A recent article from FOX News discussed an operation to the brainstem (near the top bones of the spine) in 10 patients with type II diabetes. (A disease that's threatening to cripple the economy of the United States not to mention the suffering of the individuals.)
After the surgery, 7 out of the 10 patients were able to reduce their diabetes medication due to an improvement in their condition and one person even stopped the medication completely. The results of this surgery were nothing less than amazing and the medical professionals involved have a right to be excited about such impressive results, but what if there were something even better?
Upper Cervical chiropractic deals with the same area of the brainstem and takes care of it with precision in a very gentle manner (no knives in my office). The purpose of chiropractic is to correct the spine of abnormal movement and/or alignment thus removing interference. The surgery described above was to "decompress" the nerves in the area. (Read the details of the surgery here.)
Now for some very important questions:
- What was compressing the nerves?
- What is the cost to hospitalize, anesthetize, and operate on an individual?
- What is the risk associated with cutting someone open and performing this surgery on the neck and brain?
Compare this to a very natural, gentle and precise procedure using the hands to accomplish a correction of the alignment and motion of the upper spine without any cutting.
Should such a surgery be considered before less invasive means? My question is - did the doctors performing this surgery ever think to ask how the compression got there in the first place?
Not to take anything away from medical advances, I readily admit that the surgery mentioned here is truly amazing, but I find even more amazing that such intelligent people can completely ignore very inexpensive, non-invasive means of relieving interference to this critical area.
Reconnecting the brain to the body and the body to the brain non-invasively - Dr. Steve Perry
For all you anatomy lovers out there, here's a video of the area of the spine we're dealing with. Enjoy:
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Monday Video
Michael Pollan on Food in America
- Here is an informative and entertaining video on "food".
Enjoy
- Here is an informative and entertaining video on "food".
Enjoy
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Don't Try This At Home (AKA - Definition of Death)
On October 12, 1984, on a Hollywood set, actor Jon-Erik Hexum was critically wounded after he placed a prop gun loaded with blanks to his head and pulled the trigger.
Hexum was rushed to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, but the fracture in his skull from the paper used to pack the powder was too great.
Although his heart was beating, his lungs were breathing, and his gut was digesting, Hexum's brain was no longer functioning.
Was he alive or dead?
Because the year was 1984, he was actually pronounced braindead, or legally dead. But this wasn't always the case - if this had happened just 10 years earlier, he would have legally still been alive.
It wasn't until 1981 that the brain was used to determine whether a person was alive or dead in the US (except in New Jersey and New York which still use the heart). Before that the heart and lungs were used as a guide for death which became problematic with the use of respirators which could keep someone alive as a "vegetable" indefinitely.
So, because this happened to Jon in 1984, his family was able to elect to have his organs donated including his still beating heart.
So, if he was braindead, why was his heart still beating?
The part of the brain used for heart, lung, and gut function is the lowest part of the brain (brainstem) where the base of the skull meets the neck. This part of the brain is responsible for keeping the body alive and can continue to do so even with "nobody home".
We've all seen Kung-Fu movies (for some of us even one is too many) where a person is killed by attacking this very area of the body - the brainstem located in the upper neck. This happens because this is the area that maintains the major life-giving organs and systems of the body.
So how in the world is this relevant to Chiropractic or to Wellness? Chiropractic focuses on the nerve system. The nerves run from every part of the body to the brain and from the brain back to every part of the body. The brain can only function correctly when it is receiving proper signals from the body. Similarly, the body only functions properly when it receives correct signals from the brain, it's a 2-way street.
Just like the Kung-Fu masters know, interference can be created along this fast communication system of nerves from trauma. In their case the interference is major, but in many cases there is only minor interference from minor bumps and falls that happen in life, and in fact many times during the birthing process.
Because the nerves have connections to and from ALL major tissues, organs, and systems of the body, interference along these lines can create a whole host of problems - both obvious and silent. People undergoing chiropractic care have seen improvement in a multitude of conditions from ADD to Asthma from improved digestion to improved immune function. The list of things nerve interference can create is endless.
Sometimes if the interference is minor, it can exist for years with no symptoms, other times the symptoms come on immediately. Generally, the effects of mechanical interference are cumulative and continue to build over the years.
If there is physical interference along the nerve system what drug is going to remove it? What surgery? What yoga pose? What nutritional supplement? What stress-relief technique? All of these things are great, but none of them are specific enough to remove what ails much of the population.
Chiropractors are the ONLY profession trained to look for and correct the cause of mechanical interference of the nerves. Chiropractors do this through a gentle, natural method without drugs.
The best approach to health is one that incorporates a wellness lifestyle (for health), traditional medicine (for sickness), and of course chiropractic (for optimal nerve function).
When was the last time you had your nerve system checked?
Reconnecting you to Life Reconnected through chiropractic - Dr. Steve Perry, DC
references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon-Erik_Hexum
http://media.photobucket.com/image/jon-erik%20hexum/staclynn72/Jon/GoneToosoon-Jon-ErikHexum.jpg
Hexum was rushed to the hospital where he underwent emergency surgery, but the fracture in his skull from the paper used to pack the powder was too great. Although his heart was beating, his lungs were breathing, and his gut was digesting, Hexum's brain was no longer functioning.
Was he alive or dead?
Because the year was 1984, he was actually pronounced braindead, or legally dead. But this wasn't always the case - if this had happened just 10 years earlier, he would have legally still been alive.
It wasn't until 1981 that the brain was used to determine whether a person was alive or dead in the US (except in New Jersey and New York which still use the heart). Before that the heart and lungs were used as a guide for death which became problematic with the use of respirators which could keep someone alive as a "vegetable" indefinitely.
So, because this happened to Jon in 1984, his family was able to elect to have his organs donated including his still beating heart.
So, if he was braindead, why was his heart still beating?
The part of the brain used for heart, lung, and gut function is the lowest part of the brain (brainstem) where the base of the skull meets the neck. This part of the brain is responsible for keeping the body alive and can continue to do so even with "nobody home".
We've all seen Kung-Fu movies (for some of us even one is too many) where a person is killed by attacking this very area of the body - the brainstem located in the upper neck. This happens because this is the area that maintains the major life-giving organs and systems of the body.
So how in the world is this relevant to Chiropractic or to Wellness? Chiropractic focuses on the nerve system. The nerves run from every part of the body to the brain and from the brain back to every part of the body. The brain can only function correctly when it is receiving proper signals from the body. Similarly, the body only functions properly when it receives correct signals from the brain, it's a 2-way street.Just like the Kung-Fu masters know, interference can be created along this fast communication system of nerves from trauma. In their case the interference is major, but in many cases there is only minor interference from minor bumps and falls that happen in life, and in fact many times during the birthing process.
Because the nerves have connections to and from ALL major tissues, organs, and systems of the body, interference along these lines can create a whole host of problems - both obvious and silent. People undergoing chiropractic care have seen improvement in a multitude of conditions from ADD to Asthma from improved digestion to improved immune function. The list of things nerve interference can create is endless.
Sometimes if the interference is minor, it can exist for years with no symptoms, other times the symptoms come on immediately. Generally, the effects of mechanical interference are cumulative and continue to build over the years.
If there is physical interference along the nerve system what drug is going to remove it? What surgery? What yoga pose? What nutritional supplement? What stress-relief technique? All of these things are great, but none of them are specific enough to remove what ails much of the population.
Chiropractors are the ONLY profession trained to look for and correct the cause of mechanical interference of the nerves. Chiropractors do this through a gentle, natural method without drugs.
The best approach to health is one that incorporates a wellness lifestyle (for health), traditional medicine (for sickness), and of course chiropractic (for optimal nerve function).
When was the last time you had your nerve system checked?
Reconnecting you to Life Reconnected through chiropractic - Dr. Steve Perry, DC
references:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jon-Erik_Hexum
http://media.photobucket.com/image/jon-erik%20hexum/staclynn72/Jon/GoneToosoon-Jon-ErikHexum.jpg
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
The best thing I ever did for my health and happiness
Well, ok, the BEST thing I ever did was marry Natalie, but a close second is today's topic.
Today, I'm not going to give a long intro, I'll not keep you waiting and just get right to it: One of the best things I ever did for my health and happiness was to change my understanding about the way my body works.
Currently, when I look in the mirror, I love who I see because I have an increased understanding of who that is looking back at me. I understand that this body is merely a shell of dirt, being maintained by an organizing intelligence. My understanding changed when I realized the absolute truth - that this body renews and regenerates itself continually. This body is set on automatic to heal and replace itself. I realized that I am not the same person I was yesterday, last year, or last decade...I realized that my body is earth, it's animated earth. It comes and goes, it's fleeting - and so is yours. Take a look:
- The lining of the gut is entirely replaced every 5 days.
- Your external-most skin regenerates every 14 days.
- Your blood cells replenish themselves every 3-4 months.
- Your bones and muscles last about a decade.
- Your brain on the other hand lasts a while longer.
All of this put together allowed me to change my understanding of who and what I am. I am not this body, but this body is a reflection of who I am and everything that's happened to me. It reflects the environment I'm currently in and every environment that I've been in in the past. It reflects the choices I am currently making and every choice I've made in the past. The most important contributors to whether we are sick or well are what the body is fed in terms of nutrition, movement, and thoughts. Another way of thinking of it is - this body is like my house, only better. It's smart! And keeps rebuilding itself constantly - day in, day out - without my thinking about it.
"What I did was change my understanding about the way my body works."If I place my body in a poor food environment (feed it poorly), it's like building a house out of rotted wood, if I feed it what it was designed to have, it builds itself very soundly. This goes for choosing the McFilthy double bacon cheeseburger or the fresh, organic salad with organic, cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil dressing and pasture-raised chicken. This goes for choosing to sit on the couch day after day or choosing to do squats and pushups. This goes for looking at myself and saying, "I wish [my nose, hair, body shape, etc.] were different," or saying, "I love myself and I'm grateful to have this body today, it's doing exactly what it was designed to do given the circumstances."
I could go on and on about all the choices people make all day long, the reality is that your body is absolutely amazing and it wants nothing more than to be healthy and happy. Of course it does! The major reason it's not doing this is the environment it is being placed in day after day. Achieving a solution requires a shift in YOUR thinking, an increase in YOUR understanding that your body is doing (with few exceptions) exactly what it SHOULD be doing based on your choices about what environment you choose to put it in.
If you want to make better choices about what environment you are placing your body in, a wellness expert or coach is the best option to help you change that stinkin' thinkin' over to beneficial thoughts in line with the way your body really operates. The reality is that the culture in America acts as if what you put into your body isn't important--that if you get sick, you can blame your genes/parents or some virus/bacteria or plain old bad luck.
The reality is that yes, accidents happen and there is an occasional genetic cause (<2% -- and we're lucky to have medicine for these conditions), but over the long haul, people are primarily sick or well based on the thoughts and beliefs that run through their heads all day long. This constant stream of thoughts will directly control what you choose to eat and how you choose to move your body.
In order to have the best possible body and best possible life, you've got to get control of that steady stream of thoughts that controls every aspect of your life and is also responsible for your happiness. The main problem is that most people have never evaluated those thoughts, why those thought are there, and how to improve them. Wellness doctors are trained to help people improve their environment by making better choices and they offer classes on how to evaluate what's going on in that bean of yours.
Although great at stitching us back together again and helping with the occasional genetic defect (<2% of cases), the "Health" Care System in the US is not very good at helping us make better choices and getting us to place ourselves in environments that produce health. They simply are not trained in getting us to change our understanding of how our body works and WHY it's behaving the way it is. It's incredible that this is the very thing that will allow us the best possible health and happiness that we all deserve - naturally.
Here's to health and happiness based on choice not chance.
Reconnecting you to Choosing Happiness and Health, day after day based on New Understanding - Doctor Steve Perry, DC
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Flu - Are you going to let it get you?
It's on its way again. After last year's flop of an H1N1 threat and the accompanying scandal, I hope I stop seeing advertisements of "free" (e.g. paid for using extorted tax dollars) shots for it!
Americans at the same time also suffer from epidemic levels of deficiency in: fresh, whole vegetables and fruits, high-quality meat, high-quality fish and omega-3 fats, good bacteria in the gut, sun and Vitamin D, exercise, properly functioning spines, feelings of love and appreciation for self and others, feeling of belonging and life purpose, gratitude . . . the list could go on.
How could we possibly expect to be well when all this is the case?
Should we really expect one shot to be able to take away the problems associated with weak immune systems we created by living toxic and deficient lifestyles?
So, how about. . .
Question #2 - How can we get and stay well?
The answer to this one is SO simple! Supply your body with what it requires (sufficiency) and keep your body free from things that harm it (purity). Sufficiency and Purity are the most logical ways to allow your body to express the lifelong health and freedom from illness and disease (including the flu) that you and your children deserve.
If you want to have the health you deserve (and a strong immune system), be sure that you are putting in nutritious things in terms of Eating and Moving and Thinking. This includes adequate vitamin D (which performed better than the flu shot in studies in children), veggies and fruits, high-quality meat and fish, probiotics from plant sources, exercise, chiropractic care (to ensure a properly functioning spine and nervous system), feelings of belonging and contributing to an economy, working towards a life-purpose, unconditional love for yourself and others, gratitude, etc.
This also means staying away from sugar, too many omega-6 fats (from vegetable oils, grains, and industrial meat), trans fats, dangerous drugs, processed foods, sedentary living, poor posture, accidents/trauma that damage your spine and joints, perceptions of stress, etc.
Only when we begin to ask ourselves better questions (like WHY we are sick) do we have any chance at coming up with a real solution to the pandemics of suffering that we see in modern America. When I think of the little ones, I say to myself, "It's worth it." I get the motivation to love and care for my body the way it was intended to be - this so that my kids will have a good example to follow. And all of this so they can grow up with healthy bodies and great immune systems, naturally.
Reconnecting you to lifelong wellness and prevention.
Yours in Health, Love, and Freedom through informed choices - Steve Perry
PS - Anyone seen an advertisement for raw eggplant yet? I'm still waiting.
In deciding how one is going to deal with the dreaded "flu season" this year, there is always the decision to vaccinate in the young, the old, and everyone in between.
I find health care and government recommendations to vaccinate every man, woman, and child (over 6 months) in America quite odd in light of the research. A recent review of the literature failed to show that vaccinating children under 5 for flu was any better than placebo and yet we continue the recommendations - who's running this thing?
So, with all the hype and fear-mongering on the news, internet, magazines, etc, how does one decide what to do concerning flu? Let's apply the two most important questions you could ever ask yourself concerning long-term health and wellness:
Question #1 - Why do Americans suffer so much flu-related illness?
Answer #1 - Simple: Toxicity and Deficiency.
Americans by and large are toxic with most or all of the following: sugar, omega-6 fats, refined carbohydrates and trans-fats, gut bacteria imbalance, sedentary lifestyles, subluxation, anger, stress, and more. All of these things are stressors which reduce the short- and long-term immune system function designed to respond to invaders.
 |
| Photo from Flickr.com |
How could we possibly expect to be well when all this is the case?
Should we really expect one shot to be able to take away the problems associated with weak immune systems we created by living toxic and deficient lifestyles?
So, how about. . .
Question #2 - How can we get and stay well?
The answer to this one is SO simple! Supply your body with what it requires (sufficiency) and keep your body free from things that harm it (purity). Sufficiency and Purity are the most logical ways to allow your body to express the lifelong health and freedom from illness and disease (including the flu) that you and your children deserve.
If you want to have the health you deserve (and a strong immune system), be sure that you are putting in nutritious things in terms of Eating and Moving and Thinking. This includes adequate vitamin D (which performed better than the flu shot in studies in children), veggies and fruits, high-quality meat and fish, probiotics from plant sources, exercise, chiropractic care (to ensure a properly functioning spine and nervous system), feelings of belonging and contributing to an economy, working towards a life-purpose, unconditional love for yourself and others, gratitude, etc.
This also means staying away from sugar, too many omega-6 fats (from vegetable oils, grains, and industrial meat), trans fats, dangerous drugs, processed foods, sedentary living, poor posture, accidents/trauma that damage your spine and joints, perceptions of stress, etc.
Only when we begin to ask ourselves better questions (like WHY we are sick) do we have any chance at coming up with a real solution to the pandemics of suffering that we see in modern America. When I think of the little ones, I say to myself, "It's worth it." I get the motivation to love and care for my body the way it was intended to be - this so that my kids will have a good example to follow. And all of this so they can grow up with healthy bodies and great immune systems, naturally.
Reconnecting you to lifelong wellness and prevention.
Yours in Health, Love, and Freedom through informed choices - Steve Perry
PS - Anyone seen an advertisement for raw eggplant yet? I'm still waiting.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Becoming the Doctor
Classes ... Done!
Clinic ... Checked out this week!
National Board Examinations ... No problem!
Deciding on what location to begin practicing ... To Be Determined!
I enjoyed the chiropractic curriculum but am glad to be done. I learned a ton and will continue to strive for lifelong education and improvement of my knowledge and clinical skills.
Checking out of the Health Center this week has been bitter-sweet. It is sweet to be done and have finished the multitude of requirements in the Health Center, but it is tough to say, "Goodbye" to all those I've been working with to achieve a new level of health and happiness.
I've completed all the requirements of the Life Chiropractic College West doctoral program and all testing for the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners. I am free and clear as far as proficiency examinations go! Next step is to take the licensing and ethics test for the state (or states) I will be practicing in, and then you can officially call me "Doctor Steve"!
There's only one small thing stopping me from helping all those people out there who really want to get and stay well - I don't know where I'm going to open up shop yet. I'll be sure to keep you up-to-date on the major decisions that lie ahead.
In the meantime, I'll continue posting relevant discussions about the scientific evidence behind Eating, Moving, and Thinking better to obtain a life of Natural Health and Happiness which results in the Freedom to Live with passion!
Yours in Health, Love, and Freedom Naturally - (almost Dr.) Steve
P.S. - if you're thinking you'd like a new Wellness Doctor and Chiropractor to move to your area to put Health back into your "Health Care", add a comment to this post and I'll be sure to consider you :)
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