Stats... The State of a Nation...

Today I came across some stats, many of which I'd seen before, but some never in this format.
To say that we have a health care problem in our Nation is an understatement. Not only is there a financial side to it, but rather the cause of the problem itself is a society that has been programmed to believe that more drugs equals more health. Think about it... how many drug ads do you see and hear on a daily basis ? They're everywhere, and as a result our mindset has become more drugs = more health. The ads tell us if we're experiencing this, take that, then of course it's followed by a guy or girl who can speak really well and really fast covering the laundry list of side effects and contraindications...
The truth is that although drugs and medication are a major problem in this country, the real problem has become our mindset.
Consider the following facts:

EVERY 30 SECONDS 1 PERSON WILL DIE FROM A STROKE;
EVERY 40 SECONDS SOMEONE WILL DIE FROM OTHER CARDIOVASCULAR RELATED DISEASE;
IN THE NEXT MINUTE ALMOST 4 PEOPLE WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH DIABETES;
IN THE NEXT HOUR 8 PEOPLE WILL DIE AS A RESULT OF DIABETES;
IN THE NEXT HOUR 164 PEOPLE WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH SOME FORM OF CANCER, OTHER THAN SIMPLE BASAL AND SQUAMOUS CELL SKIN CANCER;
IN THE NEXT HOUR 174 PEOPLE WILL DIE FROM A FORM OF CANCER.

Now consider these facts:
TODAY 45 PEOPLE WILL DIE AS A RESULT OF NSAID USE. NSAID'S, OR NON-STEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS ARE UTILIZED FOR PAIN RELIEF, HEADACHES AND ARTHRITIS. THESE INCLUDE BOTH PRESCRIPTION AND OVER THE COUNTER DRUGS SUCH AS ibuprofen, aspirin, naproxen and ketoprofen.

Now consider these facts concerning "the estimated total number of iatrogenic deaths—that is, deaths induced inadvertently by a physician or surgeon or by medical treatment or diagnostic procedures— in the US annually is 783,936.
It is evident that the American medical system is itself the leading cause of death and injury in the US . By comparison, approximately 699,697 Americans died of heart disease in 2001, while 553,251 died of cancer."


Table 1: Estimated Annual Mortality and Economic Cost of Medical Intervention

Condition                              Deaths             Cost                   Author

Adverse Drug Reactions      106,000           $12 billion             Lazarou(1), Suh (49)

Medical error                       98,000              $2 billion              IOM(6)

Bedsores                             115,000             $55 billion           Xakellis(7), Barczak (8)

Infection                                88,000             $5 billion             Weinstein(9), MMWR (10)

Malnutrition                         108,800 -----------                       Nurses Coalition(11)

Outpatients                          199,000             $77 billion            Starfield(12), Weingart(112)

Unnecessary Procedures      37,136              $122 billion           HCUP(3,13)

Surgery-Related                   32,000                $9 billion            AHRQ(85)

Total                                 783,936              $282 billion

As it stands, we are killing ourselves as a result of putting our health concerns in the hands of an allopathic system which is brilliant for crisis based care, however this system is not equipped to help people return or maintain a state of health. Using the analogy of Dr. James Chestnut, if you have a fire in your house, you call the fire department. However if you had fire and water damage, or just wanted to make some home improvements, you'd call a carpenter to help, not the fire department. One is for putting fires out, allopathic medicine for a crisis, and one is for rebuilding or making improvements and that's where holistic and vitalistic health care fits in.
Rather than continue to allow ourselves to slide down the probabilities of disease and morbidity statistics, why not chose to take control and move towards the possibilities of health and wellness in a holistic and vitalistic health approach. After all, if we continue to do the same thing and expect a different result than what we're already getting, then that wold be labeled insanity. If you are looking for a different result, in this case health and well being, then you have to do things differently.
That's what we provide on a daily basis, by empowering individuals and focusing on the tools needed to grow one's health (most of which are inside...) and by nurturing the body, rather than waging war against a diseased body. And that in itself is a topic for another post.

BE WELL !


Some sources for you:
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm

http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/diabetes-statistics/
http://www.cancer.org/acs/groups/content/@epidemiologysurveilance/documents/document/acspc-026238.pdf
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050111123706.htm
http://www.lef.org/magazine/mag2004/mar2004_awsi_death_02.htm

Wow... that was a big nap... Rip van Winkle, had nothing on that one... but we're back

Hello World!
We're back. I didn't go anywhere, just wasn't present. During that time though, I have continued to learn, serve and help people improve their health. Wether it's moving out of pain and into a healed state, or helping individuals move back into a state of physiological balance so that the crutch of drugs and medication can be thrown in the fire - no matter what, it is always about the maximal expression of LIFE.
So, what to expect...
The importance of nutritional cleansing,
The Stress Response,
Movement Deficiency and much more.
Stay tuned, and be sure to keep up with Dr. Derek Gallant's page @ http://drgallantdc.wordpress.com/about/

Did I mention that a lot has happened since the last post...
Dr. Derek joined the practice at the end of 2010, and we're excited to have him and his family join our family at The Cafe. Please welcome them in your own manner.

Well, it's time to move and keep life in motion as motion is life. Till then...

What exactly is health, I mean where do I find it... PART 1...

Health, according to Dorland's Medical Dictionary was: 

a state of physical, mental and social well being, and not merely the absence of sickness and disease.

Webster's states:

the state of being hale (meaning sound; entire; healthy; robust; not impaired), sound, or whole, in body, mind, or soul; especially, the state of being free from physical disease or pain.

What would you describe health as? Take a moment to answer that question for yourself.

Well, let me share some thoughts about health and these definitions. I would definitely totally agree with the statement that health is, or should be, the wholeness of mind, body and spirit. That would mean that we are literally connected to our being, and have congruent thoughts and actions. Let me explain what I mean...

When we have wholeness of mind, body and spirit we allow the actual expression of health to occur as we have allowed ourselves to be fully "connected" once again. Connected meaning to allow our bodies to express themselves, rather than suppressing their expression. When we choose to suppress thoughts, feelings and sensations, we quite literally disconnect from that portion of ourselves, whether it be physically, mentally or spiritually. Take for instance physical pain, no doubt not the most comfortable or enjoyable experiences, yet very powerful and meaningful. Our body utilizes pain as a means of communication. Pain says, "stop, take note and make some change." This form of communication is quite apparent in the work of Dr. Paul Brand, a world renowned orthopedic surgeon who studied leprosy and lived amongst lepers in southwest India. In his book, "The Gift of Pain," Dr. Brand began to study the deformations in the hands and feet of lepers that inevitably ended up with amputation. He noted on many occasions while living amongst the lepers their what seemed to be total lack of disregard for their hands and feet. He reaccounts seeing a young man digging with a shovel, with extreme effort, and upon closer inspection he saw that this young man had blood profusely pouring from his hands. Amazed, Dr. Brand stopped the man and pointed out the blood only to have the young man state the he had no idea, or sensation, of the pain and the bloodied mess. It turned out that there was an old rusted up nail protruding from the shovel right at the level of the young mans hands. The nail had penetrated the mans hands, over and over again until he was left with a bloodied and ground up hand. On another occasion Brand watched as a young boy ran after a vehicle, only to twist his ankle in a horrible manner and continue running on the twisted ankle. The twist had left the boys ankle in such a position that he actually was left running on the outside of his foot, with no flinching or idea of it. The last experience Brand noted was of a leper who reached into a scalding charcoal fire to pick up a potato which someone else had dropped into the fire!

What Dr. Brand came to realize from these surreal experiences was that leprosy had affected the nervous system leaving the individual with the inability to sense pain, and on a side note the loss of limbs was due to the infections that thrived, and not to leprosy eating away the flesh as had been previously believed. At this realization, Dr. Brand began to have a new understanding for pain, and realized that it was an absolute gift to be able to experience pain as it kept us from further harm.

So what does all this mean?

Well, if we go back to the beginning and look at the definitions provided, both state that health is the absence of sickness, disease (deviation from normal function with resultant signs and symptoms) and pain. How much farther from the truth could those definitions be? 

To say that pain is a sign of a loss of health is preposterous, knowing what we do now about pain and the powerful form of communication that it is.  Now we can see that pain really is the body saying "STOP doing that, remember this , and make some changes so we won't have to go through this again!" 

With this new understanding of one of the body's major signals, hopefully next time you hear your body's cry, you won't reach to the medicine cabinet to silence that voice, but rather STOP, take inventory of your actions (or inaction's) that have you got you to that point, and take action to make changes so you won't have to "relearn" that lesson.

So again, what is health? If pain is really a "positive" response from the body, then how can we say that to be painless is to be healthy. Some serious consideration needs to be taken with our current accepted notions and definitions of health, if we are serious about understanding what exactly it is that we all crave, and what it is that the markets attempt to sell us...

To Be Continued....

We're Here!

So, we've made it to the blogging world... This will be the blog for the Cafe of Life Atlanta. Whether you're a current practice member, a frequent flier member or looking for more information on how Chiropractic can benefit you - this is the place!

I look forward to sharing and receiving THOTS and INSIGHTS with all of you.