Category — Philosophy

Mostly all of us have been taught to view symptoms as bad.  And when you have spinal pain, headaches, or just feel rotten, you’re told to get rid of the symptoms as fast as possible. But usually this is done without regard for your own health and without understanding the role of symptoms in your health.

When we are suffering we are told to take aspirin, or Tylenol, or to TAKE MORE AND MORE CHEMICALS!  Listen.  First of all, health can’t be found in any bottle!  Second, symptoms and pain are NOT always bad!  Your body was designed with a special warning system to let you know if something is harming you.  Pain is a way that your body talks to you.  Back pain may be your body’s way of telling you that you’re injured and need rest.  In many ways, pain helps you prevent injury and harm to your body. 

Covering up the pain can be DANGEROUS and can even invite the possibility of further injury.  It’s like having a really expensive fire alarm system in your home…and then disconnecting it before you go to bed so that it doesn’t wake you up in the middle of the night!  BUT THAT IS ITS JOB!

If you injured your back, can imagine the damage you could do if you used a simple pain-killing drug that allowed you to forget the pain.  You might begin lifting again, which could very easily cause severe muscle and joint damage worse than the first injury!

There’s another aspect of symptoms that we need to look at.  Sometimes your symptoms are an indication that your body is doing its job perfectly.  Vomiting and diarrhea are natural body functions that could save your life!   If you’ve eaten bad food, you want your body to do its best to flush out the toxins you just ate!  These types of symptoms are your body’s own defenses working to keep you as healthy as possible!  Trying to remove these types of symptoms would be just plain harmful to your health!

Now let’s look at this from a different angle.  Most of us believe that if you feel good then you are healthy.  Let me explain why this is a very dangerous way to measure your health.  First, we already saw that symptoms aren’t always bad.  Sometimes they’re present when your body is working fine… as warning signs of damage, or as natural defense mechanisms.  Secondly, many times symptoms are the LAST stage of a disease. 

Did you know that the FIRST symptom of high blood pressure is often a DEADLY STROKE?  The first symptom of heart disease could be a FATAL HEART ATTACK!

You see, heart disease is a process - it takes time before your heart gives way.  By the time you feel it, it may be too late.  To put it simply, symptoms are a terribly inaccurate measurement of your state of health.

This is why I take a different approach to health care.  I won’t put my focus on your symptoms… I’ll put 110% of my focus on your health!  I understand that if your health is good then you are less likely to get sick. And my techniques are guaranteed to help you be healthier!  Let’s face it, what you really need to do is this:

TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH NOW BECAUSE BY THE TIME YOUR SYMPTOMS WARN YOU OF A PROBLEM, IT MAY BE TOO LATE! 

You’ll be much less likely to be sick and suffer from symptoms if your body is really healthy!  

Since TRUE HEALTH IS NOT DETERMINED BY HOW YOU FEEL, then how do you really know if you’re healthy?  You’re probably thinking, “What determines health, if it isn’t determined by the absence of things like symptoms and pain?”  The answer is…

SUPERIOR HEALTH IS DETERMINED BY THE PRESENCE OF THINGS - NOT BY THE ABSENCE OF THINGS SUCH AS SYMPTOMS OR PAIN!

Health is determined by the presence of all of your body parts functioning at their optimum levels.  In other words, when all of your body parts are working at 100% - you are 100% healthy.  It’s that simple!  If there were one thing I would want you to remember from this article, it’s this:

HEALTH IS THE NORMAL STATE OF YOUR BODY!

You need to view your health as something that can be created, enhanced, destroyed, and lost. You can picture your health like the contents of a bucket.  Doing the right things adds to the contents of the bucket and increases your health.  Doing bad things lessens the contents and may bring about disease.  Unfortunately, there’s an inherent problem with the bucket… it has holes at the bottom through which the contents continually leak.  Some of the holes are due to things you can’t change such as: aging, unavoidable stress and previous injuries.  But remember, there are many things that are in your control that cause holes.  So what are you to do when the contents leaks out all over the floor?   Should you spend time mopping up the floor?  NO!  This is just taking away the symptoms of a possible deeper health problem.  And we already discussed that this is taking a dangerous risk with your own health.  To really make a positive change in your health, you need to continually add to the contents of the bucket and to avoid things that cause more holes in your bucket.  You can’t do much about the past.  But remember:

IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO BEGIN TO DO WHAT’S RIGHT AND BEGIN DOING WHAT IT TAKES TO EXPERIENCE SUPERIOR HEALTH!

And remember that I’m here to help!  I’ll work with you one-on-one and help you with your individual needs.  I promise to do my best to guide and encourage you to get on and stay on the road to good health!

Your focus then moves from treating symptoms, to actively doing the things necessary to EXPERIENCE SUPERIOR HEALTH!  If you make the effort to stop chasing your symptoms and start moving towards optimum health then you’ll be truly practicing preventative health care.

Why be content to be merely free from symptoms when you can ensure better health & vitality for yourself and your whole family for your entire lives?

You have to check out our new page on Chiropractic research.  It’s located in the “Get to Know Us” section on the left side bar.  The research articles cover topics such as validating chiropractic treatment, cost effectiveness of care, your doctor’s education, and more.  Great info for skeptics or for those who just love to learn.  I’m planning on keeping current with the latest chiropractic research and making frequent updates to the research  page.

Maybe you’ve never heard of subluxations before. That’s okay.  If you’re a chiropractic patient, you probably have.  

A subluxation is a condition where a joint (the place where two bones meet) becomes jammed.  The bones become stuck and don’t move right, which causes nervous system interference.  This interference distorts the communication between your brain and your body, and can cause all kinds of health problems.

Subluxations causing nervous system interference can occur at any joint in the body. The core of your body (the spinal joints or vertebrae) frequently subluxate.  Subluxations are also common in the extremities.  The foot, knee and hip joints can subluxate.  The hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints can subluxate.

The body is complex.  A subluxation doesn’t just involve two bones and some nerves.  Muscles can become abnormally tight or weak.  Pain patterns develop.  Connected discs, ligaments, and other tissues can become damaged and inflamed.  Over time, degenerative changes can occur.  Bone spurs, arthritis, and other forms of decay can set in.

Subluxations are serious!

Joint subluxations are caused by three basic factors:  physical stress, chemical stress, and emotional stress.  Physical stress includes slips and falls, car accidents, repetitive motions, sprains and strains, sports injuries, improper lifting, and the like.  Emotional stress includes mental stress, anger, fear, unforgiveness, and the like.  Chemical stresses include smoking, alcohol, drugs, pollution, poor diet, and such.

You can have subluxations and not even know it.  Like tooth decay or cancer, subluxations may be present before any warning signs appear.  How can you know if you have a subluxation?  The best way to know is to be evaluated at our office by myself (or by another chiropractor).  

I use several different evaluation techniques to determine the presence of subluxations.  I check bone and muscle symmetry, test joint motion, and use a series of other indicators to evaluate each patient.  The results of a thorough examination can reveal the location and severity of subluxations you may have.

Chiropractic doctors (like myself) are the only licensed health care professionals dedicated to the detection, reduction, and prevention of subluxations.  I use a highly effective whole-body adjusting approach to improve joint biomechanics and reduce nervous system interference.  

Learn More About Dr. Ken Goldman’s Techniques

If you wonder how much your lifestyle affects your health, you have to read this article.  According to this latest research, diet appears to be the most influential factor in regards to cancer.

LONDON (Reuters) - Healthier living could prevent about a third of the most common cancers in rich countries and about a quarter in poorer ones, international researchers said on Thursday.

Better diets, more exercise and controlling weight could also prevent more than 40 percent of colon and breast cancer cases in some countries, according to the study which urged governments and individuals to do more to cut the number of global cancer deaths each year.

“At the time of publication, roughly 11 million people worldwide are diagnosed with cancer and nearly eight million people die from cancer each year,” said Michael Marmot, who led the study from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research.

“However, cancer is mostly preventable.”

The study involved 23 experts who analyzed both the incidence of 12 common cancers across the world and data on diet, exercise and weight to see how these factors contributed to kidney, mouth, lung, gallbladder and the other cancers.

The researchers found that healthier living would prevent 43 percent of colon cancer cases and 42 percent of breast cancer cases in Britain, and 45 percent of bowel cancer and 38 percent of breast cancer cases in the United States.

The findings follow the same groups’ study in 2007 that showed how quickly people grow and what they eat are both significant causes of cancer.

They recommended — in line with what health experts, including governments and the U.N. World Health Organization, have long been advising — that people follow diets based on fruits, vegetables and whole grains and go easy on red meats, dairy products and fats.

The team also looked at China and Brazil as representatives of low- and middle-income countries, respectively.

Overall improving diet, exercise and weight would in the United States prevent more than a third of the 12 most common cancers — which also included stomach, womb (uterus), prostate, pancreas and esophagus tumors.

This amounted to 39 percent of the cancers in Britain, 30 percent in Brazil and 27 percent in China.

“This report shows that by making relatively straightforward changes, we could significantly reduce the number of cancer cases around the world,” Marmot said in a statement.

“On a global level every year, there are millions of cancer cases that could have been prevented and this is why we need to act now before the situation gets even worse.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSTRE51P2P920090226

The lesson here: if you want to have superior health, you must have a healthy lifestyle, which should include a whole-food plant-based diet.  A healthy lifestyle also should include regular moderate exercise, stress management, and getting sufficient rest among other things.

Many of our patients include regular chiropractic checkups and massage therapy as part of their healthy lifestyle because they know that it contributes to their health and well-being!

Our team at Spectrum Wellness Center has had the honor of being invited to participate in a local Health & Wellness Expo on April 25th, 2009.  We accepted and are looking forward to helping make this event a success.  

It will be held in the Lower Moreland High School at 555 Red Lion Road, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006.  The Expo is scheduled to run from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm.  And there’s no cost for admission! 

We have the privilege of being able to set up a table, offer our services, and share our practice mission (Promoting Superior Health Through Natural Therapy) with the community.  We will be conducting free spinal checks, scoliosis screenings, posture evaluations, and massage.

At the same time, we will helping support the Community Links 10th Anniversary 5K Walk/Run and the Lower Moreland Community Links program, which benefits non-profit community groups in Lower Moreland, Bryn Athyn, and the surrounding areas.

This event will feature Dr. Mehmet Oz’s Healthcorps - Highway to Health, and Jami Appenzeller Yancey and her team at Philly Fit Magazine.  There promises to be many vendors, activities, and great tips on how to live a life filled with Health and Wellness.

We welcome you to join us and are looking forward to seeing you there!

Watch your thoughts; they become words.
Watch your words; they become actions.
Watch your actions; they become habits.
Watch your habits; they become character.
Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Author Unknown

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to speak to a small group of homeschoolers about our body’s joints.  We talked about the differences between fibrous joints, cartilaginous joints, and synovial joints.  We looked at the differing joint shapes and functions and compared them to real life examples.  Overall, I really tried to open their eyes and have them experience a sense of wonder as we investigated the body’s joints.

Then it got me thinking.  How often do we stand back in wonder about our own bodies?  When was the last time you stopped to think about just how amazing your body is?

It’s an extremely complicated and highly-organized “machine”.  In your busy life, you’ve probably become fairly good at multitasking.  But could you multitask 10 things at once?  How about 10,000?  Thankfully your body does an incredible job multitasking millions of functions at the same time. Take a minute to think about all the things your body does, without your help at all…

When you were first given life, you had nothing to do with your growth in your mother’s womb.  You started as a single cell and then grew to become a fully functioning baby.  All your parts “appeared” at the right time, in the right place, and grew to the right size.  First your brain and spinal cord form, then the heart and circulatory system, which begins beating at around 3 weeks!  Over the next few weeks, your body was woven together cells, tissues, organs, systems, bones, joints, muscles and skin.

All your limbs grew at the right time and to the right size.  It’s incredible if you stop and think about it.You eat food every day without having to produce the right enzymes to digest your meals.  Let alone managing the complex biochemistry needed to break the food down into your bloodstream to nourish all your body’s cells.

Your bodies is amazing and complex.  And if you think deeply about it, demonstrates the awesome wisdom, creativity, and love of your creator.

Glucosamine (glucosamine sulfate), chondroitin (chondroitin sulfate), and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) are widely used natural supplements used in the treatment of osteoarthritis (bone and joint).  They have been shown to be most helpful for knee pain, but reports have shown that they can help with all types of osteoarthritis. They are commonly used, especially in veterinary medicine, but their overall acceptance varies.

When patients ask me if they think a supplement can help them get rid of some pain, I tell them that for the best long-term outcomes, embracing a lifestyle of healthy eating and exercise is the most critical. Healthy living is the key.  Let me tell you my story…

Starting in the year 1999, I personally had serious back and neck problems that stemmed from past injuries and degenerative spinal conditions. I had serious pain, loss of motion, and muscular weakness.  It became so bad, I could barely exercise or practice chiropractic.  As the pain became chronic, I had mild depression and discovered that life became very hard.  I didn’t want to just cover up the pain, so I refused to take medications.

I received good care that included various natural therapies and chiropractic care.  Both helped, but my problems really became minimal only when I adopted a lifestyle of healthy eating and regular exercise. I started focusing on core strengthening exercises and I began to eat a whole-food plant-based diet.  Within 30 days, my pain diminished.  Through my lifestyle changes, I was finally able to gain control over my back/neck pains.  I thank God that he has designed our bodies with the ability to heal… from the inside.  This is much better than just pain relief through medications.

I don’t believe there are any real shortcuts to true health… such as glucosamine, chondroitin, or MSM supplements.   Today in my practice, in addition to chiropractic care, I offer patients coaching on exercise, nutrition, and healthy living.  Spectrum Wellness is a holistic and integrative approach to wellness.

In short… I do recommend a superfood supplement, called Intramax, that does contain glucosamine, chondroitin and MSM.  Although supplementation can be of some help, any supplement should only be an addition to a foundation of healthy living.

Don’t believe what they tell you.  There is no pill that can replace a lifestyle of healthy living.  True health can’t be found in a bottle.  Here’s the truth… you can achieve superior health through a commitment to healthy living!

I just finished making some updates to the home page.  I reorganized the left and right side bars a bit.  The “Get To Know Us” section now has some indents.  Hopefully, it’ll be  easier to use.  I added a new FAQ section on the left sidebar, under the “What to Expect” section.

The new FAQ section answers some popular questions such as:

• Do you take insurance?
• How do chiropractic and other natural therapies work?
  
• Once I start, do I have to go forever?
  
• Do I have a “pinched” nerve?
  
• Won’t my body “re-balance”, correct, and get better on its own?
  
• Do I have to tip the massage therapist?
  

Check it out.  Also, please let me know if you have any other pressing questions that need answering.  I’ll do my best to answer it… may even added it to the FAQ section.

From now through February 21st, we are offering massage gift certificates at an amazing discount of 30% off our normal price!

That’s only $42 to give the gift of a relaxing 1-hour massage!  What a great Valentine’s Day gift for a loved one.

Valentine Bonus:

• Spend $75 and you will receive a FREE 30-minute massage for yourself!
• Spend $100 and receive a FREE 60-minute massage for yourself!

Call our office today at 215-938-8500, to take advantage of this offer.  Gift certificates can be emailed (PDF format), mailed via USPS (same day), or picked up at the office.