by Admin | Jan 19, 2018 | Uncategorized
Christmas is past, but it’s never too late to start looking towards next year, right? What’s the best gift in the world? What would you enjoy more than anything else? Maybe a new house, car, diamond ring? Don’t worry about the price, dream big! Now, imagine your sitting in that new mansion in the hills that you just received as a gift, enjoying a beautiful sunny day by the pool. But, also picture this. You’ve just received a phone call from your doctor. After a routine physical the other day, he has some bad news. You’ve been diagnosed with some sort of incurable disease. Your prognosis is 4-months to live. This is someone’s worst nightmare, but there’s an important lesson to be understood… Any gift we receive, from money to cars, clothes to new friends and family members…none of these gifts are as great as the gift of health we can give ourselves. Because, let’s face it, if you don’t have your health you have NOTHING! The majority of people in America go through their lives rarely paying attention to their body or their health. Unless, something is seriously wrong. The problem with this type of thinking is by the time you ‘feel’ something is wrong it has oftentimes been there for quite some time previous to you becoming aware. Being healthy is a full-time job and requires diligent pursuit of new information. But what’s the alternative? A life of misery, regret, and ultimately, loss. So, for this upcoming Christmas, give yourself the gift that keeps on giving. Create health in your body. Start today. Get into action. Stay...
by Admin | Jan 12, 2018 | Uncategorized
What’s your purpose? In other words, why do you wake up every morning? The average American floats. He or she goes from day-to-day clocking in and then clocking out. The energy exchange is minimal. They do just enough to get by. Is this how you want to live your life? Are you content being the person who hops on the hamster wheel and simply goes mindlessly ahead? Not really sure where it’s leading, not really caring at the same time. It’s easy as a human to fall into a pattern. The path or least resistance is typically the most popular trail. This is why most people are content with waking up and just getting by. To me, it seems a lot like ground hog day. Instead of pushing for a goal or vision, you give it all up to just not have to feel anything. Purpose is what gets stuff done. It’s how our country was built. Some men got together and realized that they could create something special here that all their kids’ kids would grow to appreciate. Their purpose was large and the work involved was also. However, they ultimately got what they strived for because their vision was so powerful. Your purpose drives you to accomplish whatever you’re looking to do. Without purpose you have nothing. At Hands For Life, we began our organization because of our main purpose. That’s to provide chiropractic care to those who are unable to afford it. This vision has led us to get dozens of doctors around the country on board in serving lower income communities. It has also led...
by Admin | Jan 5, 2018 | Uncategorized
The flu season of 2018 is upon us. It’s actually been in full force for a while. This year’s flu season seems to be worse than years past. Why would that be? Did too many people skip out on their flu shots? The biggest misconception around the flu is that if you somehow come into contact with the virus you will get sick. Nothing could be further from the truth. The reason being, you have an immune system which serves as your army to fight off any virus or bacteria that tries to enter. The reason people get sick is because the immune system gets weakened. This can happen in a variety of ways: alcohol, negative thinking/stress, lack of exercise, eating junk food, etc. Without a strong immune system, you have no army to protect the body from invaders. This is when people catch the flu. The flu virus itself is not strong enough to penetrate the walls of a healthy and strong immune system. However, when that immune system is taxed, the flu virus can stroll right in. So, some natural tips to keep yourself out of bed and away from the flu symptoms: -eat lots of green vegetables and foods from the earth -stay away from processed foods and sugar -limit alcohol intake -get daily exercise -make sure you’re getting 7-8 hours of continuous sleep each night -get any nervous system interference removed by a chiropractor -take Vitamin D -take a good quality probiotic Here’s the bottom line: you are not a victim. The flu virus isn’t a boogeyman that will hurt you if you’re to come...
by Admin | Dec 27, 2017 | Uncategorized
With New Years right around the corner, we want to wish you a very happy new year! This time of year is when everyone begins to evaluate how they performed over the past year. What they did good, what they didn’t do so well in. Whether you were the person who out did your personal best, or you’re the person who needs to level up next year, this is the time most people decide to make a change. I’d like to propose a different perspective when it comes to the new year’s resolutions. Instead of waiting until the new year to re-design your life and where you’re going with it, do it during the year…multiple times. The more times we take advantage of assessing where we are and where we want to go, the more likely it is that we will reach our goals. Think about any successful business. They’re successful because they plan their year in advance. They know what heights they want to reach, what obstacles may be in their way and they constantly re-evaluate. If you’re not taking the time to evaluate your status, process obstacles and hang-ups, and come up with a plan on how to move forward, then you aren’t going to be as successful as you’d like to be. The approach of just seeing what happens is similar to throwing a bunch of spaghetti against a wall and seeing what sticks. The more precise and calculated your steps are, the more likely you will become what you’re looking to create. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, eat better, or be kinder…assess where you’ve...
by Admin | Dec 22, 2017 | Uncategorized
We live in a bubble. Our day consists of waking up, eating, going to work, coming back home, going to bed, and doing it all over the next day. When we live in a constant cycle which is the majority of humans, it can become difficult to see outside of ourselves. We get consumed with the daily minutia that fills our lives and have very little concern for what else is going on around us. Living in America, it’s very easy to fall into this trap with such a huge emphasis put on work, monetary success, and material things. Unfortunately, when we’re stuck in our daily cycle, we don’t have the chance to see what’s going on outside. We often miss the present moment and what the rest of the world is up to. Living consciously is a principle that we value at Hands For Life. It allows us to be in the moment more, and enjoy life. Not just become a slave to the process. When we serve the impoverished communities, our focus is with them, not with our daily tasks and duties. When we get out of our bubble and into the present moment, our lives take on a different meaning. No matter our situation, we still have the opportunity to be in the present moment where there is no worry, fear, or frustration. It simply just is. As the holidays approach, there will be plenty of time to spend with loved ones and family. If we spend our time worrying about the future or past, that time will be wasted. On the contrary, if we stay...
by Admin | Dec 15, 2017 | Uncategorized
Christmas is a great time to be around friends and family, receive gifts and have fun. It’s also a great time to pause and reflect about what we’re thankful for, how we’ve treated others, what kind of person we’ve been this year. In America, we have a tradition of receiving gifts on Christmas. It’s a great time for children and adults. However, a lot of the value in celebrating this holiday can get lost for this very reason. Regardless if it’s a birthday or Christmas, receiving a material gift gives us a very strong emotional response in our brain. However, this response is fleeting. It never stays. Once we’ve had our pleasure and moment of excitement, the feeling begins to fade. Eventually, it fades so much that it’s almost as if we never received a gift at all. This leaves us feeling empty and craving more. The cycle can turn into a negative loop that only tends to get worse if no intervention is made. This can lead to lots of spoiled kids and adults ☺. Giving is different than receiving. Sure, you don’t get the thrill of opening a surprise that is meant specifically for your enjoyment. Instead, you get the gift of seeing your present light up another’s life. If we all spent a little more time on giving this year, we’d have a better world, and a better life. This is exactly why we started Hands For Life. We saw the need and importance for chiropractic care around the world. Not just in our city. Also, we understood there was a significant financial barrier in third...
by Admin | Dec 8, 2017 | Uncategorized
This week’s blog is going to piggyback off the last post on fascia. As a recap, fascia is the outer layer that surrounds muscle tissue. It holds everything together. The importance of muscle goes without saying, but its ability to shift the spine out of neutral is the main concern for us as chiropractors. Fascia holds a significant amount of responsibility when it comes to the tone and flexibility of muscles. Tight fascia can pull muscles, and therefore, structure out of its normal alignment. So what are some ways we can reduce the facial tension in the body? First, and easiest way to do this is by drinking more water. Most people aren’t getting enough of it. The more dehydrated you are, the more tension will be found in your fascia and muscle. The best thing we can do for our comfort levels and muscle is to stay very hydrated. Another step you can take is by getting movement each day. Exercise is important for all physiological processes in the body to work correctly. However, without movement, muscle begins to tighten and become less compliant. What can you do to avoid this downfall? Move! Move every joint, multiple times every single day. This will help keep muscle and fascia hydrated, full of nutrients from the blood and happy. Finally, utilizing mobility exercises can be great for breaking down specific areas of fascial/muscle tightness. It’s helpful to have a few tools to get the job done. These tools include: -Foam Roller -Lacrosse Ball Most people who don’t have access to massage daily or weekly can use these items to break...
by Admin | Dec 1, 2017 | Uncategorized
Great question, and one that’s becoming more and more common for people looking to achieve optimum health. Before we get into the details, let’s explain why we’re discussing fascia. The reason it’s so critical to us from a chiropractic standpoint is because of its role in keeping the structure of your spine and nervous system functioning at a high level. Fascia can affect your spine in a negative way if not handled properly. When this happens, pain, discomfort, and other symptoms can be the result. Fascia is the outside layer that covers your muscle tissue. For many years, scientists thought the only purpose of fascia was to hold the muscle tissue together. However, in recent decades more has been discovered about the important role fascia plays in our health and function. Whenever someone feels pain or discomfort, the fascia could be a contributing factor. This happens for a variety of reasons: -dehydration -improper movement/posture -mental/emotional stress -etc. Dehydration can cause the fascia to clump up. When this happens, instead of sliding with little resistance every time we move, like it should…the fascia stays stuck in place and causes us pain and stiffness. Improper movement can cause fascia to be over-worked in some areas, and under-worked in others. This imbalance over time can lead to pain, stiffness, and loss of flexibility. Our emotions are also intimately tied to how our bodies function and perform during the day. When we’re stressed, overburdened, frustrated, fatigued, worried, fearful, or angry these emotions will cause a stress response in the body that results in hormones being released that tighten muscle tissue and fascia down....
by Admin | Nov 23, 2017 | Uncategorized
It’s easy to get down and focus on everything that hasn’t gone your way in 2017, the business that hasn’t been growing, the relationship that’s been fizzling, the money that hasn’t been coming in. However, one thing is for certain…no matter who you are, or what’s going on in your life, you still have a lot of which you can be thankful. Giving thanks isn’t just something that should be honored only one day. We should be grateful every day we wake up. Our body is the universe’s most amazingly designed machine. Capable of running trillions of processes each second without skipping a beat. Each morning we wake up and open our eyes, we could spend that time to reflect on just how magnificent that one moment truly is. Life is precious and it’s gone in a flash. We don’t cherish it as much when we’re constantly in the bubble. This is understandable, but also a shame. Many people wait till they’re on their deathbed before realizing what they should have and could have appreciated during their lifetime. You have the power to do that now, starting today. To give thanks for all that you’ve been given. No, it doesn’t need to be material things that you’re thankful for. Rather just the opportunity to wake up and smell the morning grass another time. Or to hear your loved one’s voice. Be thankful for the amazing opportunity you’ve been given to live life on earth. And even more special, to live life on earth in the greatest country our world has ever seen. We can spend plenty of time discussing...
by Admin | Nov 23, 2017 | Uncategorized
Seems like an easy enough question. However, before we answer it, we should probably define what “health” means. Our definition of health is different than most you’ll find online. We think health is the absence of disease or infirmity. It also implies full-function of the body and all its faculties. The reason this is important is because many people think they’re healthy when they aren’t feeling ‘sick’. Not true. It is very possible for you to feel ok, and still have disease within the body. For example, someone who recently is diagnosed with cancer, may feel fine until consulting their doctor. It doesn’t mean they were healthy when they didn’t know they had cancer. Unless they run some diagnostic testing on their body and find that they had a disease process that had taken root, they would have assumed they were healthy. If you take anything away from this post it is this, judging our health on the absence of disease or symptoms is just a piece of it. The other part has to do with how we’re functioning. When was the last time you checked the function of your nervous system? If you’re like the majority of Americans, then your answer is probably never. The reason it’s important to know the function of your nervous system is because it controls and runs everything in your body. Therefore, it’s the ultimate place to start to determine how well your body is working, or not working. What sort of tests do you run to see the strength and function of your nervous system? There are many different tests that tell...
