Matthew's Journal

"The U.S. ranks dead last in preventable deaths among the 19 leading industrialized nations! We’re clearly off target in our approach to healthcare. Over 70 million Americans live with chronic pain—back pain and headaches top the list. Back pain is the leading cause of adult disability in America, costing more than cancer and heart disease combined. In 2008, the New York Times declared: “Despite spending $86 billion in 2005 on spine treatments, impaired function is increasing and we’re losing the battle against back pain. The biggest surge in spending has been for…narcotic pain relievers.” Newsweek stated that prescription drugs are the fourth leading cause of death, killing twice as many Americans as AIDS or suicide, and more than accidents or diabetes. This doesn’t even include outpatient care, malpractice, improper use of drugs or over-the-counter medications. My Strategy: Resolve your health conditions and other life problems from a holistic mindset and approach. “Holistic” means caring for the person as a whole (whole mind, whole body and whole spirit) instead of just as an accumulation of symptoms. I’ve dedicated my life to bringing holistic care to my patients and a holistic message to the world in order to solve pain and health issues and contribute to the solution of larger global concerns."

Thankfully it’s rarely too late to improve your health and this is the attitude you need to hold: “Never, never, never, never give up.” – Winston Churchill Far too often people buy the easily dispensed negative prediction that there’s no real solution or hope for their healing, especially when the condition is quite serious. I couldn’t disagree more strongly. When we approach healing from a holistic viewpoint we need to consider body, mind, and spirit and then take constructive action that addresses each aspect. Adopt these 3 elements to create a healthier, more joyful life: Choose hope – It can heal. A positive sense of calm and control can help prevent as well as overcome disease. Expand your vantage point to see your life from a more eternal perspective – This will allow you to better transcend the narrow specifics of your current problems and the all too common sense of hopelessness that can follow. Commit to ongoing actions to regain and optimize physical function- This is frequently the best portal of entry to effect improvements in your mental and emotional realms as well. This includes upgrades in exercise, food choices and supplementation, and also the detection and correction of spinal misalignments that are often quietly disturbing your critical nervous system function and sabotaging your well-being. Consider the words of Dr. Candace Pert in Molecules of Emotion regarding the value of bodywork for mind-body health: “…the touch therapies of massage, chiropractic, and any other modality that includes the body is a means of healing the mind and emotions. It’s true, we do store some memory in the brain, but by far, the deeper, older messages are stored in the body and must be accessed through the body. Your body is your subconscious mind, and you can’t heal it by talk alone.” In a recent article by French psychiatry professor David Servan-Schreiber in Ode Magazine, an experiment is discussed wherein “two groups of rats receive transplants of malignant tumors and are given electric shocks. One of them can avoid the shocks by pushing on a lever; the other can’t. In the group that can avoid the shocks, the immune system does its job. It counterattacks and eliminates the cancer cells in 64 % of the animals. In the other group, animals soon get discouraged, the immune cells are paralyzed and the cancer spreads in a few weeks. Only 23% of the rats reject the tumor.” “Cancer seems to develop faster and more aggressively in patients who have less control over the inevitable stress of existence.” Healing is the process of returning to wholeness. From a holistic perspective this would involve wholeness of body, mind, and spirit. Wholeness means not being wounded, injured, or impaired or at least having been restored fully to health. How much wholeness is still possible for you if you’re in your 40′s, 50′s, or beyond when you’ve suffered physical injuries and endured significant life stresses? How can you make sure you’re doing your best to avoid or overcome chronic pain and degenerative illnesses?