Is There Dog Poop in Your Brownies?

A dear friend once gave me some excellent parenting advice. She would use this story with her children to illustrate a very important life lesson. The story told of making a batch of yummy brownies then going in the backyard and getting a very, very small sample of Buster's business and mixing it in the brownie batter. Still looks pretty good, probably even still tastes pretty good. But you get the point...a little bit of bad ruins the whole thing. This principle can be applied to many aspects of our lives, but if there is one area that it really shows it's movies. Have you ever watched a potentially great film just to be turned off or disappointed because of one word or one scene? Worse yet, were your children in the room at the time?

I don't normally do product reviews, but I recently came across one of the best family-friendly products I've seen in a long time and it addresses this exact problem. It's called ClearPlay and it's a DVD player with a built-in content filter. It works like this: you install the "filters" from the ClearPlay website onto a USB drive. When you insert the USB drive into the ClearPlay player it recognizes the movie you're playing and applies the filter settings accordingly. Here's the cool part - you can choose the level of filtering desired in multiple categories. So you can filter out all offensive language or just the really bad words. All sexual situations or just flat-out nudity. All bloodshed or just the really gory scenes. The really nice part is that the editing is virtually seamless. Offensive language is simply muted so it's obvious by the temporary loss of audio, but when entire scenes are cut the ClearPlay people really do a great job of splicing things together nicely. On rare occasions, I've noticed a slight blip in the action, but certainly not enough to complain about.

They do this by painstakingly marking every scene and questionable word in the movie. Then, during playback, the DVD player knows to skip a certain section based on the filter for that title. Quite ingenious, if you ask me. New filters are released every day as new movies come to market. And there are thousands of older movies already in the database. You can go to ClearPlay.com to see a list of all the movies available. Prices start at $119 for an HDMI compatible player. Filter updates are done by monthly membership. Again, you can check it all out at their website.

As a parent I'm concerned about what my children see and hear. I am also acutely aware that I set the example to them of what is appropriate behavior. By lowering the standard and letting junk into our homes and childrens' minds are we not being irresponsible? As a healthcare provider I tell my patients that it's no different than telling our kids to "say no to drugs" and then setting the example by medicating every ailment that besets us. Mixed signals, don't you think? This is just one strategy that I think you'll find helpful. I encourage comments, suggestions and similar strategies from fellow parents. Because we can make a difference.

Now, if I can just get ClearPlay for Uncle Eddie's mouth...

A Message from Your Irregular Doctor

It happened again today. In the course of adjusting a patient a certain health concern arose and the question was asked, "...do you think I should go to my regular doctor?". Which of course, makes me wonder if that means they think of me as their irregular doctor. Whatever that is. When I was younger and less experienced in practice I used to get offended by this. I went to school just as long as my regular doctor colleagues. I studied out of the same regular doctor books and took enough state and national board exams to make any doctor, regular or not, question the reason why they got into the healing arts in the first place. I used to feel like Chiropractors were second-class citizens in health care. That we weren't given enough credit for what we knew and did. That we weren't respected enough. That we were somehow less....regular. Then one day one of my patients told me he had gone to his "other" doctor and the drugs and medicines weren't working. After his adjustment and subsequent relief, he asked me if he should've come to me first. I was just glad to be referred to as equal to his "other" doctor. Finally, we've arrived. Yea for Chiropractic!!

Since then I have come to an even greater understanding of mine and Chiropractic's role in the health and well-being of my patients and the community. I've realized it's actually not about me or Chiropractic, it's about my patients. It's about helping them get the most out of life. It's about inspiring them to make healthy decisions, using reason and logic instead of fear. It's about teaching parents to teach their children that true health comes from within. And it's about trusting the God-given potential within each of us and letting it do the healing and letting it take the credit. It is so very much not about me anymore.

So, now when a patient asks me that inevitable question, I just pause. The fact that they're on my table tells me that they already know the answer. That they came to me first because they know that an adjustment will restore precious nerve function and allow their body to express itself more optimally...even if their condition requires medical attention also. It tells me that they know medicine has it's place, but how much better is it when the body heals itself, without drugs or surgery. That the only thing hindering their body's ability to heal is a lack of nerve flow brought on by the stresses of life and that there's no pill or potion for that. And that the only thing that will restore balance in their body is a chiropractic adjustment, delivered precisely where it's needed, at the correct vector, with the exact amount of force needed at the right moment in time to unleash a symphony of healing from within that knows exactly what to do. Every time.

And for that I am thankful, even if that makes me irregular.

Healthy balance in 2010

It never fails. Every January I'll see it. The generally health-conscious patient who let themselves go over the holidays. What exactly do I mean by "let themselves go"? Consider the 5 pillars of health, in no particular order, diet, exercise, rest, attitude, and nerve function and I think most of us would admit to some areas of weakness.

Let's tackle diet first. Raise your hand if you haven't been eating as healthy for the past 2 months. Enough said. While we're at it, let's get a show of hands for those that were exercising regularly, but haven't lately because of time. Okay that's 2 down. Rest is a funny one because, unlike diet and exercise, your body will force the issue if you don't get enough. Being sick for a few days is all it takes to catch up on weeks of back pay in the rest department. Which contributes to our attitudes. A recent study showed that happiness is more important than even diet or exercise when factored into longevity. Anybody stressed over the holidays?

I saved nerve function for last because it's the one that ties them all together and it's the one that as your Chiropractor I can help you the most with. Since we live our lives through our nerve system it's not difficult to see how it is impacted by our lifestyle. Everything we do, good or bad, has an effect on nerve function. It's the information super highway of the body. The one system that conducts, coordinates, and controls every other function of the body. Without proper nutrients coming in the nerve system is not able to coordinate healing. The result is weakened tissues and a depleted immune system. Without proper exercise there will be accelerated degenerative changes in the muscles and joints. That's right...use it or lose it. Again, the nerve system is impacted because the spine and it's connective tissues will lose significant function with a sedentary lifestyle. The nerve system is the one system in the body that never really rests..it's on the job 24/7. But guess when it's the most efficient at healing...that's right, when you're sleeping. Without proper rest, the nerve system is overwhelmed and all other sytems of the body are negatively impacted. And needless to say...I think we can all agree that a bad attitude will directly affect nerve function. Ever heard someone say you're..."getting on my nerves"?

The 5 pillars of health are just that...equally important essentials for good health. Sure, we may be a little stronger or weaker in some areas. But, flat out neglect any one area and you're setting yourself up for a health crisis. As your Chiropractor my focus is to adjust the spine and nerve system to relieve nerve disturbances. Disturbances that were brought on by the stresses of life and living out of balance. Which brings me back to my original topic. Living out of balance is the effect the holidays brings on many of us. This is the perfect time of year to really make an effort to re balancing your life. So, start that weight loss program. Get back in the gym. Make an effort to get in bed earlier. Look at the positives in life and "exercise" your attitude. And tie it all together with Chiropractic and a healthier nerve system in 2010. It just makes sense.

Striving to serve you better...

What a wonderful age we live in. Anything we want or desire is just a few clicks away. The information age has truly ushered in a whole new way to look for information and communicate with others.

One of the reasons for our success at Musacchio Chiropractic is our desire and ability to educate our patients to a higher level of wellness. People want to make better health decisions and are looking for guidance and direction to do so. With the ever increasing problems in our country's medical model health care system, chiropractors are leading the way to change. As MD's are being inundated with paperwork and regulations causing a decrease in the quality of patient care, the chiropractic community is striving to get the message out of hope and wellness.

As you read this, there are unprecedented numbers of chiropractors with blogs like this one preaching the virtues of a healthy lifestyle. All over the country there are DC's offering lectures in their communities on topics such as Managing Stress, ADHD, Childhood Ear Infections and many others. People want what we have to offer, they just need to know exactly what that is.

Check in frequently as we too, expand our efforts in the community to educate the public on the benefits of a healthier spine and nerve system. Become a fan of ours on Facebook to stay abreast of the teleseminars and community events we'll be offering. Also, visit our website at MusacchioChiro.com for more in depth information and articles on many different topics. And finally...stay in touch. I encourage you to post your comments or e-mail questions. We are here to serve and look forward to changing lives...one spine at a time.