Description:

Episode 6: Vicis Interimo: Frailty

DO NOT LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST!!! …DO NOT pass Go, DO NOT collect $200 dollars … go straight to the video store or netflix queue get ‘Frailty’ and watch it. I give it a 10. If that’s not good enough for you listen to half this podcast then get the movie. Also I confess my feeling about Texas, ask what it takes to be ‘horror’ and do a brief Garbage IN Garbage OUT segment. www.doodadsweb.com www.jerrygrigory.com www.horrorphilia.net www.fearshop.com/podcast/ www.cadaverlab.com

http://www.podomatic.com/media/details/2488148

How Well Do You Adapt?

Have you ever thought about the difference between something living and something dead? What changes the moment that we, or our pet or a tree stops living?

Scientists know that one of the things that distinguishes something that is alive from something that isn’t, is its ability to adapt to its environment. A rock doesn’t adapt. Nor does a fence post. But we do if we’re alive.

We generally take it for granted, but moving out of the path of an approaching vehicle, perspiring when it’s hot or squinting in the bright sun are all adaptations. These and the many other ways we adapt to our environment are governed by the integrity of our nervous systems.  Which is the focus of your chiropractic care here at Hassel Family Chiropractic.

While many see chiropractic care as a source of neck and back pain relief, our interest in your spine is because it’s the most vulnerable part of your nervous system. Nerve interference along your spine can wreak havoc with your ability to adapt, accommodate and respond to your environment.

If our chiropractic care helps you with an ache or a pain, we’re delighted. Sometimes less obvious is its ability to help you adapt and optimally perform mentally, physically and socially… which is the true definition of being healthy!

Live with Health and Vitality,

Dr. Vince Hassel

(Lifted From the Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia) The plot revolves around the blurred line between magic and illusion. One of the main characters, Swann, uses the teachings of cult leader Nix to make a name for himself as an illusionist. The key difference between him and other magicians is that he uses actual magic to perform his feats.
The show is divided in three parts, Laid to rest, Movie Review and Garbage IN Garbage Out. I read a letter about hypnosis, talk about the movie and what I bought with my X-mas money

http://www.podomatic.com/media/details/2478156

www.paintedpinups.com

www.americanfightclubalabama.com

http://www.horrorphilia.net/

The most widely accepted definition of “colic” is uncontrollable crying in babies, especially from the ages of 0-3 months, and often lasting for more than three hours a day, more than three days a week for three weeks or more.

No matter how long the condition lasts, parents know that struggling with a colicky child can be frustrating and exhausting. But there is hope, and it could come from our office.  A recent study divided 50 infants with colic into two groups. The first group received chiropractic spinal adjustments for two weeks; the second group received traditional drug treatment (dimethicone) over the same two weeks.

Results revealed that the chiropractic group improved more than the drug group (less hours spent crying) after the first five days of the study. After day five, the dimethicone group showed little or no reduction in average colic hours per day.

Days 4-7: Hours of crying were reduced by a total of 2.4 hours in the chiropractic adjustment group compared with only one hour in the drug group.

Days 8-11: Hours of crying were reduced by 2.7 total hours in the chiropractic adjustment group, compared with one hour in the drug group.

Even more revealing, five infants in the dimethicone group dropped out before the end of the study, described by their patients as having “worsened” or “much worsened” colic. The authors suggest that if these severe cases had been included in the results, drug intervention would have appeared even less effective than chiropractic for reducing the symptoms of colic.

I have personally adjusted over 5o infants with colic type symptoms in my office over the last 13 years.  We have seen nothing but positive results with these babies.  Remember our nervous system controls every cell, organ, and tissue in the body.  If there is pressure on the nervous system, the body does not have 100% potential to function. If you know new parents that are struggling with an uncomfortable baby tell them to call our office 515-270-2111.  They will thank you for the peace and rest they will get.

Get Well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

Reference:

Wiberg JMM, Nordsteen J, Nilsson N. The short-term effect of spinal manipulation in the treatment of infantile colic: a randomized controlled clinical trial with a blinded observer. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, October 1999: Vol. 22, No. 8, pp517-22.

Episode 4: Vicis Interimo: 13 Ghost 13 Ghost the story about Arthur and his two children, Kathy and Bobby, who inherit Uncle Cyrus’s estate: a glass house that serves as a prison to 12 ghosts. It gets me speculating on the nature of ghost and the metaphysical. I talk a little about my love for magic but also how much it seems to SUCK when shown on TV. As a P.S. to this episode, if any of you have I idea on a contest to get rid of these Miskatonic T-shirts I have email me at madsaxxon@yahoo.com

http://www.podomatic.com/media/details/2465239

www.paintedpinups.com

www.americanfightclubalabama.com

Age is just a number.

You lose about half of your muscle mass between the ages of 30 and 80. This natural consequence of aging reduces strength, slows metabolism, degrades key body functions such as cardiovascular performance and bone health, and can compromise longevity. What can you do about it – whether you’re 30 or 80 – to make sure you’re as healthy as possible for as long as possible? Stay active.

Not only can physical activity make the difference between becoming decrepit or staying fit and vital, it has now been identified as a major factor contributing directly to how long we can live. For example, Jeremy M. Jacobs, from Hebrew University Hadassah Medical School (Jerusalem, Israel), and colleagues examined the effects of continuing, increasing or decreasing physical activity on levels on survival, function and health status among the very old.

In their study involving 1,861 men and women, 70 to 88 years of age, and lasting for 18 years, the researchers found that elderly men and women who are physically active (four or more hours of physical activity per day) increase their chances of living longer and maintaining functional independence compared to their sedentary peers (less than four hours of physical activity daily). Among active 70-year-olds, the team found that only 15 percent died over the next eight years (pretty good, considering their age), compared to 27 percent of sedentary 70-year-olds. The differences were progressively more pronounced the older people got: Eight-year mortality was 26 percent for active 78-year-olds and 41 percent for sedentary peers; and among 85-year-olds, three-year mortality was roughly 7 percent for active individuals as compared to 24 percent for sedentary counterparts.

Not convinced yet? After all, four hours of physical activity daily may sound like quite a challenge. Well, here are a few other studies that suggest staying consistently active can contribute to a longer, better, healthier life.

Don’t Lose Your Intensity

Another study suggests sedentary elderly men are at a markedly increased risk of dying compared to men who engage in regular physical activity. Peter Kokkinos, from the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and colleagues studied 3,041 male veterans (ages 70 to 92), tracking all-cause mortality (death) for more than 20 years. At the start of the study, participants completed a treadmill exercise test, after which each subject was categorized into one of four fitness categories based on peak metabolic equivalent (MET) achieved. (MET is essentially a quantification of the intensity and energy expenditure of physical activities; the higher the MET, the more intense the exercise. If you have a higher peak MET, it generally means you’re capable of performing more intense physical activity than someone with a lower peak MET.)

With 1,251 deaths from all causes reported during the 20-year study period, the researchers adjusted for death caused by age, body mass index, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and medications, and still found that exercise capacity was a strong predictor of risk of death. For every 100 men who died in the very low fitness group, 74 died in the next (more active) group, 54 in the moderately fit group and only 46 in the high fitness group.

And here’s a motivating statistic: Put in other terms, the team determined that for every 2 minutes of exercise completed, mortality rate dropped by 10 percent. “The overall message is that although aging and death are inevitable, the rate for both can be modulated by simply maintaining a physically active lifestyle at any age,” said Dr. Kokkinos. Good advice whether you’re 80, 20 or any age in between.

Stay Well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

Thanks to all of you for your help with Toys for Tots.  During the week of December 7th – 11th Dr. DeBoer and I donated services for new patients to get started in our office as well as a fantastic day of adjusting patients on Friday all for the exchange of toys for underprivileged children.  We collected close to 400 TOYS.  On Sunday myself and two little elves, my daughter Sage and her friend Kennedy, helped me load up the sleigh and we delivered the toys to Faith Church in the inner city of Des Moines and to Youth Emergency Shelter Services.

I love doing the delivery after we have collected the toys every year.  It makes me feel warm and fuzzy.  There were kids around at the church as we delivered the toys and their eyes just light up as they see the toys loading up in the room.  At YESS there was little girl who came in to the lobby where we had stacked about 250 toys.  “Oh my God, are you kidding me?” as she was eyeing all the toys.  The social worker then told her, “you are leaving the end of this week and you will not be here at Christmas time.”  The little girls followed up with, “but my birthday is coming up soon.”

Good stuff.  Thanks again for helping us help others.

Dr. Vince Hassel

Time for part 2 of Maximize Your Life.

 I have information on how and why you should change you nutrition, to be able to live life to the fullest, and avoid what causes 75% of chronic disease in the U.S.

Join me on Tuesday, December 22nd at 6:00 p.m.

At my office, 1349 NW 121st Street, Clive, Iowa

to learn more critical information on how you can Maximize Your Life!!!! 

All for NO CHARGE!!!!!! 

Remember you don’t GET sick, you DO sick.

Science also tells us that our lifestyle choices are not only additive, they are multiplicative.  In other words, it’s not EAT + MOVE + THINK, it’s actually EAT X MOVE X THINK.  Now get this:  your choices actually COMPOUND over time.   The longer you practice healthier behaviors, the benefits actually accrue geometrically – compounding wellness. 

So what are you going to do about it?  Come learn more next Tuesday.

You have to Email me at hasselchiro@hotmail.com to reserve your spot.  Space is limited this time.

You don’t want to miss this,

Dr. Vince Hassel

Eating healthy can be a year-round challenge, but it’s especially

difficult during the holidays with office parties and family

get-togethers complete with cookies and other holiday treats.

I urge my patients to eat a balanced diet. You can enjoy the

festive desserts—just don’t overload on them.

Staying hydrated is also important during the flurry of

holiday activities. Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water

a day. (Coffee, tea, soft drinks and alcohol are dehydrators. Don’t

substitute them for water.) On shopping days, you may need to

drink even more water.

Lifestyle Changes

Eat out more sparingly. Food preparation methods in

 restaurants often involve high amounts—and the wrong

types—of fat and sugar.

Brown-bag your lunch during the holidays and year-round

 to control your fat and sugar content while adding nutritious

fruits, vegetables and grains.

Limit your intake of alcohol. Drinking alcohol excessively

 hinders your body’s ability to absorb nutrients from your

food.  It also stops reverse osmosis of your cells which causes

dehydration.

Dietary Changes

Eat more raw foods. Cooking and canning destroys much

 of the nutrition in foods. With the exception of canned

tomatoes, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables always have

more natural vitamins and minerals.

Select organically grown foods when possible, because they

have lower amounts of toxic elements, such as pesticides

and heavy metals.

Consume 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day. Whole-grain breads

and cereals, beans, nuts, and some fruits and vegetables are

good sources of fiber. High-fiber diets can help prevent

digestive disorders, heart disease, and colon cancer.

Our adjustments will help alleviate stress, tension,

and the aches and pains.

We can offer you advice on exercise and nutrition, so

you can enjoy the holiday season as it was meant to be.

Happy Holidays,

Dr. Vince Hassel

In a recently released report:

Presanis AM, De Angelis D, Hagy A, Reed C, Riley S, et al. 2009 The Severity of Pandemic H1N1 Influenza in the United States, from April to July 2009: A Bayesian Analysis. PLoS Med 6(12): e1000207. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000207

According to these researchers (which include scientists from Harvard, the UK Medical Research Council and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) H1N1 swine flu won’t be as severe as was feared and when the fall and winter wave of H1N1 swine flu is over, it will have been no more severe than an average flu season.

In fact, according to one of the researchers – Dr. Lipsitch “The good news is that … the severity of the H1N1 flu may be less than initially feared.”

Let’s not forget that the White House predicted as many as 90,000 dead and such dire predictions set the stage for the rolling back of all sorts of civil liberties along with the spending of billions of dollars of taxpayer money that went directly into the pockets of drug companies that were absolved of any risk from adverse reactions from the vaccines they manufactured.

We are just getting the first reports of those adverse reactions. Of course there have been the multiple reports on the internet of anaphalactic reactions and neurological disorders immediately following vaccination but now we have more “authoritative” reports from the CDC and the Vaccine Adverse Events Reportiong System (VAERS).

According to this report:

•  CDC and FDA staff members searched the VAERS database to identify all U.S. reports of adverse events after vaccination with H1N1 vaccines and 2009–10 seasonal influenza vaccines during July 1–November 24.
• 3,783 reports of adverse events were received through the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System through November 24 after receipt of H1N1 vaccine. Of these 204 were categorized as serious. In addition, 4,672 adverse events reports after receipt of seasonal influenza vaccines were received, of which 283 were serious.
• VAERS data indicated 82 adverse event reports per 1 million H1N1 vaccine doses distributed, compared with 47 reports per 1 million seasonal influenza vaccine doses distributed.
• They excluded 62 reports due to “insufficient” information.
• During October 5–November 20, a total of 46.2 million doses of H1N1 vaccines and 98.9 million doses of seasonal influenza vaccines were distributed to U.S states and territories. (The government was originally hoping to vaccinate 100 million Americans with H1N1).
• The serious adverse event reporting rates were 4.4 and 2.9 serious adverse events per 1 million doses distributed for H1N1 vaccines and seasonal influenza vaccines, respectively.
•  VAERS received 13 reports of deaths occurring after receipt of H1N1 vaccine. In nine of these deaths, significant underlying illness was reported.
• There were 10 reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome, and two additional reports of possible Guillain-Barré syndrome identified by medical officers reviewing other reports to VAERS describing neurologic events.
• VAERS also received 11 reports of anaphylaxis, and an additional eight reports of possible anaphylaxis were identified by medical officers reviewing reports to VAERS of serious allergic events.
• Three of the Guillain-Barré syndrome cases and 15 of the anaphylaxis cases were coded as serious adverse events, in accordance with federal regulation.
• The remaining 173 nonfatal serious adverse events after vaccination with H1N1 vaccines are under chart review. These reports fall into the following diagnostic categories: neurologic or muscular condition other than Guillain-Barré syndrome (49 [28%]); pneumonia or influenza-like illness (27 [16%]); other noninfectious conditions, including multiple medical symptoms (19 [11%]); respiratory or ear, nose, and throat condition (17 [10%]); allergic conditions other than anaphylaxis (16 [9%]); pregnancy complications** (15 [9%]); other infectious symptoms (10 [6%]); gastrointestinal (eight [5%]); cardiovascular (six [3%]); and psychiatric (six [3%]). 

Remember all those news conferences where they told us how safe the vaccine was?

Adding to the evidence that H1N1 fears were overblown can be found in a report just published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Surveillance of the 2009 H1N1 virus in China shows that the majority of those infected had a mild illness.

Adding salt to the wounds is an Editorial in the NEJM on the need for science in the practice of public health. The author states that to date H1N1 has not been as lethal as first feared.

Luckily, for the most part, the public didn’t buy into the fear and manipulation churned out by the media, the government and the drug companies. Thankfully we also have the internet and unconventional forms of information distribution. If all we had were the big three networks, cable news and The Des Moines Register to rely on to give us the truth, no doubt many more would have died or been permanently injured from this fiasco.

The only thing that’s left to do is to hold the congressional hearings on why this was allowed to happen and which heads need to roll. Considering that they spent taxpayer dollars to investigate baseball players taking steroids, one could assume that something so much bigger, so much more damaging to the public health and trust and something people actually care about could warrant congressional hearings.

Stay Well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

The health of the people is really the foundation upon which all their happiness and all their powers as a state depend” Benjamin Disraeli

Healthy and Happy are words we often hear spoken of in the same breath. There are many simple things we can do which will help to create personal health and happiness. In order to accomplish all the many millions of complex functions that occur over the course of the day to create your health and happiness, your body has to be able to communicate at cellular level. This is done through pulses of electricity controlled by your nervous system (housed in the moving bones of the spinal column). Your body operates on an electro magnetic current. All of the organs in your body emit these electrical currents. Your nervous system is the source of this electrical power and without these nerve impulses you would not remain alive. There are many things that interfere with the transmission of these electrical currents.

 Our steps to better health are based on the work of Dr James Chestnut DC – eating, moving and thinking well, and to function at an optimum level, your body needs to have the right bio chemical balance – known as it’s pH Level. pH is a scale that measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is. The scale ranges from 1 to 14 with 1 being very acid, 7 neutral and 14 very alkaline. The pH of your blood is extremely important. It is said that the ideal pH level for your blood is around 7.36 and your body goes to enormous lengths to maintain this level. When your body is not operating with the correct pH level it becomes very difficult for the electrical impulses to travel between the brain and the body and of course this requires extra energy which your body could use to regenerate and heal. Consider the backyard pool – if the pH level is not correct, algae quickly begins to grow and clogs the system. Your body is like this too.

There are many ways that the acid/alkaline balance can be compromised and one of these is by consuming food and drink that is acid forming. The presence of acid in your body is bad, except for the acid that is secreted into your stomach to aid digestion. The primary cause of an acidic condition in your body is from incorrect eating and drinking, medications and yes, negative emotions and stress!!!!!!!!!!!!! It isn’t how “acid” something may seem when you eat or drink it – it has to do with what is left over when you digest it – commonly called an acid or alkaline “ash.” Unfortunately, a lot of the things most people put in their mouths creates an acid ash. These include too much bread, alcohol and sugars, coffee and excess animal protein in your diet and the emotional content as mentioned above.

Fortunately, it is quite easy to improve your pH level and make it more alkaline. The first step is to understand which of the foods and drinks you are consuming are creating an acid ash and replacing them with food and drinks that are more alkaline. Unfortunately it seems the western diet tends towards foods which are more acid producing. One of the best ways to immediately begin changing your pH is to add spinach or barley greens, cucumbers and more leafy green vegetables into your diet.  Introducing lemon juice into your diet  is the classic way to reduce unhealthy acids in your system. This may seem confusing as it is commonly known that lemons are acidic that’s why they are used in the kitchen and laundry for cleaning, however it is known that by drinking lemon juice you help to make your body more alkaline (the preferred state).

It is our understanding that lemon actually digests body acids! I used to wonder why new born babies smelled so delicious and then I discovered that it is because they are born with an alkaline system. As we mature and age and consume too much of the wrong things our body begins to become more acid and the red blood cells can’t deliver oxygen and nutrients to the cells as efficiently. This uses precious energy as the body tries so hard to create a state of homoeostasis (balance), so by introducing foods which help to alkalise our systems we create the possibility of having more energy – how good is that!!!

I want to teach you about  keeping a positive state of mind and consider which foods and drinks you will consume to create that important alkaline state in your body. Remember when your body is alkaline, foreign bacteria, viruses, yeast growth and other nasties cannot survive. This one of the keys to a healthy and happy life.

Stop by our office and pick up a pack of pH strips for $3.  See for yourself how acidic you are. 

Just trying to teach you where true health comes from,

Dr. Vince Hassel

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCAHklsz6l4

Jordan McFarland, a 14-year-old boy from Virginia, is weak and struggling to walk after coming down with a reported case of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) within hours after receiving the H1N1 vaccine for swine flu.

McFarland left Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children in a wheelchair nearly a week after developing severe headaches, muscle spasms and weakness in his legs following a swine flu shot.

Remember true health does not come from a shot, pill, or potion.

Dr. Vince Hassel

I’ve just been listening to a programme on Radio 4 called Life in a Landscape: BMX Brothers.

It took a close look at a Peckham BMX Club in south London, where an inspirational BMX coach is giving teenagers a chance to train and race, with significant effects.

The presenter meets two brothers whose lives were changed through BMX riding. The older of the two was having trouble with his behaviour and with non-attendance at school. With inspiration from his coach, and the chance to join the British Cycling Academy, he has found a rewarding new lifestyle.

Importantly, there are also wonderful insights into the experiences of less competitive young people, from the young man who earns the money for his training fees by tidying the track, to a difficult moment when the coach deals with a young person who has stolen a bike.

The really exciting revelations within ‘BMX Brothers’ are the tales of how young people’s behaviour and lifestyles have been improved through their attendance and participation. There are some fascinating words from the young riders, from their coach and from their parents.

The programme is now on BBC iPlayer and will be available to listen until Friday 11 December 2009, so have a listen. You might find it as exciting and moving as I did.

Life in a Landscape: BMX Brothers – on BBC iPlayer

Image by Andy Matthews. Used gratefully under a Creative Commons licence.

]]> http://hasselfamilychiropractic.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/heres-the-scoop/ Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:32:30 +0000 hasselfamilychiropractic http://hasselfamilychiropractic.wordpress.com/2009/12/01/heres-the-scoop/

It is getting close to that time.  So here is the scoop. 

It happens every winter in Iowa … snow falls, usually leaving piles of the stuff to clear from your sidewalks and driveway. Consider the following before you grab your shovel after a major snowfall.

The good news is that 15 minutes of snow shoveling counts as moderate physical activity according to the 1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health. We all should aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity of some kind on most days of the week. Brisk walking or some gym time are other ways to fit in moderate physical activity during cold winter months.

 The bad news is that researchers have reported an increase in the number of fatal heart attacks among snow shovelers after heavy snowfalls. This rise may be due to the sudden demand that shoveling places on an individual’s heart. Snow shoveling may cause a quick increase in heart rate and blood pressure. One study determined that after only two minutes of shoveling, sedentary mens’ heart rates rose to levels higher than those normally recommended during aerobic exercise.

Shoveling may be vigorous activity even for healthy college-aged students. A study performed by researchers at North Dakota State University determined that, based on heart rate, shoveling was a moderately intense activity for college-aged subjects most of the time but was vigorous activity during about one-third of their shoveling time of 14 minutes.

Shoveling can be made more difficult by the weather. Cold air makes it harder to work and breathe, which adds some extra strain on the body. There also is the risk for hypothermia, a decrease in body temperature, if one is not dressed correctly for the weather conditions.

Who should think twice about shoveling snow?

Those most at risk for a heart attack include:

 Anyone who has already had a heart attack.

Individuals with a history of heart disease.

Those with high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels.

 Smokers.

Individuals leading a sedentary lifestyle.

 Should you rush out and buy a snow blower?  Not necessarily.

Not everyone who shovels snow is going to have a heart attack. Snow shoveling can be good exercise when performed correctly and with safety in mind.

Also consider back safety when shoveling snow. Even if you exercise regularly and are not at risk for heart disease, shoveling improperly could lead to a strained back. If you’ve been inactive for months and have certain risk factors, use some common sense before taking on the task of snow shoveling.

A Pile of Snow Shoveling Tips

Be heart healthy and back friendly while shoveling this winter with these tips:

If you are inactive and have a history of heart trouble, talk to us before you take on the task of shoveling snow.

Avoid caffeine or nicotine before beginning. These are stimulants, which may increase your heart rate and cause your blood vessels to constrict. This places extra stress on the heart.

Drink plenty of water. Dehydration is just as big an issue in cold winter months as it is in the summer.

Dress in several layers so you can remove a layer as needed.

 Warm up your muscles before shoveling, by walking for a few minutes or marching in place.

 Stretch the muscles in your arms and legs, because warm muscles will work more efficiently and be less likely to be injured.

Pick the right shovel for you. A smaller blade will require you to lift less snow, putting less strain on your body.

Begin shoveling slowly to avoid placing a sudden demand on your heart. Pace yourself and take breaks as needed.

Protect your back from injury by lifting correctly. Stand with your feet about hip width for balance and keep the shovel close to your body. Bend from the knees (not the back) and tighten your stomach muscles as you lift the snow.

 Avoid twisting movements. If you need to move the snow to one side reposition your feet to face the direction the snow will be going.

Most importantly — listen to your body.

Stop if you feel pain and call 270-2111.

Dr. Vince Hassel

Sometimes we forget how amazing our bodies are.

Sometimes we are misled that health comes from pills, potions, and lotions.

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 the potential of the body.

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 your health coach.

I hope you get your spine checked soon.  270.2111

Stay well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

“How far you go in life depends upon your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, tolerant of the weak and the strong because some day in your life, you will have been all of these”

George Washington Carver

For those people who have been reading our blogs, it probably has not escaped your notice that much of what has been written about in previous blogs has focussed on things we simply cannot buy, trade or sell, but nonetheless, have a profound affect on our health and general wellbeing. There are many forces in this world that simply cannot be seen, and although invisible, the effect of these forces is considerable. I want to focus on another powerful force that will bring joy to your day and improve your health in the process. This is the priceless act of practising random acts of kindness and senseless beauty, otherwise known as creating warm fuzzies! A warm fuzzy is the warm, pleasant sensations you feel in your stomach and heart when you are emotionally moved by an act of goodwill or love. It is the feeling you get when you perform, or are the subject of, a random act of kindness.

You may be thinking how does practising random acts of kindness and senseless beauty affect our health and why would anyone adopt this kind of attitude towards another, and why should we anyway? First of all no-one should do anything, but we could, and if we did, we may well be surprised at the outcome.

Conventional wisdom has always held that when we help others we automatically become a beneficiary too. It is part of the law of the universe – what goes around, comes around.  One’s physical health, not just emotional well-being, is improved, through helping others. It’s a “helper’s high,” something akin to the phenomenon which runners experience from the release of endorphins. There is also now, widely discussed research which shows that helping others, produces significant health benefits. The effects are similar to those experienced when we exercise.

There are many opportunities during each and every day to perform a random act of kindness to a stranger or anonymously to a friend or family member and there are MILLIONS of different ways to do this. It could also cause another to think of doing likewise, and in so doing create a chain of events. The festive season creates the perfect opportunity to introduce this thought and in so doing it may also transform the life of another. We know for certain that they will benefit and so will you..

Some ideas to get you started are listed below:

Give someone a compliment, say thank you or send a hand written thank you note, be attentive – there is nothing more flattering than being given present time consciousness, carry someone’s bag, offer hope and encouragement to someone who has lost it, give a hug, pick up the trash someone littered, forgive someone, smile (always), lend a helping hand. We all have the privilege of making a positive difference in the world and in doing so benefit ourselves. It is such an awesome thought that we are designed to be healthy and even within the experience of giving (with no strings attached) there is an opportunity to add to our own health bank. Do we need any further reasons? – remember you will also participate in helping to transform the world around you.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – author unknown

I am here to help,

Dr. Vince Hassel

You still believe everything you hear?  See if you believe this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsawOwPgZZc&feature=player_embedded#

Make your own health decisions.  Do not let anyone “market” you into poor health decisions.

Stay Well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

Let’s take a look at prescribed drugs for the seasonal and swine flu that, in all likelihood, is causing far more harm than good – Tamiflu.

According to a recent study into the use of Tamiflu for children with flu symptoms – the most extensive research of its kind, so far – Tamiflu falls flat.

The researchers, who analyzed four studies of children aged one to 12, published their findings in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) on August 11, 2009. They found that the anti-viral drugs Tamiflu and Relenza:

• Put children at higher risk of dangerous complications (death)
• Had little impact on the length of the illness
• Had little impact on the spread of the swine flu
• May cause drug-resistant strain mutations

Children given these drugs were found to recover LESS THAN ONE DAY earlier, compared with simple rest and recuperation.

According to the researchers, the risks of Tamiflu and Relenza far outweigh their negligent benefits, and children should therefore NOT be given these drugs for the swine flu.

I have a better idea.  How about instead of treating the symptoms first let’s prevent the cause.  Let’s get to the source.  Feed your child real food.  Fruits, vegetables, berries, nuts, seeds, organic free range meats, wild caught fish.  Make sure your child is subluxation free.  Make sure your child exercises daily.  For every 50 minutes of sitting they need 10 minutes of motion.  Hydrate your child.  And while your doing this for your child, maybe think about doing it for yourself too.

Stay well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

What if you had a pandemic and no one came?

Just change the way you measure those infected. In a remarkable development the CDC has announced that they are going to change the way that Swine flu cases are defined. It seems the grand total of 1200 deaths from H1N1 wasn’t sufficiently scaring the hell out of people enough to go out and get vaccinated so why not bump up the numbers to put a chill in the air?

While the news media is widely reporting long lines at clinics for the vaccine other sources suggest a different story. In New York last week officials were prepared to administer 31,500 vaccinations a day at seven free clinics throughout the city. The total vaccinations administered on Saturday was 1,701. The New York Times reported vaccine workers standing around with nothing to do and officials perplexed by the low turnout.

Meanwhile government officials and vaccine manufacturers were hauled before Congress which was investigating why so little vaccine had made it to the public and here we are dead in the middle of the season. Everyone blamed those slow virus growing chicken eggs, the public’s fear of vaccines and regulatory hurdles that won’t allow them to use adjuvants. Only 49 million doses had been delivered by this week.

All of this doesn’t seem so much a mystery to me. The drug companies were paid ahead of time to produce the vaccines, surveys of your average earthling revealed that more than half would not get the vaccine, low turnouts materialized so why would the vaccine manufacturers spend any more money to produce more vaccine when they probably won’t be able to get what they will produce off their shelves by the end of the season?

$1.5 billion was paid by the US government for Swine flu vaccine – that’s $600 per taxpayer. In what seems incredible Glaxo won’t tell what they are getting from the UK government for its H1N1 concoction and Baxter settled out of court after accusations of fraud for overcharging for their Swine flu vaccine. Despite this Britain still went ahead and contracted with them for 132 million doses!

Its like getting vaccine out of the back of a panel van in the alley from your local neighborhood criminal. 

And these are the people we are supposed to trust when they tell us to just roll up our sleeve and get in line? I’m sure such criminal behavior would never spill over into the science or manufacturing of the vaccine – right? 

Despite the changes in definitions to bump up the numbers some experts don’t seem to think there is anything to worry about. Ira M. Longini Jr., a flu epidemiologist at the University of Washington and Michael T. Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota, both said the new figure doesn’t come close to the 90,000 people Obama said would drop dead this flu season. 

In fact according to Dr. Longini deaths were likely to be in the 30,000-to-40,000 range, and Osterholm said they would “have a long way to go to even get there.”Sounds like a typical flu season to me.

Are you falling for the hype?  Follow our blog and educate yourself on what true health means and what you can do about it.  Remember you don’t get sick, you do sick.

Stay Well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

Spinach

It kept Popeye healthy, so what are you waiting for? Spinach is a rich source of the antioxidant lutein, which protects against cancer, cardiovascular disease and several types of eye diseases, including cataracts and macular degeneration. Spinach is also high in iron, calcium and a host of other vitamins and minerals, making it a great choice to promote health and prevent disease.

Chili Peppers

A compound called capsaicin holds the key to the chili pepper’s health-promoting powers. Research suggests capsaicin can do everything from reduce cancer-cell growth to prevent sinus conditions to lower cholesterol. What’s more, capsaicin increases metabolism, helping promote weight loss. If you can handle the heat, chili peppers are a great food to include in your diet.

Walnuts

Walnuts are an excellent source of alphalinoleic acid (ALA), which has been shown to protect against cardiovascular disease.

They also contain an antioxidant known as ellagic acid, which supports the immune system and may help prevent cancer. And what’s more, walnuts provide magnesium and copper, both of which fight free-radical production, promoting healthy, disease-free aging. 

Health= eat well x move well x think well x function well

You cannot have optimal health unless you complete the whole equation.  Your health is your reponsibility.  If you put crap in don’t complain about your poor health, it’s your poor choices.

 Eat Well,

Dr. Vince Hassel

One of the best ways to reclaim and maintain health, and even take years off of your appearance, is to control something called inflammation. Simply put, inflammation is heat, swelling or pain. When it is chronic, inflammation can make us age prematurely, and has been associated with diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, depression, cognitive decline and other conditions.

Inflammation can take many forms. Many of us have chronic, smoldering inflammation that causes digestive disorders such as gas, bloating, heartburn and irritable bowel. Others exhibit inflammatory problems in the form of acne, eczema or psoriasis. Sources of inflammation in Americans’ lives include stress, obesity, smoking, drugs and sedentary lifestyles. One of the leading inflammatory triggers is unhealthful food, including sugars, red meat, artificial ingredients, gluten, trans fats and alcohol. Packaged and processed foods, especially those laden with hormones, antibiotics and preservatives, also contribute to inflammation. An inactive lifestyle, combined with a diet favoring inflammatory foods, can lead to free-radical damage, which might spur disease and appear in the skin as lines and wrinkles.

The first step toward looking and feeling better is an improved diet that includes plenty of vegetables, lean, organic protein sources, green drinks, beans and raw foods. It’s also important that inflammatory grains, such as white pasta and white bread, be replaced with foods such as Ezekiel bread, buckwheat and wild rice, which are more easily digested by most people.

Get Adjusted,

Dr. Vince Hassel

:: Friday 11/20/09  ::  12-1:30 pm  ::  175 McKenzie Collaboration Center ::

::  Bring  your lunch & questions ::

The Female Avatar: Understanding the Ontology of Gender and Technology

Alina Padilla-Miller, School of Journalism & Communications  PhD candidate

Showcases of 3D Education and Productive Collaboration in Virtual Worlds

Jonathon Richter, Research Associate, Center for Electronic Studying, College of Education

Tanking Like a Girl: Gender and the Study of Online Gaming

Carol Stabile, Professor, Department of English/SOJC; Director, Center for the Study of Women in Society

_______________________________________________________

The Female Avatar: Understanding the Ontology of Gender and Technology

Alina Padilla-Miller School of Journalism & Communications PhD candidate

Alina Padilla-Miller’s dissertation examines the nature of social construction within the digital world, specifically in the grid of Second Life in order to better understand the role of gender in the creation and performance of the female avatar.

______________________________________________

Showcases of 3D Education and Productive Collaboration in Virtual Worlds

Jonathon Richter, Research Associate, Center for Electronic Studying, College of Education

Dr. Richter  is currently working on two projects of interest to Digital Scholars: (1) the MERLOT Project that he directs – The Center for Learning in Virtual Environments (CLIVE) http://clive.merlot.org/index.html, which is a project to identify and vet 3D learning assets (simulations, role playing, immersive experiences, etc.) by disciplinary content experts across the metaverse. His presentation will feature an overview/peek at  locations in Second Life and Project Wonderland dedicated to showcase the capabilities and educational showcases developing in each platform. The second part of this whirlwind performance will be (2) an introduction to the Collaboratory — a parallel construction (i.e. also in Second Life and Wonderland) designed to investigate and gather the various routines that virtual teams have developed to effectively collaborate in these virtual spaces.

_______________________________________________

Tanking Like a Girl: Gender and the Study of Online Gaming

Carol Stabile, Professor, Department of English/SOJC; Director, Center for the Study of Women in Society

Dr. Stabile is currently working on a project that focuses on the role of gender in game play in the massively-multiplayer online game World of Warcraft. The virtual environments of MMOs offer repeatable experiences for girls and women that differ in significant ways from the majority of commercial media content in the US. And the nature of the immersive experiences in MMOs challenge the methodologies and analytic tools that humanist scholars have used to study media. Dr. Stabile will speak specifically about the peculiar nature of these objects of study and the difficulties they present for feminist media scholarship.

Info: Robert Long RFD 6-2293 rohilong@uoregon.edu , Sean Sharp IS 6-8099 ssharp@uoregon.edu

Sponsors

Information Services :: Research & Faculty Development ::

Oregon Humanities Center :: UO Libraries ::

Secrets of the Super-Healthy

 We all know someone, maybe even several people, who are healthy no matter what “bug” is going around. You know, the ones who show up on the job every day, who never use a single sick day all year. They seem to have been born with super healthy genes or powerful immunity to disease that helps them move easily through their lives – upbeat, positive and happy.

What are they doing that you’re not? Maybe if you do what they do you’ll get what they get! Here are some tips for healthy living that you can use to be more like them, instead of being envious of them!

 • Exercise to raise your heart rate, oxygenate cells, increase circulation (which increases white blood cell count – the cells that fight disease), release endorphins (“feel good” brain chemicals), strengthen bones and muscles, release stress, gain energy and lose weight. There are so many benefits to exercise and you can accomplish all this with a 30-minute brisk walk daily!

• Drink green drinks and eat plenty of broccoli and apples. They contain an antioxidant (quercetin) that helps the immune system when it’s under stress.

• Stop worrying – worry produces stress, which produces high levels of cortisol and other stress hormones. These stress hormones lower immunity, and consequently increase your chance of becoming ill.

 • Maintain a positive attitude – those who think positive thoughts, despite what’s going on around them, have healthier lives as well.

• Develop a diverse network of friends – according to research, those who are extroverted and who spend time among different groups of people are less prone to heart disease and live longer.

• Sleep – 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep, night after night, builds immunity to keep you healthier.

• Breathe- During your day take diaphragmatic breathes.  Use the whole capacity of your lungs by using your diaphragm to fill them up.  Inhale for a count of 4.  Hold for a count of 16.  Exhale for a count of eight.

 • Avoid excessive caffeine intake and mood-altering lifestyle drugs that can have some serious long-term negative health effects.

• Hydrate-  Drink a minimum of half your body weight in ounces of water a day.

• Avoid processed foods, fast food and sugar – incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your daily diet. A high fiber, low calorie, low fat diet is the best way to eat to stay heart healthy.

And, of course, it goes without saying that maintaining a healthy nervous system through regular chiropractic adjustments is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Many of our long-term patients claim that they are never sick, no matter what “bug” is going around or how much stress is in their lives. They feel equipped to deal with anything that comes their way and their yearly physicals confirm that fact!

Stay well,

Dr. Vince Hassel