I recently had an older patient (late 70’s) come to see me for a “2^nd opinion” in my Newmarket chiropractic office because they had heard we “test, don’t guess” and then repeat that process to be sure a patient is moving towards their health goals and a higher quality of life.  We get the best results possible in our chiropractic office because of this philosophy.  After consulting with this patient and concluding that there were no obvious health problems, we proceeded to the exam.  Again, unremarkable. This patient was in excellent health (not easy to achieve these days by the way).

Above is an x-ray of her neck from the side – yes, almost perfect.  As an aside, a normal neck curve is 42 degrees looking from the side.  In fact, I see more and more kids in their late teens and early twenties with much worse alignment and arthritic changes in their spines (click here for one main reason).

When I sat down to go over her results, I asked her what she had done in her life to keep in such phenomenal health?  Here is what she told me:

• She worked consistently (not perfectly) on my health for my entire life (expecting to be healthy without working on it is irrational)
• Being adjusted regularly by a chiropractor her whole life since she was a child (I could tell from the exam and her x-ray that was true)
• I watch what I eat and try to be active by walking and taking the stairs when I can (she sought out ways to be active every day, instead of looking for the closest parking spot at the mall)

Wise words.  One other thing I noticed was that she had an optimistic attitude and a BIG smile.  That absolutely helps as well.

To Summarize

The patient was adjusted regularly, ate real food, stayed active, and smiled a lot.  Sometimes I think we are always looking for the “next best thing” to make us healthy.  I know, I’ve been there.  But the truth is, the things that make us healthy and vibrant have and will always be the same.  Sure, there are many “other” things you can do to help get you and keep you healthy. But for me, simple is always the best.  The more layers you add, the more complicated and confusing it can get.  Keep your path to health simple and do not overthink it.

My second opinion?  Keep doing what you have been doing and go back to your chiropractor.

 

Be well,