How full is Your Cup? (Part 2)

In the last article we talked about some of the things that can add stress to the body and over time accumulate and eventually "overflow". We talked about the analogy of the "cup" and the three major categories of stressors: physical, chemical and mental/emotional. Each person has a unique background, a unique health history and a unique ability to handle different stressors. I truly believe if you want to create better health over your lifetime it will become imperative how you manage your "cup". My experience is that an over flow can create an assortment of signs and symptoms in the body and eventually become chronic.

OK, so what do you do if your cup is full? Let's start with the physical stressors. Are you your ideal weight? Most North American's aren't so that is a good place to start. Being overweight adds stress to the weight bearing joints of the body and places added demand on the heart, which overtime can create long term cardiovascular problems. Since there are books on weight loss, it seems trivial to talk about it in one line. Most people know that they need to eat less and exercise more, but most people don't take ACTION. How come? Sounds like another article to me...

The body was designed to move, not sit. This is one general rule we can apply to everyone. However, movement can come in many different forms. I have found through personal and clinical observation that different types of people will thrive on different types of exercise. I highly recommend reading Eat (and the new book, Live) Right For Your Blood Type as it takes the idea of different blood types having specific genetic origins and responding differently to exercise. Contrary to my wife who is an O blood type and thrives on running, I am an A blood type and I have always found it to be such a challenge and always felt very tired after running. I tried yoga a few years ago and found that it energized my body so much that if I do it too late at night I have trouble sleeping. Find out what works for your body, but integrate something now. And please don't think you have to go nuts and do something 6 days a week and create a "perfect" workout routine. Just get started. One day is better than none, 2 days better than one, etc. Try something new. Let your body experience different things.

Let's talk about some of the ways you can empty the cup from a chemical perspective. Gotta have your H2O. Sorry but there is no way to detox if you are not hydrated. For foods think of pesticides, additives, coloring, trans fats, MSG, artificial sweeteners, artificial flavors, etc. Eat organic when you can and avoid the processed foods as much as possible. It's not rocket science but in my experience I have found that if you spend the extra time shopping and reading labels, it makes successive shopping trips that much easier. The next area to pay very close attention to is your personal hygiene products. We personally use natural shampoos, toothpastes, skin creams, deodorants, soaps and feel it is necessary to keep the skin free from toxic chemicals.

The next level or reducing chemical stress would be looking at food sensitivities and/or by eating right for your blood type. Some of the changes recommended in Eat Right For Your Blood Type book are not easy but many prominent health practitioners are using this system with great success. There are also some Naturopaths who test for food sensitivities and these can be hidden causes of digestive and immune problems (a large portion of the immune system is in the gut). Consider a liver cleanse or a yeast cleanse if you really want to step it up. Epsom salt baths and infrared saunas are also excellent for detoxifying (come check out our sauna!!).

How do you empty your cup if it is full of mental/emotional stressors? We cannot control external events, but we can control how we perceive those events and we can control the emotions we have about the particular events. The easy example I like to use is rain. To a farmer in drought it's a godsend, to a bride who has been planning an outdoor wedding for months it's a disaster. The rain is essentially a neutral event but the filter we choose to perceive the rain with will determine if it's joyous or stressful. Perceptions also become important when dealing with people and past events. What we see in other people is a mirror of ourselves. Pay attention to who pushes your buttons and why, there is a lesson there somewhere.

Another area that gives people stress is trying to control things that are uncontrollable. Just let it go. You can control your thoughts and your emotions, that's it!! Some other strategies for stress reduction include paying attention to how you recharge: is it alone or with a group of people? Unwinding for some people could be a good book and a hot bath while for someone else it is a long walk with a friend or meeting your closest friends over a great meal.

If you want to change your mental state, change your physical state! Get up and move. Go for a walk, do some yoga, go to the gym but do something. Another great tip to move your body out of a stress response is to do some controlled breathing. This can be accomplished by taking a slow breath in for 4 seconds, holding that breath for 4 seconds and exhaling slowly for 4 seconds. Repeat this 3-4 times or until you can feel a relaxed response.

Now you have some tools for well-being. Remember that health is a continuum and the daily decisions you make will push you in a direction closer to wards health or to dis-ease. The choice is yours. It's your body and if you invest in it properly it will pay you dividends for years to come. Good luck!!

Dr. Jason Plotsky

How Full is YOUR Cup? (Part 1)

One of my passions has been searching where TRUE health comes from and how to achieve long term wellness. I am not only interested in symptoms, but the reason WHY symptoms are present. If your engine light comes on in your car don't you want to know why it's on, or are you simply interested in finding out which wire to pull so the light goes out? I like to think of the body like a cup with the ability to handle a certain amount of "stress" before it begins to overflow and spill over. I think everybody has a different size of cup, a unique health history and a particular lifestyle that will affect the ability to handle different types and amounts of stressors. In my research, education and clinical experience I have found 3 major categories of stressors that accumulate in the body and ultimately affect your overall health: physical, chemical and mental/emotional. All three categories have the ability to affect your health and the importance of having all three evaluated can not be underestimated. So let's talk about each of these in some detail.

Most people understand physical stressors like accidents and injuries, lifting heavy objects repeatedly, poor postural habits at the computer, repetitive movements, etc. I have many patients that have had a definitive accident at some point in their life that really affected their bodies. Some examples include the birthing process which for many of us is the first injury to our spine, falling down the stairs as an infant, head on car collisions, getting trampled by a horse, falling out of a tree, getting hit by a car, etc. Other less obvious examples such as sitting at a computer all day are not a one time traumatic event but over the years can cause tremendous stress to the soft tissues, joints and nerves in the body. So for these people their "cup" may be mostly full already and they will have very little tolerance for additional stressors. These people will experience flare-ups easily and frequently until some of the cup is "emptied" (more on this process later).

Most people think of chemical stress as exposure to toxic chemicals only, but it could also include foods that a person is sensitive to or foods that don't react will with their particular body or blood type. Another very common chemical stressor is over the counter prescription drugs, the question we all need to ask is which drug is a safe drug? It is shocking to know of all the chemicals that are present in our personal care products like deodorants and anti-perspirants, shampoos, creams, skin care products, toothpastes, etc. I found the book "Ecoholic" was very good at offering suggestions to begin replacing some of the chemical toxins that we are exposed to daily. This category would also include the pesticides and other chemicals in our foods. Choose local and organic whenever possible. There are many people that are sensitive to things like gluten (some sources report an estimated 70% of the population) and we are exposed to a lot of this product in the typical North American diet. Many people are also sensitive to the protein found in cow's milk (casein). Then there are things like chlorine and fluoride in our drinking water. Imagine the typical day of getting up and showering with products that contain chemicals, putting on anti-perspirant with aluminum, skin creams with chemicals, eating a breakfast that for a lot of people is toast and/or cereal (remember wheat and dairy sensitivities) then picking up a Tim Horton's on the way to work (caffeine plus whatever chemicals t hey spray the coffee beans with). You get the point that it is not unlikely we are all bombarded by more chemicals than we are aware of and would like to be exposed to. These all add to the "cup".

Then there are the mental/emotional stressors that consume a lot of conscious time and energy. How much of our days are spent worrying about things we can't do anything about? How much time do we spend fearing the future and/or having guilt or the past? How many of us have "baggage" that weighs us down and holds us back? What I have learned is that even if these issues are not the main cause of the problem, they will prevent healing by continually adding back into the "cup". Another observation I've made in complex cases is that what a person believes about their recovery will dictate how fast they get better. It's like what Henry Ford said, "Whether you believe you can or you can't, you're right." We like to believe that in the right environment, with the right tools, the body has a tremendous ability to heal itself. While it may not be us who addresses these types of mental or emotional stressors it is vital that they are recognized and dealt with appropriately, otherwise it will affect the person's ability to get well.

In closing, all of these things will add to the cup and prevent the body from doing what it was meant to do: BE HEALTHY. We strongly feel that the key to good health will be managing your lifestyle stressors. Everybody has their own cup and we need to be aware of all the things that are adding to our cups. Next time we will discuss some of the strategies to empty the cup once it is full.

Dr. Jason Plotsky

Thrive vs. Survive Workshop!

Thrive vs survive is an advanced health workshop, for patients and non-patients alike who want to know more about living well.

Topics to be covered include...

- how to increase your energy
- learning detoxification techniques

- daily wellness strategies


- supplement review
... and many others!

Workshop details...

When: Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Where: Nova Spinal Care, Bayers Lake
Time: 6:30-8:00 pm
Cost: $15/person OR $25/couple

Registration: by phone (444-6682) or email (info@novaspinalcare.ca)

Three Myths About Your Health

We would like to share three myths that we hear from our patients that we hope to dispel.

"Your genes control your health"

This is one of the most commonly believed myths about health care today. Sure there is an influence of your genetic make-up of your general health. But do genes really control your health? Why is it then that twins will die up to 10 years apart? Everything gets blamed on genes these days. Cancer, heart disease, dementia, you name it. We like to think people have some influence over their own life instead of being victims to bad circumstance. What influence does exercise, rest, what you eat, drink and think have on your health? Some people would have you believe that our current cholesterol issues are due to genetic factors. Have you seen what most people eat or the position most people are in all day? We feel these lifestlye factors have much more influence on your health than merely the blueprints you were born with. Check out the field of epigenetics to learn more about this topic.

"The doctor said I have arthritis."

This is something we hear everyday. Let's break down the word arthritis. "Arth" means joint and "itis" means inflammation. However, this is not always what the doctors are implying when they look at degenerative changes on x-ray. We have seen many people with degenerative changes leading normal, healthy lives. There may be some permanent changes that may limit the ability of the body, but for the most part they could do all the things they want to do. What people are often told is that they have a condition that very little can be done about and that they have to live with whatever discomfort and pain comes their way. We disagree in that there are many things that can help. Structurally speaking, this is often where Chiropractic is so useful in maintaining normal joint movement and alignment. Both proper joint motion and alignment will slow the process of aging and can help keep people moving well in their later years. Chiropractic often gets to the root cause of the degenrative changes in the first place. There are also nutritional products (i.e. Glucosamine, Omega 3 oils, etc.) which have shown promise in alleviating some of the symptoms related to aging. In addition, it is important to discuss with your natural health team some ways to decrease inflammation in the body by eating an "anti-inflammatory" diet. Some simple changes to the way you are eating can reap big benefits when it comes to decreasing the cellular inflammation in the body. The bottom line is that we think people should investigate all means possible when dealing with degenerative joints.

"Drinking milk makes your bones strong."

This is something we have been lead to believe for many years. Unfortunately there are a few problems with commercialized dairy products. I used to drink milk. In fact I used to drink a lot of milk so I know that it's difficult to have your belief system challenged. Once I learned things like we are the only mammals that drink another species milk and that there are so many antibiotics used in commercial milk production I started to shy away from it. Then I read about the pasteurization process and how that denatures the enzymes in the milk that would naturally help with digestion. Then I learned how different foods will break down into an acidic or alkaline state and that milk "ash" or residue is acidic. What this means is that the body then has to use its alkaline reserves from the bones and muscles to balance out the blood pH. The body essentially leaches the calcium from the bones to neutralize the acidity in the body. Yes milk and other dairy products have calcium, there is no arguing this. But why in places like Asia, where there is little to no dairy consumption would they have less incidence of hip fracture then a place that consumes copious amounts of dairy (North America). Most experts believe this has to do with the overall acid/alkaline balance (or pH) in the body and that because the Asian diet includes more alkaline forming foods, they retain more calcium in the bones thus improving bone density. So what can you do to get your body more alkaline? Eat more fruits and vegetables!! These break down into an alkaline environment and help keep calcium where it belongs. Cows eat grass and that's how they can provide so much calcium in their milk.

So we want you to know that you ultimately have the control over your own health and that you can assume some responsibility for it. Read more in the field of epigenetics and you will understand why your lifestyle is so important in the preservation of your health. There are many alternatives to battling degenerative changes in the body. The best way to do this is by PREVENTION. Get your alignment checked to ensure you're doing everything possible to slow the aging process. Try some alternatives to milk like rice or almond beverages and include more fruits and veggies in your diet. A "greens" drink may also help in this department. Lastly, take care of yourself. There's nobody more important than you!!

Dr. Jason Plotsky