Benefits of Baby Wearing

The temperature is rising and the sun is shining, warranting a winning combination for time with the family outdoors!  If you have a little one, it is a perfect opportunity to soak up the benefits of the sun while also enjoying bonding time by wearing your baby in a wrap.  Below are just five of the many benefits to wearing your baby:

1.       Babies get used to moving with the mother during pregnancy.  Therefore, moving around with the mom or dad in a wrap is calming and can have a soothing effect.   

2.      The stimulation received while in a wrap helps babies breathe and grow more efficiently.  This connection can be attributed to the fact that more contact between mother and baby can help establish and maintain a good breastfeeding relationship. 

3.      Being worn in a wrap enhances brain development as babies are exposed to a myriad of sounds and experiences.  Since the baby is positioned closer to eye level, he/she will feel included in conversations and interactions, which can boost speech development. 

4.      Baby wearing frees mom or dad’s hands to get other things accomplished.  Perhaps you need to push a stroller with your other child, wash dishes or prepare veggies for dinner…You can!  It’s that simple. 

5.      Baby wearing puts your heart near the babies heart.  This is very calming for the baby who heard mommies heart beat for 9 months before meeting her.  

   

Learn more about baby wearing here: 

http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/fussy-baby/baby-wearing/benefits-babywearing

http://www.lalecheleague.org/nb/nbnovdec04p204.html

http://www.attachmentparenting.org/parentingtopics/babywearing.php

Hollywood Gets the Big Idea!

The media plays a big role in so many aspects of our daily lives. For this reason, a little bit of positive press goes a long way. I'm happy to say chiropractic has been riding a wave of good publicity on a national level lately. From being invited to adjust at the Olympics to Functional Neurology (a form of analysis used in chiropractic) being praised as facilitating Sidney Crosby's return to hockey - the profession is making it' way in to the public consciousness. But even with these feel-good stories, some people may still be unsure that chiropractic is for them.

Enter Doctored, a documentary poised to change the way the average person looks at healthcare.

The movie, by Bobby Sheehan and the award-winning produce of On Native Soil, aims to shed light on the chiropractic profession as an alternative to the increasingly corrupt world of pharmaceutical companies and the allopathic model.  It gives credibility to a profession that has often struggled against negative labels from those who don't understand the actual purpose of chiropractic care.  In a nation-wide release beginning this week, Doctored aims to open the eyes of those who have yet to look critically at their healthcare options and to provide reinforcement and background to those who have.  We here at Rubin Family Chiropractic are very excited about this new film and the potential it has to introduce people to the power of chiropractic.  Spread the word and check it out!

More information may be found at http://www.doctoredthemovie.com/

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.

What Are You Waiting For?

My mother passed away from colon cancer in 2006 and my dad died from Alzheimer's three years earlier. It was a crushing blow to the family, especially for me, as an only child. In the last 8 years, Lisa and I have lost 6 close relatives to heart disease, cancer and diabetes, some of the nation's top killers. So my wife and I went on a quest. Are we doing enough, even with all the good health choices we currently make?

We originally made a decision to become vegetarians, about 16 years ago, because of a patient's husband who died of a heart attack one month after he retired. My patient said to me to be sure to live life to its fullest because you never know when it will be taken away. My wife and I decided after this conversation with my patient that if we ever got "sick", we would do a whole list of alternative life-style changes. Then we realized, "What are we waiting for?"

We started adding more health related practices to our life. We became strict vegetarians (no meat or milk, very limited sugar & white flour, no preservatives or additives), took no drugs of any kind, began exercising a minimum of 5 days a week, and of course, continued our weekly chiropractic adjustments.

We closely examined what my parents did, to make sure we were not doing what they did. Research shows that even if you have a genetic predisposition, you’ve got to do something to turn on the ‘bad’ genes. Hence if you do what your parents or siblings or aunts did, you’ll get what they got. Our goal was NOT to get what they got. My mom & dad never exercised and had a horrible diet. Yet they always took handfuls of vitamins every day since I was kid, because they thought that vitamins alone prevented cancer. Unfortunately that is not the case. One cannot ignore the triune of health (chiropractic, diet, and exercise), and expect vitamins to be the answer to poor diet and lack of exercise.

Your health grows the way a bank account does; the more deposits you put in, the more your "health" account grows. Your goal should be to find more ways to make health deposits to 'diversify' your portfolio, with Chiropractic as your foundation. Most of America waits for there to be a problem with their health, and then they scramble to fix it. Our thought is to get your health to an awesome place and then keep it there. Why wait for your body to fall apart until you fix it. You can always become healthier. You can always grow your health bank account. Aim to have a million dollar health portfolio rather than an overdrawn health plan. So here is the key question: What are the one or two things that are you neglecting in your life? If you can fix those items you are neglecting, with habits of daily discipline, watch your health account balance soar! What are you waiting for?

Swine Flu Isn't Very Different From Yearly Flu

Swine Flu Vs. Yearly Flu: Let's Look at the Numbers...

Our goal with this blog post is to educate people and to help them make informed choices. It is important to know both sides of the story before making these kinds of decisions. That being said, let’s try to ponder some key questions that are being constantly addressed in the media. Note that this post will be substantiated with direct links to websites to see the articles where the facts have been obtained.

Is Swine flu deadly? According the Center for Disease Control, (CDC), “most people who get the H1N1 flu will have mild illness, will not need medical care or antiviral drugs, and will recover in less than 2 weeks,”(found at: CDC link 1). However, the Swine Flu can kill, just like any other flu is potentially lethal. Even the common cold is lethal TO SOMEONE WHO HAS A WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEM. Studies show that 70% of the complications from the Swine flu did not occur in healthy individuals, but in children or adults who were already immuno-compromised. Here is a list from the CDC as to those people who are more at risk of serious complication:
• “Chronic pulmonary (including asthma), cardiovascular (except hypertension), renal, hepatic, hematological (including sickle cell disease), or metabolic disorders (including diabetes mellitus);
• Disorders that that can compromise respiratory function or the handling of respiratory secretions or that can increase the risk for aspiration (e.g., cognitive dysfunction, spinal cord injuries, seizure disorders, or other neuromuscular disorders)
• Immunosuppression, including that caused by medications or by HIV;
• Preliminary studies suggest that people who are morbidly obese (body mass index equal to or greater than 40) and perhaps people who are obese (body mass index 30 to 39)
• Persons younger than 19 years of age who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy.”
o Found at: CDC link 2

How likely is someone to get the Swine flu? As of 11/25/09, there have been 22 million cases of Swine flu in the US. The total population of the US is hovering somewhere around 307 million, which equates to 14% of the population actually contracting the Swine flu [found at: CDC link 3]. However, there have been an estimated 9800 reported deaths according to the latest statistics from the CDC. Interestingly, the CDC states: “Each year in the United States on average, 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu; on average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized from flu-related complications, and about 36,000 people die from flu-related causes.” [found at:CDC link 4]. That means that the swine flu at present is affecting the same percent as the seasonal flu, with far less fatalities so far. According to these statistics, 9800 deaths from swine flu in 2009 is significantly less than the 36,000 fatalities annually from regular seasonal flu.

Are kids more likely to get the Swine flu? An estimated 8 million children have contracted the Swine flu in the US, (9% of the number of children in the country), with 540 deaths. Considering that there are 75 million children in the US, the death rate of the swine flu in children in 1.5%. [found at: CDC link 5].

What is in the Swine flu shot? Each needle-delivered vaccine contains Thimerosol, a mercury derivative, as one of the main preservatives in the shot (unless you get lucky and find a single dose preparation versus the multi-dose preparation). Mercury is a major toxin to the brain and is carcinogenic, and has been implicated repeatedly (including an important article in the June 2009 issue of the journal entitled Toxicological and Environmental Chemistry) to have a potential relationship in the rise in autism and other developmental disorders [found at:
Journal link 1]. The only vaccine without Thimerasol is the Flumist nasal spray, although that contains MSG and antibiotics. Formaldehyde, used to preserve dead bodies, is also in some of the shots. These ingredients were found on the FDA website at: FDA link 1.

What about testing for swine flu? Recently, doctor’s offices have stopped taking the extra step and actually confirming if their patient has the swine flu with a lab test. These tests cost a lot and take time, so now if you have flu-like symptoms, it is ASSUMED you have Swine flu. According to an article on healthcentral.com, there are a few reasons testing is now longer routinely completed: “1) The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is no longer tracking each case of swine flu, 2)Doctors are familiar with symptoms of the flu and are able to make a diagnosis without a test, and 3)Treatment is the same whether you have the flu or have a viral respiratory infection”[found at: health central link 1]. Therefore it appears that this may statistically increase the number of false positive cases of the swine flu.

With the dozens of shots our kids are given from an early age, do we have a healthier America? Are our kids, or adults for that matter, a shining example of health and vitality? No, we are sicker, more obese, and less fit than ever before. As reported in the Huffington Post recently, one in three American children has diabetes, one in three is obese and one in three American children have allergies, autism, ADHD or asthma. [found at:
huffington post link 1]

It was additionally postulated in an article in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine that my generation will be the first in recent history to have their average age of death be younger than the generation before us [found at:
New England Journal of Medicine link 1]. What does all this mean? It sounds (statistically speaking) that the 2009-2010 Swine Flu is relatively similar to the "regular seasonal flu!" I don’t know about you, but these statistics show that with the degree of fear being discussed, we are traveling in the wrong direction. It is like the signs on the highways that say, “Wrong way. Go back.”


OK…so with all that bad news, what can be done to help give you the strongest possible body, one that might be more apt to fend off the swine flu? Our approach is simple and three-pronged: 1) Chiropractic, to boost your immune system and keep it functioning at 100%; 2) diet, to make sure you are eating the best possible foods to avoid weakening your own immune system by poor food choices, along with taking proper supplementation to give your body (for example, extra probiotics and vitamin c); and 3) exercise, to keep your body as strong as it can be, which helps reduce stress and thereby increase your ability to fight disease.

We believe that the power that made the body can heal the body. We believe that the best ‘vaccination’ is prevention, through chiropractic, diet and exercise. The body has this amazing intelligence that controls it from above, down, inside out. It knows what to do, when to do it and how to do it, and our job is to make sure it is working at 100% of its potential.

When this winter is over, I will be very interested to see how many regular chiropractic patients got Swine flu, versus the rest of the population. In the meantime, keep healthy with chiropractic, diet and exercise!

Please post your comments, whether they are for this article or against it…I would enjoy seeing your reactions, and will respond to all posts. And most of all, have the happiest and healthiest of holidays! Check out theadjustment.com for more information.

Choose Life--How to Create and Live the Healthy Life

CHOOSE LIFE…by Dr. Drew Rubin

A Blog about Creating and Living

the Healthy Life

Chapter 1

Your Body is like a Bank Account

Modern science has documented that every year you get a brand new body. Every cell, all 700 trillion of them, is replaced. The kind of new body you get depends on what you do with your body right now. It’s like a bank account. If you put money in the bank regularly, you wouldn’t be stunned when the money multiplies, due to the miracle of compound interest. Conversely, if you don’t put money in the bank regularly, there should be no shock when you go to the bank account and it’s empty. The same holds true for your health and your life. These are like bank accounts too. If you don’t put regular deposits in your health and life accounts, why be surprised when your health and your life are overdrawn? If you don’t put deposits in, don’t expect returns back. But if you choose life, and with it choose health, expect incredible rewards to come your way.

Today, in the 21st-century, people are so stressed about money that they are terrified of their future. With the stock market’s erratic behavior, countless large businesses admitting to fraud from one degree to another, thousands of people facing layoffs and downsizing, and the threat of terrorism still looming in the air after 9/11, America has become highly agitated tense and stressed out. Like Donkey says in the blockbuster movie, Shrek, “I’m a donkey on the edge.” We have been driven to such excess that we are on the edge all the time.

We are asked, while at work, to do 3 people’s jobs because of recent lay-offs. We have 10,000 errands to run every day, while being taxi service to our children, who are so over-involved because nobody plays in their own neighborhoods anymore. We are sold by the media all day, every day, to buy this, that and the other thing. We lay out our hard-earned cash for momentary pleasures or major purchases that suck away huge portions of our income, and still end up feeling like it’s not enough.

Do Saber Tooth Tigers Cause Stress?

Hans Selye, the father of the research on ‘stress’, uncovered that it was the fight or flight response that, when harnessed improperly, causes stress in the body. Thousands of years ago, when Saber-tooth tigers were lurking around our villages, and when snowstorms meant many of your tribe were going to freeze to death in the next few days, this fight or flight mechanism served us well. We either fought the Saber-toothed tiger or ran like heck away from it. Either way our muscles got involved, and when faced with danger, we physically did something to change the situation. That is fight or flight!

Today, sitting behind a computer for 8-12 hours per day, with your boss breathing on top of you about the deadline for his project which takes precedence over the deadline for your project which now makes you late to pick up your kids and get them to cheerleading practice and to gymnastics which are on the opposite sides of town and they were both already warned that being late again will prevent them from being in the competition this weekend (whew…isn’t this how it feels?), your body activates the fight or flight system. It is the same system that goes to work when encountering a life-threatening problem, only sitting in our cubicle doesn’t require us to engage in combat or run.

The problem with this kind of stress occurs because we don’t fight or flee; we just sit and fester, madly cursing away, attempting to get everything done while wondering what you are going to say to your boss, your kids, your kid’s coaches, and your spouse, who is also stuck working late. ..this is pressure!!!

The anxiety we face today in the 21^st century is not the like it was years ago, with a Saber-tooth tiger potentially having our family for a meal. It’s our own bodies eating itself up due to improper management of stress. Stress hormones are being manufactured when we are in this fight/flight mode, WHETHER WE GO INTO MOTION OR NOT! If these hormones aren’t utilized properly because we don’t respond with a physical evasive action, then we open ourselves up for eventual heart attacks, cancer, strokes, and diabetes (the top four killers in this country).

Now, in the 21^st century, it is time to get a grip on this rampant murderer called stress, and unfortunately, it is not possible to sling hand-carved spears into the Saber-toothed tiger. As a matter of fact, we cannot slaughter it at all. Rather we must embrace our stress and redirect it, much as a large stone placed in a stream redirects the flow of water.

Water and Stress

Water doesn’t get stressed out when it meets opposition. Water will not stop in front of the rock and say, “I can’t believe it. You are blocking my way. I’m late to meet the water molecules down the bend. I really don’t need this headache.” Water, in a mere fraction of a second, finds a new path, and an instant later, has circumvented the obstacle and is on its way.

That is what Choose Life offers you; a new way to embrace and redirect your stress by building such a strong body and mind that, although the stress may still come at you from all different angles, you become resilient to it. It bounces off of you rather than absorbing it. Choosing life asks you to make your life a prioritized one.

It is time to realize that our very security lies not in the almighty dollar, but in the vastness of the universe. There is 'abounding prosperity' available to each of us, if we choose life. We can be 'blessed or cursed' depending upon our choices (paraphrasing some biblical phrases).

Einstein said years ago: “The only thing that is constant is change”, and change begins one choice at a time and will eventually encompass everything we do. Every choice we make matters. Together in this blog we will journey as we take choosing life to a whole new level, a 21st-century peak in which ‘everything matters.’

The Big Decision

There is one thing you must do to make the Choose Life plan work. You've got to make a decision. A decision that will affect the rest of your life.

Like a freight train with 100 cars going 70 mph: if you want to turn that big train around, you can’t stop it on a dime. You've got to slow that mountain of train cars down; those thousands of tons of steel may take a mile or more to stop completely. That is called the principle of Negative Momentum. It is based on Newton’s law that states: A body in motion tends to stay in motion; a body at rest tends to stay at rest. To change something going in one direction, you must first slow it down and stop it. Then and only then can its course be redirected.

But the decision to stop-- that happens in an instant. What do you have to decide right now? You must answer the question: do you choose life? If you do, join me on this path of discovery.

This blog is designed not to just be read, but as an open dialogue, a creation in progress, that YOU get to contribute to. Comment on the posts. Put links in your posts that support your point. Let’s create a living, breathing blog on how you used Choose Life, or your own version of it…

The Mission of this Blog

In one word: empowerment. That is the key to living a healthier life, to choosing life. Being empowered. Trusting in your (and your children’s) innate, inborn wisdom. But first we have to build that body strong. When the child is weak because he’s had 6 ear infections a year, every year, first we have to stop that negative momentum. Then, once the pattern is interrupted, a new healthier pattern can be overlaid over the old, not-healthy one and a new child emerges.

Ultimately, I want to see a healthier planet, one person at a time. Our present health care system isn’t doing it for us. Maybe this blog might start you in a different direction. Then it has fulfilled its mission.

For more information, email us at rubinchiropractic@gmail.com, call us at 770-937-6300, or visit us on the web at www.theadjustment.com.

Please note: The chiroblogtic, Choose Life series will have a new chapter posted once per month, by the end of each month (ie, Chapter 2 posted by 9/30/08).