Thursday, October 18, 2012

Dr. Burkhead Passes the Advanced Proficiency Activator Rating Exam

She did it the first time!   This past weekend Dr. Burkhead and I attended the Activator Seminar in Atlanta.   While there Dr. Burkhead took the written and practical examination to become Advanced Rated.  She passed both her first attempt.   This is quite an achievement   The day I took mine, only 10% of the doctors taking the test passed.  It is a difficult test and if you don't pass you have to wait months before you can take it again.  I'm very proud of her as she achieved this goal her first attempt.   World wide there are just over 3000 doctors who are Basic Proficiency rated, and then approx. 1000 who are Advanced.  Congratulations Dr. Burkhead!

Did you know that there are now more Chiropractic Colleges outside the US than there are in?  Chiropractic began here in the US in 1895 and has now spread across the world.   There are colleges in Australia, Japan, Spain, and many other countries.   The newest was just chartered in Israel.

I've taken over the blog now.   Dr. Burkhead and I switch back and forth.  So check back to see what I'm up to and what tidbits of information I have for you.
Have a GREAT DAY!
Don M.Cross, D.C.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Good Habits Are Hard to Break

        Straighten Up America has been going well. We have introduced this program to several schools now, and they are in the process of integrating it into their day. After I’ve taught these exercises to people, the most frequent comment I hear is, “ Wow, I feel better!”


        One of our patients said to me the other day, “ It’s as hard to break a good habit as it is to break a bad one.” He is so right! I’m not sure many of us think about the good habits we have, but if you think about it, you probably have many good health habits that you don’t even think about because they are just normal for you.

         That’s what I would like these exercises to become for kids, a normal part of their day. Adults benefit from this program as well, and I would be happy to teach them to anyone who would like to learn. Just call first to make sure I’m in the office (850-875-1747), and not too booked up, then come by and I will teach you these free of charge. It takes only a few minutes to learn and a few minutes to do each day. The benefits will stay with you for a lifetime. Once you start it’s a hard habit to break!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Straighten Up America!


Teachers at a local elementary school, working on their Straighten Up America moves!
                                          
I’m happy to announce that Cross Chiropractic Clinic is about to launch a new health initiative in our county called “Straighten Up America”. The purpose of this free public service program is to empower the American people to achieve better spinal health and improved quality of life.

Billions of dollars are spent every year related to disability due to low back pain alone. Clearly there is a need here that needs to be addressed. Straighten Up America is a simple, fun, three-minute exercise program that will improve a person’s posture and spinal health. It’s designed for people of all ages and includes a few healthy lifestyle recommendations. The hope is that people will begin to take care of their spinal health each day the way they take care of their teeth. A little preventative maintenance can go a long way!

We are introducing this in schools so that children can begin to create good spinal habits and hopefully stay out of pain and disability. Some children ( as young as grade school age!) already have back problems due to sedentary lifestyles and/or overloaded school backpacks. In just a few minutes a day, they can save themselves pain and heartache later on down the road.


You can't help but smile!  It's fun!

Eventually, we would like to present this to adults in the community as well. This program has been shown to significantly improve participants posture, core muscle groups and back comfort levels. This quick set of exercises can be used as a warm up, a cool down or a break from sitting at the computer too long.

If you would like to learn more about this free public service, feel free to call our office at 850-875-1747.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Start From Where You Are

  Today I saw an elderly gentleman at the gym doing his work out. He was walking on the treadmill, and he was moving very slowly, both hands gripping the sides for balance. It was striking how slow his pace was, but his form was good. Standing straight and tall, his hips were square, his feet straight. He looked good. I started wondering what it had taken for him to get himself to the gym that day. Did he wake up with painful joints? Had he gotten enough sleep last night? So many elderly have a hard time getting to sleep. He was slow, but he was there by golly! He inspired me.


  I pretty much operate from the “use it or lose it” school of thought. For the most part( I know some cases where this is not true) I think its better to stay active and use whatever functionality you have even if it’s limited, because to stop doing an activity can often mean losing that ability. One of the most prevalent examples of this that I see everyday is people who lose the ability to walk any kind of distance. For one reason or another they have stopped walking and over the years have come to a place where they can barely walk across the room. Coming back from that kind of situation is nearly insurmountable for some people. It’s not that it can’t be done, but it’s hard. And there’s often more than one factor contributing to the problem, such as obesity, inflammation, or back pain.

  So, like the elderly man at the gym, one simple strategy is to make sure you keep doing the things you can do. Start from where you are. If you are only able to walk at a snail’s pace, then walk at a snail’s pace. If walking to the mailbox is all you can do, then keep doing that. Try to walk to the mailbox everyday, and then a little bit more until you can double the distance. You get the picture. Whatever function or activity you think may be jeopardized, try to maintain doing it. Then you can work on a strategy to improve on that.

  I try to remember “ …a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step.” Improving and maintaining your functional ability may be as simple as that. Not always easy, but simple.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Life Without Interference

Right now
Your heart is beating
Your lungs are taking in air
Filtering it through capillaries
To your bloodstream
Swapping it for carbon dioxide, and expelling it out

You are healing wounds,
Growing hair
Laughing with your friends
Telling bad jokes
Converting food into chemicals your cells can use for fuel
Millions of actions and reactions
Happening simultaneously

Your central nervous system coordinates it all!
The order
The timing
The synergy
This happens within you
Whether you are conscious of it or not.
Do you have to tell your heart to beat
Or your lungs to breathe?

Your nervous system
The master controlling, ever-coordinating system in your body is protected by
Your bones.
The skull surrounds and protects your brain
The spine surrounds and protects your spinal cord
Your spinal cord relays information from your brain
To every cell in your body

And back again
Keeping them all in synch with each other.
What happens if coordinating information that travels along the nerves is stopped
Or meets interference?
Can all the parts work together? Or do they go off and do their own thing?

Interference.
When the bones of your spine are out of place and create pressure
The muscles around them spasm and create pressure
Chemicals get released and
Irritate your nerves
What happens to the messages that run up and down?
Are they garbled?
Are they silent?



The joints of the spine must be working properly and be in the right relationship to your central nervous system so that all of who you are can be coordinated properly, can heal and function as you were meant to. When you come and get adjusted you are helping your body heal the structures and remove the interference to your body’s communication system that’s getting in the way of your best health. 
Live life without interference!


Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Start Somewhere

This year I plan to talk a lot about restoring health and wellbeing. Partly because it’s the journey I am on personally, and partly because I see so many people around me that are either working on the same thing, or who feel discouraged about it. One of the things I’ve discovered about making changes in your health, is that it doesn’t matter where you start, but it’s important to start somewhere.


One of the main perspectives of chiropractic is that our bodies have an inherent ability to be well, to heal and rejuvenate. I have seen this borne out time and again both personally and professionally. So never fear! If you’re alive, chances are you have the capacity to improve your health situation.

The subject of healing is huge, because there is not only a range of physical health to consider, but also mental, emotional and spiritual health as well. I’ve seen people improve their lives by starting in any one of these areas and following it all the way through. By that I mean, they might start by focusing on their emotional wellbeing by going to a counselor or psychiatrist, or whatever they find is necessary to feel balanced emotionally. Becoming balanced emotionally shows them other problems they had been unaware of, and now see more clearly since they are feeling better. If a person starts to feel better emotionally, chances are they’re going to want to feel better physically, so they might find themselves making changes to their diet and how they exercise etc.

I think most of us start with whatever is “yelling at us the loudest”, by that I mean, our biggest problem. Since I’m a chiropractor, I see lots of people whose “loudest” problem is back or neck pain. When they come in to resolve that problem through chiropractic adjustments, they may begin walking to help support the muscles surrounding their spinal column, and as a result, begin to lose weight. This in turn helps their diabetes. You get the picture.

It's all connected, and any positive thing you do for yourself will have a positive impact on all areas of your health and wellbeing, whether you keep all your New Year’s resolutions or not. So go ahead and start somewhere that feels “do-able”. Whether its tackling your biggest health problem, or making a small change in your daily habits, every good thing you do for yourself is never lost, and will help you on every level.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Have You Tried Massage?

    If you are looking for a way to positively impact your health, consider a massage. Everyone is trying to find ways to stay healthy and feel better, and I’m here to tell you this is one of the best ways I know. You don’t have to give anything up or reduce anything or change anything about yourself (except you might have to be willing to feel great. I have actually known a few people who weren’t but they’re very few and far between!)

    Massage therapy is the manipulation of muscles, tendons, and fascia (both deep and superficial) in the body to promote healing and wellbeing. There are many different styles, focusing on creating different effects, but they all have the same general purpose.

    Specific benefits of massage include musculoskeletal pain relief, decreasing anxiety associated with temporary issues, and decreasing blood pressure and heart rate. Done on a regular basis, it can help with managing chronic pain, and help decrease a person’s susceptibility to anxiety and depression.

    One of the things I like best about massage is that it’s one of those things you can do for yourself that is not only good for you, but feels great. The benefits from even one treatment are long lasting, so getting a massage once a month or so can benefit your health and make you feel better all month long.

    Dean Copeland, LPN, LMT is the Massage God at our clinic. I used to call him the massage therapist, but that name seems so inadequate when compared to how I felt when I got off the table after the last massage he gave me. It was like having a new body, or remembering what my body used to feel like when I was a kid. He knows many different techniques and he was good at listening to me when I told him about how I was feeling and what I wanted. He did nothing that was jarring or harsh. So I’m a Big Fan.

    There are lots of things in life that feel good but aren’t good for you (I’m sure you know what those are!!!!), but this is one thing that feels wonderful and improves your life at the same time. Kind of a “No-Brainer”.