The American public is currently enduring one of the most stress filled periods on record. The financial crisis, the health care crisis, the Afghan Crisis, etc…It seems that the media is just putting the words crisis onto the end of anything for added effect. “The Ketchup crisis… how a woman at a mall couldn’t get the ketchup open… story at 11.”

As a wellness expert and health care provider, I take hones to the health care crisis. I have a direct stake in health care. The United States and its health care system have been under scrutiny for quite some time. The insurers blame the doctors, the doctors blame the insurers and the insurers blame the economy while they increase premiums by 20 percent. I do not wish to become embroiled in a health care payment discussion. I do know that as it currently is constructed, the system is a broken one and more importantly our nation continues to sink into a sicker and sicker state.

I can help lead people toward the realization that ultimately healing comes from within. It truthfully does not matter if this a private pay or public pay program. If the general health, lifestyle and well being of the country does not improve, we may be unable to thrive in future generations.

The United States has great emergency medicine. Trauma centers and emergency rooms do perform fairly well. My hometown of NYC has some of the world’s top rated facilities. Unfortunately, we are treating more heart disease and cancer than any other country in the world. We are playing catch up and unable to get ahead.

If you want advice on medicine, than go visit a medical doctor that specializes in traditional allopathy or medicine. If you think you may need surgery, want surgery or your traditional physician feels that you need surgery, than visit a surgeon. If you are from the school of; “It will go a way on its own, or I just stay away from doctor, I don’t like to go to the doctor,” than do nothing. If you want to learn a new paradigm that has stood the test of time, visit a wellness based Chiropractic office.

The current health paradigm is to teat sickness and disease. How is that working? The US is statistically failing in most health care statistics. There are third world countries that out score us. If it were working well, I would say great, but we are not doing so well and it is high time for a change of the paradigm. This does not mean that medicine and surgery needs to be thrown out. It means that the living that culminates in a chronic disease state needs to be changed now. The physician of today may not be prepared to lead their patients toward this realization just yet, as he/she was not taught this in Medical School. The Chiropractor of today did study it. They studied it yesterday, today and tomorrow.

The simple answer is to go and get evaluated or checked by a Chiropractor. The spine is the bodies protective covering of the spinal cord.The spine as a structure needs to have the ability to support gravity and resist the normal stress and strain that one’s lifestyle imposes. Inactivity and the sedentary living that is commonplace in the 21st Century has brought with it a new set of challenges to our health. Postural deviations and dysfunction in the spine have become the norm in our society.

As a Chiropractor, I have evaluated over 10,000 spines. Unfortunately most people that walk into our clinic do not exemplify normal spinal posture. The sample is biased in that symptoms such as back and neck pain have already become prevalent. The ideal scenario is to be evaluated for alignment as an infant and throughout childhood development. When the school nurse reports that a teenager has a scoliosis,is it too late? Chiropractors do one thing and they do it very well, that is to evaluate spinal function and alignment and where there are aberrations or postural changes, they correct them.Once the determination has been made that ones spine is abnormal recommendations for correction from one doctor to another may vary. The disparity is truly based on intent.

Most allopathic physicians do not practice correction as a model and will gear their care toward symptoms, employing medications and sometimes surgery. Chiropractors do not prescribe medications nor surgery. In fact they are an alternative to each.Currently a mere 10% of the U.S population visit a Chiropractor. Chiropractors are the most sought after alternative care providers in the US. Numerous studies exist that prove Chiropractic to be safe and effective. Spinal function is greatly improved, but here are some other noted benefits:

1. 87% of low back pain patients improved under chiropractic care
2. 94% of acute neck pain (Torticollis) patients got better under chiropractic care
3. Chiropractic prevents arthritis
4. 90% of lumbar disc patients got better with chiropractic care
5. Chiropractic reverses aberrant sensory issues and improves motor control
6. Chiropractic increases balance and prevent falls
7. Chiropractic has been deemed safe for children
8. Chiropractic is 457% more effective than Medicine for chronic low back pain
9. 83% of dizziness sufferers improved under chiropractic care
10. Chiropractic certified 75% more effective than drug therapy for headaches and migraines
11. 85% to 100% of headache sufferers got better with chiropractic care

About the Author
Dr. Craig Fishel is a Wellness Expert in New York City. He is the Director of The Wellness Center of NY, http://www.thewellnesscenterofny.com, an integrative care clinic in the heart of NYC.

The floor collapses beneath you!

Floor collapses at Weight Watchers meeting in Sweden

Members of a Weight Watchers group in Sweden have to find a new place to weigh in after the floor beneath their feet caved in at a post-holiday weigh-in Wednesday, a Swedish newspaper reported.

As about 20 members lined up to compare how many pounds they’d shed, they heard a bang as the floor came away from the walls of the room.

“We suddenly heard a huge thud; we almost thought it was an earthquake, and everything flew up in the air. The floor collapsed in one corner of the room and along the walls,” one of the members of the Weight Watchers group told the Smålandsposten newspaper.

DO YOU OR A FRIEND NEED WEIGHT LOSS HELP?

http://www.wellnesscenterofny.tsfl.com

Supplements Vitamins Minerals: What I Take and Why

A question that comes up quite often is, “Doc what vitamins do you take and should I take vitamins?”

Now, I eat pretty well and while I am not a vegetarian I do observe a fairly strict manner of eating. Some examples of my eating habits are: Very little sweets, no cow’s milk, mostly green vegetables, and organic grass fed beef when ever possible. I still do not get all of the necessary nutrients that my body needs. It is for this exact reason that everyday I take a multi vitamin( Douglas Labs Ultra Preventative X), Omega 3, pro-Biotic, and Wobenzyme. I also will take specialty supplements as needed.

During the months of November thru March I increase my vitamin C intake to 5,000 mg/day. Studies show that increased physical, chemical and mental stress will require increased Vitamin C needs. I will also periodically undergo an intestinal cleanse. I do not like any of the current so-called energy boosters. Most contain stimulants such as guarana or caffeine. If our energy is so low down, then we most likely are not getting enough rest and eating properly. Co-enzyme Q has proven to be a great energy booster and it actually helps asthmatics and boosts our immune system. When my body is feeling run down such as when I do not get ample rest, or proper chiropractic adjustment; I will supplement with a reishii mushroom extract and immune formula.

So the obvious answer regarding Vitamins and supplements is we need to take them. If you currently do not supplement your diet with vitamins and minerals or would like to review your current protocol ask us and we will point you in the right direction. You may also see the web site which is now updated so that you may order via the web  www.thewellnesscenterofny.com

It’s flu “season” again. Why will some of us “catch” it and others not. Over one hundred years ago Dr. D.D. Palmer wondered that same thing as he marveled at the medical approaches that were developing around him. Doctors were injecting foreign organisms into people to promote immune function. The result then as now was that you cannot trick the body into becoming healthier with serums and potions. In fact introducing foreign bodies into our own body may actually make us sicker.

So hopefully that answers the questions as where the flu vaccine enters our discussion. Let’s look at some of the data and in an effort to not bore you I will choose only one sampling of the thousands of studies that scientifically prove this point. I will give you the data on vaccinating children.

Do Flu Shots Work in children?

In a review of more than 51 studies involving more than 294,000 children it was found there was “no evidence that injecting children 6-24 months of age with a flu shot was any more effective than placebo. (Reference: Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children.” The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2 (2008).)

What’s in the Vaccine?

· Egg proteins, including avian contaminant viruses

· Gelatin, known to cause allergic reactions and anaphylaxis are usually associated with sensitivity to egg or gelatin

· Polysorbate 80 (Tween80™), which can cause severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis

· Formaldehyde: a known carcinogen

· Triton X100: a strong detergent

· Sucrose (table sugar)

· Resin, known to cause allergic reactions

· Gentamycin, an antibiotic

· Thimerosal: mercury is still in multidose vials

“But the News has stories of people getting hosiptalized from the flu?”

The actual death rates from any flu including the current swine flu are very low.

To read more information:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/09/19/The-Truth-about-the-Flu-Shot.aspx

The real question is who do you know that does not know what you know about Chiropractic?

Pass this information on and get them checked!

have them call 212.980.5444 and we will check them!

Calendar of Upcoming Events

5 Oct 2009: Weight Loss & Nutrition 101

19 Oct 2009: Kick Start your Fitness Routine

2 Nov 2009: Vitamins & Minerals

16 Nov 2009: Staying Slim for the Holidays

7 Dec 2009: You were Born to be Healthy

Location:  Quest Bookstore 240 East 53rd St.

Time: 615pm

Guests are welcome!!

Call us at 212.980.5444 NOW to reserve a place at these FREE events.

I was once sitting in class and the professor stated, “Five Years from now what is considered on the fringe and alternative in healthcare will be considered mainstream.”

Dr. Andrew Saul made this simple declaration and fifteen years later it has proven dead on accurate. Dr. Saul was recently featured in a great documentary called Food Matters. http://www.foodmatters.tv/.  In this movie they discuss how our food supply is destroyed and as a result we have caused major interference to our overall health, thereby needing a chemical based approach (medications) to chemically induced diseases. Food Matters does not explore the physical and mental aspects to health, but it does recognize them to have a cause and effect response on our health.

My question today is this; Five years from now what will be considered mainstream?

Will the fact that medications have devastating side effects and the best cure is within the body be a wide spread paradigm?

Will it be the fact that all processed foods have deleterious responses by the body causing health dysfunction?

Will it be the idea that health and wellness is not merely about great exercise and nutrition but also an optimal functioning nerve system?

Will it be the idea that all over the counter medications has similar and devastating side effects to prescriptions?

Will it be the idea that the consumer/patient or in our case “practice member” is most responsible for their health and not a third party like a government or insurance company?

Choose one or all and let’s see how long this will hit the mainstream. The words written here are just information. I can go on and on… As to how cholesterol is not a problem, or arthritis is not because of your age bracket or you do not have high blood pressure solely due to genetics. In Missouri they say, “Show me.”  The only way I can show you is if you do and that requires action. The knowledge is in the doing. You will see it when you do it.

So five years from now will your body be functioning better? Yes! I understand that Five years from now we will all have aged chronologically by that time frame, however will our function be better? Five years from now can each of us act to be healthier than this moment?  Maybe you “know this” who does not know this? Lead them to know what you know so they may do what you do!

http://www.youtube.com/drfishel

ARE YOU ALL IN?

Card playing has become very popular lately and “All in” is a great way for card players to say I trust in this hand, so here I will lay all my chips on the line and bet my life on it. The message on the white board above the adjusting tables asks a simple question. What happens when you give a healthy person an over- the – counter or prescription medication? The answer is they get sicker. When an unhealthy person takes a medication they become even sicker. This is not even open for debate. Trust in this information, as it is the truth. (Healthy = an optimal state of function, not merely the absence of symptoms or dis-ease.)

Today’s healthcare world is evolving. Some people are moving forward toward this truth, while others are continuing to lose their way and go backward. For 11 straight years we have focused on a mission to transform, change and save lives. We are very serious about this. As a practice member here it means that you know and understand the level of passion and commitment that we bring to you and your loved ones.

We want you to know that we are all in. We not only bet our lives on it, but we also bet our families lives on it, and I don’t gamble! What does that mean? It means that we do exactly what we recommend to you. Our families live it and breath it. I cannot and will not shut it off. No, it never gets old because it can never be said enough. Right now people are dying at a higher rate then 11 years ago when we started. The 783,396 medical deaths each year is the equivalent of 6 jumbo jets going down every day (see The American Medical System Is The Leading Cause Of Death And Injury In The United States By Gary Null PhD, Carolyn Dean MD ND, Martin Feldman MD, Debora Rasio MD, Dorothy Smith PhD) Still with all the data, the Science and the know how, we make the incorrect choices.

Here is a simple question. Are you all in? Will you never take any medication again? (Only in true emergencies would a life saving medication or surgery make sense) If so, then go home get out a bag and empty all of your medications into a bag, bring them here and put them all in the big bottle on the front desk.(including the Advil, Tylenol etc. if you are serious) Next share this message with everyone that you come in contact with and inform them that taking meds whether prescribed or over the counter is not making them healthy. This is not irresponsible of us if we lead them to a lifestyle that enables them to make the changes in their health that are necessary to become healthy. All people are important to our success, to our mission. They do not know what you know. Get on a mission. Go all in. Help to change and save lives all over the world and right here in New York.

“Health care” is the largest expense U.S. businesses have today. The current economic climate will force individuals and companies to carefully evaluate their costs. The way most of Americans currently approach their health it is definitely an expense. The investments of today should appreciate(recent market flux notwithstanding)while the expenses will depreciate. For example, if you buy a car for $10,000 today it will lose its value very quickly – this is an expense. If you buy anything that loses value with time it is an expense. If you have health insurance, you or your company pay an average of $8,000/year for your health care – really for your insurance and not anything but that. Somewhere along the line we confused having insurance with being healthy. This approach to health should be viewed as an expense because it does not accrue any value. In fact the U.S. approach to health care is not only the world’s most expensive, but dollar for dollar the worst. Think about the model we use: we pay a third party (the insurer) so that they can invest this money, which used to be your money or your company’s money and earn huge returns (see health insurance profits) and than they may pay the doctor or hospital with your money.

Here is a better model. Imagine if every company or individual were using those dollars to invest in their health. You go to a health club (investment) eat healthy (investment), see a wellness based Chiropractor (investment), buy bottled water (investment), learn great time and stress management (investment). If we followed this model- would our health insurance costs go up or down? Do we still need catastrophic coverage in this model? Yes- in fact with this model the care at hospitals and emergency based care centers will improve – less people are coming in with non- traumatic emergencies in this model. The Wellness Center of NY promotes this brand of health care. Learn more at www.thewellnesscenterofny.com.

In his book “The Wellness Revolution“ economist Paul Zane Pilzer, says, “Wellness is not about a fad or trend, it’s about a new and infinite need infusing itself into the way we eat, exercise, sleep, work, save, age, and almost every other aspect of our lives.

http://thewellnessrevolution.paulzanepilzer.com/index.php
Pilzer succinctly articulates the difference between sick care and health care: “The sickness business is reactive. Despite its enormous size, people become customers only when they are stricken by and react to a specific condition or complaint…the wellness business is proactive. People voluntarily become customers — to feel healthier, to reduce the effects of aging, and to avoid becoming customers of the sickness business. Everyone wants to be a customer of this earlier-stage approach to health.”

When we sit down to figure out our budgets, we must ask ourselves the right questions as to what is an expense and what is an investment. Health care- the actual care and how we take care of ourselves is surely an investment and not an expense!

I have been in the Wellness Industry for over 15 years. In that time span many trends have come and gone. Somehow; for only a minute Yoga got swept up into fad stage. As a result yoga was everywhere. It was: in the corporate boardroom, the health club, the spa, the hotel, on the cruise ship, in the home, on the video, and in your face. This was not necessarily a bad thing. A lot of good came from that era. And we must take the good and keep it and leave the bad behind.

You will still hear people say: “Oh, I tried yoga- it wasn’t for me.” Or- yeah my core abs class incorporates a few deep breathing exercises.” This is some of the leftover residue of that fad phase.

I recently had the great fortune of meeting and spending some time with the people at Yoga to the People. Yoga to the People (YTTP) is about the principle. What principle: Giving, loving and serving.

They have a suggested donation of $10 for a class. This “trend” is a good one. They now have second studio in Berkley, California. Where is the NYC one, you ask? If I tell you, there won’t be room for me. I’ll tell you anyway. It’s on St. Mark’s and it is worth the trip from anywhere. Here’s the link: www.yogatothepeople.com

Obesity is an excess of body fat, and is one of the most common health problems in the United States. About one-fourth of all American adults are considered to be obese. Obesity is measured using a scale called a body mass index, or BMI. A BMI greater than 30 is classified as obese. Obesity doesn’t affect only adults. Approximately 4.7 million (about 11 percent) of American children aged 6 to 17 are obese, a percentage that has doubled since the 1960s. Obesity can shorten your life and put you at risk of developing a number of conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer.

The good news is that even modest weight loss can improve or prevent complications associated with obesity. Weight loss is usually possible through dietary changes, increased physical activity and behavior modification. For people who don’t respond to these lifestyle changes, other more involved obesity treatments are available to enhance weight loss. These include prescription medications and weight-loss surgery.

Causes

Although there are genetic and hormonal influences on body weight, ultimately excess weight is a result of an imbalance of calories consumed versus calories burned through physical activity. If you consume more calories than you expend through exercise and daily activities, you gain weight. Your body stores calories that you don’t need for energy as fat.

The following factors — usually working in combination — can contribute to weight gain and obesity.

• Diet. Regular consumption of high-calorie foods, such as fast foods, or increasing their portion sizes contributes to weight gain. High-fat foods are dense in calories. Loading up on soft drinks, candy and desserts also promotes weight gain. Foods and beverages like these are high in sugar and calories. In general, eating away from home also increases calorie intake.
• Inactivity. Sedentary people are more likely to gain weight because they don’t burn calories through physical activities.
• Quitting smoking. Smokers tend to gain weight after quitting. This weight gain may be partially due to nicotine’s ability to raise the rate at which your body burns calories (metabolic rate). When smokers stop, they burn fewer calories. Smoking also affects taste; quitting smoking makes food taste and smell better. Former smokers often gain weight because they eat more after they quit. However, cigarette smoking is still considered a greater threat to your health than is extra weight.
• Pregnancy. During pregnancy a woman’s weight necessarily increases. Some women find this weight difficult to lose after the baby is born. This weight gain may contribute to the development of obesity in women.
• Certain medications. Corticosteroids and tricyclic antidepressants, in particular, can lead to weight gain. So can some high blood pressure and antipsychotic medications.
• Medical problems. Uncommonly, obesity can be traced to a medical cause, such as low thyroid function or excess production of hormones by the adrenal glands (Cushing’s syndrome). A low metabolic rate is unlikely to cause obesity. In addition, it’s unclear whether polycystic ovarian syndrome contributes to obesity. Some medical problems, such as arthritis, can lead to decreased activity, which may result in weight gain.

The Wellness Center of NY has an amazing weight loss program called Take Shape For Life.

www.wellnesscenterofny.tsfl.com

Calculate your Body Mass Index

Dr. Craig Fishel is a leading Wellness Expert. He can be reached at drfishel@thewellnesscenterofny.com.