Candy

Cassiopee

Sibylle

Selma

Babs

Alix

Lily

Beverly
Styles from Stephane Kelian’s 2009 Fall Collection. The Inspiration for the Fall comes from Buenos Aires, Argentina due to the use of woven materials, riding boot embellishments  and cone heels used for tango dancing.  More styles can be seen at www.stephane-kelian.com.

FRESH LIVE FOODS

CANNED FOOD DRIVE / CAN’T FOOD DRIVE.

Typically here at FFC, we have a canned food drive for the holidays, where we allow community members to pay for their spine & nerve system check up with some non-parishable food around the holidays.  This is fantastic because most people want to be charitable and donate to others especially during the holidays, so if they can get a $200 examination that they needed anyway for the cost of a few cans it is perfect.  Win Win to a T.

This year, however, we will not be participating in a “canned” food drive.  To be truly congruent with our understandings and teachings of what health is, and what we require to express it, we have decided to change our food drive a bit.

This is the first year here at Franson Chiropractic that we will be donating fresh vegetables, fruits & nuts instead of canned foods for the less fortunate during this holiday season.  Foods that do not go bad or are to be stored (store foods) are easy and cheap, and come in by the truck load this time of year, so we decided to go the other way (not follow the herd) & give real live foods that will give these less fortunate souls some of the nutrients they require to heal and promote life in their bodies. 

This is our opportunity to stay congruent and clear in our message; that our bodies are designed/evolved/created perfect, they just require sufficiency and purity in a few areas to run efficiently and properly.  These things are Air, Water, Food, Exercise (movement), Thoughts & Nerve Supply.  Purity and Sufficiency in any of these things will move us toward health, so that is what we are donating this holiday season.

“We appreciate the power to be able to be useful to humanity.” – CS Gonstead

Thank you all and have an Awesome Thanksgiving!

Love,

Dr. Nick and your Franson Family Chiropractic team!

Fight 4 Health!

You’re stupid. You’ve admitted it, and now you’re seeking help. I want to congratulate you! That’s the first step towards making your stupid life better.
First thing’s first though; you are stupid and will be forever. This book will not change that. This book will however, mask your stupidity from the rest of the world and may lead to promotions, dating, new job opportunities, more friends, and definitely more confidence!
It’s not easy to fool people when you’re stupid. Especially people who aren’t stupid. Let’s call this type of people “Smart” people, shall we? Smart people are very quick to pick up on the fact that you’re stupid. You’ve got to be perfect from the beginning around them, or else they will see you as a sheep in wolf’s clothing. That’s an example of a “smart” idea: a truncated and intentionally-reversed extended metaphor using the structure of a simile. You scoffed at things like this in school, but metaphors, similes, and other clever literary devices are a fundamental part of smart people conversation. Similes and metaphors are discussed in detail later in this book, so we won’t worry about them now.
Instead, what we’ll focus on now is the face you made after reading that sentence about the wolf and the sheep. You scrunched your nose tightly and rolled your eyes around in the hopes that your brain would explain why I was talking about animals. If you are smarter, but still stupid, you waited to make the face until I started talking about all that simile and metaphor stuff. This frowny-eye-rolling is a common face that stupid people make when presented with something that bores them or something they don’t understand. This book is about fixing stupid habits just like that face!
Most of the stupid habits you have are based on your stupid instincts. Right now, I want you to close your mouth, and breathe through your nose. TRUST ME, you won’t suffocate! Go ahead and try it. You see? Now you know you can trust me.
It’s not necessary to understand WHY I want you to do the things I want you to do. The important thing is that you DO them and practice them, over and over, for the rest of your life. Most of these things will be difficult. Breathing through your nose alone will take years for you to master. You currently breathe through your mouth because the “instinct” part of your brain is looking out for your survival. This is because the cognitive or “thinking” part of your brain isn’t capable of making good decisions. Stupid people like yourself are prone to doing things directly opposed to your own survival. For instance, I’m sure you’ve found yourself at one time or another in a single-person competition for stuffing the most miniature marshmallows into your nose to see how many will fit. Since this is literally smothering yourself for no reason, your brain makes you breathe out of your mouth, since it figures you’ll live longer that way.
Don’t worry! You will still be able to indulge all of your fun, stupid impulses. I’ll simply teach you how to save them for “private time”, or “stupid friend hang-out time.” when you’re around other people as stupid, or more stupid, than you are. This book is full of helpful, good habits like “stupid friend hang-out time”. However, every habit will take practice to master, so I want you to make a promise with me.
Go ahead and read this out loud: “I promise that I will follow the instructions in this book. I promise that I will practice every day, and that I won’t give up, no matter how frustrating it is for my stupid brain. Sincerely, me!”
There. You’ve just made a promise to both you and I. You said it out loud, so you have to stick to it. It’s too late to turn back now, which is wonderful, because you’re going to have a great new life! (if you think you and I are the same person, or opposite people from when this introduction began, you’re still reading out loud. Please stop reading out loud.)
To create a sense of familiarity, which will subconsciously compel you to finish the rest of the chapters through recognition, despite your short attention span, Just for fun, I’ll give you a brief overview of the topics we will cover in-depth during the rest of this guide.
The first half of this book is all about breaking down and hiding the stupid things you do:
Chapter 1 is what you’re reading right now.
In chapter 2, I will tell you tricks to keep your stupid life separate from your new smart life. This will be an ongoing process. You will learn to enjoy top 40 music and Michael Bay movies secretly while alone or with a few select stupid friends, instead of loudly and in front of everyone.
In chapter 3, I’ll teach you how to shut your mouth before it says the stupid thing you just thought. You’ll learn to use silence with making faces to pretend that you’re deep in thought.
The second half of this book is all about the tricks you can use to pretend you’re smart:
In chapter 4, we’ll reread the first half of the book, because you’ll have skipped ahead, thinking you didn’t need to learn those techniques and “do homework from a stupid book”.
In chapter 5, you get a makeover! As fun as it seems, this will actually be one of the hardest sections of the book, and one of the most important. You will learn to dress in a “nerd costume” for the rest of your life. Calm down! Stop wrinkling your face, stop chewing your lip, quit punching whatever you’re punching, and listen up. You know deep down that “nerds” are the very smartest of smart people. The benefit of looking like a nerd is that smart people will assume you are socially awkward instead of stupid and will therefore more readily ignore whenever you slip up and do stupid things.
In chapter 6, I’ll discuss using props to appear smart. We will discuss scavenging techniques for smart props, including making habits for success. You’ll learn how to search local coffee shops every morning for partially-completed crossword puzzles to spend the rest of the day pretending to fill out. Tips like this will give silent proof of your “smarts” when people might otherwise see through your smart costume.
In chapter 7, I’ll help you get into the habit of saying smart things and inventing opinions. It DOESN’T MATTER what your opinions are. The only important thing is to NEVER CHANGE YOUR MIND about your opinions. You’ll learn to be condescending about other people’s opinions. I’ll even teach you phrases to use if you get into hot water with someone such as “I suppose we’ll just have to agree to disagree!” You’ll also learn to memorize a single generic quote to use at parties and whenever you want to impress someone of the opposite sex.
The third half of this book is all about using your newfound techniques to SECURE your future:
In chapter 8, I’ll give you a lie detector test to be sure you’ve read every chapter thoroughly. If not, i’ll remind you that you made a promise to me, and make you go back and read what you skipped.
In chapter 9, I’ll teach you about material investments. It’s important to invest in “things” and “stuff” that will make you appear smart for the rest of your life: a modestly large house, a slightly above-average car, and many more material things. Your stupid thinking is right in assuming the more things you own, the better; but you have to own the RIGHT KINDS of things! Filling your house with the right long-term props is very important. You’ll learn about chess and backgammon boards. You’ll check prices on pianos and expensive-looking (but not extravagant!) artwork.
In chapter 10, you’ll hire an accountant and do EXACTLY what they tell you do with your money. I’ll tell you briefly what a saving account is and why it’s better not to run out and spend every paycheck immediately on liquor and clubbing. Even though you won’t understand right away why this is bad; when you see how savings and investments lead to MORE liquor, you’ll be happy you listened.
In chapter 11, you’ll invent a new category of people you can look down on for the rest of your life, like “Liberal Elites” or “Right Wing Fascists”. This is a prime time to hire a writer to write a book with your name on it! Tell everyone you wrote the book. This is key.
In our last chapter, chapter 12, you’ll make the most important investment in your future; tricking a beautiful INTELLIGENT person into loving and marrying you. This will be the most difficult thing you will EVER do and it will take all the resources you’ve built and all the techniques you’ve learned. You will master keeping your stupid life and your smart life separate by passing off your stupidity once and for all as something else. We will discuss faking Asperger’s Syndrome, Social Anxiety Disorder, and the like.
By the end of this book, you will be a new person; a person you’ve invented. You will be successful beyond belief, and you’ll have someone who loves you for the rest of your life.
Does this sound too good to be true? Well guess what? I’M A STUPID JUST LIKE YOU! Or at least, I used to be. But following my own system, I’ve made a wonderful, explosive new life as a SMART! I’m CEO of my own Fortune 500 company, I have a syndicated talk radio show, I’m married to a supermodel, I live in a mansion in Beverly Hills, and I have three somewhat intelligent children. I’m sure you don’t believe me, but it’s true. All the “smart” phrases I’ve used in this book were painfully constructed over several years using a dictionary, a smart writer friend, and the help of my brilliant wife. My system worked for me! IT WILL WORK FOR YOU!!!

Hello, all!

I spent the last couple of weeks in Los Angeles, setting things up before I make my return and it wouldn’t have been Emily in LA without a ridiculous sidewalk encounter.

For the first part of my trip I was crashing at a friend’s place in Koreatown.  Unfortunately, I had worked 104 hours the week leading into my trip and the lack of sleep mixed with working in the rain left me a snotty mess by the time I landed at LAX.  I crawled onto my friend’s futon and decided that when I awoke, I was headed to the WeHo Target in search of health aids.

The next morning I got dressed in exercise attire (it’s a 3 mile hike to Target from my friend’s place), made a list of what I wanted and headed out the door.

I should note that I do not look adorable in stretch clothing but choose to wear it anyway.  Wait, let me correct that.  I look adorable in everything but my body’s not quite built for spandex and the like so needless to say, I was pretty sure the streets of Los Angeles would be anything but interested in hollering at me in this particular outfit.

I was wrong.

As I’m walking west on Beverly Blvd, I pass a man and woman who appear to be in their mid-40s moving a dresser into a furniture shop.  They kindly step to the side to let me pass.  I smile, thank them and continue on my way.

A few blocks down, maybe 10 minutes later, I hear someone approaching me from behind on a bike.  I move to the right a little to let them pass but they don’t.

“Excuse me.”

I turn around to assess how best to get out of the rider’s way and see the man from the furniture shop.  He is out of breath.

“Excuse me.  I’m from the furniture shop you passed just a little while ago.  My mother sent me to find you. We’re shooting a commercial for the shop and my mother would like you to be in it.  She saw you through the window and said that you were tall and cute and to get you for the commercial and then she sent me to find you and I’ve been trying to figure out where you might have gone.”

What.  I’m a spandex-mess who cannot act.  I don’t know what it is with this city and people offering me jobs without any demonstration that I can actually perform what’s necessary but here I am again.  I thank him and while the offer does seem kind of awesome and my instinct tells me this guy is harmless, I decline.  I tell him I’m only in town until Sunday (it’s currently Thursday but it’s a lie) and I just don’t have time to do a commercial.

He looks back toward the direction we’ve come from, back in the direction of the shop and says, “What if we shoot it on Saturday?  Can you do it if we shoot it on Saturday?”  Again, I decline.  I tell him that with such a short trip, I just can’t cancel my plans. He thanks me and rides off.

I’m not gonna lie, I kind of wish I had done it.  I mean, how often does one get to star in a local commercial?  And with all of my acting abilities, it would have been a hilarious poo-show.  It could have been nice for people to glance at me just a little longer, trying to place my face and figure out how they know me.  Sometimes I’d just look at them and smile.  Leave them wondering if I was someone they met at a party or a friend of a friend.  Maybe sometimes I would tell them, “Furniture commercial.” And repeat one of my lines.  They’d nod their heads, smile and laugh a little.  Here they were racking their brains trying to place me in case I was someone of importance and it turns out I was just that random furniture commercial girl that registers as white noise around the house.

Today, I remain unknown.  People will still rack their brains trying to place my face because I smile at everyone and that always makes people feel like they should know you from somewhere but for now, I have no cool line to say and ease their minds.

Maybe next time.

THANKSGIVING memo: Thank you all for reading.  If you are a patient, thank you for taking your health seriously and allowing us to care for you!

FFC will be CLOSED 11/26 & 11/27 to give thanks and be with our loved ones, please be sure to schedule a make up if you are seen on Thurs or Fri.

FOOD DRIVE & SLEEP WELL CONTEST – through December 18th:

Earn raffle tickets by referring a friend, family member or co-worker to our office for a New Patient Consulation = 10 tickets

***(New Patient exam from referral only $37, and all proceeds during contest will be donated in the form of fresh vegetables to local soup kitchen for holidays!)

Bring a friend to a workshop = 5 tickets

Bring a friend to observe an adjustment, or join (or help a friend join) Bonfirehealth.com Facebook Fan Page = 1 ticket

GRAND PRIZE: Collect raffle tickets between Nov. 1st – Dec. 18th, and the Raffle winner will take home an ALL-ORGANIC SLEEP WELL MATTRESS designed by Dr. Stephen Franson and Gardner Sisk of Gardner Mattress (TWIN, FULL OR QUEEN).  The more raffle tickets you earn, the better your chances - and if that isn’t enough, the person with the most raffle tickets will receive a $100 gift certificate to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

** Advanced Notice: Well People Think – Advanced Workshop with Dr. Stephen Franson – Wed December 9th @6:45pm Sign ups at the Front!

Grass Fed Beef CSA- Order Forms at the Front!  It’s finally going to happen.  Must have orders in by 12/4.  Drop off on the 12th.  Hooray for healthy meat!

Wednesday 11/25, 4:45-7 p.m. @ the Atlantis Gym @ the Ferncroft – Health Screening

Every day this week – check out the amazing new health site created by our own Dr. Stephen Franson:  www.Bonfirehealth.com, and ignite your health today!

Food Drive - See ***ABOVE

Any questions, please call 978-927-8466, or check out our website @ www.fransonchiropractic.com.

And now, to say thank you to all of our loyal blog readers and their loved ones:

Demi recently uploaded a video from her birthday celebration that took place in the famous Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California. Enjoy.

Here we go!  The holiday season is upon us and thoughts turn to….shopping (and sleigh bells, and peace and love, and turkey, and snow, and…shopping).  The Wenham Museum hosts the Sleigh Bell Gift Boutique, Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m..  Find unique gifts crafted by North Shore artisans.  Mrs. Claus visits Saturday at 2 p.m..  Bring an unwrapped toy for the 14th annual Toy Drive for North Shore children sponsored by WBOQ 104.9 and Senator Bruce Tarr.  The Beverly Mother’s Club will be presenting a Holiday Boutique at Beverly Golf & Tennis Club on Saturday from 9 a.m.-1 p.m..  30 vendors selling all kinds of cool stuff.  A portion of the proceeds will benefit Friends of Cove Park.  Would you like to see some of Gloucester’s beautiful homes?   Saturday, lovely homes in the Annisquam and Rowley Shore area of Gloucester, some decorated for the holidays, will be open for a self-guided tour from 11:00 a.m.-4 p.m..  “Homes for the Holidays” is presented by the Cape Ann Chamber of Commerce Businesswomen’s Division.  Would you rather be outdoors?  The Trustees of the Reservations is having a  Great Magnolia Swamp Hike at Ravenswood Park in Gloucester, 1:00 p.m – 3:30 p.m..   Looks like a nice weekend for any type of activity.  Enjoy.

How do all those rich and famous women from Beverly Hills stay looking so beautiful? Although some turn to expensive and potentially dangerous plastic surgery, many of these ladies use natural, simple and effective methods to stay looking young. Here are three of the best Beverly Hills skin care tips that can help you look younger and healthier no matter where you’re from.

Tip Number 1: Enjoy The Sun Responsibly

Despite what you seem to hear everyday about how dangerous the sun is, especially to your skin, the fact is we need some sunshine to keep our skin healthy. Yes, too much sun can be dangerous – so can too much of just about anything. Slathering yourself in too much sun-block or trying to avoid the sun altogether is just as bad. The ladies in Beverly Hills know that spending a bit of every day basking in the California sunshine is not only pleasant, but also healthy and relaxing. Just don’t overdo it. If you are going to spend more than fifteen minutes exposed to direct sunlight – then you’ll want to make certain you are using a bit of high SPF sun-block.

For the record, if you insist on having a real tan and are concerned about wrinkles down the line – develop it slowly in natural sunlight and avoid the tanning booths.

Tip Number 2: Why They Don’t Smoke In The Movies Anymore

In the old days, you use to see actresses smoking in the movies very often. Not anymore though. Of course we all know that smoking massively increases your risk of developing cancer – and that should be enough of a reason right there to avoid it. If you need a short term excuse to quit though, you should know that smoking damages your skin faster than you can imagine. As your body tries to flush the toxins out, your skin loses its natural glow, and the suppleness disappears, leaving wrinkles in it’s place.

In Beverly Hills, smoking has long-since fallen out of fashion. If you care about your skin health and overall health, don’t smoke – and avoid being around those that do. Second-hand smoke won’t help your skin either.

Tip Number 3: Don’t Stress Out

If there’s one thing the women in Beverly Hills are really good at, it’s relaxing. These ladies know that it’s important to take time out everyday to just kick back and take a time out. Too much stress causes chemical reactions in your body that can age your skin. If you want to avoid wrinkles for as long as possible, make sure you learn to take it easy too.

Some quiet time by yourself in the morning, a soak in the tub in the evening, a short walk during the day; any of these can bring down your stress levels, relax your body and help keep your skin looking young and healthy.

Mya is a perfect 1o on 'DWTS' with Dmitry

Mya has totally won over judge Len Goodman, who had been a consistent harsh critic of the pop and R and B star singer.

Tonight on the ‘Dancing With the Stars’ semifinals she danced away with his heart and mind as she scored an almost perfect 87 our of 90 points from the judges for the three dances she performed with her professional dance partner, Dmitry Chaplin, besting all of the other fabulous stars in this season’s competition, and they are all formidable, so she better not slack off or let it go to her head.

I would say that the model Joanna Krupa is in second place, Kelly Osbourne is in third place, and Donny Osmond is in fourth. This was also reflected in the judges scores for tonight’s performances.

Sexy Joanna Krupa will be on the cover on the December Playboy issue, which I will run to the store to get a copy to review. She has a compelling family background and biography which we got to see tonight.

Her sister is also a beautiful woman as well.That seems to run in the family.

It is amazing to see how humble Mya has been throughout the competition, and tonight we got a chance to get a glimpse of her mother and father, and to see a little about her background.It was an impressive story, and from a young age, Mya has been very focused with developing her talents.

She has put in a lot of hard work, and we are seeing the results of that work, by her performance in this competition.

Mya’s and Dimitry’s salsa was the standout dance of the evening.

There was a lot of precision of passion in her salsa performance, and it featured a very hot solo number that lit the stage on fire.It was the only memorable solo performance of the evening. I suggest watching this performance on-line if you missed it, Mya is built for this classic Latin dance.

Judge Len Goodman declared that he was disapointed….disapointed that it did not go on longer.

His next line will be the most memorable comment from a judge this season, topping even Bruno, which is hard to do.

Before giving the Salsa performance a 10, he told Mya …”Tutti Fruiti, oh what a Booty”,…and the ”I could not keep my eyes off of it”…

I don’t blame him, because he was expressing exactly what I was feeling. Mya is a smart and charming young lady,but ,just keeping it real…the girl is hot and it does not hurt to look.

I am looking at her the same way Len is, and I will keep on looking. I just won’t say it out loud.

Mya and Dimitry’s salsa netted a perfect score of 30 out of 30 points.

Hopefully, they will give us a repeat performance of the  dance on Tuesdays results show, it is truly worth repeating.

Make sure you tune in to the results show on Tuesday, as Alicia Keyes and Leona Lewis are scheduled to perform, so if you are like me, I am trying to see Mya, Alicia Keyes, and Leona Lewis all in the same evening.

Thank you ‘DWTS’ producers for another night of quality entertainment that truly speaks to me. Someone on your staff really understands my personal taste,and it is dead on accurate.

Call in and support team Mya…you know you love her like I do….

To vote for Mya, call: 1-800-868-3411

http://abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars

FOOD DRIVE & SLEEP WELL CONTEST – through December 18th:

Earn raffle tickets by referring a friend, family member or co-worker to our office for a New Patient Consulation = 10 tickets

***(New Patient exam from referral only $37, and all proceeds during contest will be donated in the form of fresh vegetables to local soup kitchen for holidays!)

Bring a friend to a workshop = 5 tickets

Bring a friend to observe an adjustment, or join (or help a friend join) Bonfirehealth.com Facebook Fan Page = 1 ticket

GRAND PRIZE: Collect raffle tickets between Nov. 1st – Dec. 18th, and the Raffle winner will take home an ALL-ORGANIC SLEEP WELL MATTRESS designed by Dr. Stephen Franson and Gardner Sisk of Gardner Mattress (TWIN, FULL OR QUEEN).  The more raffle tickets you earn, the better your chances - and if that isn’t enough, the person with the most raffle tickets will receive a $100 gift certificate to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Tuesday 11/17 @ 6:30 p.m. @ the office -Advanced Workshop with Dr. Ryan Hewitt – “Get A Grip on Your Hormones this Holiday Season.” Sign ups at the front desk or call in.

Tuesday 11/17 @ 6:45 p.m. @ the office – Screen Team Training – For all of our beloved Screen Team Members, come to the back entrance.

Wednesday 11/18, 6:30 p.m. @ the office - Foundations Workshop taught by our clinic director, Dr. Stephen Franson.  Free workshop open to all, designed to help you understand health vs. health care, and our cornerstone:  chiropractic and the wellness lifestyle.  Crucial in maximizing understanding and your results.

Thursday 11/19, 4:45-7 p.m. @ the Atlantis Gym @ the Ferncroft – Health Screening

Every day this week – check out the amazing new health site created by our own Dr. Stephen Franson:  www.Bonfirehealth.com, and ignite your health today!

Food Drive - See ***ABOVE

Any questions, please call 978-927-8466, or check out our website @ www.fransonchiropractic.com.

And now, to say thank you to all of our loyal blog readers and their loved ones:

Actor Denzel Washington was playing the role of proud father as he cheered on his son  Malcolm’s first game with the University of Pennsylvania basketball team.

The 5-foot-9 Malcolm Washington is a walk-on guard at Penn. He did not play in Penn’s 70-55 loss.

The  AP reports that Washington went “virtually unnoticed in the Jordan Center crowd,”and didn’t want to respond to any reporter’s questions before the game, waving this arms and nodding in the direction of the Penn bench.

 Washington is in central Pennsylvania  filming the movie “Unstoppable”.

The 5-foot-9 Malcolm Washington(b. April 10, 1991) has a twin sister named Olivia, and he was named in honor of Malcom X, which was a significant role for Denzel Washington.

Malcom has an older brother John David (b. July 28, 1984), who signed a football contract with the St. Louis Rams in May 2006 after playing college football at Morehouse college in Atlanta, Georgia.

Being Denzel Washington’s son probably brings a lot of unwanted attention from people who want to be associated with the mega star, but if Malcolm is anything like his older brother John David, he will be able to excel on his own right, as he is a polite and self-sufficient young man.

All the reports that I have heard concerning Malcolm, is that he is very polite, personable, and has a strong work ethic. Denzel has a long-standing policy that he will not speak for his children,and is committed to being involved in supporting their athletic pursuits, just like most proud fathers.

I wish him well at his new college, and success in his role as a team member on his college basketball team.

Go Penn State!!!…and get with em’ Malcolm!!!

To learn more about the life and times of Denzel Washington, click on the source below…

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denzel_Washington

Denzel Washington at son Malcolm's Penn State Basketball game

A Miracle

Are all not nearly as brilliant as YOUR body….

However,

Sometimes we forget.

Sometimes we are misled.

Sometimes we think that our body is not brilliant, magnificent or miraculous.

We can all easily get caught up in pain/discomfort and forget or even question this.

But if your really stop and think how truly amazing YOUR BODY is, you will be amazed at how everything works so well.  I mean, think about it - you pump 2,000 gallons of blood through your body every single day and don’t think about a drop.  You breath 20,000 times every day and do not think about it once.  We all go through amazing changes in our bodies from birth to adult, everyone goes through puberty at roughly the same time, and all of this happens with out any oversight, no meds, nothing - it just happens.  And we don’t question it.  Our bodies are so smart that even slightly before we start exercising, our blood pressure goes up; and if we get a cut on our finger, it heals.  HOW AMAZING IS THAT?!  On a normal day, you don’t think about even 1 of the trillions of chemical reactions that take place in your body every single second of every single minute of every single hour of every single day of every single year of every single life time… Just stop and think about that and how incredible your body and this life is.

You see, you are intelligent, you are amazing, you carry inside of you an intelligence that runs your body and all of those trillions of reactions discussed above.  Chiropractors call this intelligence “Innate Intelligence.”  It is Innate because it is inborn - you don’t have to learn how to use it, it was there from the second the sperm and egg met that miraculously created you, and actually even before that (somehow, the sperm knew to go toward the egg).  That intelligence is carried through your nervous system, which in coordination with your endocrine system is the master regulator/communicator in your body.  Your brain, spinal cord, nerve roots and peripheral nerves make up your nervous system, and that is the big cheese, the CEO, the General, el Jefe.  All information about what is happening in the body is sent to the brain through the spinal cord, and that information is used to properly run your body.

The spine and skull are designed to support and protect your nervous system, while giving shape to your body.  A solid tube of bone would have been the safest way to protect our nerve system, but that wouldn’t have been conducive to movement or life, so we have joints.  Made of much softer tissue, these joints are the inherently the weak spots in the skeletal system.  So, if a spinal bone gets jarred from its healthy position (through acute or sustained postural trauma), it causes damage to the joints of the spine.  Damage to these joints irritates the nerve system, decreasing your body’s ability to communicate within or to itself, which blocks or disrupts Innate Intelligence.  Chiropractic is so simple, it is brilliant.  Chiropractic understands that the body is brilliant, and works with it through specific chiropractic adjustments on specifically damaged joints to return proper function to the spine, as well as to remove the irritation to the nervous system, unblocking your body’s life force.

This is why chiropractors do not claim to treat any specific disease, but get tremendously amazing results with many.  We restore proper communication to the body, making it healthier, and  HEALTHY BODIES DO NOT HAVE SYMPTOMS.  Symptoms are signals telling us that there is something wrong that needs our attention.  Not alarms to be turned off with medications that dampen alarms.  You get hungry and thirsty because you are getting low on fuel and water that is essential to run your body.  What if there was a medication you could take when you felt hungry or thirsty, so you wouldn’t have to be bothered with eating or drinking?  How long do you think that would work for?  It is the same thing with other symptoms!  A headache, sciatic pain, breathing problems, poor digestion,etc., are not just bothersome symptoms that need to be quieted with medication - they are telling you that something is wrong and needs to be dealt with by finding the cause, not just eliminating the symptom.

The body is amazing and I have always been fascinated with it, which is why I began studying it 12 years ago.  I have been led down a path to chiropractic by asking this question:  “How can I make my body as healthy as possible?”  I was open-minded the whole time, and have found out a few times that what I had learned was wrong.  As of now, through much trial and error, I understand that everyone must have a chiropractor on their health team, just as I understand everyone requires good, natural, from-the-earth foods, plenty of exercise and positive self talk and gratitude with a support group or tribe.  This is what I do for myself, and it is what I recommend to my family, friends and patients - because this is what all of the research points to when I ask “How to be the healthiest person?”  This may change, but for now this is my best recommendation as a health coach.

I hope you get your spine checked soon.

Love,

Dr. Nicholas Araza DC CCWP

Fight 4 Health

I haven’t hung out with a 2 year old in quite awhile, so this visit is a steep learning curve for me! It takes twice as long to get ready to go somewhere, and if I ever thought that I got grumpy when I was hungry, well let me tell you, I have met my match…!

After a very late start today we finally made it to the College Park MARTA station and successfully navigated the rail system and the streets of downtown Atlanta, finding our way eventually to World of Coca-Cola. With a fussy child in tow, we checked out the huge variety of artifacts – all kinds of Coke advertisements, paintings, platters, machines, cans and bottles, etc. – and then thankfully trooped into the Taste It! room to sample beverages from around the world. Avoid something called “Beverly” from Italy, but go for the “Vegitabeta” from Japan! The South African ginger ale was my adult friend’s favorite. Not sure which one the kid liked best – we were just happy that the sundry sips kept her quiet for a little while!

The crabby 2 year old was somewhat placated by a snack from the Subway at the top of Centennial Olympic Park, but my friend and I weren’t that pleased to discover that the day had gone by so quickly and it was already too late to visit the Aquarium… Facing the drag of 5:30 traffic, we opted to detour a short way down Peachtree St. and visit Max Lager’s American Grill and Brewery. A comfy seat, with the child sleeping stretched out in the booth, and a couple of decent beers (Pumpkin Wit, and Max Black) took the edge off the long afternoon.

Our somewhat odd server told me I had an “interesting face”, so FYI if you ever meet me, or for those of you who have but haven’t noticed, now you know!

The trip back to the car on the MARTA train was uneventful and the traffic had mostly cleared up on the interstate, so we were back in McDonough in no time. The kid was adorable again, and let me teach her Karate Kid moves and helped to fight off the nibbling cat and the stinky-breathed dog until it was bedtime. If my pictures will ever upload, I’ll go to bed too…

Zoo tomorrow! I’m pretty sure I haven’t been to a real zoo since we moved to Maine, over 15 years ago, so I’m unexpectedly excited. Should be good.

Have you have ever found yourself saying something resembling the following:  “Doc, I just don’t have any time to work out anymore.  I’m just way too busy.”  Well, I have some incredible news for you!  All you need is just 4 minutes per day to satisfy your body’s essential requirement for exercise!  Yes, I’m serious, and this flips the excuse of not having enough time right on its head.  This type of intensified training I’m talking about is called Tabata interval training.

Quite simple and effective, a Tabata session consists of twenty seconds of maximum output, followed by ten seconds of rest, repeated eight times consecutively for a total of four minutes. And, you can use any exercise (running, rowing, cycling, burpees, jump rope, squats, etc.)!  Doing Tabata sprints is perhaps the most rewarding – and physically taxing – way to spend those four minutes. (Refer to my previous post on sprinting)

The credit for this simple and powerful training method belongs to its namesake, Dr. Izumi Tabata and a team of researchers from the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Tokyo, Japan.  Their groundbreaking 1996 study, published in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports & Exercise, provided documented evidence concerning the dramatic physiological benefits of high-intensity, intermittent training. After just 6 weeks of testing, Dr. Tabata noted  that just four minutes of Tabata interval training could do more to boost aerobic and anaerobic capacity than an hour of endurance exercise.

Translation:  You don’t need to drudge out 45 minutes of chronic cardio training to burn calories and gain fitness. In fact, this research tells us that you will benefit far more from short, intense bouts of exercise, such as a tabata session than any long slow painful cardio session.  Say WOW!

Two of the best parts of this training are that there is no equipment necessary and you can do this anywhere at anytime.  All you might need is a GymBoss interval timer so you can keep true to the clock while you add up your repetitions.  You can get pretty creative with this training, since you can use almost any exercise you can think of such as  pushups, pullups, squats, lunges etc.  If you’re feeling extra frisky, you can even do more than one tabata session in your workout.  Go crazy!

So guess what?  No excuses. Go get some!

Your health coach,

Dr. Ryan Hewitt

Check out Funk Roberts doing some Tabata (His pushups are a little short on the range of motion but not bad)

Dr. Stephen Franson has teamed up with local mattress icon Gardner Mattress to create a line of perfect sleep surfaces…and we’re giving one away.

A year ago, Gardner approached me and asked if I would be interested in designing a line of mattresses.  I leapt at the chance and accepted under three conditions:  1)  the mattress would have to be the highest quality, offering chiropractically correct spinal support, 2)  they would have to be all-natural and all-organic, with no toxic chemical emissions, and 3)  they would be produced observing Green Environmental Production Standards.   Gardner agreed, and the Franson Sleep Well Mattress Line was born. 

They are incredibly comfortable and designed to promote extraordinarily restful sleep.  A sample mattress is available in the front office at Franson Family Chiropractic and the full line is available for the “lay-down” test at the Gardner Showroom floor.  They are offered in three firmness levels: Very Firm, Ultra-Firm and Wicked Firm (“firm” does not imply hard, as can be attested by the many patients that have had to be woken up for their adjustments after dozing off on the office model.  Firmness is the key quality for the consumer who is prone to morning stiffness and joint achiness.  There is much market confusion here). 

As is our practice tradition, we will be hosting our Christmas/Holiday Give-away Contest.  This year the Grand Prize is a Franson Sleep Well Mattress (the size of your choice).  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=170987337854&index=1

The easiest way to rack up points towards winning the mattress is to join the Bonfire Health Facebook Fan Page.  http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/BonfireHealth?ref=ts  You can refer others to join as well – just tell them to note that they were referred by you.  They get healthier, and you get points towards the contest.

Sleep is an incredibly important part of health and wellness.  In fact, experts say that sleep actually rivals nutrition and exercise for promoting health.  More good news! 

Included in this post is a sample of one of the Bonfire Program Insights.  The Insights are weekly modules that act as lesson plans for the program.  This module focuses on the health benefits of sleep.  Here is a sample of what you’ve been missing:

For thousands of generations, the cycles of the sun and daylight dictated the rhythm of our lives.  When the sun went down – so did you.  The world was a dangerous place in the dark, so our ancestors would grab their mate, head back to the cave, and call it a day early.  There was no modern appliance or electronic technology to keep them up – so nightfall signaled the end of the day.  Very often in the modern world, sunset simply marks the beginning of the second half of the day.              

Late night television, all-night computer gaming, 24 hour drive-thru’s and 80 hour work weeks have created a cultural norm of nocturnal living that is unrecognizable to our ancient hard-wiring.  If you are like most people, your body expects and requires more sleep than it gets.

In fact, Dr. John Madeira, author of Brain Rules, says that 90% of Americans are chronically over-tired.  Although this has noticeable implications in our day-to-day lives, like mid-day head bobbing and black circles under your eyes, the silent damage you’ll experience with sleep deprivation is a real killer – literally (brainrules.net).

Our body uses sleep to rest and repair our tissues.  Our brain requires sleep to process the information from the day.  Critical sleep cycles involve hormone balancing that affects everything from your energy and moods to your metabolism and ability to regulate your body weight.  Sleep deprivation is actually a predictor of obesity.

Healthy sleep patterns promote complete sleep cycles.  Your brain goes through different sleep phases when you rest.  REM sleep (Rapid Eye Movement) involves dreaming; non-REM sleep is the deepest and most critical phase of sleep.  This is the time that your most vital repair and recharge takes place. The more complete sleep cycles you experience, the better.   For most of us, that means getting back to the cave – earlier (marksdailyapple.com).

In order to ensure maximal complete sleep cycles, humans thrive best when we follow the Circadian Rhythm that is coiled deep inside your DNA.  Dictated by the light of the sun, this rhythm is a physiological set point that has promoted early to bed, early to rise for millennia.  Getting to bed before 11 p.m. is a Best Practice followed by the healthiest, most energized people in the world.  Tallying seven hours or more of quality sleep has been shown to increase longevity.  And, low and behold, the afternoon nap turns out to be one of the most effective and productive methods for increasing energy, improving cognitive skills and focus, while mitigating the adverse effects of chronic stress by lowering circulating stress hormones like Cortisol. 

Try going to bed fifteen minutes earlier for 21 days.  Studies show that a new habit can be formed within 21 consecutive days.  Repeat this every 21 days until your target “bedtime” is reached.  This Vital Behavior is effective in conquering the late night habit that leaves you nodding off at the wheel.

Help Nudge yourself into bed on time by creating a sleep sanctuary.  Invest in a quality sleep surface, a high quality pillow and comfortable clothes.  Practice an eFast (no electronics) 30 minutes before bed – in fact, keep the TV, Blackberry and computer out of the bedroom all together.

Avoid foods or drink, like caffeine or alcohol that disturb healthy sleep patterns.  Keep conversations relaxed and loving - discuss or focus on the things that went well that day; never argue before bed – emotional upset is the most common cause of “social insomnia.”  Journal, pray or visualize a better tomorrow, and be grateful for today.

Bonfire Sleep Challenge

• Lights out 15 minutes earlier for 21 Days until you reach your “bedtime” goal
• Go to bed at the same time every day/get up at the same time every day
• eFast 30 minutes before sleeping

If you loved this information and want more…go to bonfirehealth.com.  Start today and join a community of people who have decided to take back their health destiny.  Create a better life through better living. 

Now go live like you mean it.

Dr. Stephen Franson

Rare Bird of Fashion: The Irreverent Iris Apfel continues at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem.  Her designs are bold and exotic.  Friends describe this exhibit as a “must-see.”  Through 2/7/2010.  Check out Gulu-Gulu Cafe for music events this weekend.  On November 7, the James Montgomery Band, along with Gloucester native “Fly” Amero will play at the Essex Room behind Woodman’s.  Doors open @ 7:30 pm; show starts at 8:30 pm.  You must be 21 to attend.  This may be the weekend to see the magic show of Le Grand David at the Larcom Theatre in Beverly.  Sunday, November 8, 3 p.m..  www.legranddavid.com.  I’m  in Vermont this weekend, where there is snow on the ground!  Stay warm, North Shore.

As many of you might have guessed, I dread trick-or-treating.  Don’t get me wrong, no one has more fun carving pumpkins, prepping costumes, or scaring children in my driveway than I do.  I can’t wait to walk my kids from house to house around Surf Side Park with the thirty or so friends who have gathered together for this tradition since the first offspring sprouted from our group about five years ago.

It’s the candy I dread.  Big surprise. 

Last week I had my hands on about 700 patients.  That’s a lot of germs.  That’s a lot of H1N1 conversations.  And that’s a fairly strong sampling of our community and its collective perspective on “getting sick.”  I am a one man Nielson Rating.

I can summarize the consensus in three words:  People are panicked.

Health has pushed the Economy out of the spotlight for the moment.  The Swine Flu story is a compelling one, and its promotion has been unmatched.  I am thankful that the opportunity has been created to discuss health, sickness, and, more importantly, strategy.  So let’s discuss a truth that no one seems to be covering:  the strength of your immune system is the distinguishing factor that determines whether you are subject to getting sick or not. 

Sugar depresses your immune system.  

“Glucose (sugar) and Vitamin C are almost identical molecular structures.  In fact, Vitamin C is manufactured in most mammals from glucose (tigers don’t eat oranges).”¹

 Molecules must enter cells to be used.  Because these molecules are so similar in make-up and use, they utilize the exact same receptor sites (like doorways) on cell membranes.  Because the brain runs on glucose for energy, the cells have a higher affinity for sugar than Vitamin C.  Vitamin C is critical for immune function.   But, your brain is the boss, and your immune system is the subordinate. 

High levels of sugar in the blood stream (from your food) mean that the Vitamin C receptors will be occupied by Glucose.  Therefore, Vitamin C cannot get into the cells to fuel your immune functions – problem.  Worse yet, as Insulin resistance increases, the cell receptors become resistant to both glucose and Vitamin C.  This produces a chronic immunocompromise – big problem.

“The phagocytic cells of the immune system require high amounts of Vitamin C to work properly (they eat for proteins like bacteria, viruses and other pathogens).

A blood sugar level of 120 reduces the phagocytic index to 75%  (one saltine cracker will take the blood sugar over 100, and in some people to 150).”²

Imagine what 2 Twizzlers, 1 Mars bar, 8 gumdrops, a huge Tootsie Roll, and a bag of candy corn does?

So the Swine Flu feeds on candy corn?  Technically, yes.  I predict a surge of H1N1 and seasonal flu cases appearing in or around the second week of November.  Not because the germs are aggressively marching across the country – but because our children (and their escorts) have been choking down sugary sweets like they were getting paid by the pound. 

Now I know the question you’re asking:  Okay, Doc, don’t your kids get to enjoy some of their candy from the spoils of their efforts?  The answer is, of course, yes. 

But, we seize this opportunity to teach the kids a few valuable lessons: constraint, choice and personal responsibility top the list.  I’ll have to admit, the “One Piece a Day” rule does create some incredible leverage around Kale Smoothie consumption, as well. 

Now go hide that candy,

Doc

Dr. Stephen Franson

1,2 Chestnut, James (The Innate Diet & Natural Hygiene p. 78)

Beverly Hills Hotels Special offers http://www.tourla.info/forum/topics/beverly-hills-hotels-special

Our patients have many wonderful success stories, and we thought it was about time we share some of them with all of you.  So, this month’s Patient Testimonial comes from Maureen D.  We are so happy to care for you, Maureen!

Sciatic Pain can keep you from living your life...

November 2009  Maureen D.

“In September 2008, I had an MRI and was diagnosed with a herniated SI-L5 disk causing me enough sciatic pain to make walking painful.  Having always been very active with hiking, yoga, sailing, gardening, and grandchildren, this was very emotionally upsetting, as well.

The pain lessened over the winter with physical therapy, core strengthening exercises and massage, but it was always there somewhat.   In August of 2009, I received a free screening where I was shown that my spinal vertebrae were misaligned in several places.  These subluxations were causing my pain and discomfort in other areas also.

I’ve been treated weekly since with wonderful changes!  I can do all the things I love again – biking, yoga, playing with my grandsons – without fear of pain.

I do my prescribed exercises pretty faithfully, and I am trying to follow the nutrition advice.

If you are even thinking about trying Franson Chiropractic, do it!

I am regaining my positive outlook on my life and I have more energy.  I’m sleeping better, and the range of motion in my neck is better with less ‘cracking’ when I turn my head, but I have a way to go there.

This whole approach makes enormous sense to me – I wish I had come here sooner.”

Maureen, Thank you so much for sharing your story with us!!

IF you know someone who needs to hear this story, please share it with them.  It can make a all the difference.

Dear Sir:

I am writing to thank you for bouncing my check with which I endeavored to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations, three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the check and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honor it. I refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has been in place for only eight years.

You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity, and also for debiting my account $30 by way of penalty for the inconvenience caused to your bank. My thankfulness springs from the manner in which this incident has caused me to rethink my errant financial ways.

I noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone calls and letters, when I try to contact you, I am confronted by the impersonal, overcharging, prerecorded, faceless entity which your bank has become.

From now on, I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh and blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will therefore and hereafter no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by check, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee at your bank whom you must nominate. Be aware that it is an offense under the Postal Act for any other person to open such an envelope.

Please find attached an Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history must be countersigned by a Notary Public, and the mandatory details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.

In due course, I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she must quote in dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter than 28 digits but, again, I have modeled it on the number of button presses required of me to access my account balance on your phone bank service.

As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Let me level the playing field even further. When you call me, press buttons as follows:

1. To make an appointment to see me.
2. To query a missing payment.
3 To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there.
4. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping.
5. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to nature.
6. To transfer the call to my mobile phone if I am not at home.
7. To leave a message on my computer, a password to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated to you at a later date to the Authorized Contact.
8. To return to the main menu and to listen to options 1 through 7.
9. To make a general complaint or inquiry. The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my automated answering service. Uplifting music will play for the duration of the call. Regrettably, this may, on occasion, involve a lengthy wait.

Following your example, I must also levy an establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

Your Humble Client

Au début, quand je suis allée le voir, naïve et confiante, j’avais plutôt le désir de ressembler à ça. Capillairement parlant s’entend évidemment.

Certes, j’avais demandé du volume, un petit côté sauvage. Mais jamais, je dis bien jamais, je n’aurais cru quelqu’un capable d’une telle perfidie.

En même temps, le type m’avait dit “Ouais tu vois moi j’ai un peu coiffé partout dans le monde, au Viet Nâm, en Ethiopie, en Corée du Nord, tout ça quoi”.

Le problème c’est qu’il a dû sciemment omettre de me parler de l’époque où il a officié à Dallas dans les années 80. Toujours est-il qu’aujourd’hui je ne ressemble pas à Rachel mais à Beverly dite Bev’, nous l’appelerons ainsi.

Je tiens à préciser que je suis actuellement à la recherche d’un emploi. N’ayons pas peur des mots, c’est une tragédie. A laquelle je tente de faire face dignement, à grand renfort de chignons en tous genres.

Voilà à quoi j’en suis réduite.

Ma bonhommie naturelle me pousse cependant à prendre les choses du bon côté et à penser à celles qui sont plus mal loties.

(En vrai, je pense que ce sont des messieurs déguisés, mais ils ont tout de même bien provoqué mon hilarité)

Pardon Robert, no offense for the 80’s mais je préfère quand même les avoir dans les oreilles que sur la tête.

(Il a quand même l’air un peu vexé…)

Today we begin our big Holiday Contest - the SLEEP WELL CONTEST!

Earn Raffle tickets by referring a friend, family member, or co-worker to our office for a New Patient Consulation = 10 tickets

Bring a friend to a workshop = 5 tickets

Bring a friend to observe an adjustment, or join (or help a friend join) Bonfirehealth.com Facebook Fan Page = 1 ticket

GRAND PRIZE:  Collect raffle tickets between Nov. 1st – Dec. 18th, and the Raffle winner will take home an ALL-ORGANIC SLEEP WELL MATTRESS designed by Dr. Stephen Franson and Gardner Sisk of Gardner Mattress (TWIN, FULL OR QUEEN).  The more raffle tickets you earn, the better your chances, and if that isn’t enough, the person with the most raffle tickets will receive a $100 gift certificate to Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Wed. 11/4, 8:30 p.m. @ Gordon College – Dr. Ryan Hewitt will be presenting on Living the Wellness Lifestyle as a Student.

Wed. 11/4, 6:30 p.m. @ the office - Foundations Workshop taught by Dr. Byron Jackson.  Free workshop open to all, designed to help you understand health vs. health care, and our cornerstone:  chiropractic and the wellness lifestyle.

Every day this week – check out the amazing new health site created by our own Dr. Stephen Franson:  www.Bonfirehealth.com, and ignite your health today!

Food Drive – Starts soon, stay tuned!

Any questions, please call 978-927-8466, or check out our website @ www.fransonchiropractic.com

And now, to say thank you to all of our loyal blog readers and their loved ones:

Schedule YOUR New Patient Experience TODAY