifestyle and observe how it affects their physical health and perhaps plays a role in their symptoms and diseases.

In my chiropractic practice, it is my observation that as people become healthier, they can see the connection between their symptoms and their diet, emotional state, mental state and even how they are doing spiritually. With this awareness comes the ability to change much more effortlessly.

Research shows us that one of the most accurate predictors of back pain is how satisfied people are in their jobs, financial situation, and relationships. There is a neurological explanation for this beyond the scope of this article but when was the last time you considered how what you were feeling inside may be impacting your physical health?

Healthy people understand this and look to all aspects of their lives when faced with a health problem. When someone with back pain not only addresses what is happening with their spine and nervous system but also assesses what they are eating, how they are moving, their emotional state, their interactions with others, and even assess if they are on the correct path in life, not only does it drastically improve their chances of recovery, it also improves the overall quality of their lives. Isn’t that what we truly want, anyway?

The care at Nexus is set up and delivered in a holistic way. We assess the entire spine and nervous system because we know that a symptom in one part of the body is usually not solely caused by that spot, but by stress on the entire system. We teach our patients specific exercises that increases their somatic – or body – awareness. We give presentations that teach patients how to care for their spine and nervous system at home.

While I am no psychotherapist, I often point out how what is showing up in a person’s spine may be connected to what is happening mentally and emotionally in their lives. The state of the spine and nervous system also leave clues about how a person can best go about making the necessary changes in their lives.

So, where in your health and life have you been too caught up in the isolated parts? Where have you been running around the house changing light bulbs, when the electrical system really needed to be updated?

Now, how can you assess and address this in a more holistic manner?

Keep it up! See you next article.

Thorin Gault, D.C.

Often, by the time I sit down to do a consultation with someone who is considering becoming a patient in my office, they have already sought out the care of multiple other doctors, therapists and health care providers. In most cases they have had some success, yet have not had the sustainable, long term results they desire.

Typically these patients have had their muscles addressed through some form of therapy, exercise and stretches. Many have had the alignment of their bones addressed with structural adjustments and posture exercises. Many others have also had guidance in regards to their nutrition.

All of these approaches can be excellent and in many cases need to be addressed to provide long term results with any symptom or secondary conditions such as pain and dysfunction.

Most of the people I see in my office have had a very important body system either passed over or completely ignored and that is why I refer to the NERVOUS SYSTEM as the forgotten body system.

Why is the nervous system so important? Essentially the TONE of the nervous system will determine the tone – and therefore function – of the tissues and organs of the body.

The messages travelling along the nerves determine the tension (or lack thereof) of the muscles. Let’s say you have a tight muscle. You can take a warm bath, get a massage or take a muscle relaxant to get some temporary relief. The fact of the matter is that if the nervous system continues to tell the muscle to be tight, nothing will produce a long term change in that  muscle until the nervous system is addressed.

If you had electricity surges causing the light bulbs in your home to burn out you can change all the bulbs you want, but the problem won’t truly be solved until the electrical system is repaired. It is the same with the nervous system.

How does the nervous system impact the structure or posture? Muscles move bones and therefore determine the position of the skeleton. What controls the muscles? NERVES! In our office we objectively measure and monitor our patient’s structure and it is amazing how consistently and how profoundly structure improves when the function of the nervous system is normalized.

At Nexus Chiropractic, we focus on what is called Neurospinal Optimization which aims to correct a primary condition called a Neurospinal Shift. There are added benefits to addressing the underlying shift in the nervous system when looking for relief in the common secondary conditions that people see chiropractors for, such as back and neck pain and headaches. In addition to setting the tone for the muscles and structure, the nervous system also contributes to the function of our internal organs and to the tone of our mental and emotional state.

So, while as chiropractors we do not treat organic diseases or act as psychotherapists, it is not uncommon for people to notice that they digest food better, have better energy levels, and handle mental and emotional stresses more effectively when their Neurospinal Shifts are normalized.

We live in a world where our nervous system is bombarded with stimuli that have the ability to create an unhealthy state with far ranging consequences in many areas of our health. There are many great interventions to address the effects of an abnormal nervous system. Don’t forget to get to the underlying cause and take care of the forgotten system.

Ideas can be powerful things. Ideas often lead to actions that can either transform our lives in the most profound way, or if chosen poor can destroy what we most cherish. The key is to be consciously aware of what ideas are influencing our behaviours and decide if they are serving or harming us.

It is an interesting time in healthcare. I know a small group of people whose health is thriving in every possible way. They seem to get healthier every year in spite of their age. They receive great joy from feeling great and being productive. They are loving life!

Unfortunately, this is not the reality for most people. Most people have the experience of a sinking ship – their level of health and life enjoyment is declining and it is just a matter of slowing that decline as much as possible. Beneath this resignation of declining health is also frustration. Many of these people have done what they were told by the experts and this is what they are left with?

There are many, well documented lifestyle reasons for people’s failing health. Behind many of these behaviours is what I believe to be the most dangerous idea in health care. That idea is, “If I successfully treat my pain/symptoms/diseases I will be healthy.” That is it – one little idea.

What are the consequences of this idea that has become a belief for many? First, we have a multi-billion dollar ‘healthcare’ system that focuses almost solely on pain and disease treatment. Am I suggesting we stop treating pain and disease? Of course not, however it is important to understand that it will not make us healthy.

People have private ‘health insurance,’ that is based almost entirely on crisis intervention. A great example is chiropractic care. Most workplace insurance covers perhaps enough for some short-term crisis care. Regular visits to enhance over-all health? Sorry, out of luck. In my opinion this is not what insurance is for anyway. Your home insurance doesn’t pay for you to hire an interior designer, make your house more energy efficient or maintain a beautiful garden! Insurance is for crisis, not health.

Finally, the idea that treatment will make us healthy can have a detrimental impact on the choices we make. Unfortunately, humans respond more readily to the stick, not the carrot. We are much more motivated by pain than pleasure. If I believe that treatments will make me healthy, I am much less motivated to eat well, buy organic food and high quality supplements, purchase a gym membership or god forbid pay out of pocket for services such as regular chiropractic care that enhance health.

Do you see how a simple little idea can have such a profound impact? Treating life threatening and crippling diseases is a necessary thing at times. We are pretty good at it and should continue to strive to get better. It was natural for this to be the focus of health care when people only lived a few decades, hygiene was suspect, and many people died of acute infections. Today, it is no longer enough.

People want more than just survival. They want to live to be old and grey with vitality, enjoyment and still be able to contribute in the way they were destined. If the time comes when you need treatment, it will be there. In the meantime, focus your time and energy on enhancing your health. It is possible to have it all.

Our upcoming Fireside Chat with Dr. Gault, on Dec. 3^rd is already full. We are compiling a wait list in case of cancellations and may add another evening if there is interest. See Adele or Cindy to be placed on the list.

It is my belief that deep down, everyone wants to be healthy. On top of that a tremendous amount of time, energy, money, and resources are spent on health related endeavours. Just pick up a newspaper, turn-on a TV, eaves-drop on conversations in Tim Horton’s, or take a good look at your last tax bill. We are a society obsessed with health!

Clearly, whatever we are doing is NOT working. People are sick, in pain, lacking energy and vitality and are medicated to the gills. They are also frustrated. The situation of our children is even worse. Why is this happening? There are some very simple, yet all pervasive societal mistakes that have led us to our current situation.

1. We are not clear on what we want. I have worked with thousands of people in my office over the past 12 years. When I ask new patients what they want from care, most will tell me they want some sort of relief – from pain, symptoms, disease, anxiety, depression – whatever. This is almost NEVER true! After a few questions it becomes clear that they don’t care that much about the pain or symptom – they care greatly about the impact it is having, or may have on the future on their lives.

What they really want is to be able to participate fully in life. To work, to play, to have fun, to love, to support their families, to interact with people, to grow, to contribute. They want to be healthy and happy! Fortunately, NSA care works to help the person become more adaptable and resourceful as an objective – pain and symptoms often improve as a side effect. Sometimes the patient or practice member’s quality of life improves so much that they don’t care about their symptom because they are too busy living life!

It is important to know what we want before making decisions in any endeavour. Marketers have done a great job in convincing us that relief equals health. I am here to tell you that is bull$#%. Know the outcome you want. This brings us to our next reason most people are not healthy.

2. We sacrifice health for relief. Following reason #1 this is no surprise. Assuming that a pain, symptom or disease is a sign that something is off with your health, wouldn’t it make sense that your next step would be to focus on your health and not the symptom? How many common, accepted treatments focus on your health? If you have a headache and take a pain killer are you getting healthier or sicker? If you have your gall bladder removed, are you healthier after?

Studies show that the more “treatments” you receive, the faster your quality of life will decline – even if the procedures are successful.

The next time you seek treatment for anything, ask yourself if it will add or detract from your overall health. Obviously there are times when we may choose a health harming treatment in order to save our lives – this makes perfect sense and I recommend it. For most people however, these are emergencies that may occur a couple of times in our lives. Otherwise seek out interventions that ADD to your health on a regular basis. Better yet, focus on building health and vitality whether you have a problem or not. This leads to our final reason.

3. We don’t take action. Being healthy requires healthy action. Being wealthy requires actions of the wealthy. Great relationships require great relationship action. Most people do not consistently take healthy action and therefore most of the population is unhealthy.

It is my belief that one of the most deadly ideas in our country is that health care is free. Subconsciously this is often processed as health is free. This single idea has ruined millions of lives. YOU are responsible for the health of yourself and your family regardless of what challenges may be present. You must have a plan and you must carry it out.

Where you focus your time, money and energy will determine your health and quality of life. Trying to get healthy by avoiding disease is like trying to get rich by avoiding bankruptcy. Focus on your health.You are worth it and so are your loved ones.

If you are one of the many people frustrated with your health and happiness, it is never too late. First, get clear on the highest outcome you hope to achieve. Then seek out ways you can get there. Finally, take massive and consistent action. You will be there before you know it.

« Integrity is telling myself the truth. And honesty is telling the truth to other people. »
Spencer Johnson

Solution #2 – Behaviour!

In the last article we discovered that the people who are winning the game of life are different from those who are not in 3 main areas. These are our solutions to winning the game from now on. The solutions are: Awareness, Behaviour, and Structures. We looked more closely at awareness and gave you ideas to shift your awareness immediately.

This article will examine the behaviours that will set you on the path to winning the game of your life.

How to ACT like a Winner

We know that people who are winning the game of life act and behave differently than those who do not. This is obvious. The first characteristic of their actions is that their behaviours are consciously chosen. They create their own reality as opposed to wait for circumstance to dictate. Also very important, these individuals tend to focus almost all of their action on what they Want, instead of moving away from what they don’t want. Instead of seeking LESS pain, they will take action to create MORE health, vitality, mobility, or strength. Do you see the difference?

Start with the End in Mind

Winners of the game of life also understand that winning is a process and each action they take builds on the next. They make choices with the end in mind understanding that what may seem like a quick fix may hurt them in the long run. They ask, “How will this affect me in 5, 10, 20 years?” How many times have you taken a drug or undergone a procedure for temporary relief, knowing (or maybe ignoring) it was hurting your overall health? How about a little white lie in a relationship? Maybe a credit card purchase that made you feel good at the moment but you are still paying for today?

Start winning your game of life by focusing almost all of your time, energy, and money on actions that consistently increase your health and well-being in all areas of your life.

You ARE what you DIGEST

Winning the game of life also requires action in specific areas. Winning certainly requires great nutrition, however the most successful know that eating high quality food is not enough. You must be able to Digest the great food in order to be of full benefit. This means have balanced enzymes, gut flora and a properly functioning nervous system. It is also crucial to be able to listen to your body regarding food as we are built a bit different.

Move to Win

Daily activity is also essential to winning the game of life. Again, we are all a bit different so including a body awareness discipline is important in knowing what is right for you. Also be sure to include activities that get you out in the fresh air and sunshine.

When you Rest – Be sure you are Resting.

Proper rest is just as important as activity. Most people – while inactive – never truly rest because their body remains in fight or flight mode even when their day is done (and TV makes this worse). Techniques such as NSA and meditation can help you to break this stress pattern so you can truly rest and regenerate. Be sure to include family and friends in your leisure time as well.

Contribute

Perhaps the best way to win the game of life is to use your actions to contribute to others. Contribution is one of only 2 ways humans can be truly and sustainably fulfilled. Make contribution (small or large) a part of your goals and daily schedule and watch your happiness soar.

Grow

The other way humans are truly fulfilled is to grow! This means learning new things and improving and refining skills that are important to you. If you don’t already, find an activity you are passionate about and commit to getting better at it – for life. I recently competed against a 64 year old man in weightlifting. Yes, he finished last, but he was happy because he works on getting better every day!

We all have the same 24 hours in a day – some people create a great life with their 24 hours and others, not so much. It is never too late to make your 24 hours a day epic. Start today by looking at everything you do in a day and a week and asking yourself how you can create an even better present and future. Make decisions like someone who is winning the game of life, and soon you will find that you are one of them.

« Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. »
Da Vinci

In the last article we discovered that by focusing on symptoms instead of health we can actually end up sick, miserable, frustrated and even dead before our time. We also identified the 6 keys to winning the game of life. This week we will continue to explore those keys to a great life.

Key #2 – Being able to do what you enjoy! Having time for leisure and having the ability to choose how we spend our time are crucial to our mental and physical well-being. Active leisure can be divided into 3 categories: social leisure with friends and family, cognitive leisure focusing on mental stimulation, and physical leisure including sports and exercise.

While most people recognize how important these are, the reality is that our leisure time is disappearing. A study demonstrated that Canadians are spending an average of 1.5 hours less on leisure in 2005 compared to 1998.

What was the outcome of this? In 2005…35% of Canadians were overweight, while 24% were obese. 47% of Canadians were considered inactive compared to 23% active! Can you see where this trend will lead? You cannot win the game of life if you are fat and inactive.

Key #3 – Feeling Energized and Passionate! Here is some good news – a whopping 92% of Canadians say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their lives! Yet, according the same source, 1 in 5 Canadians were taking antidepressants in 2004 and suicide rates are at an all-time high.

What makes you energized and passionate? What are you yearning to do but can’t find the time for? Sports, hobbies, family time? What is stopping you?

The problem is in what takes up our time. Over 50% of workers say they often spend 12 hour days on work related duties.  The biggest concern among young workers is not having enough time for both their family AND work responsibilities and 40% of employees work overtime or bring work home EVERY week. The fact is that we are spending more time at work and less time enjoying our lives.

Key #4 – Nurturing and Fulfilling Relationships. Where would you rather spend your time – work or home? Since 1969, family time for a working couple has shrunk by an average of 22 hours per week. 88% of employees say they have a hard time juggling work and life and 64% of family caregivers are employed – most full time.

Do you have balance between work and life? Most don’t – 58% of Canadians report “overload” associated with their many roles. What is the result? Employees who consider most of their days to be stressful were over 3 times more likely to suffer a major depressive episode!

That isn’t all. About half of all workers feel that stress is affecting their interpersonal and sexual relationships. Couples who are stressed have a less active sex life and it is known that low sex marriages have a high probability of separation within 12 months.

It is clear that this lack of balance is a growing concern. Both workers and students rate work-life balance as their top concern and consider it more important than money, career advancement, or location.

In addition, this stress is affecting our physical health which can place even more strain on a relationship. Work stress is more strongly associated with health complaints than any other life stressor. Employees with the highest amounts of workplace stress suffer from over 3 times the rate of cardiovascular problems, over 5 times the rate of colorectal cancer, and up to 3 times the rate of back pain. 81% of people on earth say their jobs are affecting their health and health expenditures are 50% higher for workers with a high level of stress.

This problem has gotten so bad we are getting violent. 14% of people felt like striking a co-worker in the past year, 25% felt like screaming due to job stress, 9% are aware of an assault of violent act in their workplace, 18% had experienced a threat or intimidation in the past year, and 10% said they work in an environment where physical violence has occurred because of job stress. Are these the relationships we want where we spend such a large part of our lives?

This really becomes an issue when we bring it home with us. How is your patience with your children? How about your spouse? How are you dealing with all of the people you interact with such as in stores, at the bank, and on the road? Have you noticed that you have less patience lately?

Why is this important? These stresses are not just a concept. It is real and is damaging to our mental health, relationships and is costing us in the quality and quantity of our years.

If that doesn’t motivate you to get this handled, it is also costing you money. Stress means a loss of work and money. Disability claims have risen significantly and the area of largest increase is in mental/nervous conditions. The cost for our country was an estimated $7.9 billion in 1998 alone and about $6.3 billion was spent by individuals on uninsured services and taking time off work due to depression and distress.

Absenteeism due to stress has increased by over 300% since 1995 and over 50% of work days are stress related.

Perhaps this will motivate us to spend more time on what is truly important in our lives.

Next article we will continue with the final 2 keys to winning the game of life, and introduce the traps that most people fall into that lead to them to failure.

Most people think that they go to see chiropractors (and many other health professionals) because of pain. In my experience this almost NEVER the case. After asking a couple of simple questions it becomes obvious that it is not the pain ITSELF that is the concern, but how that pain or symptom is – or may in the future – impact their lives.

Unfortunately, because people think that the pain is the actual problem, they will often undergo treatments that may be successful in relieving their symptoms, yet actually negatively impact their quality of life in the short or long-term.

This is evidenced by the high rates of death and injury caused by “healthcare” interventions that are overtaking the rates of almost all diseases! Beyond death and injury, this approach has left many individuals and families frustrated that their health has actually become their greatest obstacle to a fulfilling and joyous life.

So, the question I have for you is, “Are you winning the game of life?” This series of articles will help you to answer this question, learn to keys to winning the game, and give you some tools to make it happen.

There have been 6 Keys the winning the game of life identified. These keys are:

1. Living Old and Vibrantly Healthy

2. Being Able to Do What We Enjoy

3. Feeling Energized and Passionate

4. Nurturing Fulfilling Relationships

5. Raising Great, Thriving Kids

6. Live a Life Contributing To Others

Don’t all of those things sound great? Over the next several articles we will help you to make all 6 keys a reality. While very few people truly achieve a great life, some have and by observing and learning how they did it allows us the opportunity to do the same.

Key #1 – Living Old and Vibrantly Healthy. The great news is that we are living older. From 1960 to 2005 the Canadian life expectancy increased from 71 to 80 years. That was good enough to rank us 11^th out of over 220 countries. The problem is that while we live longer, we do not live better. Our healthy years end before we turn 70! That means a person retiring at 65 can expect less than 5 years of healthy retirement. We all know that as health declines, so does our quality of life.

Consistent with this, we know that our elder’s health is on the decline. The average senior takes 2.9 prescription drugs each day and more than 20% take more than 5 daily. People over 75 take an average of 7.9 drugs per day!

In spite of all these drugs (or perhaps due to) chronic pain affects over 25% of Canadian seniors living at home. Half state the pain interferes with MOST of their activities. In institutions it is even worse: 40% have chronic pain with 64% stating it interferes with activities.

If you still have some years before becoming a senior and wonder how this has anything to do with you, the top 6 diagnoses in Canada mostly affect those UNDER 65. Hypertension, diabetes, depression, anxiety, respiratory trouble and high cholesterol are all seen mostly in non-seniors. As you probably know, these problems start before we get old and simply worsen with age.

While it sounds nice that we are living longer as a country, the reality is that our health and quality of life is declining.  This is clearly not winning the game of life.

The next article will continue with the keys to winning which will set the stage for the solutions to creating an outstanding life!

One of the most contentious issues in chiropractic is that of recommending people undergo regular, long-term care. Many health-care professionals who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of disease – including chiropractors – are horrified by the idea and would literally like the practice banned by regulating bodies. They feel that chiropractors who do this are an embarrassment, unethical and bully people for money.

As a chiropractor who DOES invite people to participate in regular, wellness care and offer service agreements to make these plans more affordable and efficient I totally understand their criticism. The difference in opinion has nothing to do with ethics however – it is a difference in the objectives of the doctors in question and the services they are offering. For a doctor whose only objective is to treat symptoms it absolutely IS unethical to recommend long-term wellness care. For a doctor like me whose objective is to help people to develop new strategies to live a greater life – regardless of symptoms – it would be unethical to NOT recommend it!

Some of you may know that I am perhaps the least handy man on the planet. I am essentially useless – if not dangerous – around the house! Fortunately, we have a great handyman who routinely looks after some of the many issues we have with our century home.

Our handyman is not only very honest, he is obsessed with us not thinking that he is trying to oversell us. While this is better than the other option, it also has its’ problems. As a result there have been several jobs that he has recommended less than we actually would have wanted – but we trusted him so followed his recommendations. Had he recommended more (involved, quality, and expense) we would have gladly agreed and it would have positively impacted our family’s quality of life. It would have also improved his quality of life as he would have had more work and income. This would have been a win-win situation!

My handyman situation taught me a lesson. I don’t always know exactly what all of my patients and practice members want. For that reason I invite them to participate in my care at absolutely the highest level. Only by being invited can they make a choice. Does everyone want to participate in this way? Of course not. Should everyone have the opportunity to choose? You bet!

Some people truly just want their pain or symptom to go away. In my experience, this percentage is very small – most people are only concerned with symptoms because of what they may mean to their present and future function, relationships, ability to contribute and quality of life. In these cases it is easy to see that the pain or symptom is actually a signal or calling for them to develop new awareness, actions and or structures.

Most people are not aware that they can use their health challenges as a springboard to a greater quality of life – much like a scholastic, career or athletic challenge can help us find the best in ourselves. We simply have not been taught this is possible.

Long-term chiropractic care has shown to reduce hospital admissions, pharmaceutical expenditures and surgeries – Click HERE for abstract. The ability to repair DNA has also been shown to improve with regular chiropractic care – with obvious massive implications for overall health – Click HERE to see.

Research into long-term Network care shows that in addition to positive physical outcomes such as symptom changes, posture improvement and increased immunity. It also demonstrates people develop a greater ability to handle stress, have more satisfying relationships, make healthier choices, and enjoy ever increasing quality of life.

Perhaps most profound, people receiving Network care TRIPLED the wellness benefits of the exercise, diet, and health promoting activities! Click HERE to read.

With any choice, it is essential that you know what is possible before making a decision. This is why we invite everyone to look at what their highest vision for their health and life is – and then support them in achieving it regardless of what that vision is.