Blended Recipes for Better Health

We have been asked by many patients and students to give them some of our favorite healthy blended recipes. They are mostly raw and vegan. It (hopefully) goes without saying that all fruits and veges are washed before use, water is filtered, and all fruits and veges are organic if possible. On future posts we will include some other non-blended specialties.

Our latest favorite comes from Brain M. and it is a soup like no other you've had before...

Fruit Soup
1 pineapple
3 oranges
Handful of blueberries and cut strawberries
Cut and core the pineapple
Skin and cut the oranges
Place oranges and pineapple in a Vitamix or strong blender
Blend it on high until the pineapple/orange mix is smooth and liquidy
Pour over cleaned blueberries and strawberries.
YUM!

Green Smoothie
2 peeled carrots
2 stalks of celery
1 bunch of parsley
2 pieces of Bok choy
2 pieces of Kale
1 avocado
1 handful of spinach
1 apple (cored)
3 tablespoons of agave nectar
2 cups of water
Put water in Vitamix first, then add several veges/fruits at a time, blend,
and add more. When all ingredients are blended, blend a bit extra to smooth
it out. You may need more or less agave to taste, but this is a fabulously healthy
green blended drink.

Breakfast Smoothie
2 cups of water
1 whole banana
1/2 bag frozen fruit (strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, or peaches)
1 handful of spinach
1-2 scoops protein powder of your choice
Put water in Vitamix first, then blend all ingredients together. Great way to
start the morning. Kids love it too.

Hope you enjoy these tasty treats. Please let us know via posts, feedback to rubinchiropractic@gmail.com, or visiting our website at www.theadjustment.com. Please share these with your friends AND send us your delicious favorites too.

Why are we rushing through life?

"Why are we rushing through life?" Great question my wife asked this morning, as we frantically tried to get our son back to school on time, plus the two of us out to work. It seems that the pace of life tends to get more and more rapid as the years pass. How many of us say around this time of year (New Year), "Where has the time gone?" or "Wasn't it just Thanksgiving?" or my favorite, "I can't believe it's the New Year already!"
What are we rushing for, or towards? Is there some goal or destination where we can finally rest on our laurels and say, "Whew! We have arrived. Now onto easy street!" Rather, once we scramble from one place to another, we end up bounding out of there on another blistering rampage to finally arrive at some new destination, breathless and our hearts pounding. Patients say that they can't wait to go on vacation, only to come home telling me things like, "Work is doubly hard now that it piled up while I was away" or worse: "This is the price you pay."
Is it? Should we be paying this kind of price for our lives? What can we do to slow down and smell the roses? Here's a few suggestions, taken from Louise Hay's incredible book, You Can Heal Your Life.
1. Take time to have fun. Make sure smiling, laughing, and enjoyment are top priorities.
2. Meditate. If not daily, then at least a few times per week. Sit with your intention of doing nothing but listening to your inner voice. Feel your breath go in and out...I mean really feel it, notice it, go back to it when your mind wanders. Do this for 5 to 20 minutes each sitting. Clean your mind like mental flossing.
3. Prayer. Use whatever method you like, but get in touch with your higher power and have gratitude for all that we have been blessed with.
4. Affirmations. Write them in the present tense and put them all over your house and place of work. I have (passed the test, gotten the promotion, made new friends, landed the new job) by (date). I feel healthy, happy and terrific. I live a great life. Aim for what you want and think about it in positive terms. Stop focusing on what you DON'T want. Affirm your desires.
5. Filter your life. Watch only what you want to watch, what will create a benefit in your life. Don't waste your time with news, bad movies, trash TV. Read what will inspire you. Listen to what makes you smile or dance.
6. Exercise, eat better, and get adjusted by a chiropractor. Your body needs deposits on a regular basis, just like your 401k does. Those 3 practices will give you more back than they 'cost.'
7. Stop rushing. Be where you are. Be present and enjoy each moment.
Questions? Comments? Send them to rubinchiropractic@gmail.com, or visit www.theadjustment.com

The Importance of Fun

My wife said the other day a profound statement to me: "We aren't as fun as we used to be." She is right. We don't schedule fun the way we did when we first met while in college. Then fun was the priority after homework. Now, even though we have a priority 'hierarchy' that is: God, Family, Chiropractic, fun doesn't always make it to our to-do list.

Last year I read a book by Gretchen Rubin (no relation) called The Happiness Project (you can find it at: http://www.happiness-project.com/). It was an awesomely simple book explaining how to put more happiness back in your life. One thing she mentioned was, as crazy as it sounds, to schedule happiness or fun in your day to day and week to week calenders. We did that for a while but when obligations get in the way, we take fun off the list first, don't we?

As a chiropractor, I realized how important chiropractic adjustments are, in combination with a great exercise program, good foundational nutrition, and a positive mental attitude. I think I've got to add fun to that list as well. Chiropractic, exercise, diet, PMA, and scheduling fun. How does that fit for you?
Please let me know at rubinchiropractic@gmail.com.

The Fear Economy and Why You Don't Have To Participate

The other day while driving, I saw a homeless person holding a sign that said, "Will pour concrete for food." He was standing about a block away from a very large church parking lot, right at the time that the service had ended. The street was flooded with exiting vehicles. I took note that he didn't choose one of the smaller places of worship around here...he chose one of the biggest. Here is the question: If he is that bright that he could figure out all the details to be at the right place at the right time, then how come he doesn't use those skills to get a job?

It is easy to get caught up in the fear-mongering that is going on right now, as the stock market tumbles yet another day. In the example above, the homeless man was not toting a sign proclaiming, "The end of the world is near," but in essence, both signs were true. The end of the world was near, FOR THAT HOMELESS PERSON. And that is the lesson in all of this stock market crashing. It is NOT the END OF THE WORLD as we know it. It does not really matter IN THE LONG RUN whether the USA has a triple star rating or double plus star rating. It only matters IF YOU MAKE IT MATTER. What really matters in life is not what happens to us, but our reactions to what happens to us.

The law of attraction
There is a law that the universe operates by. If you have read any self-help books lately or saw the movie, The Secret, you have heard of the Law of Attraction. It basically states that, "What you think about, comes about." Or, my favorite way of saying it, "If you think about what you want, then you will attract more of what you want." However, the corollary is true: "If you think about what you DON'T WANT, then you will get more of what you DON'T WANT." Unfortunately, the law works BOTH WAYS.

During this time of financial change, let all the uproar occur around you. Divorce yourself from becoming attached to the news or the stock reports. Another great old saying applies: "This too shall pass." Let it pass. As it is written in the Bhagavad Gita, detaching from expectations is one of the keys to a happier life. Dr. Sid Williams always told us to: "Give for the sake of giving, love for the sake of loving, serve for the sake of serving, with NO EXPECTATIONS OF RETURN." Go out there and do whatever you do, no matter what job you have, and do it to the best of your ability, with no expectations of renumeration. You may argue and think, "Things like this shouldn't be happening." But as Byron Katie says, you cannot argue with reality. What is,is. Sure, things like this SHOULDN'T happen, but if they did, then apparently they were meant to happen.

The stock market always goes up and down. That's just what it does. Expect it. Yes, it is super volatile now, but if you can accept it, then you can move past the fear. Sure, there may be some people who were about to retire and lost a big chunk of their life savings. But even that is not the end of the world, UNLESS you make it that way. Think about what you want, NOT what you don't want. Don't be like the homeless guy who is smart enough to stake out the perfect parking lot, but isn't ready to commit to working the law of attraction in his favor.

Think about what you want. Over and over again. Focus on the good all around you. Believe you can do it, and you can. As FDR said, "The only thing to fear, is fear itself." Would love to see your comments. Email us at rubinchiropractic@gmail.com, or comment at www.theadjustment.com.

The New Drugless Revolution

Theres a different way to live. You don't have to live the life of sickness but you do have to take proactive action steps toward health. Patients are coming to our chiropractic office stating "I don't want to be on these painkillers anymore", or "Johnny has had 4 rounds of antibiotics in the last 6 months and I HATE doing that to him." People are tired of relying on this pill or that pill for the quick fix. They are becoming patients not only to feel better in the short run but to LIVE BETTER in the long run. A 50 year old came in today and said, "I am proud that I am not taking any drugs at all at age 50." That's the way it SHOULD be. But we know the stats.
Our son has NEVER had any drugs in his body, not even a baby Tylenol. How many 16 year olds can say that? And my wife and I have not taken any drugs, whether prescribed or over the counter, since 1992. Almost 20 years drug free. Contrast that with these stats: almost 50% of Americans are taking at least 1 drug/day, and 25-30% of US children are taking drugs daily for chronic conditions. The cost to Americans per year is $300 billion, which is $3,000,000,000 (National Center for Health Statistics).
It's time to take a stand. Yes, drugs work great in emergencies and in chronic situations. But that's NOT what most drugs are being taken for. Top drugs such as cholesterol drugs (which may be diet related), antidepressants (which may be stress related), stomach drugs (which may be diet and stress related), and antibiotics (which may be diet and lifestyle related) can be reduced overnight if more people band together and just say no. We need to start a New Drugless Revolution. We need to take action steps so that a 50 year old not taking any drugs is normal not outstanding. Let us know what you think at rubinchiropractic@gmail.com.

Great books to read over the summer

Summer is my favorite time to catch up on all the books you've wanted to read but haven't been able to get to. Over the years my wife and I have been exposed to some awesome, life changing books. Some of them are novels, others non-fiction, but all of them changed the way we look at things. Most of them are available in your local libraries or Amazon will have inexpensive used copies.

Way of Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman
7 Habits of Highly Effective People/7 Habits of Highly Effective Families by Stephen Covey
Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan
Celestine Prophecy by James Redfield
Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
Richest Man in Babylon by George Clason
The Greatest Salesman in the World/ The Greatest Miracle in the World by Og Mandino
Jonathon Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach
The Bigness of the Fellow Within by BJ Palmer
There is a Spiritual Solution to Every Problem by Wayne Dyer
Who moved my cheese? By Spencer Johnson, MD
Diet for a New America by John Robbins
How to Talk so Kids will Listen & Listen so Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber & Elaine Mazlish
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Anatomy of an Illness by Norman Cousins
Love, Medicine & Miracles by Bernie Siegel, MD
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Don’t Eat This Book by Morgan Spurlock
Power vs Force by David Hawkins, MD, PhD
Body For Life by Bill Phillips
Are You the Doctor, Doctor? By Fred Barge, DC
The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
The 4 Hour Work Week and The 4 Hour Body, Tim Ferriss
Good to Great, Jim Rollins

Please let me know which ones you like or if you have other favorites.
Email at rubinchiropractic@gmail.com

Forgive and Forget: Events that changed the course of chiropractic

The birth of anything, be it a baby or a profession, is called labor for a reason. It is hard work, yet the effort makes the ‘blood, sweat and tears’ worth the price paid. The birth of chiropractic is no exception to this rule, and even though today we have past our hundred and twelfth birthday, we are still ‘babes in the woods’ in terms of the relative age of our profession compared to other healing arts.

In the first half of this article, we will briefly mention some of the most influential ‘growing pains’ in chiropractic, from its discovery to present day, and then conclude with a discussion on how these events might still be holding the profession back, and how we might be able to forgive and move on.

7 Events that Changed Chiropractic History

It has been said that one of the biggest mistakes the Palmer’s made was to start a profession without having all their facts lined up. But if that was the case, if they had waited for science to prove how DD Palmer had helped Harvey Lillard regain his hearing, then we might still be waiting for the profession to get started.

It didn’t take long after the discovery in 1895 for two actions to happen. The first event was the decision to formally teach this new principle. This occurred in 1896, with the establishment of the Palmer Chiropractic School and Infirmary by DD Palmer. The second inevitable event was the introduction of competitive chiropractic colleges. As early as 1901, Solon Langworthy, an early Palmer graduate, started the first competitive chiropractic school in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, later to be called the American School of Chiropractic. Half a dozen other schools opened up in the next few years, including, most notably, the National College of Chiropractic in Chicago (founded by John Howard in 1907) and the DD Palmer College of Chiropractic in Portland, Oregon, which began in 1908 (1).

Since each early chiropractic school was founded by either former students or faculty members of Palmer, tensions soared, especially evidenced in DD Palmer’s 1910 Chiropractic Textbook. This 1000+ page tome, aside from having the foundational pillars of chiropractic within its pages, also contained hundreds of pages of DD Palmer’s lashing out at various other chiropractors who he argued were teaching chiropractic erroneously (2). Hence, within the first 15 years of our profession, it was already divided.

BJ, who had graduated and taken over the Palmer school in 1902 (1), introduced X ray into the school’s curriculum in 1910. This caused a huge schism in chiropractic. Because of this, Joy Loban and other former faculty started the Universal Chiropractic College that same year, down the road from the Palmer school in Davenport, Iowa. (3). More bricks in the wall (accompanied by further faculty exiting) occurred when BJ Palmer introduced the neurocalometer in 1923 and when he announced the HIO technique in 1930 (4).

Chiropractic fought hard for third party insurance payment from 1965 until 1972, when chiropractic was included, although in limited form, in the Medicare bill (5). Inclusion into medicare delighted some DC’s but infuriated others, who said the language that forced us to adjust subluxations only seen on x-rays was too restrictive. In 1987, the Chester Wilk vs. the AMA case made history. After 11 grueling years, a US District Court judge ruled against the AMA, stating that the American Medical Association was guilty as charged of trying to eliminate chiropractic. This landmark antitrust case forced the AMA in an injunction to cease restricting the association of chiropractors and medical doctors and to stop restricting the growth of chiropractic and its associated schools.

Finally, in October of 2002, Life University, at the time the largest chiropractic school in the world, lost its accreditation in a ruling by the CCE. Although by February of 2003, a retroactive injunction restored Life’s accreditation back through the day it had lost it, the damage had been done and the school went from an enrollment of over 3000 DC students to less than 1000.

How do we forgive and move on?

Forgiveness should be a healing journey. However, if we are holding on to old “baggage,” it is difficult to let go. Forgiveness does not mean you need to approve of past behaviors or experiences you have gone through. Grief and mourning are a natural response to past loss and injustices. Grief is a normal reaction to loss and mourning is an outward expression of grief typically utilizing rituals.

To forgive, we must first decide to make a change. When we identify the pain that a grudge or hard feelings create, we must realize they are emotionally, physically, and spiritually draining. Burying memories of hurt and anger does not allow them to release; they just manifest in other ways. Lack of forgiveness causes distress to the body and eventually leads to dis-ease. Grudges can crowd our positive viewpoint on our world. Studies have shown that anger can exacerbate the disease process. According to the Harvard Women’s health Watch, holding a grudge has shown to mimic the way the body responds to actual stressors through muscle tension, higher blood pressure and increased sweating. Studies have reported that people who releasing their stress by ‘talking it out’ display greater improvement.

The 7 pivotal chiropractic events, as mentioned above, have lead to a lack of trust across the profession. These feelings of betrayal can lead to difficulty in future relationships and interactions. We can learn from the past if we put it into perspective to understand the lessons that have been taught, even if they are at first perceived as negative. We must understand that we can not always control events around us.

For instance, BJ Palmer brought x-ray into his chiropractic school before anyone knew much about it. Many of the Palmer faculty was outraged at BJ’s insistence on bringing x-ray to the school, wondering why he would forsake palpation and clinical experience over some crazy scientific invention that they were sure was just a passing phase. Back then, the introduction of x-ray was so radical that it probably looked threatening to the fledging profession. Add to that BJ’s demanding personality, and it isn’t unfathomable to understand why Joy Loban and other faculty stormed out of Palmer’s hallway’s forever. Chiropractic was only 15 years old then! If we consider that the father of medicine, Hippocrates, was born in 460 BC, almost 2500 years ago, it is clear how chiropractic was and still is in its toddler stages. Aren’t most toddlers a bit confused by paradigm shifting new ideas?

That old saying, however, holds true: hindsight is always 20/20. Where would chiropractic be without x-ray in the 21st century? It is probably one of the most important diagnostic tools at our avail, is taught in every chiropractic school, and has been for years. BJ saw the future in that decision; even the neurocalometer (back then called the neuro-calamity by its naysayers) was his precursor to the modern surface EMG’s as the HIO technique was the birth of specific adjusting now seen in modern chiropractic techniques such as Activator, CBP, and the many derivations of Upper Cervical Technique.

Another example is the rise, fall and subsequent rebirth of Life University. We arrived as faculty on the Life University campus in the Spring Quarter, 2001. Little did we know that only a few quarters later, Fall 2001, a chain of events with the CCE would nearly drive Life University to its knees. Within one year we watched with horror not only the events of 9/11 but the devastation of what was when we arrived a booming chiropractic school. Class sizes went from over 200 to 30 or 40 students tops. We knew, in early 2004, that without some divine intervention, something cataclysmic was going to happen, not just to the University, but to the profession as well.

Enter stage left: Dr. Guy Riekeman. From his arrival in Spring 2004 until the writing of this article in late 2007, we have witnessed the turn-around of the century. Like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, enrollment at Life University has increased to over 1000 DC students, coupled with a new and grander vision that will make LU not just the leading chiropractic school but also a cutting edge university poised to take on the problems confronting the 21st century and beyond. Who would have imagined this result in 2002 when the CCE yanked Life’s accreditation? Obviously, things do happen for a reason.

How do we practice and learn forgiveness for ourselves?

The following are some simple suggestions on how to bring forgiveness into your life and master the skills that can allow for a smoother journey:

Reminiscing about the positives of a situation
Journal writing to express your feelings and thoughts
Share your feelings with others
Support groups to help you not feel alone in your experiences
Work on your relationships
Work through pain of loss
Heal past wounds to go on to future
Make a list/letter of what and who you need to forgive, use symbolic closure (i.e. burn, bury or mail the letter)
Visualize what it would look like when you let go of the hurt/anger
Forgiveness quotes/affirmations (ie, Everything happens for a reason, Let go and let God)
Create a forgiveness calendar
Read motivational books and listen to inspirational tapes
Go to chiropractic and motivational seminars


Move to the future

Chiropractors have a unique history and should be celebrating the accomplishments achieved over the past 100+ years. However, it is also a time for letting go and moving forward. As a profession, it is important to bring forgiveness as a gift to all your patients that participate and support Chiropractic. Forgiveness will allow you to be a better server and giver and has the ability to change the face of a healing art for generations to come. We have weathered every storm that has come our way. Let’s move positively in the direction of our dreams, together, forgiving our past transgressions, propelling us towards a healthier human race for posterity.

Article written by Drs. Drew and Lisa Rubin

References

1. Senzon, Simon A. The Secret History of Chiropractic. PhilosophyOfChiropractic.com, Asheville, NC, 2005: 168-184.
2. Palmer, DD. The Chiropractic Textbook. Portland Printing House, Portland, Oregon, 1910.
3. History of the Universal Chiropractic College history, found at: http://www.chiro.org/Plus/History/navigate.html.
4. Palmer, BJ. The Subluxation Specific, The Adjustment Specific. Palmer School of Chiropractic Printing Press, 1934.
5. Chiropractic on the Medicare Chopping Block, Dynamic Chiropractic
November 2, 1998, Volume 16, Issue 23, found at: http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/16/23/01.html
6. The Chiropractic Antirust Suit: Wilk vs AMA, found at: http://www.chiro.org/Wilk
7. Life gets preliminary injunction. Dynamic Chiropractic, Mar 10, 2003. Found at:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3987/is_200303/ai_n9171494
8. Harvard Women’s Health Watch, Harvard Health Publications. January 2007. Found at:www.health.harvard.edu.