Truth In Advertising FINALLY!

I’m sure CVS didn’t intend to have Thantos, the Incarnation of Death to be their spokesperson for this seasons Flu Shot Scare campaign… But if the scythe fits, carry it!

I’m not sure about you, but I enjoy my Saturday mornings.  Maybe its the joy of making pancakes for the kids, or the peace that comes from a few hours of not working.  Whatever it is, Saturday mornings seem to be a special time.  When I read the following story, it reminded me of just  how important the little things can be.  You see, every now and then someone will send me a wonderful story, one I enjoy sharing with family and friends.  I’d like to share this story with you now, because it struck a cord with me and I thought it might touch you as well.

 What began as a typical Saturday morning trying to find something in the garage turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it.

I turned the volume up on my radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning talk show. I heard an older-sounding man with a golden voice. You know the kind – like he should be in the broadcasting business himself. He was talking about “a thousand marbles” to someone named Tom. I was intrigued and sat down to listen to what he had to say. “Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you’re busy with your job. I’m sure they pay you well, but it’s a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work 60 or 70 hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter’s dance recital.”

He continued, “Let me tell you something, Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities.” And that’s when he began to explain his theory of a “thousand marbles.”

“You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about 75 years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about 75 years.

“So, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900, which is the number of Saturdays the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I’m getting to the important part.  “It took me until I was 55 years old to think about all this in any detail,” he went on, “and by that time I had lived through over 2800 Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be 75, I had only about a thousand of them left to enjoy.

“So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up a thousand marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in my workshop next to the radio. Every Saturday since then, I’ve taken one marble out and thrown it away.

“I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.

“Now, let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I’ve been blessed with a little extra time to be with my loved ones.

“It was nice to talk with you, Tom. I hope you get to spend more time with your loved ones, and I hope to meet you again someday. Have a good morning!”

You could have heard a pin drop when he finished. Even the show’s moderator didn’t have anything to say for a few moments. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to do some work that morning, then go to the gym. Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss.  “C’mon honey, I’m taking you and the kids to breakfast.”  “What brought this on?” she asked with a smile.  “Oh, nothing special,” I said. “It’s just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we’re out? I need to buy some marbles.”
:: Author Unknown

Chiro Crossword

           DOWN: 

1) Mercury, Fluoride, Nicotine, Caffeine are all  ________ to the body.

3) Doctors of chiropractic restore proper alignment and function by giving you an __________.

5) 20 minutes of __________ per day can reduce depression and increase heart function.

6)  Good ________ reduces joint tension and nerve stress.

8)  Chiropractic is the largest ________, drug-free healing profession.

11)  Physical, chemical and mental/emotional are forms of ________ that cause you to become subluxated.

12)  Having a ________ diet, posture and nervous system = an excellent life.

          ACROSS: 

2)  Long term chiropractic care has been demonstrated to boost ___________.

4)  Food grown without hormones or pesticides. 

7)  Dr. Bill Bollinger is a Doctor of ______________ .

9)  Discover Chiropractic Family __________ Center.  (Our practice name)

10) Eat at least 5 pieces of fruit and veggies per day as part of a healthy ______.

13)  A Vertebrae that has lost it’s proper position and function is called a __________ .

14)  Information travels to every cell, organ and system via _________ .

15)  Healthy choices and regular adjustments = an _________ life.

Marta explains how she recently had the best day in her life!  And this is AFTER a long term bout of sciatica and a fall that broke her back.  She continues her care program even after symptoms are gone because she understands that Health is not place that you arrive and set the parking brake.  It IS a journey! On that trip, you have good days and bad, but you don’t stop doing the things that help you have good days!

I am a passionate person, and as a doctor of chiropractic… even more so.

As a young doctor, I can recall getting really frustrated when someone I could help, sat in a chair right in front of me and decided to take a drug instead.  I took it personally, and was very upset that they didn’t value their health as much as I did.

Ok, I really didn’t value THEIR health.  I was imposing my set of values on them. It was ego, and the desire to put to use the skills I had been recently unleashed to use.

We live in a world, or I should say country that seems to live (and die) by the motto; “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”  And to be very honest, I was one of those people too.

Even as I entered chiropractic school with my degree in Exercise Physiology, I was all about helping (fixing) people.  So after more than twenty years in the healthcare field I don’t even recognize the values and philosophical stances of the Old Me.

 At this point in my journey, I have a few pet peeves, which I feel I must explain. 

1)  Even though there are some chiropractors who use the term in their offices.  Again I was once one of them.  I detest the term “treatment” when some attempt to apply it to the chiropractic adjustment.  When they use it I realize it is a sign that I need to educate them further on the difference between treatment and adjustment. They are very different things.

2) When people come to me wanting me to fix them, it is also an opportunity to let them know what a powerful being they are and that, with my help THEY will fix themselves. They have just lost something and most of them time, I can help them get it back.

3)  I don’t think chiropractic is the only answer to health.  That being said, if twins live the same lifestyle and have the same genetics, if one is under regular chiropractic care they will HANDS DOWN be the more healthy. There is proof of this.

4)  There IS a time and a place for the medical system.  I believe we have the very best emergency system and crisis care model on the planet.  But when we apply that model to healthy people… we will have more in the crisis line.

I hope this sheds a bit of light on my thought processes and approach to health. 

Please don’t hesitate to question or challenge these views, I am more than willing to discuss them with anyone.  Hopefully we will all gain from the interaction.

Yours in Wellness

Dr Bill

After working in the health field as a CMT/Personal Trainer for many years I had the opportunity to train a couple of Chiropractors.  They wanted me to help their patients hold their adjustments better by strengthening their core muscles.  I spent an afternoon in their office and watched in silence as many conditions were drastically improved by what seemed like such a simple natural procedure. I decided that day that chiropractic was the career of choice for me.

2)    Why I love Chiropractic:

Chiropractic is a process that adds nothing to the body and takes nothing away. It does reconnect you to the source of all natural wellness and allows… adapting, growing and healing.  Chiropractic allows each individual the opportunity to live to their potential.

3)    List three of my favorite practice members, and the results each has received from my care:

This is mission impossible for me.  I love all my practice members.  Helping them attain their wellness goals is extremely satisfying as a doctor. I get the biggest kick out of seeing the light go on in their eyes when they realize that their body is a powerful healing machine, and that they no longer have to live in constant fear of falling victim to one disease or malady or another.

4)    How I help people:

I reconnect my practice members to the source of healing and wellness by removing the major cause of nerve interference. I empower them to make better choices, to live a better lifestyle and experience life more fully.

5)    The most exciting thing about being a Chiropractor for me is:

The dramatic changes I see in the lives of not only those I care for but the family and friends they interact with.

6)    The thing about chiropractic I am most passionate about is:

I love seeing the light go on when they “get it.”  That they are not a passenger in life who must simply resign to accept what life has for them, but that they are powerful and can make things happen for themselves.

Germs don’t cause disease, your inability to adapt DOES.

During the week when I get home from the office, most evenings are spent with the kids. We finish their dinner, walk the dogs or pick something from the backyard garden. Once both kids are in bed the wife and I get a chance to catch up eat and get a little quality time. Being the night owl I am… I log a few hours at the computer with the TV on in the background.
When I can find it, I prefer beach volleyball, but most sporting events will do for background. If you ask my wife she would say MMA is my first choice, but because of its popularity… it just seems to be on all the time.

So last week, as I sifted through one of the social networking sites I happened to have the Jets-Ravens pre-season football game on. On the very first series, the Jet’s rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez took the snap, was hit hard by a linebacker, and was intercepted for a touchdown. Worse than the interception, he was still down, the stadium waited in silence as the future of the Jets franchise, recently signed for tens of millions of dollars, gingerly got to his feet.

But rise he did, and played credibly, and after the game, when asked about the hard hit, he replied without hesitation that he was taken immediately to see the team chiropractor, and that he was fine.

This may seem a small off-handed comment, but it speaks quietly to how far we have come as a profession, that a billion-dollar team puts their trust in the chiropractor to examine, adjust and be responsible for its largest investment, and that the results are fulfilling for all concerned.

Like the healing time of any chronic case we see in our offices, the tide of public opinion turns slowly. The concept of “things natural” is seeping into common awareness, and with it, an opportunity to at long last offer our safe, gentle, miraculous healing art to a broader constituency. Pioneers in wellness are noticing chiropractic and other lifestyle-centric approaches as superior to crisis intervention, not just scientifically, but where it really counts these days, economically.

A study by Richard Sarnat MD, Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer of the Alternative Medicine Integration Group, found that chiropractic was significantly more cost effective than “mainstream” care. Dr. Sarnat is featured in a new ad sponsored by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress, quoted as saying that regular chiropractic care could cut the cost of health care by almost 50%.

A visionary in his own right, Dr. Sarnat concluded, “It is now time to call and email your congressmen … and make sure that those engaged in the political process understand that there is a national consensus for whole person healing; that it is not enough to increase our funding and focus on acute, crisis disease care, while ignoring the root cause of all disease. We must make sure that our voices are heard loud enough, that the well-heeled vested interests within the ‘stagnant quo’ will not be successful in derailing true health care reform.”

To do your part and follow through on this challenge, please sign up at www.ChiroVoice.org and/or www.AdjustTheVote.org, and doctors enroll yourself and your practice members in the nationwide mobilization effort to influence the legislators. It’s free — please do it now.

I am only in my second decade in this profession, but I look forward to the time
where everyone gets chiropractic wellness care as a normal part of their lifestyle. On days like this, I am encouraged and hopeful that day may soon come. Let’s work toward it — just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do something. Take action, stick up for our rights, and recruit your circle to do the same.
We only have disease and infirmity to lose.