The End Of The Weekend...Bummed or Pumped?

Sunday evenings are a time in most households where people start wrapping up the weekend and thinking about the upcoming week. Some people dread the end of the weekend, and are already looking forward to the following weekend.  I find it sad, that people live lives that are based on living for the next day off and hate Mondays so much.  I think people should enjoy their weekends, rest and rejuvenate, so that they are ready to attack and not just survive Mondays.  I would hope that everyone would be grateful for having some down time on weekends, and look forward to Mondays as they strive to make a difference in their career, in overcoming challenges with/for people, and leaving a legacy via their calling.

I like to use Sunday nights, especially after my family goes to bed, for planning out the week.  This includes my "to do's" for work, as well as the times I am needed to perform family duties (cooking, driving, cleaning, errands) and of course times for my wellness.  I include times for exercise, plans for eating well, noting potential challenges to living in the realm of wellness (where I might struggle with eating, moving, thinking and resting in a wellness way).  When I note that a particularly difficult time is coming in regards to living well, I make sure that before and after I live appropriately to offset those challenging times.

For instance, tomorrow morning I have a breakfast meeting.  I can't control what they serve, but I can make sure that before I leave for the meeting, I put some good things in my body so that I am not starving and forced to "pig out" on whatever is available tomorrow.  So I will make sure I have my superfood shake in the morning as well as a boiled egg.  Then at the meeting I will eat minimally and definitely avoid the worst of the offerings. 

So, instead of being bummed that Sunday night is here, and that Monday morning is right around the corner, use Sunday nights to design your week, and thus your life!  You'll look at Sunday evenings and the end of the weekend in a whole new light!

Until next time...Be Well!!

Dr. Bruce

Maintenence, Prevention, or Wellness, Which Do You Want?

Wellness is the biggest buzz word on the health care front these days.  You read about it in the newspaper and online, you hear about it on commercials, you see websites developed all around the word.  Many times it is intermingled with the other two concepts listed in the title:  Prevention and maintenance.  It can be a bit confusing for people I am sure, and I think there are some significant differences between the three and I hope to delineate those here now.

The term maintenance is used a lot of times for health care purposes, even or especially in my line of work.  Some people like to come in for regular adjustments and what they call maintenance.  This is not a bad thing to try to maintain one’s self in general, unless of course you have a chronic or acute illness.  If you have high blood pressure, do you want to maintain it?   If your cholesterol or blood sugar level is out of the good range, do you want to maintain that?  No of course not.  But the idea of maintenance is used sometimes in conjunction with wellness and I just pointed out a glaring problem with that.  Maintenance is not wellness, it is keeping you right where you are, and most of us, me included, don’t need to stay right where we are.  We NEED to improve some, or all of our health.

Now, what about prevention?  The idea of preventative care is almost synonymous with wellness care in many circles.  I would strongly object to the linking of these two words.  If you have reached a certain age, and the stats say you need to have “x” test done regularly (mammograms, prostate exams, a certain blood test or the dreaded colonoscopy etc.) and the test comes back positive, then that means you have a disease process starting, it means you are not well.  Naturally that can NOT be wellness or wellness care since the purpose of the test is to find out if you’re ill or not.  Again, that does NOT mean these tests are a bad thing, in fact they are much needed oftentimes.  So don’t hear me knocking running the tests, and please don’t stop getting tested appropriately.  

Now, on to the topic at hand:  wellness.  The word is used in so many ways, some places call themselves wellness centers and they are doing botox injections.  How is that wellness?  Does it make a person any healthier?  Of course not.  Wellness is a word that implies action and responsibility.  Wellness to me should be defined as experiencing optimum health in all aspects of one’s life, physically, emotionally, mentally, spiritually, relationally etc.  It is something that I believe few, if any, attain for any great length of time, but it is a worthy goal to be striving for but it’s also something that takes constant attention and tweaking.  It should be an ongoing process where we are continually striving for optimum health. 

Can the pursuit of wellness include some maintenance care?  Yes.  Can it include getting blood pressure tested?  Yes.  But it doesn’t stop there.  Those two things are passive, in that the test or care is performed on us.  Wellness should require active involvement that we as individuals are responsible for doing like exercising, relaxing, learning to eat better and proper rest.  That is what we try to inspire at our office, people taking responsibility for where they are on the wellness spectrum, then learning and acting upon information that can move them forward and closer to true wellness.

So in summary, maintenance care and preventative care are passive things that happen TO us.  Wellness is something we PURSUE via our lifestyle choices, and it’s the way to optimum health and well-being. So with that in mind, take charge of where you are, decide where you want to be, and then take appropriate action steps to get there.  Where you are is only temporary if you decide to make it temporary.  Give us a call, we’d be glad to help you move forward in your pursuit of wellness!

Until next time… Be Well!

Dr. Bruce

5 Simple Stress Busters Anyone Can Do

Stress kills.  It's that simple.  It kills.  Dead.  Terminally dead.  It can kill you suddenly (or what appears to be suddenly) via a heart attack or stroke, or it can take a long time as your body deteriorates slowly but earlier and faster than it would have otherwise and you become ill with life threatening diseases.  It is said that the lion's share of visits to doctor's offices are in some way related to stress. But here's the kicker:  Stress will happen in our life, but the real issue is not the stress, but how we deal and combat the stress.  Here's a few simple ways to fight it off.

1.  Exercise.  Yep.  I just read yet another article today that most people with anxiety issues that began a good solid exercise plan benefited from exercise as much as they would have from prescription drugs, and the only side effects were better health from the exercise!  Get a good exercise plan in place pronto!

2.  Don't procrastinate.  Putting things off definitely creates more stress in your life. The next time you feel like procrastinating, remember the effect it has when you have to rush to accomplish whatever task it is you put off.

3.  Work on being grateful.  Anytime I have a patient feeling overwhelmed with stress, one of the things I encourage them to do is start a gratefulness journal.  They are to write down 5 things daily that they are grateful for from that day, and why they are grateful for each thing.  It takes your mind off of what's not right in your life, and puts it on what IS right in your life and how blessed you are.

4.  Serve others.  You want to feel better about your own life?  Invest some time in the lives of others.  There is no shortage of needs for volunteers at places like food pantries, women's shelters, tutoring underprivileged  kids etc.  Find a way to give back to the world that benefits others, with no strings attached.

5.  Deep breathing exercises.  Learn to get your body to relax by using techniques that slow your breathing, and allow your body to fully oxygenate with each breath.  It's a proven fact that when under stress we start taking short shallow breaths, and that does nothing but create more stress on our body.  Breathe in deeply through your nose, as deep as you can, and then slowly exhale til every bit of air is back out of your lungs.  Do just 10 breaths like that when under stress, or if your stress is chronic, spend 10 minutes a day doing this.

I promise if you practice these 5 things, the effects of stress will be minimized significantly, to the point where you might even be able to stop certain medications if you've been prescribed some for your stress.  Give it a go, you've got nothing to lose and a lifetime of health and wellness to gain!

Until next time...Be Well!!!

Dr. Bruce

What's It All About?

I get that question sometimes from others, and even myself when I think about tweeting, blogging etc as I do.  Why?  Because when you're talking about using the internet to spread a message about whatever topic interests you, you often don't really know if the message is just going out into cyberspace and not really even being seen.  It's can feel like no man's land, unless you happen to get some responses, comments, questions etc.  Several times recently I've had moments where something has happened that lets me know that all my blogging, tweeting, Facebook posting of wellness articles and information has some positive effect on people.  I have to say it's rather refreshing.

One thing that I've seen recently is several people re-posting some of the articles I link to on different social media sites. That is really encouraging because now I don't feel like a loner lol.  A couple of days ago a new follower on Twitter asked great questions regarding a post I had made there regarding Grape Seed Extract.  Yesterday a patient called me asking about Vitamin D3 that I had mentioned on our clinic page.  Just today, after posting a new recipe and picture of some fresh juice I had made, I had an extended "conversation" on facebook about juicing, juicers and recipes etc.  The "conversation" ended with him saying "thanks for all the inspiration".

In the long haul, that's what it's really about.  It's not about how many articles I can find to post (believe me, there is more than I can link to on any given day).  It's not about how many friends, fans or followers I can get.  It's about putting the word out there, and hopefully people taking it to heart, learning something new, being reminded to keep up their journey, or totally transforming their lives.  That's my vision, dream or whatever you might call it, for my time spent on the net. It's hopefully about helping people create life transformation with their body, and knowing they can do it.  It's about creating awareness so that more and more people spread what I refer to as "The Gospel Of Wellness". 

From the selfish end, it's an never ending reminder to me to keep up with eating well, thinking well, moving well and resting well.  Knowing there are people out there interested, searching and reading some of these posts and articles motivates me to work harder on my own well being, and on finding appropriate, solid information to put out into cyberspace.  I would encourage you to keep reading and researching.  If you do this regularly, it will be a constant reminder to up the ante on a daily basis, and in a few months or years, you will be on a whole different level with regards to your health. 

So, keep it up.  Find good people to follow and learn from.  Never stop learning about how you can do better with your daily decisions in your pursuit of wellness.  Don't stop finding new people out there that provide what you're looking for either, there are plenty of good ones!  If you follow me on twitter (@docbruce65) you can look to see who I read and follow, and you may choose to follow some of the same ones to broaden your sources of wellness information.  And re-send the information, you never know who is going to be really thankful you put it out there.  Go for it, there's nothing to lose and plenty to gain.

Oh yea, I am immensely grateful for you reading this blog, and I wish you well in your journey toward wellness.

Until next time...Be Well!
Dr. Bruce

This Is Not A Diet, It's Your Life!

I saw the title statement as a subtitle in an article I read just recently and it really started my brain to going.  As much as I preach lifestyle changes, as much as I promote living a wellness lifestyle, I continue to see the masses searching out the "one thing" that they can take that will address their health issue.  It's sad, but it's a part of our culture.  Our culture has developed the medical mentality toward health:  "If I have a problem, there's got to be something I can take to make me healthy again".  "For every ill there is a pill".  So when their cholesterol rises, they get put on Lipitor, with it's myriad of side effects.  (See This Link for an article on statin drug side effects)  They make no change in their lifestyle, so the cholesterol numbers are artificially lowered, yet they're still dying inside.  Some studies suggest no change in age of death for those on cholesterol lowering drugs.  Yet people flock to the next "one thing" that can supposedly make them healthy, just like buzzards to road kill.  It's a shame.

So, when someone says they are on a diet, I have mixed emotions.  I am happy they realize something is amiss in their life that has made them less than optimally healthy.  Unfortunately, many of them, if they aren't turning toward some type of pill or surgery to help them, are on an unsustainable program of eating a certain way.  I've heard of all kinds of diets, one of which someone I know was on, included eating a pickle a day for some reason.  Some are fairly reasonable, some are so off the wall I cannot believe someone would even try it.  Here's the thing.  If you are on a diet of some sort that severely restricts eating certain food groups (candy is not a food group by the way), or severely restricts caloric intake, it most likely may help you lose weight, but it's not sustainable.  Thus, when you stop the "diet" and go back to your old ways, the weight returns, often with a vengeance, meaning you put even more back on.  Then, months or years later, a new diet comes along and the same yo-yo track is followed.  Sadly, this up and down cycle has deleterious effects on one's health in the long run too.

I can't state enough that when we think about weight loss, we need to think first about being healthy.  Health should be the goal, good health that is.  To get there we need to look at developing a wellness lifestyle.  A lifestyle is something that is sustainable for the long haul.  Yes you may fall off a bit from time to time (if you're like me anyway that will happen) but overall you live a life that is filled with things that move you toward optimum health.  So yes, one day you might have some bread pudding for dessert.  The holidays come along and there's a lot of treats to partake of.  I get that (I do that).  But the predominance of our lives needs to be eating, moving, thinking and resting in ways that produce wellness in our lives and (here's the kicker for me) in the lives of those we bring along with us (ie kids, friends etc).  Yes, how you choose to live your life affects the generations to come.  I hear people talk about wanting to leave a legacy.  Let me say this.  You ARE leaving a legacy.  You ARE influencing people.  That's not an option.  But, HOW are you influencing them?  THAT is the question.

So in reality, it's not a diet, it's your life, AND it's the lives of those you influence. So, what will you do with your life to influence the generations to come?

Until next time...Be Well!!
Dr. Bruce

The Problem Is Not The Problem

I wish I could take credit for that title.  I will have to give props to my pastor, Phil Herrington, for that though.  If I've heard him say it once, I've heard it a thousand times from him.  At first I thought it was just an interesting statement.  But I cannot tell you how many times over the past 10 years this statement has rung true in varying ways/scenarios that I've seen in my life and in others' lives too.  Today I want to take a look at this statement from a wellness point of view.

This statement came to mind to me last night as I was at a seminar.  There was going to be a presentation on weight loss/fat loss.  Some talk was going on about the use of lasers for fat removal.  This is all interesting in some regards.  I am sure there are benefits to using things to reduce one's flabby belly, hips thighs etc.  There are supplements that people use for fat loss, some are even natural.  In some cases, even many cases there are good results.  I heard a doctor talking last night of how many waist sizes patients are losing using his technique for fat loss.  I am sure they look much better, and there's no doubt that having less fat in one's abdomen is definitely a good thing, I am not disputing that.  But this line of thinking can be dangerous because in reality, the problem is NOT the problem.

For instance, just because someone has less fat (looks better) does that mean they are healthy?  The answer is no.  I have seen it in many lives.  There are plenty of thin people running around with high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc.  There are heavier people running around with GREAT blood pressure and normal lipid profiles (not giving anyone freedom to become overweight/obese here).  So while a person may think "my fat/waist size is the problem", it's not.

This same line of thinking occurs in people in the area of energy.  Some say "I have no energy" so they load up with coffee, energy drinks, energy supplements etc.  This gives them energy in the short term.  So they feel better and can accomplish more.  However, they've only addressed the perceived problem, not the real problem.
The same thing goes for those that are sick often.  Many times they have fallen into a lifestyle that involves living off of antibiotics and antihistamines, ibuprofen and the like.  This gets them feeling better or in some cases at least keeps their symptoms down to a dull roar.  However, once again, the problem (sickness) is not the real problem.

Some people have issues sleeping.  They can't get to sleep til 2 in the morning.  Or, they fall asleep and then wake up.  Some fall asleep, but never get into deep sleep where repair and rest occur.  So they often turn to over the counter medications or even prescriptions.  This may again solve, or better yet, subdue the perceived issue.  But the problem remains.

So goes the life of many people. They can use supplements/procedures/medications to burn off fat, increase our energy temporarily, not run a fever or sleep better and for all appearances, things will appear rather acceptable.  From the outside they may appear great/healthy.  Much of this stems from our Western culture mentality of "for every ill there is a pill".  This line of thinking, pure and simply, kills. 

The problem is NOT the problem.  More specifically, the PERCEIVED problem is not the problem.  Obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleeping issues, energy issues, are many times all just a symptom of our suicidal lifestyles.  We can take all the supplements available, have all the procedures possible done, take medications to artificially change our insides, and still be killing ourselves daily by how we live.  Sometimes certain procedures or medications are necessary to handle critical situations.  But without lifestyle changes, we will still be sick and growing sicker by the day.  That's THE problem, THE thing that needs addressing.  That's what we try to address in our patients so they can become truly healthy.

Remember, the problem is NOT the problem (Thanks Pastor Phil!)

Until next time... Be Well!
Dr. Bruce

Are There Tigers Around Every Corner In Your Life?

I had a conversation with a patient yesterday that was interesting.  I would have loved to talk to him longer but other patients were waiting so I had to stop before I could get all the way through the topic.  It started by him talking about how he's been dealing with sinus symptoms (pressure around the eyes) etc. for a while, and stuffy feeling in his head.  He's had no fever, his MD says maybe he has a viral infection (I don't think so) etc.  He was bummed about why this was going on and the fact that he's not gotten over it yet.  It transitioned into a really good wellness conversation.

First we talked about his present lifestyle.  He is working out twice a week, but he's also getting married/planning a wedding that is happening this spring.  We talked about stress and he admitted that over the past few months he had more stress in his life than usual.  This led into the effects of stress in our body, particularly the fact that it reduces the immune response, and in general makes us more susceptible to illness because when we are under chronic stress, the body is constantly in a "fight or flight" mode.  This response (fight or flight) is important to have when a tiger jumps out at us and we need to fight or flee for our lives.  At that point we need more blood to our muscles and heart, we need higher blood pressure and a faster heart rate.  We don't need to worry about digestion or immunity or blood flow to some of our organs.  We need all hands on deck for immediate survival. So when the timing is appropriate, this is a good response.

The problem comes about when our body senses a tiger around every corner.  Then it tends to stay in a state of heightened alertness.  That is when it's NOT a good thing.  When we are surrounded by deadlines, extra things to do, problems, new challenges etc., our body continually stays in a fight or flight status.  Unfortunately, in our culture, we tend to turn immediately to medications for the anxiety, the higher blood pressure etc.  In this way we artificially change our body's physiology, with damaging side effects.  We never address the causes of this heightened state of alertness, and thus never address the cause of the adaptations that the body is undergoing (ie the blood pressure etc).  It goes back to the "for every ill there is a pill" mentality that we, and many of our allopathic (medical) health care providers have.

He (my patient) talked about how he couldn't take the meds he had been prescribed for his cholesterol issues because of side effects too.  This led to further conversation about what I just described as the body's physiology being changed, but not the root cause of the problem (higher cholesterol).  I hope we can have further conversations about dietary changes, because there was not time then, though we did speak about juicing and whole foods etc.  So many of the recommendations patients get when they have hypercholesterolemia is to avoid fatty foods, fried foods etc.  but there is no mention of processed foods, foods that can sit on your on your pantry shelves for months and years without changing (non-real food) and their effects on one's physiology (PS they cause stress on the body daily).  Our culture needs to get back to eating the basics; protein from good sources, lots of veggies (this is where juicing can be a real benefit), fruit, and avoiding breads, pastas, and all things processed as much as possible.

Yes, I do enjoy a good dessert from time to time (my daughter loves to bake tasty morsels).  But to live this way is the problem with our health in America.  We don't need more medications, more surgeries.  We need to get back to the basics of eating well, moving well, thinking well and resting well.  That would go a long way to solving our "health care crisis".

Until next time...Be Well!