How not to break your pencils from stress!!

PC Load Letter?  What the F is PC Load Letter?  Most of us know what happened to that poor copy machine, (damn it feels good to be a gangster) I mean Micheal Bolton went to work on it.  Many of us are stressed out, and a lot of us get tight shoulders as a result of "carrying" your stress in your shoulders.  Here a few little tips on how to "de-stress" and live a little cooler.  Lastly little point did you know that stress causes or worsen 90% of all diseases and illnesses.

1) Don’t Just Sit There. Move! According to many psychologists, motion creates “emotion”. You might notice that when you are idle, it’s easier to become depressed. Your heart rate slows down, less oxygen travels to your brain, and you are slumped somewhere in a chair blocking air from reaching your lungs. I challenge you right now, regardless of how you are feeling, to get up and walk around at a fast tempo. Maybe you might want to go to an empty room and jump up and down a little bit. Movement is everything. Jumping up and down may sound silly but the results speak for themselves. Try it now for a few minutes. By now, if you just did some type of movement, you should feel more energetic and in a better mood. It works like “magic”.
2) Smell The Roses. “Stop and smell the roses.” How do you smell the roses? How about investing some money to go on that one trip you’ve been dreaming about? Would Paris do? There you will find lots of exotic places to jolt your imagination and spur your creativity. You can also visit the Caribbean and learn how to scuba dive. Can you imagine swimming deep under the beautiful blue water alongside some of the most beautiful creatures you have ever seen? If you can’t do that, just plan a short trip to a town nearby so you can get away from it all. Do it for a day. “What an exceptional way to smell the roses!”
3) Get Some Company. If you’re like me, you have many acquaintances, but you only have a few true friends. This isn’t because you’re introverted. It is because you’re very selective about who you let enter your territory. You’ve worked too hard to build your house—your dream—and you won’t let anyone destroy it for you in the blink of an eye. When you’re feeling down, call your true friends and share what it is that you’re going through. Ask for their advice or input. While their advice or suggestions may be helpful, often you’ll find that simply verbalizing your problems will help you feel better.  It works. Try it next time you are having some difficulties.
4) Help Others Cope With Their Problems. It is very therapeutic when you engross yourself in helping others. You will be surprised how many people’s problems are worse than those you may be facing. You can offer others assistance in countless ways. Don’t curl up in your bed and let depression and stress take hold of you. Get out and help somebody. There are many charitable organizations that can use your help right now. Call the National Federation of the Blind so that they can tell you how to get involved. Remember, you’re dealing with STRESS!
5) Laugh A Little. By now you’ve heard that laughter is a good internal medicine. It relieves tension and loosens the muscles. It causes blood to flow to the heart and brain. More importantly, laughter releases a chemical that rids the body of pains. Yet, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Every day, researchers discover new benefits of laughter. Let me ask you this question: “Can you use a good dose of belly-shaking laughter every now and then?” Of course you can.

Pills V "Pops"!!! Almost as good as Clubber V Rocky

V

Many people turn to Ibuprofen when they are in pain, and don't think about what actually created that symptom.  Yes, pain is a symptom that something isn't right with your body. Of course if we have a slip or fall then pain is a normal reaction.  My fellow chiropractors will probably disown me for using "pops" but it got your attention. Would you feel comfortable flying in plane if you knew one crashed every day?  That is how many people die each year from taking prescription medication.  Would you take a medication if you knew that 16,500 people died from side effects each year?  That is how many people die from taking NSAIDs every year.


The World Federation of Chiropractic defines chiropractic as, "A health profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the musculoskeletal system, and the effects of these disorders on the function of the nervous system and general health."

Ibuprofen is in a class of drugs called non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).  Ibuprofen works by reducing hormones that cause inflammation and pain in the body.

Serious side effects from spinal manipulation are rare, I like to say you have a better chance of winning the Powerball and MegaMillions in the same week then getting a serious side effect from chiropractic.  However, the incidence of adverse events from manipulation is about 1 in 100 million.  The stories you usually hear about some one getting seriously hurt typically the manipulation is not done by a chiropractor, but a laymen or another health care practitioner who was not trained fully in spinal manipulation.

Side effects from Ibuprofen can be blood in the vomit or bloody, black, or tarry stools, an allergic reaction (difficulty breathing; closing of the throat; swelling of the lips, tongue, or face; or hives); muscle cramps, numbness, or tingling; ulcers (open sores) in the mouth; rapid weight gain (fluid retention); seizures; decreased hearing or ringing in the ears; yellowing of the skin and eyes (jaundice); abdominal cramping, indigestion, or heartburn.  Less serious side effects but, side effects you are more likely to have occur dizziness or headache; nausea; gaseousness; diarrhea, or constipation; depression fatigue or weakness; dry mouth; or irregular menstrual periods.

More than 100,000 people die every year from an adverse reaction to improperly prescribed and/or commonly used over the counter medications.  Many adverse drug reactions and deaths can her prevented if patients were properly warned or better yet take responsibility themselves to find out the serious side effects of any medications they decided to take.  After reading all of this information why anyone would choose the medicinal route vs chiropractic, a treatment that has been well documented over the past as having tremendous results for different ailments, AMAZES me!

  

Last but certainly not least, I hope you got down to this point because its the show stopper!!!  Do pills like ibuprofen treat the cause of any symptom?  Well of course not boys and girls!  Does a chiropractic adjustment treat the cause of any symptom?  Fooled you, Not in the slightest.  But what chiropractic does is increase the bodies ability to treat itself by increasing nerve function.

Chocolate, not just a Johnny Deep movie.

Most of us crave it, sometimes we eat too much, and just like Chief Wiggum once said in the Simpsons "Sure, we melted for him. Now he's gonna do likewise" in reference to the movie Chocolate.  It has been a long standing notion that dark chocolate is good for us but why and how?  

A Reuters Health article from August 27, 2003 repost on research that shows that eating dark chocolate, not milk chocolate, raises plasma antioxidant levels, an effect that could help protect against heart disease. The new study from the University of Glasgow, showed eating chocolate increases blood antioxidants but consuming milk at the same time cancels the health benefits.  What are antioxidants?  They are compounds that combine free radicals in the body and neutralize their damaging effects.  What are free radicals?  The are highly reactive molecules that are produced through normal body processes, as well as external stimuli such as air pollution and tobacco smoke.  There free radicals react with billions of cells in the body and may lead to the development of a number of chronic diseases including cancer, cataracts, and heart disease.  There are many studies in the medical journals demonstrating the posited effects of antioxidants on large populations to decrease the frequency of new cancers as well as decrease the recurrence rates in people who already have cancer.  Additionally, antioxidants have been shown to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system by decreasing the heart attack rate.  Volunteers in the University of Glasgow study were given either plain (dark) chocolate or milk chocolate.  Some were also given milk in the double-blind experiment.  Then their antioxidant levels were tested.  Blood analysis one-hour after dark chocolate was eaten revealed a significant rise in antioxidant levels.  "Those volunteers who had dark chocolate had a 20 percent increase in antioxidants in their plasma," said Alan Crozier, one of the research team.  "But those who had milk chocolate, or milk with their dark chocolate, showed no increase in epicatechin plasma levels."

That 2:30 feeling??? Really

So as 2:30 comes upon us here in the central time zone, and 5 hour energy has done such a great job marketing (personally I don't like taste and have tried it and it does nothing for me) but I yawn about this time so I thought some people sleep in their cubes or at home wherever you may be.  I just figured why not find the zaniest reason for skipping that 5 hour energy and napping it out.

5 "This is just a 15min power-nap like they raved about in that time management course you sent me to"

4 "I wasn't sleeping! I was mediating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm" (My personal favorite)

3 "I was doing a highly specific yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Do you discriminate towards people who practice yoga?"

2 "Dang! Why did you interrupt me?  I almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem!"  (I like to substitute biggest problem for The Matrix, yes I know I am nerd)

1 "...in Jesus' name, Amen."

Headaches

Now I don't know if you know the story of me battling with headaches as a child, but when I was younger I suffered from very severe headaches that caused me to black out and throw up.  My parents went to great lengths to find out what was causing me to have such terrible headaches and were very worried for my health.  Well after one cat scan reveled nothing, the doctors on the case just assumed there had to be pressure somewhere surrounding my brain that caused my headaches.  Well, then it was suggested that surgeons drill random holes into me head time.  Luckily for me, my parents were against this but were still at a lose.  I was then involved in a car accident with my father, after this accident I am not sure how but we went to see a chiropractor.  Well after the chiropractic exam the doctor said I think I can help with your headaches.  So about 8 months after treatment I was headache free, and I continued this way to this day (as long as I get a "tune up").  If you know someone who might be suffering from headaches and would like to see if chiropractic can help them please get them to your local chiropractor.

In a recent poll, done by ABC News, USA Today, and the Stanford University Medical Center, of 1,204 American Adults more than half of respondents reported chronic or recurrent pain and nearly as many said that they have had pain in the previous two weeks.  Of pain types listed, headache pain was the third most common experienced.  This isn’t surprising given that an estimated 90% of men and 95% of women have had at least one headache in the previous 12 months.  What’s surprising is that the poll also shows that 48% of those in pain said they had no idea what was causing their pain- and 33% said they used over the counter drugs every day or at least once a week.  Pain relieving medications generally fail to address the cause of the pain and they certainly can’t prevent future pain, and in the case of headaches, it is possible that abrupt withdrawal of the drug can cause additional pain, known as rebound headaches.   Wouldn’t it make sense to seek a method that of treatment that first explores the cause of your headaches and then addresses the cause while also working to relive your pain?  Fortunately, your Doctor of Chiropractic intends to do just that – diagnose treat, and prevent headaches.  If clinically necessary, diagnostic tests may include x-rays, neurological, orthopedic, and laboratory work-up.  Treatment can only happen after a diagnosis of your headache type and a conclusion is reached as to what causes your pain have been established, then treatment can begin.  If chiropractic care will best meet your needs, treatment will begin after it is first outlined and explained to you.  Chiropractic uses several means of treatment to reach the desired results.  To know how to avoid future headaches, you must first know what is causing them.  As this will be a crucial part of your chiropractic experience, headache avoidance will be much easier post-chiropractic.  Because everyone’s headaches are cause by different factors, it is impossible to predict what means will be necessary for you to prevent headache pain.  If you often have headaches following skipped meals, for instance, you will be advised to eat at regular intervals.  If your headaches are carcinogenic in nature, advice on maintaining normality in the structures of the neck – such as improved posture, stretching and relaxation techniques, may be discussed.