500 N. Carroll Ave. Ste. 110, Southlake, TX 76092

The Ugly Side of Health

Let’s face it, Health is a pretty hot commodity these days.

Regardless of which side of the fence you sit on with Covid, the topic of health is emotionally charged and filled with many self proclaimed experts on the topic.

Keeping this in mind, I want to start this post with letting you know that I am no expert on Health.

I am a clinician with experience and I can only speak to what has and has not worked in my practice in helping my patients and community navigate the very specific challenges they are presented with.

I also am an avid reader and have dedicated the last 20 years of my life to my own physical fitness and health journey.

Hopefully, this can give you some insight and perspective into the direction I intend to take this post.

 

The collapse of our immunity.

 

As much as we would like to believe that we can just pop an “Emergen-C” or stop at our local pharmacy for some over the counter vitamins and suddenly have a healthy immune system, nothing could be further from your truth, my truth or the truth.

It is deeply disturbing in today’s climate to see the direction the majority of people take when approaching the ownership of their health.

Many believe that health is easily acquired.

Turn on any social media platform or mainstream media and you will see otherwise.

People have suddenly surrendered their ownership to the government and rarely take the time to dive into the basic principles of health and the steps they can take to better own it – regardless of pandemic or not. 

When I look at the world from my perspective and my truth, I believe it is because we, as Americans, are inherently lazy when it comes to owning our health.

We live in a day and age of cultural relativity, and the phrase “I do what I want, when I want” has become a staple value reflected in how we live our lives.

The level of stress we place on our body and the demand for performance without the right resources and contributions to aiding in recovery have left our body in a rather dismal state…

Feeling run down.

Overwhelmed with stress.

Anxious about the future.

Fearful of the unknown.

Attacking anyone who doesn’t think like me.

These are all signs of an overwhelmed nervous system that has shifted from healing and growth to defense and decay.

No wonder half of America is diagnoses with one or more of the top chronic diseases that afflict the world – the majority of which deal with our heart and blood vessels.

When left in this chronic pandemic of stress, our body begins to break down.

If left alone for too long, we start to develop disease.

And we wonder why the shiny object syndrome of taking an “Emergen-C” lead to “I tried that, it doesn’t work.”

This is the start of a problem that is filled with layers of poor choices, poor stress management, and misbelief in the truth behind Health…which is.

 

Health is not pretty.

 

I hate to break it to you but the steps we need to take as people to maintain health really aren’t that pretty.

They aren’t found in some shiny new ad on the social media platforms.

Nor are they found at a new doctor.

In fact, the things we have been taught about health from a very early age tend to be true, albeit a few points that tend to be forgotten as we go about what we live as our normal life narrative.

What tends to happen in our journey of life is that for the most part we are generally a healthy person until we aren’t.

You come down with a seasonal cold.

You get the seasonal flu.

You get the idea right?

But this didn’t happen suddenly.

In fact, I would say that throughout that season of life that lead up to you developing whatever named disease you have, it was a result of a failure to pay attention to the ugly side of health.

I would take that as far as saying we rarely pay attention to the actions we are taking to invest in our health daily! (That is, until we are symptomatic, and then we suddenly become hyper aware of the steps we need to take).

Why is that?

Because it isn’t pretty.

Because it requires grit and fortitude.

Because it requires a conscious step of investing TIME and MONEY into yourself outside of the cultural norm that is being sold to us daily.

However – that does not have to be the end all be all.

This DOES NOT HAVE TO BECOME THE NEW NORMAL!

In fact, the exact opposite is true.

You can make the conscious effort to forever transform your health.

 

Step #1: Invest in your supplements

 

While there are countless articles on Dr. Google and Dr. Facebook regarding nutrition and it’s role in your health, there are few places I actually trust to ensure they deliver solid products and recommendations.

My go to supplement company for all nutrition supplementation and recommendations is a company called 1st Phorm.

They are a small business located out of St. Louis, MO.

They represent everything I believe a small business should, especially as it pertains to helping YOU achieve your health related goals.

One of the most important messages preached by the company is to make small, consistent changes that become habits.

Like I discussed earlier, for the most part, we do not focus on our health until we have a reason to.

I am seeking to change that narrative.

The Two Supplements I recommend for Immune Support.

It starts here -> https://1stphorm.com/collections/immune-health/products/the-daily-stack

This stack is composed of two products from 1st Phorm – Opti-Greens 50 and MicroFactor.

Let’s start with the Opti-Greens 50.

  • Opti-Greens 50 is an immune-boosting greens powder.  Every serving of Opti-Greens 50 is packed with 50 hand-chosen ingredients to help build a strong immune system and stay healthy.
  • Opti-Greens 50 includes low-temperature processed, 100% organic grasses, non-GMO, non-synthetic botanical superfoods, phytonutrients, digestive enzymes and probiotics to create the most complete greens powder on the market.
  • Opti-Greens 50’s blend of 8 ORGANIC grasses and greens delivers the equal vitamins and minerals of a 2oz shot of juiced greens.  This extra boost of vitamins and minerals helps you feel great every day!
  • Along with the vitamins & minerals in the grasses, Opti-Greens 50 is packed with carotenoids and bioflavonoids. These antioxidants help remove free radicals that can wreak havoc on your immune system.
  • To make sure the food you eat is broken down properly, we included a digestive enzyme and probiotic blend. Each serving provides over 1 Billion CFU’s (colony-forming units) from 10 different strains of good bacteria.
  • This combination helps you digest food better, which helps prevent bloating.  If you don’t know what we mean by bloating, we’re talking about that feeling like you swallowed a bowling ball for hours after you eat.  Bloating is red flag that you’re not digesting the food you eat properly.

As you can see, the product is used to be pro-active in your immune health.

How about MicroFactor?

Taken directly from the website…

  • Micro Factor goes FAR beyond what you get from a standard multivitamin.
  • Each serving of Micro Factor delivers full doses of:
    • Antioxidant – Directly supports the immune system. Free radicals can cause illness and damage your cells. This weakens your body and makes you much more susceptible to catching nasty bugs and viruses. Micro Factor’s potent antioxidant blend works fast to flush free radicals out of your body. This helps increase your immunity and prevent irreversible damage.
    • Multivitamin – A high-quality multivitamin is the most important supplement you can take to boost your immune system and optimize your metabolism. An effective dose of each essential vitamin and mineral is included to help your body is function at its peak. You’ll notice stronger immunity and better energy!
    • Probiotic – Promotes a healthy gut. These are often overlooked, but are truly important for immunity and overall health. Each serving of Micro Factor delivers 8 billion organism count of various, heavily researched strains. This works to balance your gut bacteria. By improving your gut health, your immune system, digestion, and energy levels improve.
    • CoQ10 – A powerful antioxidant to help your body produce more cellular energy and help improve cardiovascular function. CoQ10 helps boosts heart health by reducing blood pressure and improving blood flow.
    • Essential Fatty Acids (EFA) – With our diet, environment, and lifestyle today, inflammation is at an all-time high. This inflammation suppresses your immune system and makes recovery much more difficult. This essential fatty acid blend contains anti-inflammatory omega-3’s. These help lower inflammation to prevent and battle illness, and help maintain a healthy brain, heart, and joints.
    • Fruit & Veggies – This blend gives the extra edge you need by providing a diverse, superfood blend. This includes broccoli, kale, spirulina, wheat grass, grape seed extract, and so much more! The extra nutrients offer an advantage for battling bugs by preparing your immune system, promoting natural detox, and strengthening the gut.

It is as simple as that.

Is it pretty? – No.

Does it work? – yes.

Does it work after one use? – not that you will notice – it is not like you suddenly have a resilient immune system over night.

Does it require daily use for years on end? – Only if YOU want to provide your body with the right resources to keep your immune system healthy and resilient.

 

Step #2: Consider your Nervous System.

 

This is probably the most simple and most overlooked aspect of health.

Let’s start with a basic premise.

Your nervous system is the master system of the body.

With this truth, we know that every single system is under control of the nervous system, period.

That includes your immune system.

Present day research is focused on what is referred to as “The circulating Nervous System.”

This is a result of several years of research from neuro-immunologists suggesting that the immune system is virtually an extension of the nervous system.

As a result, the cells of the immune system are circulated under the guidance of the nervous system.

These claims can be made when studying the immune system reactions and how the nervous system plays a crucial role in guiding the immune cells to where damage or infection is located.

Knowing this, we can make the statement that the nervous system is responsible for your unique immune system reaction for specific diseases and infections.

We can also make the statement that because of the specificity and uniqueness of this response, a much broader or systematic response is prevented throughout the body as a whole…that is until it isn’t.

In individuals who do not have a guided and specific immune system response, we being to see auto-immune responses where the body is virtually attacking itself.

Now you can only imagine what can happen when you have a less than optimal functioning nervous system…you are more likely to have a less than optimal functioning immune system.

In fact, an obstruction to the nervous system can not only contribute to a slowing down of the immune response, and can also cause an over-reaction of the immune response leading to hypersensitivity reactions such as allergies.

So…I have to ask – why wouldn’t you consider your nervous system?

At Hope Chiropractic Center, our sole focus is on the performance of your central nervous system.

An obstruction to our nervous system in the chiropractic world is called a “subluxation.”

When faced with a less than optimal functioning nervous system as a result of subluxation, we have two potential pathways the can result in our immune system malfunction.

The first potential pathway we are approached with due to an obstruction of your nervous system results in a hyperactive nervous system.

A hyperactive nervous system can bombard the body with an excess of chemical messengers that lead to abnormal growth and activity in the body – especially in the immune system….when this is present over long period of time you will start to see disease processes take place, especially in the organs that are supplied by this bombardment.

The second potential pathway we can approach due to an obstruction of your nervous system results in a hypoactive nervous system.

In a hypoactive nervous system, cells that are normally controlled and suppressed begin to act like a classroom full of second graders while the teacher is absent: chaotic.

The amazing piece behind a subluxation is that the degree and severity to how your body responds is unique to you.

Some people have a hyperactive immune response.

Some people have a hypoactive immune response.

Some people have a combination of both.

However, the same principle holds true regardless of symptomatic presentation.

An obstruction to the nervous system in the form of a subluxation can potentially lead to a malfunctioning immune system.

Thus, I urge you to consider your nervous system when assessing your long term health.

This simple evaluation can fulfill the statement “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

At Hope Chiropractic Center, our entire process is focused on the performance of your central nervous system.

Every single step of our care and recommendations are backed by rigorous science.

We exists to help you navigate these challenges and ensure that every step you take towards health is filled with Hope!

What are you waiting for…give us a call today (972-638-0994) to see how your central nervous system is performing.

I guarantee you will not be disappointed in our process!