The Doctors Who Talk About Health
It is so refreshing to be working in health at a time when prevention care has become not only critical but miraculous in my thinking when it comes to shifting the healthcare mindset. By my own admission the progress is slow, and it’s up to every individual who has seen prevention care at work to set a precedent. I read recently that in 2010 the cost of Health Care in the US reached $2.6 trillion. Apparently by 2030 about 16% -18% of the entire cost of health in the US will be attributed to obesity alone. I seem to hone in on obesity because of all factors to me this one seems to be the health care crisis that is most preventable.
As a Chiropractor what I see in clinic is the impact that excess weight causes joints, muscles and nerves. A sedentary lifestyle is part of the cycle, although I do feel it’s an 80/20 circumstance and that nutrition is 80% of the problem and a lack of exercise is more like 20%. Away from this a GP is interested on the impact of cardiovascular health and diabetes. I met a family in clinic recently with a child who had a BMI of about 45. His parents had brought him in because his legs and feet were aching most likely due to the weight he is carrying. When we discussed the child’s health history I recall the parents were happy because the child did not have diabetes yet. Yet? It’s as though this is inevitable.
Recently I have been very impressed by two books, one on preventative health care written by an Australian General Practitioner, Dr Joe Kosterich and the second on Aging written by a US based scientist Dr Joseph Chang.
Dr Joe’s book, DIY Health makes the statement that disease is not random. In his book he details simple effective ways to increase and maintain your energy levels, and take steps to improve your overall health. Dr Joe describes how people take more care of their cars than their bodies. The service light goes on in the car and even though the car is still running smoothly by all accounts you take it for it’s scheduled service before something expensive happens. The same goes for the human body. Regular maintenance wellness check-ups are designed to check levels, red and white blood cells, iron, cholesterol, heart rate, temperature, blood pressure. Anomalies are subject to further investigation before they become problematic. Dr Joe talks about the pillars of health and provides some anti-aging advice too.
Dr Joseph Chang PHD has written an interesting book on anti-aging. Chang was working for many years on the opposite side of health, helping people to treat disease. He decided there had to be a better way and so created a company producing high quality supplements and antioxidants to help prevent disease and promote wellbeing. In his book he talks about a genetic study that over 26 years debunked theories that aging in inevitable and proved that the expression of genes can be influenced by lifestyle and nutrition.
One of the things I most like about Chiropractic care and being a Chiropractor is the model that looks at prevention. Put simply with Chiropractic it’s nerve interference that we look to alleviate and we don’t treat disease and dysfunction. The body is a mystery box and an incredible machine when it comes to maintaining a high level of function against the barriers that may be in place. With Chiropractic care we look to improve nerve function and this enables brain messages and energies to flow where and when needed throughout the body. Constant healthy flow of energy allowing the body to self regulate is an important key to health.
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