In the third article in this series we will focus on the fact that if you approach health challenges (or any challenge) by attacking the surface problem YOU WILL BE DOOMED!

I know that this sounds harsh and I choose my language to consciously grab your attention. The reality is that I have worked with thousands of people in my office over the past 13 years and one of the most heart breaking(for me) and frustrating(for the patient) things is this never ending cycle of treating secondary conditions that leaves them in the same place, only years older and more broken down.

So, while some of you may find this post ‘negative,’ we will focus on why YOU ARE DOOMED if you approach your life and health the way most of the population goes about it.

For the sake of simplicity I am going to refer all pain and symptoms as SECONDARY CONDITIONS. This term could also apply to problems we encounter in other areas of life such as the debt example we used in a past article.

This first reason we are doomed if we merely attack the secondary conditions is that they are SECONDARY. There is something more PRIMARY that is behind the secondary condition or pain. Most treatments only address the secondary issue, so that we are made more comfortable for the time being. Because the PRIMARY cause that lies deeper has not been handled, what do you think will happen? That’s right, very often our pain or challenge will come back – sometimes after a short time, sometimes after a longer period.

I know many people who have been through so many doctors and treatments, yet still deal with the same problems for years. Is this frustrating? You bet! Without a change in approach they are doomed to a lifetime of the same experience.

It is bad enough to revisit the same challenges again and again over the years (kinda like the movie Groundhog Day), but it gets WORSE. The reason it gets worse is that if a primary condition is not taken care of, what can you expect to happen over time? Yep, it will become more severe. A more severe primary condition will typically lead to more severe secondary conditions as well and people will wonder why after so many treatments things are getting worse. This is so common that we have a name for it. People call their worsening condition AGING, and actually come to expect it as inevitable.

I am going to get all of my negativity out in this article so I will share with you that it gets even worse. Not only will focusing on superficial secondary conditions such as back pain doom you to chronic and worsening problems over time, it will also lead to MORE different kinds of problems!

Because an underlying PRIMARY condition can result in a variety of SECONDARY conditions, it stands to reason that a persistent primary condition will eventually lead to other problems. This is why it is common for people who initially only have back pain will later develop headaches, extremity problems and even end up with trouble sleeping and low levels of energy. Again, we chalk this up to aging.

In our office we focus on detecting and addressing a primary condition known as Neural Resistance which can lead to a myriad of secondary conditions such as neck pain, back pain, anxiety and others.

In the next article, we will wrap up the series with a more ‘positive’ theme. I will share some steps to help you to ‘Go Deeper to Get Better,’ whether you have a health practitioner or not. After all, I don’t wish for any of you to be DOOMED.

I am so excited and refreshed to be back home and ready to start entraining people in the office after my two and a half weeks in Italy to compete in the World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Turin, and then enjoy a holiday with my family in Florence and Rome.

This article will take a break from my series on Going Deeper to Get Better, to go back in time and complete the classic September grade school project; what I did on my summer vacation. Because I’m sure you could care less about most of the details of my holiday, I thought I would instead share what I learned both from the competition and the vacation in general.

First the competition. Jumping into my first world masters competition was a HUGE deal for me. For the most part I have been blessed with pretty good athleticism and I have typically done well at most athletic endeavours (except flag football, but that is another story!). I am USED to succeeding in sports.

Picking up Olympic weightlifting at the age of 38 has been a big challenge to my big ego. I have shared with some of you that weightlifting is more of a spiritual practice for me than anything and this is one of the reasons why. When I registered for the World Masters – paid the fee, booked flights and hotels – I had yet to even reach the standard to qualify! I just committed to find a way to get it done. Those who know me are aware that this is NOT my style – or at least hasn’t been until now.

So, one thing I learned is that sometimes it is okay to get READY, then FIRE and then AIM. You don’t have to have every angle figured out before you commit.

“Eighty percent of success is showing up.”

            -Woody Allen

I never wanted to believe that quote, but I have found it to be true in many cases. My expectations going into this competition was to finish somewhere between 14^th-16^th out of 16 competitors. Some of you were even upset at me for suggesting I had no chance at a medal. What ended up happening was that a few of the top lifters could not get into the country, a couple others had bad days on the platform and I ended up in 6^th place. Had I made my last lift I would have been 4^th. Sometimes you just have to prepare the best you can and show up!

The Roman Holiday

Holidays – especially in foreign countries – are always great learning experiences in many ways. Italy is a country with lots of challenges (especially financial) presently and in a time of challenge you really get to see what a culture’s priorities are. On the surface, what struck me most about Italians is the importance they place on high quality food. Compared to North Americans they eat fresher, better, and less processed food – and they are willing to pay for it.

The biggest lesson I learned on this holiday was to be adaptable. It is rare to be in a place where almost nobody speaks your language (Turin), stores are open and closed at odd times, training facilities are different than what I am used to, there are no clothes dryers, the internet access is kind of sketchy, air conditioning is not what it means to us, and our Roman apartment was spread over 7 floors. In spite of all of this perceived loss of our usual comfort, we were happy, we had lots of fun and I was able to put in my best competition total to date.

Being in a different place provides an invaluable and immediate shift in context that forces us to look at what is really important, what is really necessary and question if the way we have been doing things is really the best way. That is a great gift and one of the reasons we have taken our children on major trips since they were toddlers.

Naturally, I filter everything I learn and experience through the work that I do correcting Neural Resistance through NSO (Neurospinal Optimization). The link is that Neural Resistance reduces our ability to adapt to both physical and mental changes and challenges. It freezes us where we are (physically and mentally), hindering us from ever making any real progress. AND this hurts!

Correcting NR allows us to unwind what has kept us stuck and in pain and opens up a new world to us whether we are walking down Main St. in our hometown or fighting the crowds and 40 degree Celsius heat at the Colosseum.

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!

Unlike many of today’s health ‘experts,’ I believe that people truly WANT to be healthy. It is for this reason that ‘health’ products fly off the shelves, many people are members in health clubs, and we are willing – as a society – to pay high taxes in order to fund public ‘health care.’ Eavesdrop on conversations in any coffee shop and it won’t take long to hear people talking about their health.

So, how is it that something we spend a tremendous amount of money, time, energy and worry on be such a source of challenge, pain and suffering for people? Shouldn’t we be a population brimming with energy and vitality?

The truth is that most people are NOT healthy and this lack of health is a major frustration.

I certainly don’t pretend to have all of the answers to this problem, however having observed thousands of people over the years I have noticed a pattern that is central to whether or not a person is successful in creating health in their life. This pattern also seems to be present when a person is successful in other areas of their lives such as their career, personal finances, relationships and hobbies.

The pattern healthy people follow is that when faced with a challenge….They Go Deeper.

     What does this mean? It means that when problems arise (and they always do, btw) healthy people don’t just look to patch up the surface. They recognize that there is likely something underlying the surface problem that needs to be addressed and their primary focus will be on correcting the underlying cause.

How does this look in real life? Let’s say someone is obese – this is now a medical diagnosis in the United States. So the surface problem is that the individual has a Body Mass Index(BMI) that is too high. If the focus is solely on reducing BMI then there are many different ways to address this problem. Liposuction would be one approach that would handle things quickly, as would bariatric surgery(stomach staple). While I don’t wish to judge either of these procedures – they are what they are – you can see where this will lead if they are the only actions taken. Will this person turn out healthier? Is it likely other – perhaps more serious – conditions will be inevitable in the future?

A healthy person on the other hand would look at the diagnosis of obesity and realize that it is likely secondary to something else. They will look for the deeper cause behind the problem. It may be as simple as a poor lifestyle that needs to be corrected. Perhaps there are some hormonal issues that need to be addressed.

What happens when we look deeper to correct our problems? Two things – first we are much more likely to achieve long-term and sustainable results on the surface problem. Second, we actually improve our overall level of health and, improve performance, correct other secondary conditions, and we may even prevent other secondary conditions from showing up in the future. THIS is where true health comes from!

While many health care practitioners primarily look to address secondary conditions like pain and muscle spasm, at Nexus Chiropractic we focus on addressing Neural Resistance, which can underlie a variety of those conditions.

I will continue this series of articles over the following weeks, looking more deeply at how we can apply GOING DEEPER in a way that can provide solutions to you health and life challenges.

Anyone who has visited our chiropractic office knows that we do things a bit differently than your ‘average,’ or ‘traditional’ chiropractor. We take pride in this and are dedicated to continually learning and refining the care we deliver. The next series of articles will highlight and explain what our office focuses on and hopefully answer some of the questions you may have.

Most chiropractors are of the traditional variety. Traditional chiropractors typically have the goals of decreasing muscle spasm, increasing range of motion, and reducing pain. These are worthy goals and most of the doctors I know do a great job of this.

At Nexus/Gault Family Chiropractic we focus on Neurospinal Optimization by utilizing gentle chiropractic entrainments, teaching you specific exercises and perhaps making some lifestyle recommendations in an effort to improve a condition called Neural Resistance.

We are all familiar with normal body temperature: 37 degrees Celsius. How do we know when someone has abnormal eyesight? How about an irregular heartbeat or high blood pressure? How do we know if the air pressure in our tires is too low? The only way to appreciate abnormal is to know normal.

When it comes to normal, we are not expecting anyone to be perfect. However, if your head displaced beyond what is acceptable and your muscles are locked with a significant amount of abnormal tension, this is an indication of Neural Resistance. This is no different than the strings of a guitar being too tight or the amount of electricity running through the wires of your home being even a bit too high. Because the amount of resistance in your nervous system is too high, extra stress is placed on the muscles which then pulls the spine out of its normal alignment thereby placing abnormal stress on the tendons, bones, ligaments and discs.

What would happen if there was too much electrical current running through the wires of your home? Would it be reasonable to suggest that you lights would burn out more quickly? Would you expect your appliances to not work as well? Do you think that over time you may actually have to replace faulty major appliances as a result of this abnormal electrical current?

As you probably guessed, the problem is abnormal resistance, but in this case in the wiring of your home. Traditional doctors, regardless of what area of healthcare they are in, typically look at managing Secondary Conditions rather than focusing on the underlying cause. The traditional doctor will replace the burnt out light bulbs and repair your refrigerator. Will any of that correct the problem?

What would you do first if this were your home? Of course, you would get out of that house for a short time and hire an electrician who focuses on wiring take care of the problem. After that, and a little work on the secondary effects from the abnormal resistance you’re good to go.

The next article will look at some of the secondary conditions, or symptoms that may result from the presence of Neural Resistance.

From time to time I will be working on someone and as usual, according to my analysis and technique system make contacts on the person’s pelvis, neck, or both and the patient immediately will point to a different area of their spine and say, “No, no doc, it hurts right here.” As if I needed to be reminded or didn’t know what I was doing!

In spite of the fact that we take plenty of time to explain why we do things the way we do them, and offer our patients complimentary workshops to help them get the most out of their care, this response is quite understandable given the traditional approach to health care in general and chiropractic specifically.

Most traditional chiropractors and health care providers focus on reducing the secondary condition, or symptom the patient is experiencing. Commonly these secondary conditions show up as muscle spasm, back pain, headaches, postural distortions, and a myriad of organic conditions. So, if your back hurts at L4, they treat you at that spot. Most doctors do a great job of this.

In our office, instead of focusing on each secondary condition, we focus on correcting a condition called Neural Resistance which often underlies many secondary issues. While pain and muscle spasms are usually specific to a particular spot, Neural Resistance is condition of the entire nervous system and therefore requires a non-local, systemic approach.

Imagine an unprotected and uninsulated water pipe in your home (in Canada). Winter arrives and the water in the pipe freezes and expands, increasing the pressure within the entire pipe. The result or secondary condition will be that the pipe will split in a specific place, causing a leak in your home. Treating the split and leak (a simple, and necessary step) is great, however if this is all you do you would expect the problem to reoccur and the damage to your home to continue.

This is the reason that simply treating secondary health conditions usually leads to relapses and eventually an overall worsening of health. Clearly, in the frozen pipe example the logical course of action would be to first warm the ice to decrease the overall pressure, and then take whatever measures necessary to insulate and protect the pipe so it does not continue to freeze.

Neural Resistance is like a frozen pipe with enough pressure built up that cracks are about to occur. Different people crack in different ways depending on their history and predispositions, just like different pipes will crack in different spots. When the pressure builds, some people will develop back pain, some will develop numbness in their limbs, others will have headaches. Because the nervous system also coordinates our organs a variety autonomic secondary conditions may result as well.

It is for this reason that when we look after the Neural Resistance present in a person’s body that not only the secondary condition they wanted help with improves, conditions they did not even know were related change also. When you look after what is underlying, a ripple effect occurs downstream.

Future articles will more specifically explore the mechanics of Neural Resistance and how it can result in different secondary conditions and symptoms. For now, know that the reason I don’t necessarily contact where it hurts is not that I don’t know or care. The reason is that we are playing a bigger game with the potential for a much bigger and sustainable impact on your health and life.

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.

Last week we reviewed and celebrated all of the incredible accomplishments, events and milestones at Gault Family Chiropractic in 2012. In this article I will give you a peek at what will be new and exciting in 2013.

The first and most exciting announcement I have to make is that effective April 2^9th, Gault Family Chiropractic is changing its name to Nexus Chiropractic! We made this decision for several reasons, including that we are looking to add another doctor to the practice and it would not be fair for them to practice in an office with my name. We are very excited about this change and will be unveiling our new logo, letterhead, cards and signs between now and April.

At GFC our focus is Neurospinal Restructuring Technique with the goal of reducing and correcting Neural Resistance which is essentially like having your nervous system out of tune like a guitar or piano string. When the nervous system is out of tune it can lead to a variety of secondary conditions such as back pain, headaches, poor posture and even a change in mood.

In addition to providing world class clinical care in the office to address that Neural Resistance, I am always on the look-out for ways to complement our care to make it more sustainable for our patients. Early in 2013 we will be adding 2 new programs to provide you with that support.

First, Tyler Touchette, owner and head trainer of Caveman Strong has offered to give movement workshops in the office to small groups each month. Tyler has been studying with some of the world leaders in movement and has put together a ground-breaking program in his gym that produces profound results for all ages. Poor and restricted movement patterns affect almost all aspects of our lives and without proper movement, correction of Neural Resistance is more difficult.

Next, I have recently discovered an excellent posture exercise program that we will be teaching patients to further support their Neural Resistance correction. Stay tuned for both workshops. Registration and dates will be posted shortly.

I am also in the process of revising our Discover Workshop with a more efficient format and updated information. Even if you have attended one in the past, now would be a great time to do a refresher. The next discover workshops are Jan. 14^th and Feb. 5^th.

I am very excited to announce the addition of a brand new advanced program to our twice a year Clear Day schedule. On Friday, January 25^th we will be holding our first ever Breakthrough Evening Program. This will be an intensive evening done in a small group (10-12) and will consist of 2 advanced entrainments with me, integrated SRI and all workshops conducted by me. This is the most advanced program we have ever offered that will not only boost your care, but be applicable to real life transformation. The January event is already full so stay tuned for future evenings.

I will be speaking to 3 outside groups in the New Year. In February I will presenting to personal trainer extraordinaire, Tom Irvine’s fitness class at Saint Lawrence College. Later in the month I will speak as a part of the Encore Senior’s program on the meaning of pain. In March I will be keynote speaker at the Arbor House’s Interesting People series in Vankleek Hill (which means I only have two months to become an interesting person)!

This article is a part of the weekly articles I have been writing for over 8 years and we have decided to change things up a bit. Starting soon I will instead be producing a longer, multi-article monthly update. In addition I will continue to blog shorter posts more frequently. Together the blog and update will provide even better support to your health and care in our office.

Finally, I am excited to announce that in conjunction with the Association for Reorganizational Healing Practices (ARHP), of which our office is a Quantum Member we will be setting up a community project to assist and provide care to those less fortunate and in need. We may require some volunteer help from within the practice so please keep us in mind. I will update you on detail as soon as they are set.

This is what we all have to look forward to and more. Thank you so much for your trust and support which allows Adele, Cindy, and I to continue to search and implement new and better ways to serve you. We love our jobs and plan on 2013 being the best year yet.

Don’t forget that our Best Year of Your Life Workshop is Jan.29^th at 7pm, which is also open to guests. Sign up at the front desk.

On Thursday, Jan. 17^th I will be in Denver attending the advanced technique seminar. Dr. Tony Sandorfi of Ottawa will be entraining in my place. Dr. Tony is an excellent practitioner who entrains at our Clear Days.

We are all successful at some things in life. If you can’t think of anything – think a little harder. Everyone has at least something they have created or accomplished that they can be proud of. On the other side of the coin, we all have things we have failed at or at least not had success in. I know that in my case, my failures far outnumber my successes, which is why I feel qualified to write about this topic.

In order to be truly successful at anything, you have to follow through. I believe that there are NO exceptions to this. NO short-cuts. If you want success as an athlete, a business person, in your health or as a parent, YOU MUST FOLLOW THROUGH.

What does following through mean? First, it means being committed to an outcome. Like almost all parents I am fully committed to providing my children with unconditional love, high quality food to eat, and a safe, stimulating home to live in. Guess what? That is exactly what they have. We succeed as parents because the moment our children arrive in our lives something magical happens that make us fully committed.

Being fully committed also means staying committed even when it is hard, not so much fun, and even a bit painful. If you ask any uber successful business person what makes them great, most will tell stories about sticking it out when things were at their worst. This is when our commitment is most tested, yet also most rewarded.

The other aspect of following through is having a plan or strategy. Without a strategy we have no direction. Without a direction we have no progress, and without progress success can only be fleeting at best. Success requires we have a plan and stick to it.

Obviously, I have a huge interest in the field of health. Without a doubt, the people (regardless of their history) who  are to committed to a plan and follow through are the healthiest people I interact with. Those who don’t…not so much.

A common issue is that many ARE committed to their health, yet their plan (or the plan they have been given) focuses only on secondary conditions such as pain, muscle spasms, inflammation, high blood pressure and many others. While there is nothing wrong with this, it usually only leads to short lived change without a significant increase in overall health.

Truly healthy people know they have to dig a bit deeper. In our office, we focus on Spinal Restructuring with the goal of detecting and correcting Neural Resistance, which is basically like having the strings of your piano strung too tight. With a nervous system wound too tight, this can lead to a variety of secondary conditions such as back and neck pain, poor posture, headaches, anxiety and even cause your internal organs to act as if your were being attacked by a bear.

This approach is not for everyone because we do not focus on the secondary conditions, we focus on what is behind them. Taking care of Neural Resistance requires follow through and the rewards are sustainable, overall health.

We have already followed through with travel, training, and an office equipped to deliver services that address Neural Resistance. Question is, do you want it?

Most people truly want health. If you are one of them, commit to a plan and follow through. You are worth it.

Our next complimentary Introductory workshop will be held on Tues. Dec. 4^th at 7pm. Phone the office to reserve a seat.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge a couple of great achievements by Gault Family Chiropractic practice members. First, Marcel Leroux recently published another novel. I cannot give it a review because it is written in French. If you would like to purchase a copy, let Adele know and we will obtain one for you.

Next, Renate True and Joseph Ianni, recently had incredible performances with the Chorus Novus presentation of In Flanders Fields. I did get to experience this first hand and it was an amazing show, with Joseph sharing the solos with 2 professional singers.