The Ripple Effect Life: Health & Life Mastery Blog Series
by Dr. Tom Gargiula “Dr. G”
Seeing people lose their health, get sicknesses and diseases breaks my heart. I am not only speaking about what happens in other countries. I am speaking about what is happening everyday in America. It is said that America is the most advanced and developed country in the world. While we have incredible technology and wealth, the general mindset of most Americans is underdeveloped when it comes to health.
We go through life so busy and consumed with things that we take very little time thinking and taking action around the topic of health. There is great medical advances and technology in United States but the mindset is: When things breakdown in the body and we lose our health we have the technology and drugs to fix it. This way of thinking is a ReActive way of going about health.
Wait for the body to breakdown and then attempt to repair it. Many times the body is not actually being repaired. Drugs are being used to cover up or temporarily remove an inconvenient symptom. If you have high blood pressure and you are given a drug to lower your blood pressure, you are not healthier. The drug may temporarily keep you from having a stroke, but frequently no other steps are taken to actually help you to improve your health. I do understand that the ReActive model is a very good business model. After all when someone is having an emergency or a crisis and is scared, they will do anything and pay any amount of money to get out of the situation.
The ProActive mindset is the exact opposite of the ReActive mindset. It involves conscious thought about your health. It takes putting in the time deciding how you want your health to be experienced. Planning is another important aspect of being ProActive. You decide, ahead of time, what actions you are going to take to stay healthy and increase the odds that you will stay healthy as time goes by.
Let’s look at Real Life ways of being ReActive that might seem silly to some people and very normal to others…
Deciding you want to go on a trip, you simply get in the car and start driving. You ReActed to the thought of wanting to travel. Or while you are driving you go until you get lost, then you ask someone where you are and how to get to your destination.
Driving your car until you get a tire blow our because they are so worn and then replace only the blown tire.
Drive you car until you hear this weird grinding sound in the engine, then change the oil.
Only putting gas in your car after you run out and have to pull to the side of the road and call someone.
You want to have a dinner party so you run to the grocery store and begin walking aimlessly around the isles as you look for something to make for your friends.
What about deciding to begin investing money the day you decide you want to retire.
Going to the dentist only when you have excruciating jaw pain.
Working on your marriage once your spouse says they want a divorce.
Speaking to your children about life; drugs, alcohol, strangers, purpose, vision, future on their college graduation day.
Going to the chiropractor only when I have so much pain I can not bend over to tie my shoes or turn my neck to drive.
Being ProActive takes each of the above examples and gets a totally different result. For many, you are ProActive is several of the above categories because you do not want the consequence of the ReActive way of doing it.
So you decide to plan your trip ahead of time. You take the time and decide where you want to go, how much it will cost, what type of clothes to pack, the best time of year to go and the best mode of transportation to get there. You take this time because you want a successful trip that is enjoyable, a great experience, and worth the money being spent.
Many people are ProActive when it comes to their cars. They get the oil changed every 3000 – 5000 miles. And why do we do this? Because we know the car will run better, last longer, and we do not want the bigger expense and inconvenience of having the engine seize up in the middle of driving. We even get expensive “maintenance” done like changing the timing belt and flushing the brake fluid simply because the car has a certain number of miles on it and that is what the manufacturer and mechanic suggests we do to keep the car running well.
When planning a dinner party we decide ahead of time who we are inviting, what we want to make, how much of that you already have at the house and then you make a list of what is needed and go shopping for the rest.
Some areas of life, like the above three examples, seem like a “no brainer” to most people for being ProActive. Other areas, even though they are of significant importance, are not as readily followed by most people.
Several of these areas that are frequently ignored in the ProActive arena that I will speak about in other blogs are: Finances, Marriage, and Raising children.
The topic I am speaking about now as I began this blog, is being ProActive or ReActive with Health.
About 50% of the American population sees a dentist on a twice a year “preventative” basis. Why do we do this? Because we want to keep the teeth we have for as long as possible. Because dental cleanings are a lot less painful and less expensive than a root canal, a crown, or false teeth. Even though this sounds like a convincing reason to be ProActive, I was shocked when I heard it was only 50%.
When it comes to what we eat, how much water we drink, and how we exercise most Americans do not give it a thought until a crisis hits. That crisis can range anywhere from a heart attack all the way to the most important, my pants don’t fit. Research shows us that 70% – 90% of diseases are directly related to our LifeStyle choices and only 10% – 20% to genetics. Even with this overwhelming statistic, most people decide to be ReActive instead of ProActive. In the first half of the1900s people would say you were crazy to go to a dentist on a proActive basis. Why would you waste your time and money. Dentists don’t do that. What the dental profession realized was that it is so much better for your health and your finances if you utilize a dentist ProActively. This began the trend of the dentists and toothpaste companies sharing the idea of being ProActive Vs ReActive. It took many years but it has obviously become the common understanding now.
One of the most overlooked strategy for ProActively living a healthy life is Chiropractic. Less than 10% of the population sees a chiropractor on a “ProActive” or Wellness basis. This is just like the dental industry one hundred years ago. May I ask few questions and share some facts and research about the body and health? Thank you.
Facts:
1. The body is made to be self-healing. Thank you God.
• We know this because if we cut ourselves it heals all on its own.
• When we get a cold our body increases the White Blood Cells and gets a fever to attack and kill the virus or bacteria that is causing the infection.
• If we break our arm it heals automatically. The cast is there to protect the break and the healing happens.
• We are beautiful healing beings.
2. Our Nervous System controls and coordinates every function of our body. Every organ, gland, and tissue is connected to the Nervous System
• We live our lives through our Nervous System.
3. Scientific studies reveal that when there is interference to the Nervous System the body begins to break down.
4. Removing the interference to the Nervous System restores the body’s healing ability.
5. Research shows that about 10% of the nerve fibers in our Nervous System sense pain.
Questions:
1. Have you ever known someone to get diagnosed with a significant health problem “out of the blue”?
• They seemed healthy, then, all of a sudden, had a heart attack, a kidney stone, appendicitis, gall bladder attack, get a cancer diagnosis.
2. Was the person you just thought about actually healthy days, weeks, or months prior to this health crisis simply because they had no symptoms?
3. Since a healthy Nervous System = a health body and an unhealthy Nervous System = an unhealthy body, is it possible that the above mentioned person may have interference to their Nervous System?
4. Will someone who has interference to their Nervous System be healthier or sicker 5 years from now?
5. Do you think that performing other healthy lifestyle options like exercise and a good eating plan will be more or less effective with nerve interference?
6. Since only about 10% of the nerve fibers in your Nervous System sense pain, how do you know if you have interference to your Nervous System when you do not have symptoms?
This is why getting Wellness Check-up at a Wellness Chiropractor’s office is critical to obtain True health. It is ultimate form of being ProActive. Wellness check ups will vary based upon the chiropractic technique, philosophy, client stress level, age, and the health goals of the client. They can range anywhere from weekly to quarterly.
Not all chiropractors practice Wellness Chiropractic. Some specialize in sports injuries, others car accidents, etc. Wellness Chiropractic is a specialty based upon the doctor’s philosophy and techniques.
There are hundreds of chiropractic adjusting styles and techniques. Some are more hands on and forceful and others are more gentle, specific, and lighter touch. Again, the style of adjusting is often related to the specialty.
At Windmill Wellness Center, we specialize in Wellness Chiropractic and we utilize Specific Tonal Chiropractic techniques. These specific, gentle, and extremely effective techniques are focused on the BrainStem (which is where every nerve in your body originates), the tone and tension of the Nervous System, and to assist the client with achieving their Health Goals.
Because a Healthy Nervous System = a Healthy body we recommend utilizing Wellness Chiropractic as Step one of your health journey along with the other very important practices that make up The 7 Pillars of Health.
At Windmill Wellness Center, our purpose is to “Help you to find your greatness and Transform your Quality of Life.”
www.WindmillWellnessCenter.com
E-mail: DrG@WindmillWellnessCenter.com
