As a parent, business owner, doctor, and lecturer I understand what it's like to be truly sleep deprived. When my kids were still feeding through the night, I remember that tiredness that is just in your bones. The red, burning eyes that feel like they need a fire hose to put out the fire, and the need for bottomless cups of coffee. The worst part of those few weeks was the brain fog!

Even when I would lie down, my mind would start racing and be wide awake but too tired to do any productive work. I know that I am not alone in the lack of sleep department, so it's not surprising that a recent research paper said 60 million Americans take prescription sleep aids. One of the more popular sleep aids on the market is Ambien, which increases the action of an inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA.

This inhibition is what causes you to "fall asleep" because it turns off your brain. I don't know about you, but that sounds terrifying to me! My brain has been by far my biggest investment in life, an...

Question: I have debilitating migraine headaches and hate taking medication, is there anything that Chiropractic can do to help?

Yes, Chiropractic has been shown to help tremendously. In the past two weeks, I had two patients come in with active migraines that would have sent them home to lay in a dark room for the rest of the day, and they left the office without any a headache at all.

Let's talk just a bit about what a migraine is, it is a throbbing pain that is usually one-sided, usually over the eye or near the temples or forehead. It frequently alters the activities of daily living and can last several hours to several days. Migraines tend to have sensory and emotional changes before a migraine. These can include changes in mood, becoming irritable or depressed. Some may have “aura” an hour or two before a migraine, which can include flashing lights, blurry vision or blind spots. Some can even have distinct smells or tastes as an indication that they are about to have a migraine...

"No illness which can be treated by the diet should by treated by any other means."
-Moses Maimonides

Moses Maimonides was a 12th-century rabbi, physician, and philosopher. This quote is one of the more brilliant things I've read. Modern physicians could learn a lot from what Moses Maimonides was teaching when he said these words. A recurring theme amongst drug companies is "when diet and exercise fail to try this drug or that surgery." The simple fact is - diet and exercise don't fail when properly taught and properly followed. Eating a diet that we were designed to eat, and moderate exercise with intermittent high intensity is the key to health!

"Just because you're not sick doesn't mean you're healthy."
~Author Unknown

To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, this should be one of the truths of life that are held self-evident.  Health is not the mere absence of disease but is the optimal functioning of the person in all aspects of their life:  physical, mental, chemical, and spiritual. 

We can look at sickness as something that is "diagnosable", which means, there are enough symptoms that it can be classified as a disease.  The problem with diagnosing sickness is that it only manages what is visible above the surface and doesn't take into account what is going on out-of-sight. I prefer to find the processes that are keeping my patient from healing the dysfunction, remove the blockage, and let the body return to health.  

The best way to determine what is going on with the patient, in my opinion, is to use Applied Kinesiology.  The best way to fix the underlying cause is through Chiropractic, diet and nutrition, and homeopathy....

It's that wonderful time of year again!  Across the country parents are letting out a giant sigh of relief as they send their children back to school and structure once again fills their home.  It's also the time of year that I get asked how to best keep kid's healthy and focused the entire academic year.  There are three surefire ways to keep health and focus on your side.

Diet Drop breakfast cereals and oatmeal, even the whole grain cereals are as bad as the sugary, chocolate puffs.  All cereals, even fruit, put your star students on a blood sugar roller coaster.  This will impede the brains ability to learn and focus because of the spikes and crashes in their blood sugar.  It also leads to moodiness, obesity, and overall crabbiness.  As I know with my own children, most kids don't need help with crabbiness! So start and end their day with heavier protein and fat based meals.  This will help balance their blood sugar, give them sustained energy throughout the day, and let them sleep...

 If you listen to the media reports I am one of the irresponsible parents that's causing the current outbreak of measles; a disease that the medical profession has “eradicated” in the Americas.  But, I ask, who is more irresponsible?  Me for not injecting my healthy children with a substance that may only provide short-term immunity to a disease that more than likely won't threaten their lives?  Or, the person that injects substances that don’t provide true immunity, and, in fact, are more likely to cause damage to their fragile nervous systems? Today I am going to focus on measles, which is normally a very contagious disease that does require quarantine and extreme hygiene for the caregivers of the infected.  While measles can be deadly, with proper care and support very rarely does it cause any serious or lasting symptoms. The most common symptoms are a head cold, red eyes, rash that can cover part or all of the body, and fever.  Although rare, one of the more serious symptoms caused...

A Few Reasons I had to Stop Billing Insurance

I get asked all the time by patients why don’t I take their insurance.  So I thought I would write the doctors perspective on insurance.

First, let’s start by recognizing that insurance companies did not get rich because they paid claims made to them.

The mantra of insurance companies is to Delay, Diminish, and Deny.

The first line insurance companies use is to Delay reimbursement as long as possible to providers.  The insurance companies take payments you make to them and invest that money so that it grows, (makes sense that’s what I would do!).  The problem comes when you go to the doctor and make a legitimate claim for coverage that you have.  By law the insurance companies have to respond to a claim within 45 days, yep 6 weeks.  Although most companies do process claims quickly, around 25-30 days, the problem comes when they question one of the legitimate charges; they hold payment on the entire charge not just the one in question. ...

I get asked this question a lot, and the simple answer is, yes!  Babies and children respond amazingly well to Chiropractic care.  I even adjusted my daughter, Lilly, within the first hour of her birth. In my opinion, it is essential to adjust newborns at birth because, quite simply, birth is by far the most traumatic event you will go through your entire life.  It makes sense considering the baby, which is roughly the size of a watermelon, is squeezed through a hole about the size of a lemon during birth.  That has to be traumatic!  The beautiful part?  We are designed to do just that, but it does create problems with the cranium and spine.   In my perfect world, every baby would be adjusted shortly after birth. There are so many reasons to adjust a child.  First, it helps the immune system.  My son, T.J., was sick a few weeks ago and was running what I considered to be a highish fever, around 101 degrees.  We didn't freak out, though.  Instead, I gave him a few Homeopathic remedies a...

Well it’s hot as hell outside, and pretty much miserable.  Summer is in full swing! I can’t help but wonder how people ever managed to live without air conditioning.  With temperatures well over 100 this week, make sure you’re drinking a ton of water, even if you’re not outside a lot.  It’s this time of year that we have to really be careful about not overdoing it.  In addition to water try some zucchini, (it’s great for the adrenal glands, which help keep you hydrated), and make sure you’re resting as much as possible.  Also, don't forget to salt your veggies and meats with a good sea salt, this will go a long way in keeping you hydrated as well. Signs of dehydration:

• Dry sticky mouth, thirst
• Lack of energy or fussiness (usually in children)
• Hunger
• Dark yellow urine
• Headache
• Dizziness
• Rapid heart rate for no good reason
• Symptoms are worse first thing in the morning but get better throughout the day

How much water should you drink?  At least 1L per 50lbs of body weight and...

Medical Care for Your Back Pain is Possibly Doing More Harm Than Good

There was an interesting article published last Monday that claimed current medical interventions for back pain are wrong.  It went on to say that doctor's are over prescribing painkillers, MRI’s, CT scans, and providing needless surgeries.  I have to say, none of this is news to me at all.

The Emperor has no clothes!

This reminds me of Hans Christian Andersen’s tale , “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” where a  vain Emperor cares for nothing except wearing the finest clothes. He hires two swindlers who promise him the finest suit of clothes from a fabric invisible to anyone who is unfit for their position.  The "tailors" making clothes for the Emperor convince him that if he cannot see the clothing being made he must be unfit or stupid. All of his ministers fearing to look as if they are incompetent pretend that they can see the clothes along with the Emperor.  Once the “suit” is finished the tailor’s mime dressing the...