Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
Don't you love the Midwest? A blizzard and deep freeze one week and 50 degrees the next. Keeps us on our toes. Though I do have to say I prefer the 50 degrees and I'm not 100% sure but I don't think I'm alone in that preference. Ok so big news here, dun dada daaaaaaaah, Roscoe Chiropractic presents to you their brand new website www.roscoechiro.com! Everything is up and running, so I encourage all of you to just take a quick click tour through it and send me a little note back here with any feedback you have on it. We want this to be the best website possible for our wonderful patients.
We are still running our February special for Heart Health Month, so tell your friends and family not to wait until the last minute because February will be gone before we know it! $10 worth of Oatmeal and those exams and x-rays are free. Can't beat a deal like that! (discounts not applicable for Medicare, a/a or w/c -- I have to say it.)
OK so today I wanted to share with you some interesting albeit slightly disturbing statistics about the medical profession, MD's in particular. The purpose of this is not to scare anyone but to draw to light the lack of action on the public's part in relation to these numbers. This statistical information is pulled originally from the Nov 2010 USA Today. It deals with patients who die on an average day from medical "adverse events". First let us outline what is included in a medical "adverse event", things like: letting infections develop, giving the wrong medication to a patient or administering too much of the correct medicine.
This study was completed by the Health and Human Services Department and it states that 180,000 patients die every year from these "events" stated above. Break that down and it equals 493 deaths a day, 20 an hour or a fatality every 3 minutes.
To put the numbers in perspective they also state death tolls from the Iraqi war at 713 deaths a year or about 2 a day; death tolls from auto accidents at 33,808 a year or 92 deaths a day due to car accident fatality; fatalities from firearms at 34,428 a year or about 93 a day.
The purpose of looking at these numbers is now to consider the highly public protection measures that have been taken and are currently in place for the last three: Anti-war and outrage over military deaths, gun-control and huge debate over the legality of gun ownership, and of course MADD, SADD and DADD (All the anti-drunk driving campaigns). These are all completely valid organizations, protection measures and campaigns for awareness! It just seems that one has slipped through the cracks here...and it must be a crack the size of the San Andreas Fault because how else could 500 deaths a day go unnoticed by the activists who live to bring this stuff to public's attention? I mean this was written about in USA Today and yet we still don't see the same level of outrage as we would if say, a jumbo jet crashed every day killing all 500 people aboard. Airlines would get shut down if that happened and yet hospitals and other medical facilities seem to just float right by without mention.
I understand that mistakes happen and we're all human, but there has to be some level of accountability on this, some measure taken to address this massive number of deaths every day. It's almost as if, we see these statistics and we are numbed to the fact that this is human life being taken prematurely and in error. We are outraged by the death of a little girl from a stray bullet but we almost sit back in acceptance if she is accidentally killed with an incorrect dosage of medication while in the hospital. Motive is one thing and of course MD's and nurses are there to help us, but they still must be held accountable as a whole for such an outrageous amount of accidental deaths while in their care.
Let's end on a high note here in stating the fact that chiropractic doesn't even have statistics that list deaths per year, because there have been no instances that someone has died as a direct result of an adjustment. Interestingly though, there have been quite a lot of public anti-chiropractic campaigns. I know, hard to believe there would be an anti-chiropractic campaign! It seems the public's outcry is a little displaced at times so I just wanted to bring some of this to our attention to put things in perspective.
If you want to weigh in with your opinion on this please do! Doctor Chris was particularly interested in this topic so feel free to start a dialog! Have a great week everyone!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Make a change, you won't regret it! - February 10, 2011
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
Brrrrr! I do make a concentrated effort to stay positive on the things I cannot change, like this deep freeze weather but I have to say, wow, I can't wait for it to warm up, even a little. My car was NOT happy this morning, but I got here. :) So I hope everyone is staying warm today! I have very exciting news to share, we are going to be rolling out our new website sometime in the next couple days! The plan is to go "live" today but having never published a website before I don't know the exact process but I want ALL of you out there to take a minute over the next few days and check it out. Not only do I want you to check it out, I want FEEDBACK! We want this site to be as helpful as possible so please let us know if it is difficult to navigate, if anything is missing from the old site that you liked or if anything is unclear or not showing up quite right so that we can fix it asap! The web address is www.roscoechiro.com, understand that if you click it right now (Thursday at 10am) you will be taken to our old site. The new site is far more colorful and expressive (at least that's what I think..ha ha). So write back here or stop in and let us know anything you want to tell us about the new site whether it's advice on changes or just telling us you like what we've done.
Well since I'm so excited about getting Roscoe Chiro's website out of its awful rut, I'm going to share some ways that you can change up your routine to avoid falling into a rut yourself! Here are 8 lifestyle changes that can help you out (taken from Feb. To Your Health)
#1 - Change your mindset - Get out of your comfort zone. We change and grow the most when we are uncomfortable and challenged! Status quo may be safe but it's also very boring. Take a new risk and push yourself a little and you'll find you feel excited and maybe even a little empowered to open your mind to more new things. A great quote from Abraham Lincoln when he said "People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." How true that is! The next time you are faced with something you usually react to with anger or anxiety take a moment to step back and choose how you will respond instead of the knee-jerk reaction you usually fall into. Responding and reacting are two very different things! Make a choice and take control.
#2 - Feed your fitness - Yes. Here it is, it's generally on every list I write about. How you feel is directly related to how well you take care of your body! But as we know from last week, even a LITTLE bit of exercise (as little as 7 minutes a week!) can have a good effect on your health and ultimately your attitude.
#3 - Explore new ideas - Do you have a hobby? Yes, you should share it with others! Join a club or group that shares your passions. If you don't have a hobby then find something you'd be interested in trying and push yourself a little. Meeting new people and partaking in new things can really shift your outlook.
#4 - Control the clock - Change your normal routine of going to bed and waking up. Stay up longer or wake up earlier to invest some more time into yourself. Take this extra time to read a book or (in warmer weather) take a walk.
#5 - Make your own map - Do you ever get out of your car at your destination and realize you don't even remember half of the drive? You've driven it so many times you instantly go on autopilot and every stop and turn is mindless. Make a choice to take a new route home or to work. Make a left instead of a right, just change it up so you are actively engaged in where you are going. Plus you never know what you might come across.
#6 - Just say yes - Whenever you feel like saying no to something or someone, just decide to say yes. When we say no it is usually because something is pushing us out of our comfort zone or routine. We pull back because of an underlying sense of fear. Face it and do it anyway.
#7 - Volunteer - Take the focus off of you and put it on others. The act of giving your time, energy, expertise and friendship to others will change you. You automatically feel more happiness and less stagnation by devoting yourself to others. Even if you don't think you have enough time in your busy life, I highly recommend finding even a little time once a month to make your life less about you and even a little bit about other people who need help. Think about how much time you spend mindlessly in front of the TV every week? Invest even a little of that time into something worthwhile like helping others.
#8 - Try a change of taste - The simple act of changing your food selections can bust you out of a rut. If you order the exact same thing on the menu every time you go somewhere, stop doing that! Make a 180 degree shift in your choices. Food can be an emotional experience because so many of our moments are spent with others around a dinner table. Change up the menu at home at at work.
I think this list is great. In fact it's one of the easiest things to implement. These suggestions are super simple and I believe will help get you out of the mindless routine and back into a life that is filled with new choices and perhaps new friendships.
Take care friends and stay warm this week!
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
Brrrrr! I do make a concentrated effort to stay positive on the things I cannot change, like this deep freeze weather but I have to say, wow, I can't wait for it to warm up, even a little. My car was NOT happy this morning, but I got here. :) So I hope everyone is staying warm today! I have very exciting news to share, we are going to be rolling out our new website sometime in the next couple days! The plan is to go "live" today but having never published a website before I don't know the exact process but I want ALL of you out there to take a minute over the next few days and check it out. Not only do I want you to check it out, I want FEEDBACK! We want this site to be as helpful as possible so please let us know if it is difficult to navigate, if anything is missing from the old site that you liked or if anything is unclear or not showing up quite right so that we can fix it asap! The web address is www.roscoechiro.com, understand that if you click it right now (Thursday at 10am) you will be taken to our old site. The new site is far more colorful and expressive (at least that's what I think..ha ha). So write back here or stop in and let us know anything you want to tell us about the new site whether it's advice on changes or just telling us you like what we've done.
Well since I'm so excited about getting Roscoe Chiro's website out of its awful rut, I'm going to share some ways that you can change up your routine to avoid falling into a rut yourself! Here are 8 lifestyle changes that can help you out (taken from Feb. To Your Health)
#1 - Change your mindset - Get out of your comfort zone. We change and grow the most when we are uncomfortable and challenged! Status quo may be safe but it's also very boring. Take a new risk and push yourself a little and you'll find you feel excited and maybe even a little empowered to open your mind to more new things. A great quote from Abraham Lincoln when he said "People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." How true that is! The next time you are faced with something you usually react to with anger or anxiety take a moment to step back and choose how you will respond instead of the knee-jerk reaction you usually fall into. Responding and reacting are two very different things! Make a choice and take control.
#2 - Feed your fitness - Yes. Here it is, it's generally on every list I write about. How you feel is directly related to how well you take care of your body! But as we know from last week, even a LITTLE bit of exercise (as little as 7 minutes a week!) can have a good effect on your health and ultimately your attitude.
#3 - Explore new ideas - Do you have a hobby? Yes, you should share it with others! Join a club or group that shares your passions. If you don't have a hobby then find something you'd be interested in trying and push yourself a little. Meeting new people and partaking in new things can really shift your outlook.
#4 - Control the clock - Change your normal routine of going to bed and waking up. Stay up longer or wake up earlier to invest some more time into yourself. Take this extra time to read a book or (in warmer weather) take a walk.
#5 - Make your own map - Do you ever get out of your car at your destination and realize you don't even remember half of the drive? You've driven it so many times you instantly go on autopilot and every stop and turn is mindless. Make a choice to take a new route home or to work. Make a left instead of a right, just change it up so you are actively engaged in where you are going. Plus you never know what you might come across.
#6 - Just say yes - Whenever you feel like saying no to something or someone, just decide to say yes. When we say no it is usually because something is pushing us out of our comfort zone or routine. We pull back because of an underlying sense of fear. Face it and do it anyway.
#7 - Volunteer - Take the focus off of you and put it on others. The act of giving your time, energy, expertise and friendship to others will change you. You automatically feel more happiness and less stagnation by devoting yourself to others. Even if you don't think you have enough time in your busy life, I highly recommend finding even a little time once a month to make your life less about you and even a little bit about other people who need help. Think about how much time you spend mindlessly in front of the TV every week? Invest even a little of that time into something worthwhile like helping others.
#8 - Try a change of taste - The simple act of changing your food selections can bust you out of a rut. If you order the exact same thing on the menu every time you go somewhere, stop doing that! Make a 180 degree shift in your choices. Food can be an emotional experience because so many of our moments are spent with others around a dinner table. Change up the menu at home at at work.
I think this list is great. In fact it's one of the easiest things to implement. These suggestions are super simple and I believe will help get you out of the mindless routine and back into a life that is filled with new choices and perhaps new friendships.
Take care friends and stay warm this week!
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Get Moving!
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
I hope everyone has been dug out of their homes and were able to find their vehicles after our little storm this week. We're tough, though, right? Well, February has begun, with a bang and it is Heart Health Month. So in light of this we are collecting heart healthy oatmeal for our new patient specials. Remember if you refer someone you receive a $10 gift certificate to use on your next adjustment (if you aren't medicare, A/A or W/C) or supplies or supplements. So let your friends and family know to bring in $10 worth of oatmeal and they'll get their exam and x-rays for free (yea...unless they are medicare, A/A or W/C). At the end of the month we take all the oatmeal over to the food pantry at Life Church. Feel free to donate any other items if you feel like it.
Well I had an unexpected day off this week and with the weather as it was, I have to say I didn't do much of anything. Winter makes it especially difficult to keep active, I can vouch for that. I wanted to share some information from an article out of To Your Health about how even a little activity can help keep you healthy when compared with a mainly sedentary lifestyle. So many people believe that intense exercise is the only way to make a difference in their health. This isn't true.
One thing many people don't know is that being inactive can be more dangerous to your health than smoking! So lets look at what kind of activity can help.
Cardio - Just making small changes to your lifestyle can have an enormous impact on health. It is recommended that you get in 30 minutes a day. The trick is that this 30 minutes does not have to be all at one time. You can break it down into 10 minutes three times a day. Also simple things like parking at the end of the parking lot and walking a little farther or taking the stairs will help achieve this goal as well. Even if you can't fit a full 30 minutes into your day the good news is you can make a difference with even 7 minutes of exercise a WEEK. Don't get super excited this means the exercise you do must be at a higher intensity. A study showed that only 7 minutes of total exercise per week for two weeks improved insulin action. So the idea in this is that any movement is going to be helpful. Clearly the more the better.
Strength Training - Simple strength exercises with your body weight can be beneficial. The general recommendation is to do 8 to 10 exercises with 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise. This would include things like squats against a wall or a push up against the edge of a table. Start off small and work your way up to more difficult things. There is a common misconception that you have to lift heavy weights in order to see changes in their muscles. Research is showing that high repetition with lower weight is as good, if not better than heavy lifting. So rejoice! Strength training is for everyone.
So now that we have this knowledge we can all be a little more active. Remember 30 minutes a day is ideal, but even as little as 7 minutes a week more than what you currently do, can be beneficial as well. Get up and get moving. :)
Everyone do your best to stay warm now that the blizzard is over and the deep freeze has set in. Think spring!
Take Care and Be Healthy!
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
I hope everyone has been dug out of their homes and were able to find their vehicles after our little storm this week. We're tough, though, right? Well, February has begun, with a bang and it is Heart Health Month. So in light of this we are collecting heart healthy oatmeal for our new patient specials. Remember if you refer someone you receive a $10 gift certificate to use on your next adjustment (if you aren't medicare, A/A or W/C) or supplies or supplements. So let your friends and family know to bring in $10 worth of oatmeal and they'll get their exam and x-rays for free (yea...unless they are medicare, A/A or W/C). At the end of the month we take all the oatmeal over to the food pantry at Life Church. Feel free to donate any other items if you feel like it.
Well I had an unexpected day off this week and with the weather as it was, I have to say I didn't do much of anything. Winter makes it especially difficult to keep active, I can vouch for that. I wanted to share some information from an article out of To Your Health about how even a little activity can help keep you healthy when compared with a mainly sedentary lifestyle. So many people believe that intense exercise is the only way to make a difference in their health. This isn't true.
One thing many people don't know is that being inactive can be more dangerous to your health than smoking! So lets look at what kind of activity can help.
Cardio - Just making small changes to your lifestyle can have an enormous impact on health. It is recommended that you get in 30 minutes a day. The trick is that this 30 minutes does not have to be all at one time. You can break it down into 10 minutes three times a day. Also simple things like parking at the end of the parking lot and walking a little farther or taking the stairs will help achieve this goal as well. Even if you can't fit a full 30 minutes into your day the good news is you can make a difference with even 7 minutes of exercise a WEEK. Don't get super excited this means the exercise you do must be at a higher intensity. A study showed that only 7 minutes of total exercise per week for two weeks improved insulin action. So the idea in this is that any movement is going to be helpful. Clearly the more the better.
Strength Training - Simple strength exercises with your body weight can be beneficial. The general recommendation is to do 8 to 10 exercises with 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise. This would include things like squats against a wall or a push up against the edge of a table. Start off small and work your way up to more difficult things. There is a common misconception that you have to lift heavy weights in order to see changes in their muscles. Research is showing that high repetition with lower weight is as good, if not better than heavy lifting. So rejoice! Strength training is for everyone.
So now that we have this knowledge we can all be a little more active. Remember 30 minutes a day is ideal, but even as little as 7 minutes a week more than what you currently do, can be beneficial as well. Get up and get moving. :)
Everyone do your best to stay warm now that the blizzard is over and the deep freeze has set in. Think spring!
Take Care and Be Healthy!
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
Heart Health Month - Eat Your Way...
Dear Friends of Roscoe Chiropractic,
As I mentioned last week, February is Heart Health Month so we are turning our food donation special toward this goal. You can love your friends and family by referring them in to see Doc Chris and they can in turn love their community by bringing in $10 worth of Oatmeal to receive their exam and x-rays for free. It doesn't get much better than that. February is a short month so we have to get on this more quickly so we can stock up that food pantry at the end of the month!
Today I'm going to share from an article in the new issue of To Your Health. Not everyone loves oatmeal so I'm going to let you know some other heart healthy foods to ensure your diet includes.
1. The Power of Healthy Protein - Sources of protein such as poultry, fish and nuts is associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease when compared with more servings of red meat.
2. Watermelon - Bring on summer and with it the watermelon! Watermelon is a rich source of L-citrulline, a compound that is crucial to the formation of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps to widen the blood vessels and mediate blood pressure.
3. More Barley = Less Cholesterol - Studies have suggested that fiber can help reduce risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol and improving glucose tolerance. Barley is a food rich in beta glucans, a type of soluble fiber.
4. Try a little coffee - Hypertension makes blood vessels less responsive to signals to expand. Based on a study from Greece they analyzed individuals with hypertension and their coffee consumption. Compared with those who rarely drank coffee, those who drank moderate amounts of coffee had a lower prevalence of diabetes, lower prevalence of high cholesterol, lower body mass index, lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease and higher values of aortic distensibility (or stretched under pressure).
5. Treat Yourself to Chocolate - Dark chocolate that is. Dark Chocolate is rich in antioxidant compounds, particularly flavonoids and studies have shown the beneficial effect on blood pressure and endothelial function (endothelial is the interior lining of the blood vessels).
That isn't so bad. I'll take them up on the dark chocolate and watermelon for sure. Maybe watermelon dipped in dark chocolate? Ok, well I hope everyone is enjoying the snow globe outside! Have a healthy week and don't forget to tell your friends to bring in that oatmeal!
Be well,
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
As I mentioned last week, February is Heart Health Month so we are turning our food donation special toward this goal. You can love your friends and family by referring them in to see Doc Chris and they can in turn love their community by bringing in $10 worth of Oatmeal to receive their exam and x-rays for free. It doesn't get much better than that. February is a short month so we have to get on this more quickly so we can stock up that food pantry at the end of the month!
Today I'm going to share from an article in the new issue of To Your Health. Not everyone loves oatmeal so I'm going to let you know some other heart healthy foods to ensure your diet includes.
1. The Power of Healthy Protein - Sources of protein such as poultry, fish and nuts is associated with a decreased risk of coronary heart disease when compared with more servings of red meat.
2. Watermelon - Bring on summer and with it the watermelon! Watermelon is a rich source of L-citrulline, a compound that is crucial to the formation of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide helps to widen the blood vessels and mediate blood pressure.
3. More Barley = Less Cholesterol - Studies have suggested that fiber can help reduce risk of cardiovascular disease by lowering cholesterol and improving glucose tolerance. Barley is a food rich in beta glucans, a type of soluble fiber.
4. Try a little coffee - Hypertension makes blood vessels less responsive to signals to expand. Based on a study from Greece they analyzed individuals with hypertension and their coffee consumption. Compared with those who rarely drank coffee, those who drank moderate amounts of coffee had a lower prevalence of diabetes, lower prevalence of high cholesterol, lower body mass index, lower prevalence of cardiovascular disease and higher values of aortic distensibility (or stretched under pressure).
5. Treat Yourself to Chocolate - Dark chocolate that is. Dark Chocolate is rich in antioxidant compounds, particularly flavonoids and studies have shown the beneficial effect on blood pressure and endothelial function (endothelial is the interior lining of the blood vessels).
That isn't so bad. I'll take them up on the dark chocolate and watermelon for sure. Maybe watermelon dipped in dark chocolate? Ok, well I hope everyone is enjoying the snow globe outside! Have a healthy week and don't forget to tell your friends to bring in that oatmeal!
Be well,
Karla H.
Roscoe Chiropractic Centre
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