News from Lifetime Wellness Chiropractic

Greetings from Lifetime Wellness Chiropractic!

Meet the newest member of our team, Autumn Gray! Autumn is a Washington native and currently lives with her fiance and personal chef, Neil, in Seattle. She enjoys yoga, hiking, and is a skilled poet and spoken word performer. Autumn avidly works to do her part for the environment and has chosen to lead a carless lifestyle. Please join us in welcoming Autumn.

Lifetime Wellness Chiropractic will be hosting Bring A Friend Day. Sign up a friend who you feel could benefit from chiropractic. They will have an opportunity for a complimentary consultation with the doctors and you will recieve a complimentary adjustment. You both will leave with a Starbucks card to go and enjoy a treat of your choice. Dr Deam's day is scheduled for Friday, May 29. Dr Denniston's day will be held Saturday, May 30 between 2-6PM. We look forward to meeting your friend!

An Analogy To Wellness

Your house, a beautiful, solid structure, is flawless, functional, protective, and precious. Now, picture this house on fire. What would you do? Possibly stand outside and look up at the curling flames and say, "Oooohhh pretty"? No, you would grab the nearest phone and call the fire department.

Down your street the firefighters rush to rescue your splendid "castle". Up your front steps they fly with ladders, hoses, and helmets. You stand aside in mixed horror and relief as you see your windows bashed out and a geyser of water spurting from a hole that wasn't there a few minutes ago.

At last, the flames are extinguished. Firemen and appropriately aimed water are victorious. As the handsome firefighters emerge with relaxed "all in a day's work" looks on their faces, you resist the urge to collapse at their feet in gratitude. You wrap your arms around your family and you wave like synchronized swimmers as the big red truck drives off into the sunset. You turn toward your house. Smoke arises from the ashes. You circle the perimeter and realize that this dripping mess is a shadow of its former glory. Shutters are hanging limply from their hinges, paint is burned away, and an additional entrance has been chopped through your beautiful almond siding. Your feelings straddle a long thin line between thankful joy and sorrow. The fire is out, but at what cost?

Several days after the blaze the "investigators" determine the fire started in old wiring. The insulation, not properly protected, caught immediately. The fire alarm, which would have warned you, had no battery. Two silenced, naked snaps dangle from that black and red wire. You remember the "Sunday morning, bacon-burning, irritating-smoke-alarm" scenario.

Let us shift scenes for a moment. Picture those handsome firefighters. Change their yellow jumpsuits to white coats accessorized with stethoscopes. Consider your beautiful "home" is actually the magnificent body in which you dwell. Think about some of the heroic "firefighting" that is required of our doctors and nurses. Cancer treatment? Amazing! Triple heart bypass? Heroic! Total knee replacement? Nothing short of a miracle! Do these interventions, like the firefighters bursting through your front door with a hatchet, sometimes come with repercussions? Absolutely!

Let us return to the story of the now goopy "paper-mache" mess that was your home. Think back to the early first blush of joyful home ownership. Had you spent as much time assessing the healthy and wellness of your dwelling as you did picking out curtains from Pottery Barn you might find yourself still comfy in your Lazyboy watching your fine plasma screen. Maybe you should have preemptively called in an expert to assess early home maintenance issues. Had the call been made, you might not be currently standing on what one could only describe as rubble. You know the person I am referring to-the one who comes with a tool belt and a smile. The one who has an inexhaustible knowledge of the inner workings of your home. That expert who can say, "Yes, you do need to replace that insulation and the faulty wiring, and although it might be time consuming and expensive, it might be in your best interest to have your roof repaired, your dry rot addressed, and the rodent problem licked".

This same person, if an expert at physiology and health, rather than an expert at roof leaks and window repairs, might advise you not to wait to fix structural issues in your "house" until these issues are on the brink of causing mass destruction. They might offer the same sage advise-attend to health issues before they lead to bigger problems.

Who is this maintenance man you ask? You may think of your Chiropractor as your "firefighter" for back pain. I challenge you to think "tool belt" not "fire hose". Chiropractors ultimately get better results when given the opportunty to address early postural instability, range of motion issues, and nervous system inhibitions. Guess what? These early signals of potentially very significant health issues are not signaled by a fire alarm!

I flinch when a patient responds to my recommendation with "Yeah, I think I will just call when I feel something go whacky". I think to myself "maintenance man, not firefighter Jim". I am your maintenance man (or woman). Chiropractors are part of the team to help you consistently achieve your long term goals of health-not just a "hose down" on the intermittent fires.

When seeking health and wellness goals one should consider other experts. Think of us as a team with unique tool belts for a healthier you. Allow a trainer to teach you proper techniques for core strength and stabilization before a serious disk issue gets your attention. Employ a Naturopath to aid in addressing your nutritional issues before diabetes becomes the diagnosis. Speak to a professional about heading off potential stressors in your life.

You can also be your own maintenance man. Improve your nutritional choices, adopt that exercise regimen, and practice margin in your life. These are all wonderful maintenance techniques to love and nurture that truly amazing gift; our glorious body.

Unfortunately, many people subscribe to the firefighter mentality. Does taking an "if it ain't broke, don't fix it attitude" with our health make sense? Does waiting until there is a serious diagnosis work Let us consider the statistics below:

225,000 deaths occur yearly due to the following: unnecessary surgery, medication errors in hospitals, infections in hospitals, and "non-error" negative effects of drugs. Iatrogenic death from medicine is the third leading cause of death in the United States

15,000-26,000 deaths a year from blood pressure medications.

6,900-17,000 deaths a year from cholesterol controlling medications.

4,300-9,600 deaths from diabetes controlling medications.

(See www.mercola.com "Death by Medicine: references" for all sited references)

These statistics are just a blip on the radar. There are many examples of medical intervention benefits being largely outweighed by adverse repercussions. A significant number of my patients assume medical intervention comes at little cost. This is often not the case.

The question ultimately is why are you waiting to let the "firefighters" bang on your door? The path they leave can potentially be extremely damaging to your wellbeing. We must work diligently to prevent the fire in the first place. Would I like my arm sewn back on by a qualified charming physician if it got caught in an unfortunate auger accident? Of course. Should I, aside from "arm-severing freak accidents" work daily to educate and train myself to take full responsibility for my future as a thriving healthy human so I can avoid the front doors of a hospital at all costs? Yes.

Your health is the most valuable possession that you will ever have. An obvious statement perhaps, but take this opportunity to think about the attention you pay to your body, a truly amazing work of art. Think about the maintenance required to enable your splendid "castle" to give your the best opportunity to enjoy optimal health right now and always.

PS To all firefighters who are my current and future patients, this was an ANALOGY. You are wonderful heroes and please come to my house if it is burning!

By Heather Denniston, DC (concept attributed to James Chestnut, DC)

Is All of the Swine Flu Hype Necessary?

Over the past few weeks we have been bombarded by media coverage of the swine flu outbreak. Fortunately, the 24/7 coverage has decreased, however, many corporate companies have sent mass emails to their employees educating them on the Swine flu and mandating that they send home any employees that show any symptoms relatively close to flu symptoms. School districts have canceled SATs. Families have been encouraged to cancel travel out of precaution. "Several nations have imposed travel bans or made plans to quarantine air travelers. Fear is so widespread that one country has ordered the slaughter of the country's 300,000 pigs, even though no cases have been reported there". Some of these precautions are prudent but how far will we go? Are all of the extremes necessary? The fact is, this is not the first time that the Swine flu has entered into public warning. "The last time was in 1976 and resulted in a massive swine flu vaccination campaign. The end result of the campaign was tragic and not in the way you may expect. Within a few months, claims totaling $1.3 billion had been filed by victims who had suffered paralysis after being injected by the vaccine. The vaccine was even blamed for 25 deaths! The swine flu pandemic itself never materialized".

"On April 29th 2009, in response to increasing cases of spine flu in various countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised its pandemic alert level to five out of six on their threat scale. Five means that the virus is capable of human to human transmission. Six means that a pandemic is under way." The definition of pandemic is "an epidemic (outbreak) that is geographically widespread". It is both difficult and ultimately damaging to forecast a pandemic. Currently, in America we have only experienced canceled events and recommendations to avoid confined spaces and travels. Other countries have jumped to more drastic measures, some of which may not be necessary. The United States, however, may start seeing the dangers that can occur if a rash response occurs. Will the number of injuries and deaths sustained in the 1976 swine flu vaccine campaign teach us to not make a quick, rash responses based on panic? Probably not and not because we will make poor choices. Unfortunately, we react because we don't know that there are safer options. We are also never made as aware of dangers from vaccinations as we are the threat of illness.

Let's get a grasp on the virus. "This particular strain of swine flu contains traits from the Avian (bird flu), which was found to be responsive to the drug, Tamiflu." As a side note, it's "convenient" that there are stockpiles of this drug that were never needed to be used to counter the Avian flu These Tamiflu stores will need to be disposed of soon if not used. Ironically enough, "a financial analyst for the Associated Press has estimated up to $388 million worth of Tamiflu sales in the near future", and that's a prediction based on precautionary measures that may happen in response to recent swine flu outbreak and not an actual swine flu pandemic. "More than half a dozen pharmaceutical companies, with stake in flu treatments and detection, have seen a rise in their shares in a matter of days and we will likely see revenue boosts if the swine flu outbreak continues to spread". The mere mention of a global virus sets off the money train! It is profitable for the virus to be sensationalized.

"Tamiflu, as mentioned above, is a drug that has been approved for the treatment of uncomplicated influenza A and B in children 1 year of age or older. The most common side effects of Tamiflu are the very symtoms that, with common flu symptoms, we are trying to avoid; nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and cough." In addition, the serious side effects of Tamiflu are just downright scary. The drug has been known to cause serious neurological side effects such as "convulsions, delerium, delusions, and emotional reactions. It has been blamed for 14 deaths in children and teens as a result of neuropsychiatric problems and brain infections. Japan banned Tamiflu for children in 2007 and, after dangers of this drug were publicly announced, the FDA finally began to investigate the 1,800 adverse event reports related to the drug".

Should we take a chance on a drug that has side effects that mimic the very symptoms that we are trying to avoid, has a chance of killing us, or injuring us permanently, has been banned completely in one country, and provides at best 36 hours of symptom relief? This all based upon a theory that medicating will prevent a swine flu pandemic that may never even arise at all? Will we utilize the same precautionary strategy of blindly vaccinating or medicating to avoid illness as we did in 1976 and risk the same devastating outcome? It should raise hairs that this drug is very expensive to consumers, is conveniently available in stockpiles, and is needing to be utilized quickly or it will be disposed of. I find it dangerous that this drug will line many pockets and is such a high risk. In addition, there is a chance that Tamiflu may not even be effective at all against this particular strain of swine flu, as flu experts do not even know if it is effective against the current seasonal flu, let alone an exotic mutated virus. It seems that the risk of being injured by taking this drug for a chance of preventing this flu is far greater than the probability of actually contracting the swine flu. On a final note, you should know that "when Homeland Security declares a health emergency, treatments and vaccines are to be immediately released from their stockpiles. This declaritive power also allows unapproved tests and drugs to be administered despite unknown consequences down the line.

You do not have to use artificial means such as vaccinations and medications to decrease your potential to illness. There are other options. You can naturally avoid infection from illnesses by taking an active role in optimizing your immunity. If your immune system is functioning properly, you are far less likely to aquire an infection. Instead of taking a potentially dangerous medication or injecting yourself with an innocuous substance of unknown ingredients, try this route:

Optimize your vitamin D levels. This is one of the best ways to avoid all infections. Vitamin D deficiencies are a common culprit behind the season flu. Visit a naturopath and have your vitamin D levels monitored.
Avoid sugar and processed foods. Sugar decreases immune system function.
Get enough rest
Address your stress level and practice effective stress management techniques.
Exercise. Increased body temperature makes it difficult for viruses to survive and prosper. Improving blood flow allows the components of your immune system to be circulate.
Take a quality source of omega 3's. Fish oil is an excellent option. If you are vegan or vegetarian, Flax seed oil will also suffice.
Wash your hands. DO NOT use antibacterial soap! Antibacterial products have caused us more harm than good and have put us in a situation where many of todays viruses are resistant to many broad spectrum antibiotics. The more that we continue to use antibacterial products and antibiotics, the more we continue to disable our immune systems. Immunity is built through exposure. Yes, you have to be exposed to illness in order for your body to recognize and learn how to fight illness. We have good bacteria all over, and within our bodies, that are our body's defense mechanisms. Antibacterial handsoaps, cleaning products, and oral antibiotics kill the good bacteria that our body needs to fight bacterial invadors.
Eat garlic regularly. Garlic is an excellent natural broad-spectrum antibiotic against bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Unlike manufactured antibiotics and antibacterial products, there will be no resistance build up to garlic.
Avoid hospitals unless you are having a medical emergency. Hospitals can be breeding grounds for infections and are actually one of the likeliest places to contract a serious infection.

The point of this article is not to further spread fear, nor is it a declaration that we should not follow precautions. With the recently broadcasted cases of flu in Washington state, the swine flu scare has hit close to home. Preventative measures should absolutely be taken to avoid confined spaces and, to the best of our ability, work to optimize our immunity to potential viral invaders. Is there the possibility, however, that if the swine flu is to become a larger issue than it is currently, and it does continue to spread, that we may be faced with a vaccination campaign? At this point, it will be in your hands to decide to medicate or vaccinate. Hopefully you will feel armed knowing that there are resources out there to help you make an informed decision. Keep in mind that the majority of flu cases that have been charted in the past few weeks, have been mild at the most and may not even be true swine flu.

I conclude with these questions: Should we take a chance and blindly vaccinate or medicate with a drug (such as Tamiflu) that is likely unsafe, quickly mass produced, and devoid of long term testing for safety? What can we proactively do to naturally equip ourselves with a strong immune system to help avoid the flu altogether?

Sarah Deam, DC

Facts and figures taken from Swine Flu Pandemic: Fact or Fiction and can be found in full on mercola.com. Article composed by Sarah Deam