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Real Answers from Dr. Casey Ericson
The Wellness Solution
Owner and Operator

There are always reasons to be thankful. No matter how hard things may be for you at times, it could ALWAYS be worse. The state of one's health is a perfect example of this, it is one of those things that people take for granted until it changes for the worse. Whether you are perfectly healthy, recovering from an injury, or battling a serious illness, it could always be worse, so take a deep breath and focus on what you DO have and how to improve upon it. This is tough lesson for one to learn!

DON'T wait until you have lost an aspect of your health and desperately wish to have it back before you do the following:

Wake up every single morning and express your gratitude for the current state of your health.
Do everything you can to improve your health so you can continue to enjoy every moment of life to its fullest and to give your body the greatest possible resources to combat any illness or injury that may come your way.

Ask yourself the following questions:

What are the things that you cherish most about your health?
What three activities would you miss most if your health were to be compromised?
If someone were to tell you that you would lose these abilities tomorrow wouldn't you do everything that you could to protect yourself?

Well… today is the day to take action and think preventatively about your health. Take charge, make a commitment, and be as healthy as you can be.

So… how do you do it??? Whenever you take on a large task you should always try to “chunk it down” to small manageable steps so you are not overwhelmed but the larger task at hand. Here are some small, manageable steps to help you start thinking and acting proactively about your health.

Add one additional serving of a fruit or vegetable to your diet every week for one month. Then keep these 4 additional items in your diet from here on out!
Remove one poor dietary choice from your diet every week for one month. Then stick with it! Good suggestions include: food containing trans fats, aspartame, a particular deep fried food, diet and/or regular soda, one prepackaged meal that you could easily make from scratch (mac & cheese is a great example of this).
Add 10 minutes every week to your fitness routine so at the end of one month you are consistently exercising 40 minutes more per week.
Change one activity that you do on a regular basis to make your life more active - stop taking elevators and climb the stairs, carry your bags opposed to taking a cart when possible, park far away from the entrance of a store opposed to circling the lot three times to find the nearest spot (you know who you are!!!).

Most importantly, start thinking about how you can take steps NOW to improve and maintain your health so you will always have more rather than less to be thankful for each and every day!!!

October 2008

I would love everyone to stop and ask themselves the following questions:

Are you as healthy today as you were 5 years ago?

If yes, good for you - I would love to hear what it is that you are doing that keeps you moving in the right direction.

If no, than ask yourself this question:

Will you be as healthy 5 years from now as you are today?

If your answers to these questions were NO and you do nothing to change your lifestyle, or approach to healthcare than you are looking at a consistent down turn in your health.

Here is the big question:

What can you do to improve your health over the next 5 years?

This is a crucial question considering one's health is in constant motion. You live your entire life through your nervous system - when it is not functioning at an optimal level you start moving towards illness rather than towards health. In order to move towards health one must make a commitment to take back their primary responsibility: taking care of themselves! In our busy day to day lives as parents, professionals, and partners it is so easy to put the care of others first. This is doing the biggest disservice to your own personal health and those that you care for and about. To truly take care of others you must first take care of yourself!

As a chiropractor and founder of The Wellness Solution, I have dedicated my professional focus to helping people establish a path and pattern towards health and away from illness. My role as a chiropractor and health care provider is to see more in my patients than they see in themselves. To educate, not intimidate. To nurture and assist patients in taking control of their health. As a chiropractor I love being an educator. It is so imperative for people to start understanding that it is their responsibility alone to take care of themselves. You cannot rely on our current health care system to do it for you. One of the main ways I help my patients travel a path to improved health is by getting an accurate assessment of how their nervous system is functioning.

My approach to chiropractic focuses on 3 irrefutable facts:

The body is a self-healing and self-regulating organism (if you cut yourself your body has the ability to heal the cut).
The nervous system controls all of your bodily functions. There is not a single thing that your body can do in terms of movement, sensation, or function that isn't first transmitted by the nervous system.
If the nervous system is compromised and not working at its' optimal level than the body's ability to function and heal is diminished.

Through a hands-on approach to therapy that encompasses chiropractic manipulative therapy, varying degrees of mobilization, and soft tissue work you can maximize your nervous system's function and potential which can result in a significant improvement in your overall health. Plus, it will make you feel fantastic!

In regards to breast cancer ...

One of the biggest benefits chiropractic offers is pain relief. Studies have shown that chiropractic therapy can help relieve headaches and back and joint pain in women who have had breast cancer treatment. Chiropractors are also often good at teaching women how to do self-massage, including lymphatic massage, which can be very helpful for breast health.

Having alternative methods other than pharmaceuticals to help control pain can make an immense difference throughout treatment and can help reduce the amount of side effects from medication during the process. It is important that patient's taking anti-coagulant medications, women with weakened bones or osteoporosis from breast cancer treatment, or women who have recently undergone a surgical procedure discuss these details with their chiropractors prior to commencement of care in order to make sure that any necessary modifications or contraindications towards treatment are observed.

It is also beneficial to have good communication between all of your health care providers so discuss your chiropractic care with your primary care provider and your oncologist in an effort to encourage communication amongst them. This will enable you to receive the best possible integrative care. Remember YOU are in control of your health care and using as many resources as possible will afford you the best possible outcome and the highest level of comfort while you are enduring this difficult experience.