Most people think posture is simply cosmetic.  Poor posture is not only unsightly, but has major health impacts.  A healthy spine = good posture.  Bad posture = an unhealthy spine.  It’s literally impossible to have bad posture and a healthy spine.

A healthy spine is a system at rest.  An unhealthy spine is a very inefficient system that has a high energy demand on the body.  The most common form of poor posture is Forward Head Posture (FHP).  FHP occurs from cumulative postural stress like sitting at your computer for 8 hours per day, looking down as you text your friends multiple times per day, driving your car and poor sleeping positions (stomach sleepers have the worst necks).  The other stress that causes FHP is traumatic stress like auto accidents and sports injuries.  These types of injuries are called acceleration/deceleration forces AKA ‘whiplash’.

Imagine holding a 12 pound bowling ball close to your chest.  Now extend your arms away from your body and feel how much heavier the ball seems.  There is a remarkable difference!  As we develop FHP this is what happens.  For every 1″ of FHP the effective weight of your head is increased by 10 pounds.  The image below sums up this process highlights the negative effects of this:

It takes a minute to stretch.  Animals innately know that the body needs to be stretched to stay healthy.  Sometimes we humans forget this point.  Aren’t humans animals?…. we’ll save this topic for another day.

Daily stretching play a major role in maintaining health.  Just like brushing our teeth every day, the muscles and joints of our body require maintenance as well.  The great Dr James Chestnut refers to it as ‘spinal hygiene’.

I’ve been a practicing chiropractor in San Diego for 12 years.  There have been countless times someone has reflected back to their younger years and how flexible and energetic they were.  Well, what happened?  How come they used to be flexible and now they’re not?

The tissues that make up our muscles and tendons will shorten through the years.  It is absolutely essential for our long term flexibility and quality of life to stretch daily and stay hydrated.  Are you willing to invest 10-15 minutes a day to maintain and healthy and flexible body?

To receive a free copy of my recommended full body stretches simply contact me on my facebook fanpage by clicking here: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/San-Diego-Chiropractor-Dr-Brian-Austin/201532926523923

1) Eat Healthy: include organic veggies with every meal, skip the dairy, sugars and processed foods.

2) Exercise Daily:  it’s time to get off your *ss!, watch your energy (and self esteem) increase.

3) Healthy Attitude: pay attention to what you read and listen to, hang out with people who GIVE you energy

4) Clear Nervous System:  your nervous system controls your health, you live your life through your nervous system, make sure you include regular chiropractic check-ups to keep a clear nervous system.

5) Have FUN!!!:  Find something that you love to do…and do more of it.  Keep your ‘fun meter’ on ‘F’.

 Dr Brian Austin

This question stumps many people.  The answer: nerve doctors.  It’s the nervous system that determines your health.  We use the alignment and movement of the bones to make impressions on the nervous system.  The bones are there to protect the delicate nerves with the skull and 24 vertebrae.  The 32 pairs of nerves that branch out from between the vertebrae carry messages to and from the brain.

The image below shows how the nerves extend outward from the brain to the spinal nerves to the ‘appliances’ of the body.  Nerve disturbances occur when the spine is subluxated.  A subluxation is a structural imbalance or fixation causing nerve disturbance.  Nerve disturbance results in an inappropriate signal (either too high or two low) from the brain to the body or from the body to the brain.  The word ‘subluxation’ can be broken down into the prefix ‘sub’ which means ‘less than’ and ‘lux’ which means ‘light or life’.  Subluxations, if left uncorrected, have a negative impact on your health and ability to express your health potential.

Why is the nervous system so important?  You literally live your life through your nervous system.  Everything you see, touch, taste, hear, think and do is the result of information your brain receives and processes.  It’s easy to see how optimal health begins with a healthy spine and nervous system.

The ability to measure the nervous system truly separates the good chiropractors from the great ones.  Make sure you and your family develop a relationship with a wellness based chiropractor who uses nerve scan technology (see Insight Millenium).

The intent of this message is not to bash on Big Pharma, but shed some light on the current trends in America.  Obviously there is a time and place for certain medications.  I do believe that 90%+ are not necessary because they are taken to lifestyle related diseases.  Lifestyle diseases include hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity, type II diabetes, etc. 

Consider this:  the United States consumes 50% of the world’s OTC and prescription drugs while representing 5% of the global population.  If we take so many drugs how is it that the U.S. ranks virtually dead last in overall health statistics for industrialized countries?  More drugs does not equal more health.  In fact, it may be just the opposite.

The image below shows the trend of taking medications  to offset the side effects of other medications.  It can become a viscious cycle.  If you are taking medications I suggest you consult your medical doctor on how to get on a weaning program…even it if requires that you start exercising, controlling stress and eating real food.  Remember, a healthy lifestyle may seem a bit inconvenient at first, but being unhealthy and sick will be even more inconvenient.

Correct answer is …..C) YOU.  This question may not be so easy to answer for many people (especially in the U.S.).  Read the following quote from our government driven Medicare system.  ” Care that seeks to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong and enhance the quality of life, is not considered medically necessary”.

Wow!  I must question the very term, “health care”.  Our ‘health care system’ should be referred to as ‘sick care system’, right?  What do you need to BE to use your health insurance?…..sick!  Wouldn’t a health care system promote health, disease prevention, prolong and enhance the quality of life, and be proactive in nature?

Obviously your health is your responsibility.  Our culture suggests that ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’.  This is a crisis-management paradigm for putting out fires with our health.  I believe that an ounce of prevention does equal a pound of cure.  If our culture could paradigm shift into this level of thinking we would see statistical improvements.  Unfortunately the current statistics are depressing.  The U.S. rates 37 out of the top 39 industrialized countries in overall health.  We consume more OTC and prescription drugs that anyone else.  We spend more money on health care than anyone else. 

Lets hope that SHIFT HAPPENS!  Start by setting a good example for your community by taking responsibility for your health.  The rest will follow.

What organ comes to mind on Valentine’s Day? …. the heart <3.   Below are my top five heart healthy foods.  Most of these I consume on a daily basis.  All of them are consumed at least once a week.  Enjoy!

“Healthy By Choice, Not Chance.”

Unless you’ve been living under a rock you’ve heard this quote from Yoda, “Do or do not, there is no try”.  I love this quote and find myself using it frequently.  In fact, there are three words that I do not allow in my life: ‘but’, ‘try’ and ‘can’t’.  I hear people use these powerless words all the time.  Some of my practice members tell me that they will TRY to eat healthy, or TRY to go to the gym, or TRY to keep a positive attitude.  We call it the ‘T-word’…and it’s not allowed to be uttered in my office. 

Take it from Yoda!  He knew what worked and what didn’t work.  The quicker you remove the word TRY from your vocabulary the quicker you’ll accomplish your desired outcomes.  How do you try to go to the gym?  You are either commited to going, or not.  How do you try to maintain a healthy attitude?  There is no try.  Contribute to your own health and catch yourself using powerless words.  Pay attention, be aware and slowly change the conversation you have with yourself.  Soon enough you will healthy by choice, not chance.

This cliche has been tossed around since I can remember.  It’s true!  The food you eat today will be walking and talking a few days from now.  Hopefully you are made of food…and not crap. 

Today’s message is simple.  Eat more FOOD and less CRAP.  Take an inventory on what you’ve been eating most of the time.  Utilize the 90/10 rule.  90% of the time eat super healthy.  10% of the time treat yourself to something you enjoy.  Unfortunately, most people in America live the 10/90 rule….and that’s definitely a contributing factor for our rapid decline in health.

Eating healthy is 1/3 of being healthy.  If you eat healthy, but have a negative attitude and live a sedentary lifestyle, then you are still an unhealthy person.  Start with small changes over time.  Slowly add foods that are healthy and natural, then begin removing the crap from your daily routine. 

We have been lead to believe that health is not an inside job.  The average American is subjected to thousands of hours of drug commercials by the time he/she is 18 years old.  The drug ads either directly or indirectly remind us that our health is primarily genetic.  I’ve seen the same drug commercials as you.  Big Pharma has become so powerful that we’ve reached Pharmageddon.  In fact, only the U.S. and New Zeland allow Big Pharma to market directly to the consumers.  How can it be the the U.S. consumes 50% of all the drugs (over the counter and prescription) globally, yet we rank 37 out of the top 39 industrialized countries in overall health.  If piils created health wouldn’t we be rated higher than that!?

According to literature on human genetics, there is not a shred of evidence that genetics is to blame for our poor health.  There’s not a shred of evidence that shows high cholesterol is genetic…or high blood pressure….or heart disease…or type II diabetes… or attention deficit…or most cancers.  The environment is to blame.  Here’s where this article gets inconvenient for you.  Our environment is largely determined by what we choose to put in our mouths, hold in our minds and physical movement (exercise). 

Most of you probably agree that our lifestyle is the primary cause of our poor health conditions.  Some people choose to live a lifestyle that should be referred to as a death style.  The only solution to America’s Health Care Crisis is education, motivation, inspiration and transformation.  This process will put our health back in our own hands where it belongs.  I recommend that you find a local wellness chiropractor (one who transcends pain management and specializes in family wellness) and stay tuned into the process of getting well and staying well…for life.  Living a wellness lifestyle may seem highly inconvenient at first.  Once you take your health to new levels you will find it highly inconvenient to deviate from being healthy and well.  It may hurt to cut out soda, refined sugars, fried foods, cigaretts, dairy, processed foods, etc.  It may hurt to become physically active for the first time since highschool.  It may hurt to fill your mind with information that causes constructive personal development.  The pain of being inconvenienced may hang around for a while.  Commit today, I promise you it will be worth it.  If you don’t want to do it for yourself, then do it for your family.  They deserve the best version of you there is!

The image below shows the pros and cons of maintaining a healthy subluxation-free spine: