How Being Sick Helped Me

January 11, 2016 by

I am writing this article sitting in my home having missed my second day of work in a row due to being sick. This is a big deal because since opening my practice in 2000 (that is 16 years ago) I had only missed one half of a day sick prior to this week.

Save for a couple of serious illnesses as a child this is the ‘sickest’ I can ever remember being. Up until a few hours ago there would have been no way I could have written this article because I could neither drag myself off of the couch nor think straight. The strange thing about this experience is that while I am annoyed about missing work and disappointed that I allowed myself to become vulnerable to the illness, I am actually grateful and know it will have a lasting positive impact on my life and health.

Why would anybody feel gratitude towards being so sick they thought they were going to die (not really, but it sure felt like it)?

The first reason is that this sickness has me completely motivated to make some positive changes in my lifestyle. This requires the individual to not see themselves as the victim for being sick. This is rare in our society and that is too bad. I recently wrote an article about how to stay healthy over the holidays and while I generally followed my own advice (continued doing the good, healthy stuff) I went a bit too far with late nights and unhealthy food and drink. I tempted fate and I got burned.

The positive spin on this was that I was planning on changing some things regarding my health in the New Year. After the experience of the last few days there is now no way I will not make it happen. On the other hand, had I perceived this illness as bad luck caused by germ A or virus B there would be less impetus to change. Pain is a wonderful motivator and if you are going to experience it you might as well use it.

The second thing I am grateful for is that it gave me the opportunity to do absolutely NOTHING. In fact it forced me to do nothing as I could barely read, let alone move.

I live a lifestyle that moves pretty fast – work, seminars, coaching, and two kids in multiple sports. We take vacations but even then we are either doing activities or I am plowing through books I don’t have time to read the rest of the year.

The last couple of days I spent most of my time doing nothing. Just lying in my bed or on the couch. While it isn’t fun to feel like crap you learn a lot when you literally cannot do anything. Without actively pursuing that line of thinking I became much clearer on what I wanted my life to look and feel like and I am much more motivated to get going on that life.

It was also kind of nice to sit on the couch with my family watching a crappy movie without thinking about all the stuff I have to do – and that NEVER happens in my normal life.

 

Being sick is not fun but it can provide you with value when it occurs. If you don’t see yourself as a victim you can take the experience and turn it into something great. This idea of taking the experience of pain and turning it into progress can be the greatest concept to embrace in making 2016 the best year of your life. I will be expanding on that idea in the next article.

 

Happy New Year!

Don’t Take a Holiday From Your Health

December 8, 2014 by

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.

How I Stay Healthy During Cold/Flu Season

October 23, 2012 by

Karma can be a funny thing. At this time last week my plan was to write the article I am working on right now – about how I stay healthy while so many people are walking around (or laying in bed) with colds or the flu. Guess what happened? I woke up that morning with a fever, a sore throat, runny nose and a body that ached all over. I had the flu! Couldn’t very well write that article, could I?

So, I got my boys ready for school, dropped them off and when I got home – feeling like hell – I wrapped myself in warm clothes, climbed under a mountain of blankets and slept for 2 hours.  When I awoke I felt as good as new and went on to have a productive day. That was my experience with the ‘2 hour’ flu!

When I share this story with people they think it is impossible. I can tell you that this has been my experience from time to time. What has allowed me to bounce back so quickly from these illnesses is exactly what can help you to stay healthy this fall and winter while the people around you falter.

First, let me say that the reason I experienced those symptoms in the first place is that I had not been following my own advice. I had spent the weekend eating not the best diet. I had also been very busy working on some new projects and looking after my boys solo as my wife was working out of town. I was not sleeping well or enough. In a nutshell, I just wasn’t taking proper care of myself. Why is this important? Connecting my lifestyle with my ‘sickness’ allowed me to stop, pull up my socks and get it together. Here is what I do to stay healthy at this time of year.

Minimize Sugar and Grains. This is one of the most important steps in staying healthy at any time of year. Sugar and grains have a detrimental effect on the immune system and leave us susceptible to colds and the flu. They also lead to systemic inflammation, acidic pH levels, weight gain and chronic disease. Most of your diet should consist of grass fed meat, organic eggs and fresh fruits and vegetables. I buy most of my meat locally from Peasant’s Craft Farms.

Supplement with Vitamin D3. Most northerners are deficient in vit. D – especially when the weather gets colder and our skin is not exposed to lots of sunlight. Optimal vit. D levels are essential to a strong immune system (among many other benefits). If you are wary of supplementation, have your levels checked by your GP or naturopath. Vit. D is inexpensive and we carry an excellent product that my family personally uses.

Get High Quality Sleep. I am not a believer in many of the current sleep recommendations. It is my belief that if you are living a healthy lifestyle you probably do not require as much sleep as the average person. That being said, sleeping WELL is crucial to being healthy and strong. I find regular exercise to be the most important factor in sleeping well. Having a pre-bedtime ritual, dealing with stress, and certain supplements may assist also. Whatever it takes, make sure you are getting a good night’s rest.

Fish Oil. After vit. D, this is my favourite supplement. Our western diet has thrown our Omega-6 :3 ratios way off course. I believe everyone should be supplementing with a high quality fish oil supplement.  Quality is extremely important to avoid heavy metal contamination. There are several places to get good fish oil and we carry an excellent brand.

Get Entrained. This is the cornerstone of my healthy lifestyle and the reason I drive to Gatineau every  Wednesday for 2 NSA entrainments. Physical, mental and emotional stresses affect us all, and if they become locked as defense posture or physiology our immune system will become compromised. NSA is the best way I know of to not only release this tension, but use it to transform our body and health. NSA also helps me to sleep well, exercise more effectively and has been shown to help people make better lifestyle choices. For me, Network care is the piece of the puzzle that makes all others fit together perfectly.

Don’t treat symptoms. I know this sounds strange. Last week, what if I had taken some cold medication to lessen my sore throat and runny nose, taken a pain killer for my body aches, and an anti-pyretic to bring down my fever? Sure, I could have gone about my day as planned, but what would the ultimate outcome have been? No, I listened to my body and responded in a way that maximized its’ ability to heal. What seemed like a miracle recovery was just a result of listening to my symptoms instead of attacking them. Try it out and see what happens.

Obviously there are many others things you can do to be and stay healthy and I recommend you research them on your own. Starting with these 6 steps will have a major impact on your health and help you to avoid being one of the masses suffering this season.

 

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