Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Basic but Informative

While "surfing" the waves of my usual health related websites this morning I veered off the beaten path and came across a new source that I can't believe has not been on my radar screen. Dr. Lawrence Wilson, a Medical Doctor with extensive experience in natural medicine and hair analysis testing has an amazing site. Granted, it isn't fancy, aesthetically titillating, or all that eye-catching but the information provided is immense and very helpful. One article I came across when delving through his archives is entitled "Willpower and the Will to Live". I find the information given in this article extremely enlightening, easy to read, and gripping. I encourage all of you to read the article, as it pertains to the process of healing on so many levels. Below is a brief take home synopsis:

Developing a strong, positive will is important to healing. This article discusses the four steps to developing a strong will:
  1. Desire: Desire is the motivating force for everything. A strong desire for healing, no matter how it is felt, for example, is absolutely necessary for healing to take place. The best treatment or doctor in the world will help nothing if the desire for healing is not present.
  2. Intention: Intention is about maintaining your desires in a consistent way, no matter what happens, over an extended period of time. It may also be called persistence or stick-to-itiveness.
  3. Allowing: It is often necessary to allow symptoms as healing crises to play out as part of healing. It is also necessary to allow emotions to surface, or to allow oneself to undergo unusual or uncomfortable experiences or therapies.
    Allowing also has to do with permitting a process of healing to occur, when the mind is looking for healing to be simply an event.
  4. Surrender: This is the most mysterious of the four steps. In a way, it is the outcome of allowing. In other ways, it is a very active process. In part, it is saying that I am not sure what the outcome will be, even though I have faith. It is admitting that one cannot know all the facts on this earth plane of existence. God or the higher self may have plans for me of which I know nothing. Therefore, I surrender, in the end, to the will of the high self or God. This applicable across faith boundaries.
Much more information and keys to success on each step are given in the article. That is why I encourage everyone to check out this article. I know that it really gave me a boost of will reading this article. It is always good to remind ourselves of how complacency and lack of action can affect our health both mentally and physically.


While you are there check out some of the excellent articles on the benefits of hair analysis...a procedure that we prescribe to at CCW due to it's MANY benefits in diagnosis and analysis of health problems.
http://drlwilson.com/



Share/Bookmark

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Metal Toxicity: Why you STILL feel ill

I am a subscriber to Mercola.com's excellent newsletter. Today I received an email about the effects of toxic metals on our health and it inspired me to share some basic knowledge around this topic with you all.

Often times, even when poeple follow healthy dietary guidelines, engage in meditative and relaxation techniques, and stay regularly adjusted there continue to be reoccuring health problems. In cases such as this, where no pre-existing condition is evident, the culprit is usually heavy metal toxicity. Metals such as Mercury, Aluminum, Cadmium, Arsenic, Lead, Nickel, and others are prevalent in our environment. Environmental exposure to these metals in amounts as small as one part per billion can be extremely toxic especially with Mercury and Arsenic.

You may think you are safe from this type of poisoning but consider the following. Do you use anti-perspirant? It is riddled with aluminum. Do you cook with aluminum foil or aluminum cookware? This can leech in to your food. Do you have mercury fillings in your teeth? Those disintegrates over time and enter your blood stream in toxic quantities. Do you drink tap water? Many sources have high levels of toxins such as copper and aluminum due to the "purification" process and water supply pollution. Do you use general household cleaning supplies such as clorox, windex, kaboom, generic brands, lysol, etc.? These are FULL of chemicals with lists too long to name in a blog...in short we are all exposed on a continual basis.

How do you know if you have heavy metal toxicity?
Symptoms include but are not limited to sudden sever cramping or convulsions, nausea, vomiting, sweating, headache, difficulty breathing, impaired cognitive, motor and language skills, fatigue, digestive distress, aching joints, depression, impaired blood sugar regulation, reproductive problems such as menstrual difficulties and pregnancy risks.

So what do we do about it???!

First of all there are many adjustments you can make to your daily life to avoid these toxins. If you drink tap water or even water filtered by a basic brita or pure style system, switch to water purified by reverse osmosis (you can get this for ~43 cents a gallon at health food stores). If you have tooth fillings, have them removed. If you use antiperspirant, switch to a natural deodorant without antiperspirant effects such as Tom's All Natural Deodorant. If you cook with Aluminum ware switch to stainless steel. If you drink out of plastic water bottles on the go switch to glass mason jars or a safe plastic water bottle such as Nalgene bottles. If you use typical household cleaners check out the link on natural cleaners in the side bar for effective ways to clean with baking soda, vinegar, and more.

These steps may be essential to your health progression. If your body is highly toxic however (a more and more common occurrence in our industrialized era) additional action may be needed. At CCW we have several options that can help you detox effectively.

  1. First of all our Ionic Cleanse Foot Bath is a detoxification method in a 30 minute treatment. The ion array splits the water molecule to very positive H+ ions and very negative OH- ions. These then have a magnet effect on the toxins in your tissues and organs by entering through your skins pores and attaching to contrastingly charged toxins (or ions) in your body. Treatments can be done once a week until results are felt and then on a maintenance basis. Please call our office at (919) 845-3280 for specifics and scheduling information.
  2. Second of all we have a very effective detoxification nutritional protocol that we often times implement with patients in need of intense purification. This program is the Standard Process Purification Program and it consists of purely whole food and herbal supplements, in conjunction with a specified whole food diet for three weeks, that attach to all toxins in your body, create the pathway for exit and then expel all toxins through your main detoxifying organs: liver, GI tract, skin, urinary tract etc. This program will help you eliminate cravings for toxic foods, lose weight if necessary, help your skin, give you consistent energy, get you on a consistently healthy pattern of eating and activity, and much more. It is truly an amazing program. Our front desk staff or myself (the Wellness Coordinator) can speak with you specifically about this program and how it may apply to your life and then direct you to the necessary practitioner to begin.
  3. Another excellent detoxification therapy is through Oriental Medicine. Our Acupuncturists, Andre Tse and Brian Kramer can utilize needling therapies, herbal remedies, and oriental medical massage to move the energies of the body and create the pathways for organ and tissue detoxification. Please call our office to schedule a health screening if interested in trying this time tested and proven effective method of whole body health care.
Heavy metal toxicity is a spreading issue in our current society. If you feel you are at risk of acute toxicity and/or persistent exposure please make the necessary changes. If you are a current patient come talk to me and we'll discuss your daily practices that could be contributing to toxicity and then help you to find treatments and lifestyle adjustments that WILL help.

In the spirit of wellness,

Jennifer Campbell



Share/Bookmark

Friday, July 11, 2008

Guest Post: Chiropractic for Migraine Releif

This week our office has the pleasure of receiving a guest blog post from the content director at rvita.com a site that provides trusted information on natural healing. Below you will find her article on Chiropractic care for Migraine Releif.

Pain in the Head? Consider Chiropractic

By Danielle Grilli, Content Director rvita.com

Nearly everyone experiences a headache or migraine at some point in his or her life. In fact, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the American Council for Headache Education (ACHE), nearly 95 percent of women and 90 percent of men will have at least one headache within their lifetime. Additionally, over 25 million people in the United States suffer from chronic migraines; the manifestation of which results in more than 112 million bedridden days per year and a loss of over $13 billion to employers. Statistics and financials aside, migraines and headaches aren’t fun; it’s almost, if not strictly, impossible to go about one’s normal life when suffering from one.

Of course, there are options. When considering a treatment, many people choose the pharmaceutical approach although almost all of these individuals find themselves unhappy with their decision; dissatisfied with the both immediate and long-term benefits as well as the accompanying side effects. As with most chronic conditions, there are, however, several natural, alternative treatment options. Chiropractic care, for one, has proven to be most successful both in the reduction and the elimination of headaches and migraines.

There have been several clinical trials to support this claim. One such prospective study, performed by researchers at the Chiropractic Research Center of Macquarie University, found that 72 percent of the participants reported a significant reduction in migraines after only 2 months. 72 percent!! In addition, participants continued to show statistically significant improvement after a six month follow up. Subsequently, these same researchers performed a randomized, controlled trial which found the initial results to be accurate. In another poignant study, researchers at the Northwestern College of Chiropractic, Center for Clinical Studies, found that, when compared with Amitriptyline, a drug commonly used for migraines, chiropractic care showed greater sustained benefits and fewer side effects than the pharmaceutical alternative. These are only 3 of the many trials which have been performed to date.

Given the stellar results, I’d say that chiropractic is a good treatment option; so if you’re one of the unfortunates who suffers from a chronic nagging, aching pain in the head, you may want to consider a visit to your local DC (Doctor of Chiropractic) - It’s proven to work.

References

1. rVita: Alternative Medicine
2. A randomized controlled trial of chiropractic spinal manipulative therapy for migraine. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Volume 23, Issue 2, Pages 91 – 95. P. Tuchin, H. Pollard, R. Bonello.
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17987194
4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7790794
5. Hu XH, Markson LE, Lipton RB, Stewart WF, Berger ML. Burden of migraine in
the United States: disability and economic costs. Arch Intern Med. 1999;159(8):813-818.





Share/Bookmark

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Product Updates

Hello folks,

As you know I very often receive products from all natural/organic/holistically focused companies to try and review. Below is a brief rundown of a select few of the products i've received that I actually see value in:

"Cell-nique, is the first delicious organic Super Green Drink made from a blend of natural whole Super Foods and herbs that support the rejuvenation of your cells by bathing them in pure phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants.

Cell-nique is an exclusive proprietary blend of organic and natural whole foods, physician-formulated to provide you with the essential daily requirements of vitamins and minerals that your body needs to succeed!

Cell-nique quenches your body's thirsty cells reviving them with the proper acid/alkaline balance, which strengthens your immune system, increases energy, and improves metabolism, digestion, and mental acuity.

Cell-nique supports and promotes detoxification, rejuvenation and replenishment of cellular regeneration by bathing your cells in pure phyto-nutrients and anti-oxidants which helps to counteract cellular damage from years of less than ideal eating habits and residual toxins in the body."

Cell-Nique SUPPORTS & PROMOTES:
  • DNA Cell Integrity,
  • Anti-Wrinkle,
  • Aging,
  • Digestion,
  • Alkalinity,
  • Hydration,
  • Cellular Detoxification,
  • Cellular Anti-Oxidation,
  • Brain Memory Function,
  • Healthy Hair, Skin, Nails,
  • Optimum Organ Function,
  • Immune System Booster

Funky Monkey Snacks

For all you mothers and fathers out there with "picky" children this review is for you. Funky Monkey Snacks are an all natural, VERY CRISP, freeze dried fruit snack. On top of being an all natural (USDA ORGANIC) healthy snack with NO added sugar, artificial Ingredients or preservatives, they taste GREAT.
The ingredients are simply freeze dried fruit, nothing more, nothing less, but they have the satisfying crunch and sweetness of a typical kid friendly snack. I hate to have to say it but the taste brings back the nostalgic taste of Fruit Loops cereal without all the additional "junk." In addition, the packaging is bright, fun, colorful, and kid friendly and doesn't look like a typical "health food." I definitely recommend trying them out. My favorite flavor was the carnaval mix. I wasn't a huge fan of the bananamon or the Purple Funk but I did like the Jivealime a lot with its big crispy chunks of zesty pineapple goodness!

More information to come!
Have a happy Wednesday!
Share/Bookmark

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Congratulations all around!

Congratulations are most definitely in order for many of the practitioners here at CCW and I couldn't resist sharing all the exciting news with all of you!

First of all WELL DONE to Dr. Thomas Young for his recent certification as a Certified Chiropractic Sports Physician (CCSP) ® . With a background in physical therapy, myofascial work, manual chiropractic, sports, and more Dr. Young truly is "promoting the highest standards of excellence and clinical competence [of] chiropractors specializing in sports medicine and physical fitness," the motto of the ACBSP. We are very pleased to have him as an associate.

Next a HUGE PAT ON THE BACK to Dr. Jennifer Greenfield for her recent award as one of the top chiropractors in the triangle through the Independent Weekly. We know how amazing she is but it sure is nice to have it recognized by the public, so thanks for your support!

In addition Andre Tse, L.Ac has made us PROUD once again with his formulation of a revolutionary integrative therapy combining the healing and pain relieving effects of both the ML830 non-thermal laser and acupuncture therapies into one treatment. This therapy has shown promise in increasing cellular metabolism at an incredible rate for cellular regeneration (healing) and increased desensitization of nerve pain endings or nociceptors (pain relief). Please call the office for more information or to set up a consultation at (919) 845-3280.

Finally, it should be noticed that both Brian Kramer, L.Ac and Dr. Young are in the process of creating personal websites that expand on their individual services in conjunction with our office. This is in an effort to increase information available to all patients and prospective patients, as well as to increase clarity around the individual practitioners and their backgrounds. We want you to be fully informed because you deserve to be! Check out their individual sites (which are still under construction) at:
www.krameracupuncture.com
www.activecareraleigh.com

Thank you all for your support and trust and we look forward to seeing you soon! Updates will be up soon about events for the rest of the summer, so be on the lookout :o)

Share/Bookmark