Welcome to Day #1!

        

Water Week is a challenge for you to drink only Water for 7 straight days. That's right.... nothing but H2O. Water Week will begin on Monday July 13th (12:00 AM) and last until Sunday July 19 (11:59 PM). Here are the rules:No JuiceNo SodaNo CoffeeNo TeaNo AlcoholNo MilkNo GatoradeEtc.Just pure H2O. During the challenge you will discover all of the wonderful benefits that drink water will bring into your life. Included are:Weight LossDecreased HeadachesDecreased Blood SugarDecreased HungerImproved hydrationDetoxificationImproved energyOverall improved healthHow much water should you drink? Take your body weight in pounds and divide that number in half. You should drink that many ounces per day. (ie 180 lbs /2 = 90 oz of water).Participants can be entered to win a great prize from Body of Health. Once you have completed the challenge write us a letter, or e-mail about your experience with the Water Week Challenge. All of those who write in will be entered to win a Theracane Massager. ($40 value) It is one of the greatest tools for getting rid of Trigger points and working out sore muscles.

        

Some of you may know that we are involved with a local giving program called Points for Profit. In fact, last year we were voted the Points for Profit Business of the Year. If you aren't familiar with the program, nonprofit organizations in the Linn/Benton area compete for points by shopping at local businesses who are in the program. At the end of the year the groups with the most points earn a cash prize.

Part of our contribution to this program has been to try to improve the health of people involved. So we started the Pounds for Profit
challenge where groups can earn points as their members meet weight loss and fitness goals.  Tonight we had the pleasure of awarding the grand prize to one of my favorite charities: Sunshine Kids.  This group puts on camps for kids with cancer.  For more information on this organization visit: http://www.sunshinekids.org/. 

        

On Friday June 26th we had a great time treating at the Relay for Life event in Lebanon, OR.  We were out there for about 5 hours doing massage and chiropractic for the people who walked the track at Lebanon High School.  We treated a lot of low back pain, neck pain and even some headaches.  Thanks to those of you who helped out in this great cause.  Also thanks to the folks who provided testimonials about chiropractic care at the event.  Thanks to Wendie for turning us on to this event!  Here are some pictures and a testimonial from the event.

Dr. Young and KaLynn Alley, Future Miss Oregon (and Miss America) at the ACS Relay for Life.

        

On Friday June 26th the Body of Health team will be at it again.  This time we will be in Lebanon High School the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life event.  Relay for life participants work in teams and have a representative walking or running the track around the clock.  Some events will go as long as 24 hours.  Each person involved is encouraged to raise at least $100 in sponsorship for the laps walked by the team.

        

Body of Health was at the Midsummer Night's Run event in Corvallis at Crescent Valley High School.  We got to treat a lot of great people (runners, spectators, etc) and some of them have made the choice to use Body of Health as their chiropractic and massage providers.  Here are some of the conditions we treated on Saturday night:

        

Here is a testimonial from one of our happy patients. She has been treated with chiropractic and massage for back and neck pain.

Have you had a great experience at Body of Health Chiropractic and Wellness Center and would like to share it?  Here are some ways you can do that:

1. Post a comment on this blog about your experience
2. E-mail your testimonial to blog@yourbodyofhealth.com
3. Call us or next time you are at the clinic ask if we could create your own video testimonial

 We really appreciate ALL of our patients and thank you for sharing the continued joy and health you have received as we have worked together. Thanks for spreading the news!

        

This is another great clip from CBS which supports the chiropractic approach to health care.  The doctor in this segment discusses the cardiac risks associated with amphetamine drugs used to treat ADHD and recommends alternate therapies such as chiropractic for managing this condition.  Watch and learn:

        

I think this clip is really funny and you may be surprised to find it on my Pro-Chiropractic blog.  Some Doctors of Chiropractic would take deep offense at  a scene like this but I think its cool to be spoofed right along with mainstream medicine.  I think there is a couple of interesting things to teach from this clip.

     1) People don't just take a "Chiropractic Class".  To become a chiropractor it requires at least 90 semester or 135 quarter credits at a 4 year university followed by 4 years of doctorate level education at a chiropractic college.  (That's at least 7 years of education and training!)  The academic program for chiropractic school requires more credit hours of lecture and labs than medical school programs.  I doubt our janitor would have time to hold down a day job AND go to "Chiropractic Class" at the same time.

     2) REAL chiropractors would never just grab somebody and adjust them.  Chiropractic procedures are only performed after a thorough initial examination including patient history, postural assessment, ranges of motion, orthopedic testing, spinal examination, and vital signs.  We want to identify anything that would possibly... I don't know... make a patient fall over paralyzed!  (even if we had practiced our technique on many mop heads with no complaints).

     3) Chiropractic is performed with informed consent.  Before an adjsutment a chiropractor should inform you of what your diagnosis is, what we would hope to accomplish by care, and the potential risks of treatment.  Before being adjusted people should have the opportunity to ask any questions they have and receive an answer.

     4) Chiropractic adjustments are not about making things crunch.  While there is a popping noise that sometimes occurs when a patient is adjusted popping is not the ultimate goal.  The purpose of the adjustment is to restore proper balance to the nervous system, the joints and muscles.  It should only be performed by trained professionals or interns who are under the supervision of an attending physician.  Being adjusted by a friend who knows how to "crack a back" can be dangerous and lead to greater injury.  These manipulations should only be performed after a skillful assessment by a trained and licensed doctor.  (This goes for adjusting yourself as well).

I hope you laughed and learned today! If you need an adjustment give us a call (541) 753-1287. (I have taken more than a few Chiropractic Classes ).

        

Some of you may have visited your General Practitioner before for back pain.  If you did then it is likely that they recommended one of three interventions: 1) Drugs 2) Physical Therapy 3) Lifestyle Education.  The use of drugs to treat back pain is somewhat controversial with the possibility of side effects.  Most back pain is mechanical so a pharmaceutical approach will not completely resolve a mechanical issue.  As for physical therapy an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association states the following about physical therapy for back pain: "Modalities...used by physical therapists... may provide short-term symptomatic relief, but there is no evidence that they alter the long-term course of acute or chronic low back pain."  (JAMA. 2008;299(17):2066-2077).  Lifestyle education is effective but slow to react.  When you have back pain you need help right away and proper lifting mechanics and posture training is effective for prevention but once you have a problem it isn't very quick at decreasing back pain.