Posts Tagged ‘Dr. Nima’

As an aspiring mind-body wellness expert, one of the challenges I face, especially being in the public eye is the huge responsibility of leading by example, and being authentic.

These last few months have been the most challenging of my entire life.  I’ve been smack dab in the middle of the most gut-wrenching turmoil I’ve ever had to face, and forced to make some tough decisions that will alter the course of not only my life, but another human being that I have loved for a long time.

How ironic that I’ve decided to dedicate my life to learning and teaching about the effects of various stressors on the body and ways we can adapt and dance with it– and I find myself in this moment being immersed in stress, tension, anxiety, conflict, and chaos.

Since it’s not what happens to us, but how we respond to what happens– which will determine the outcome of our lives— this is how I’m responding:  Digging deep and gathering courage and exploring my creativity, passion, and purpose.

One of the benefits of feeling helpless and hopeless at times is that it forces you to take risks and action steps you wouldn’t have had the courage to do– because you have no choice but to step out of your comfort zone.  So I, along with one of my brilliant friends who happens to be an award-winning filmmaker, Tobin, sat down after his adjustment one day and tweaked and polished this concept of creating some educational yet fun videos of me acting a fool and playing various characters and doing voices of their spines in a “couple’s counseling/therapy” session.  I watch these videos and chuckle because during the release of the first 2 videos I myself was going through couple’s counseling sessions of my own.

I’ve learned a lot.  I’ve learned that no matter what happens, people will have their opinions about the choices you make.  I’ve learned that it’s not possible to feel stress or anxiety or depression when you are focussed on creating.  I’ve not only learned, but experienced that no matter what, people will like you and dislike you, so you might as well do what you love to do.  I’ve learned that energy is never created nor destroyed, it just changes forms.  I’ve learned that in the darkest times you have your most amazing moments.  I’ve learned that when you are stressed beyond belief, a Chiropractic adjustment works miracles to help you within a matter of seconds.  I’ve learned that your friends and supportive family will always show their true colors in your most challenging times, just like you show your true colors to them.  And even though their true colors might not look too brightly on you, it’s good that you still get to see them.  It’s humbling because your true colors, to some, don’t seem too bright either—-so get off your frigging high horse.  I’ve learned that everyone (including me), is surrounded by both sides of love– support and challenge, praise and blame, build up, and tear down.  No matter how hard you try, you won’t escape it.  I’ve learned that sometimes… it’s just better for everyone involved to just stop trying so hard and let go.

Ah, the bitter-sweet taste of wisdom.

So this is how I am responding.  I’m following my soul purpose– to be an educator and entertainer, helping people heal and transform, using all the skills and talents that I’ve been blessed with to shine my light even in my own darkness.

Ryan the abusive Snowboarder (photo by http;//www.photobinphotography.com

Over the next 4 months, I will be releasing a new “Spinal Therapist” scene for you to enjoy– for no other purpose except that I have something burning inside to share with the world.  So you better share it or I will hunt you down.  I learned from a bright young financial guru at a seminar to invest in my “soul purpose”.  After carefully thinking about it– I pretty much pulled all my money out of real estate and have decided to pour it into things that only pertain to my dreams and aspirations of helping the world transform from physical and emotional challenge and suffering to natural ways of living and being… and helping create a healthy mind and body free of unnecessary pharmaceutical intervention.

I want to publicly thank Tobin for his creativity and friendship– and his amazing wife Sarah who was the inspiration for the next character you will soon see .  He is the genius behind the scenes who has come up with the whole concept.  And to Yasie for being my support through everything even when I didn’t think I would make it. And most of all– To Maria for not only helping me transform into all these characters with her genius makeup work, but also putting up with me for the last 5 or so years.  I will always love you.

So here you go.  Me. Tears streaming down my face (true story).  In my authenticity.  Leading by example (well trying).  Following my dream. The next chapter begins…. NOW.

Thanks to everyone who watched my first video and shared and dropped me a line or sent me an email.  When Tobin showed me the first edit from our 2 days of filming at the Westgate Wellness Centre in Maple Ridge, I knew we were onto something fun.  Your comments were funny after some of you saw my picture on my facebook page after makeup and were horrified.

Nothing gives me more fulfillment than teaching people an important message of health and healing, while getting a few laughs.  As a pathological exhibitionist, I like to know that my “acting a fool” doesn’t go to waste.  Please feel free to share this 2nd installment of “Dr. Nima Chiropractor/Spinal Therapist”.

Thanks for watching, laughing, sharing, tweeting, liking and cringing.  Prepare to be a little bit uncomfortable (again).

In working closely with people, I found a common theme in those that think their lives are crappy:  Feeling disconnected with their higher purpose. I know because that’s when I feel crappiest.

The mission of my mind-body wellness blog and vlog is to help my community and the world :

- dissolve stress,

- overcome anxiety and depression,

- transform physical and emotional pain

- reduce or eliminate use of medications

- lose weight and live healthy, fulfilling, and prosperous lives

Since this is my mission both in my Maple Ridge office and recently throughout the Globe—I found it fitting to use my first Mind-body Wellness Tip as an encouragement to you to find one for yourself, if you don’t already have one.  And if and when you do, to pour all your heart and soul into it.

If you don’t already have a mission—now is the time to start asking yourself what kind of meaning you want to give to your life.  The truth is, you DO have a purpose for being here, and often times it’s by using what you’ve struggled with for the benefit of others.  Most people use their “stories” as something they are ashamed of and want to hide from.  I often joke that I make my struggles with stress and worry (my mess) as the core foundation of my message.

There are 3 characteristics of a good soul purpose, calling, mission or cause that you will dedicate to.

1)It benefits both YOU and OTHERS simultaneously

2)It involves the removal of suffering and bringing on of fulfillment to others as well as yourself

3)It requires you to engage in an area that you find interesting, have mastery over, and is meaningful to YOU.

Notice how it doesn’t involve you simply being altruistic, either.  Be keenly aware and clear of what you’re getting in exchange for what you want to put out to the universe.  A fulfilling relationship can only occur if both parties are aware of what they are getting in return for what they are giving.

I love to debate this point with people who believe its all about giving and not receiving.

Atlas Adjustment

Last year I went to the Dominican Republic for Chiromission and blogged about it (with video footage).  We were touched by the cause of a Pastor and his wife who adopted 25 children in a small little shack.  Our group rounded up donations to help him build a bigger orphanage to help house 50 more kids—a total of 75!

Here’s the blog from last year called “A trip that changed my life”.  There’s a video at the end.

Since we’ll be returning in a couple weeks to see the progress of our efforts, I thought this would be a great place to start.

Here’s your mind-body wellness tip #1.  Looking forward to sharing with you tools to live at your best—both in mind and body.  Enter your email at the top right hand corner if you want them sent directly into your inbox as they come up.  As always, feel free to comment and share with those that you think could use it.

Hey gang…. a couple of years ago, my buddy Tobin from phoTobin Photography came to my office and with the help of another buddy, one of Vancouver’s top hip hop instructors, performers, and choreographers– Richard O’Sullivan, we threw together a cute little commercial on “The Power of An Adjustment” that is on my website’s home page.  Little did I know that little day at the office would get such feedback.  I still get emails and calls from chiropractors around the world commending me for the fun portrayal of what we do.  Since I’m a bit of a ham, and I love to dance, we just took an idea, threw it together, and it seemed to work. I’m pretty surprised to see that it’s now climbed to over 47,000 hits! I now go to chiropractic seminars throughout the world and still get a kick out of people coming up to me and asking me if I’m the guy from the commercial.
Well… after being stumped on how to top this… we’ve come up with a new “adjustment” video we’re launching this week.  I’m pretty excited about it.  For those of you who haven’t seen our last one yet– please enjoy and share!

Another confession:  After I graduated from Chiropractic School, I went through a huge depressive and anxious period.  I discovered something that helped pull me out and bring me to where I am today.  Now, I share it with the world.

In dealing with stress, it’s important to exercise, eat healthy, count your blessings, remove nerve interference from the body with regular adjustments…. But what about the stuff from your past– your “story” of suffering?  What about the constant day to day stuff that you go through that you just can’t seem to get away from– at work and at home?

I never had any intention of being a speaker or teacher, or Life Coach, or consultant– whatever you want to call it.  Over 6 years ago, I attended a seminar that absolutely changed my life.  I was introduced to a method that basically took all the challenges, emotional charges, and ingratitudes I was going through and brought them all into a perfect state of order.  I was worried that I was going to be introduced to a religion or cult– far from it!  The Demartini Method is a tool with a thousand practical applications– from understanding your relationship with money to your relationships, to finding your life’s purpose.  Whatever your religion or belief system is, the Method is a series of questions/exercises that takes any stressful event in your past or present and completely gets you liberated from it emotionally– so that it doesn’t run you, so you can be clear on the direction of your “inner voice” rather than worry about outside voices that seem to criticize, challenge, or hold you back.  It basically erases your story and brings you to a present state of love and gratitude.  The Demartini method can’t be explained in words– it can only be experienced.  People who’ve suffered tremendous trauma, abuse, neglect, worry, fear, guilt, remorse, shame, blame, anger, depression, conflict– all the amazing things that make life interesting can dissolve those feelings in a matter of minutes to hours.  Yes, it’s that simple (yet difficult).

After that amazing experience, I dedicated my life to mastering it in my own life, and I found myself in situations with my patients who were telling me about the challenges at home or work– so I started giving them advice using the tools I had just learned.

All the questions do, is to shift your perceptions about an event– and suddenly the event that’s so miserable turns into something you can be grateful about.  My patients would come back with such amazing stories of emotional freedom from using the technique, that I naturally progressed in creating classes and setting aside “coaching” and consulting times to help more people with it.  It’s become the most fulfilling part of my career as of late.  This last Stressbuster’s video is all about our monthly Stressbuster’s classes that allow people to bring their stresses each month and learn tools on how to dissolve them– and move on to bigger and better things.  Find out when the next Stressbusters Class is by clicking here.  This video is done at the office and taken from a recent Stressbusters class.  They’ve only just begun and are getting more and more popular as time goes on– and we’re now needing a new home as my office is too small, and we’re outgrowing the community college classrooms I’ve been renting out.  You’ll also notice some salsa steps being taught– every Stressbusters class is unique in that we do a small salsa break to keep our brains and bodies active.  It’s a helluva lotta fun!

Many thanks to Nina for being such a genius videographer.  Thanks for the feedback! You can find out more about her at Oh Just Peachy Studios.

Make sure you catch the “outtakes” at the end.  Enjoy– may this video help guide you to balancing out your blood sugar and insulin levels and move you in the direction of a healthy diet.

See how you feel about an hour and a half after you finish some of this stuff. But damn, it looks good.

Mid afternoon…  You start to feel fatigue, cranky… You stare at your watch, wishing time would travel faster so you can get home to have dinner.  Only 3pm!  You don’t think you can make it.  You start to feel jittery, can’t focus or concentrate on your work, irritable… Gotta go to Starbucks or Tim Horton’s.  You get your latte or coffee with something to sweeten the bitter taste… and maybe a muffin (or my old favorite—Oat Fudge Bar from Starbucks, Boston Cream donut from Tim Horton’s, even McDonaldland cookies would do).

In the summer, I would take a break and have an ice cream cone from Baskin Robbins each day.  I would go months to years without it… But it just took one simple Gold Medal Ribbon cone, and it was over.  I needed it daily or I’d get cranky—classic example of an addiction. My cousin Ben makes fun of me all the time.  He says I like sweets so much that he was certain I had a vagina.  (FYI, Burt Baskin weighed over 240 pounds at his death, linked in part with a high consumption of ice cream over his lifetime, according to those who were close to him.  He died at the age of 54.  Irv Robbins was apparently more moderate with the ice cream and died at 90.)

Insulin and Blood Sugar Cycles….

Back to our lazy afternoon…. After you reload on the carbs that had crashed prior to that—only a couple hours after you finish lunch—you suddenly feel high and happy again.  Just in time for your insulin to kick in and bring the blood sugar levels back down to beneath comfortable levels.  And the unconscious desire to bring them back up becomes so strong, we aren’t even aware of it.  That’s the danger.  And add on a stressful day—an argument with your boss (or staff), run of the mill marital issues, and you are powerless over the yearning. No offence, but if you are fat, there’s a really good chance that you fall into this trap every day.  Do this over months to years and you’ve gained weight.  Make this your lifestyle for years and you have high chances of obesity.  If you’ve seen someone you haven’t seen in a long time and they’ve gained a significant amount of weight– chances are they are stressed if an injury hasn’t incapacitated them or they’re aren’t pregnant.  If the stress isn’t conscious, then chances are they have something buried deep inside and are using their fat to “cushion” themselves from the world.  This is not a conscious decision but can manifest itself as a food addiction or obesity.

This is how most North Americans live.  I lived this way for years and got away with it because I never gained weight.  I would only suffer mentally/ emotionally and have mood swings… a small price to pay for the wicked rush.

Now that the evidence is there (although I can hide it well most times), and thanks to Paul and his fatness, it’s time to make a change.

I’ve been getting emails and messages from people asking for my “diet” because they want to do it too.  I still have a hard time calling this a diet.  I eat everything I used to—I just stopped refined, processed and white carbs.  I eat salads all the time, make spinach and banana/blueberry smoothies, I have spoonfuls of yummy almond butter, I eat traditional Persian stews that Maria or my relatives make, and I just don’t eat it with the rice anymore.  By the way– I suggest all of you try a Persian meal with Persian people, and DON’T eat rice or bread with the meal.  And watch their reaction.  They look at you like you’re committing heresy.  They get uncomfortable and try to talk you out of it… Half of them out of concern that you’re not getting enough food and you’ll grow hungry.  This is the point of view of my cute little grandparents.  Rice and bread is a staple for them.  The other half of the critics know they should be staying away from the carbs, and they feel guilty—but they want to drag you down with them so they push it on you.  That’s pretty much the way it works.  Has this ever happened to anyone… Or is it just me?

The problem with that is that even though it tastes good– creating an environment whereby insulin has to be secreted to bring blood sugar down is causing excess insulin in our bloodstream  (hyperinsulinemia).  And high insulin levels have been associated with advanced aging, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, among a variety of other things.  It’s bad news.   Sugar fits relatively well on the receptors for opioid in the body.  That’s why it’s insanely addictive.  That’s why heavy drug users are frequently sugar maniacs too.

The path to becoming more consciously aware– everyone’s journey.

Now that I just simply refrain from buying and consuming refined carbs and can sit and observe my cravings, I’m feeling how much writing about them helps me.  It’s like I’m looking inside at them and staring them in the face.  And the more I look the cravings in the eyes and say “so what?” I feel them fade away, and I go to bed, and the gut just keeps getting flatter.  I guess this is what Eckhart Tolle means when he says to use your suffering as an access point for the Now.  And I’m also enjoying this process– how I self reflect each day.  It makes the day become more of a spiritual experience.  Just being more present because I know I will have to be writing about it.  I think most of us suffer in general because we’ve lost the ability to pay attention to our lives and become observers.  Our lives are on autopilot and we don’t live in the moment.  It’s all unconscious. Imagine you lived every day like you were acutely aware of everything that was happening to you.  How much more conscious would you be?

“Do you look any different?”

The love handles you ask?  Still just chilling a bit.  They still wanna hang out and aren’t in any hurry.  Even still…Today, I weighed in at 166 pounds and 20.4% body fat.  6 pounds lost and 1.5% body fat loss, and it’s now only my fifth day.

I was hungry for quite a large part of the day.  I think I’m going to start snacking on veggies throughout the day—maybe an “elevate me” bar.  That should help.  Unless anyone else has any other suggestions that won’t wake up my sleeping pancreas?

Seeing that the holidays are fast approaching, I figure I’ll give you a tool for understanding your cravings throughout the day.  If you haven’t yet seen the video on my last blog post, please do so.  I can’t watch that video without my mouth watering.  If you want to cut on your carbs, then watch this following video and try to get connected with yourself and ask yourself where you think you are at with reference to this video.  Then, as you are aware, if your “why” is big enough, your resistance will go up.  You start to regain control of your own body.  “No, thank you” becomes way easier.  And you start to look better, feel better (I’m sure that eventually this carb monster will go away—will keep you updated on it).  Watch this video carefully.  It’s awesome.

Since I missed my flight to San Fran, I took it as a sign that I have to stay in town and be productive in other ways.  Will keep you posted.  Hope you like the video.

Please don’t hesitate to re-tweet, share, and recommend.  Will any more of you be joining in to make a change to the man/woman in the mirror?

So it’s now Thursday night… Day 4 almost over—and I’ve lost 4 pounds and one percentage of body fat.  On Paul’s Blog he’s been saying I’ve been secretive with my progress… Not at all… I just have never weighed myself so much, and I never realized how much your weight and body fat% can fluctuate in one day.  So we decided to count it first thing in the morning.  All week, I’ve been teased by my patients and staff who say I’m crazy for trying to lose weight… people who think “I look just fine”.

Allow me to explain:  I’m not trying to lose weight.  That’s not my goal.  In fact I’m choked I lost 4 pounds.  I am trying to lose the spare tire in my gut, love handles and butt and turn it into the lean, muscular Adonis that is yearning to get out.  Again—I’m no stranger to doing exercise…. Heck I can keep up with anyone–I’ve just been more disciplined, and I’m doing a form of burst training which is ideal for fat burn.  And again… I AM NOT ON A DIET.  I have exactly the same amazing diet as I’ve always had… only one very simple difference.   I’m overcoming my carb and sugar cravings.  I’m doing it.  I’m taking the plunge and virtually eliminating almost everything white in my diet. I’m not trying to be racist here—but if it’s white, it ain’t right.

My hunter-gatherer lunch. Chicken salad and wild salmon sashimi.

Only one small problem:  You can’t eat anything outside of your home that doesn’t contain sugar and carbs in it.  I’m not even talking about desserts and fries…It’s everywhere.  Look at the salad dressing, look at the tempura batter, look at the macchiato, even your sushi is rolled in it (rice).   You can hardly eat anything.  I went to breakfast after my workout, I ordered eggs and bacon… I wanted some veggies and fruit.  I didn’t want the pancakes, hashbrowns, or toast.  The waitress looked at me like I was from another planet.  They didn’t even have it in the restaurant.

The problem with our collective health in society is mainly due to raised insulin levels in our bloodstream (hyperinsulinemia) due to the carbs and sugar.  Never before in our hunter-gatherer days have our bodies had to adapt to so much of it—because it didn’t exist.  Our diets consisted of organic meats from grass-fed animals, plants, vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds.  That’s it.  Period.  No dairy, wheat, potatoes, or processed foods.  We used to die of infections (mainly due to poor sanitation and no refrigeration for food) or traumas.

The agricultural revolution changed everything for us, and now we’re fat, sick, and dying fast.

There’s a carbohydrate dispensary at every corner.  Look around your vicinity right now.  Starbucks, Tim Horton’s (in Canada,) ice cream shops, convenience stores, vending machines…  It’s tough to miss.  Why are they there?  Simple.  Because we’re all addicted.

What? No carbs?

Can you imagine if the Health Gods snapped their fingers and instantly removed anything carb?  All processed sugars, sodas, all desserts, everything that wasn’t available 100,000 years ago is now gone in a snap?  Every human in North America would be found on the floor in the fetal position within 72 hours.

It all started out nice….but…

Today I woke up to the sunrise.  Instead of a workout, I opted for a meditation.  I felt like I needed it.  Running a busy practice with a lot of responsibility, if you don’t take the time to check in and reconnect to your higher self and your soul purpose, you will burn out.  I’ve been there.  It gets ugly.  This was the view I was awoke to this morning.  Amazing.  Meditation becomes easy when you are surrounded by beauty.View from my balcony this morning taken with my Iphone. Mount Baker in the distance.  Too bad this picture doesn’t do it justice..

I’m glad I did—because today was one of those days…

When I was 13 years old I had my first chiropractic adjustment that changed my life.  I knew then and there that’s what I wanted to do.  I would always be amazed at how I felt after my adjustments.  I would talk to the other patients at my Chiropractor’s office and they would tell me about the life-changing results they had.

There are some days where it seems that every one of my patients have miraculous results… and egotistically, I would take credit for the results.  Today was the opposite.  It seemed from my perception that every patient was progressing extremely slowly, or going backwards– and I took the blame.

The conscious, awakened Life Coach in me would say “Nima, where there is challenge, look for support”, but I didn’t want to look at it that way.  I wanted to see the glass as being half empty today.  As far as I was concerned, nobody was doing well, lots of no-shows, and one challenge after another—Calgon, take me away.  Must have been the carb- detox?

Funny cuz it's true.

On my way home, I felt the most insane sugar cravings I’ve felt in a long time.  All I wanted to do was to go to McDonald’s or get cookies… just something.  I needed a fix.  I believe this is what any addiction is like… could be cigarettes, could be alcohol, could be crystal meth, lapdances and a trip to the casino.  In my case—I needed sugar.

When you are stressed, Adrenaline and Cortisol (stress hormones) are being pumped into your bloodstream to prepare your body for an attack.  These changes are for your survival.  What are the building blocks of adrenaline and cortisol?  FAT and SUGAR. What do we crave when we’re in our “fight or flight” state?   Did you say fat and sugar?  Very good!  You’re so clever.

As I was driving home, I became acutely aware of my cravings.  Because my “Why” happens to be big enough ($500 is just the sting I need), I can make healthier choices.  Most people don’t have a big enough why.  In fact, when you sit and talk to them and pay attention, they reveal that they actually have a “why the hell not?”.

I had another chicken salad for dinner, and as I sit here and write, I’m still aware of my cravings, and it’s satisfying knowing I am much more powerful than my addictions if I can simply create a reason why I have to be.

It’s so simple yet difficult:  It all ties back to purpose.  If you don’t have a reason or purpose behind doing what you do every day, you fall victim to your addictions, you live unconsciously, and all sorts of anxieties and depressions will kick in.  Your health deteriorates.

I’m realizing this process is a lot more than shedding some body fat around my gut.

At this point, I really don’t care about losing the money anymore.  Even if I don’t reach my target, the amount I’ve grown in these 4 days is worth the $500 bucks.  But then again, I do want to beat Paul into the ground  :)

I’m looking forward to this weekend.  I’m going to San Francisco for a seminar with my buddy.  Oh Great.  I’m expecting it’s going to be harder because I’m not in my element, I don’t have my supportive wife to prepare a salad for me when I’m working, I’ll be inactive sitting in a seminar all weekend long, and in the United States, no offence my American friends… It’s damn near impossible to find something that ISN’T processed, or carb loaded.  Another challenge to overcome.

For your entertainment purposes I’m going to explore this Sugar Craving thing more on my next blog (stay tuned), because I know chances are if you are reading this, you have a carbohydrate addiction as well.  For your entertainment purposes as well, on my recent trip to New York, I happened to stop by Serendipity’s to have the famous Frozen Hot Chocolate and did an experiment.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Once again, thanks to Maria for putting the video together. Muah!

And by the way.  I gotta tell you guys…. I am humbled by the fact that so many of you have emailed and commented, put in your 2 cents (funny how everyone’s an expert), and most humbling for me—that you’ve let me know that you are inspired by my journey and have made a decision to change your lifestyle with me.  I love and appreciate you for it.  I thank you so much for spreading the word about this Challenge too.  My goal is to inspire even more people.

My legs feel like Jello.  Shane of Gymnos Evolution did a number on us today.  Like I said before, I’m no stranger to exercise, but this style of callisthenic (Nazi) military burst training—I haven’t done before.  It’s intense.  And worst of all—did I mention I have to wake up at 5:30?  Are you kidding me?  I’m turning in to someone I used to resent (but secretly admire because I was jealous).

Stretching has never been so grueling.

No I'm not a hip hop dancer here. This is an actual exercise.

This TACFIT business is something neat… the principles are simple:  Bursts of intense activity, focusing on form rather than numbers, followed by short periods of rest before we go on to the next exercise.  Repeat.  Over and over again until you are about to puke.

Both a stretch and an exercise at the same time. It's as uncomfortable as it looks.

Tobin from PhoTobin Photography brought his camera to snap some photos… From the pics you can see that the sun is just about to peek out.  There’s something very soothing about watching the sun rise.  I highly recommend it.  I don’t quite know how to put the experience into words.  Stressbuster tip:  Just try it.

I’m getting emails and facebook messages… “What are you eating?”  Basically, everything I used to eat before… minus anything with sugar in it… or any other carb.  That means no rice, no potatoes, no cookies, no, caramel macciato’s, no chocolate bars, no popcorn.  It’s not rocket science, people.  We all know what’s good and not good for us.  Carbs and grains like rice and corn– not really good for us.  ”Whole Grain” is not a health food.  Grains turn into sugar and raise insulin levels.  We eat way too much of them.

Now I realize there are many delicious raw food desserts that are sugar free, but I don’t have the time to go all the way downtown every day to Vancouver’s only raw food restaurant—Organic Lives.

I’ve never had a problem with exercise and eating healthy… I just really like carbs, and I am aware that evenings are tough for me with those damn cravings.

But oddly enough, as I’m aware they are still going strong, I’m not compelled to eat carbs.  And it’s quite simple why I’m so certain I’m going to be successful.  I’m not being cocky here—I’m just certain — it’s simply because my “Why” is big enough.

I sit here writing this blog and my wife is watching “Friends” and “Sex in the City”… her favorite shows… (even though they’re all re-runs).  I’m watching Courtney Cox, and Jennifer Aniston and Sarah Jessica Parker among all the other actors on the screen and I acknowledge something:  They all are in great shape, but it’s not because they’re anything more special than the rest of us… It’s just that their “Why” is much bigger.  Like… would 1 million dollars per episode entice you to say no to the cheesecake?  Hell ya, it would.

I happen to know that these actors are militant with portion control and eat extremely well 99% of the time.  Why?  It’s their JOB.  They lose their job if they don’t.  So I guess a $500 penalty and risking public humiliation is a big enough “Why” for me.  If you can’t come up with a reason big enough for you, then you won’t do it.  You’ve lost the weight– when you had to look good for your wedding… for your high school reunion, for a beach vacation.  That’s the importance of having goals that you can think about each and every day.  Every moment you make decisions to help you reach it.  My suggestion to all of you guys who’ve emailed me and told me you’re joining in the “program” (even though it’s not a specific program) is to create a “Why” that’s big enough.  Then the “How’s” will take care of themselves.

This morning after my workout, I was invited as a guest lecturer to the Boucher Institute of Naturopathic Medicine’s 4^th year class.  My job was to talk to the students about things they should keep in mind during their transition from student to Doctor.  It’s a scary time for any 4^th year of any professional school because at that time, you have so much information crammed in your head, but you don’t have the experience transferring that information to a real live human who’s coming to you with problems.

My message was simple, and it’s the same message I’m working at living up to every single day, which I think is the secret to being a successful Doctor of any sorts:  Be present and aware with every moment.  Be grateful for what you got, because this moment is as good as it gets.  Commit yourself to increasing your self-awareness and your healing consciousness.  Take every opportunity to grow.  Don’t stop learning.  Save your money.

And most importantly, become a role model to your patients.  They’re coming to you mostly because they are not living a healthy lifestyle.  Live one yourself, and be a teacher to them first.

Still working at it.  I’ll let you know when I get there.

I sit here in the Emergency room waiting for a doctor for my wife.  It appears that she’s having a severe bout of appendicitis or an ovarian cyst rupture.  Persistent, worsening pain in her right, lower quadrant, pain that comes in waves.  Touching her abdomen sends her through the roof.  She’s cursing at me like a sailor.

How ironic is this?  Me, one who is extremely critical of the medical system is knee deep in it—and turning to it for help.

Medicine’s genius is in FIRST Aid.  Emergency care to prevent impending doom is where the magic of the profession is.

People come from all walks of life in to see me, and a lot of them are in acute care… sometimes even emergency situations… A great majority of them, we as chiropractors help them along, make them feel better, teach them to live in better ways, and sometimes miraculously after an adjustment, or a series of adjustments, they feel like a new person.

But in this case, I feel powerless. My wife, now resting, was screaming, writhing in pain, so I have no choice but to turn to the First Aid experts to do what their major strength is—help prevent impending doom.  And I humbly step aside for them to work their magic.  This is likely going to be a surgical case.  Ironic that I make my living provide the means for my patients to avoid drugs surgery at all costs.

As I sit here in the Emergency unit, I’m surrounded by people who are at their worst.  As my wife is now high on morphine, she’s fast asleep, and I’m constantly interrupted by beeps and coughs and sounds of vomiting and moaning patients.  The staff here appear to be miserable.  I don’t blame them.  The long hours, the suffering they are surrounded with.  Our environment does have a great deal to do with our pain.

From my research, I know statistically that 75-90% of all problems that people are in here for are lifestyle related.  These are conditions related to how we eat, how we move, and how we think.  The major killers?  Diabetes, Heart Disease, Cancer, and Adverse Reactions to Medications.

I can’t help but think of how that means that about 8 out of every 10 people who are in here could have prevented their need for being here. What’s worse is that the majority of people who are around me are already on copious amounts of medication—I overhear them listing all the medications they are on.

Our doctor’s offices are jam packed every day because people aren’t taught the why’s and how’s of what keeps them healthy and what makes them sick.   That’s because the system isn’t equipped for that.  While there are many places to go to get a diagnosis and a treatment, there aren’t too many places that will teach you why you got there in the first place and what role YOU have to play in getting yourself out.  That is too time consuming, and it’s not very profitable for the drug industry.

Doing research, attending health conferences, changing my own lifestyle habits… I was made aware that the only way our healthcare system can survive is to have LESS SICK PEOPLE.

This, fortunately, is not in the hands of the sickness care “health care” system.  It is entirely in your hands.  It is in the choices that we make every single day in how we eat, move, and think that will determine if you will be dependent on the system (drugs and surgery) or you will leave the system to what it is really there for:  First Aid.

My focus has now changed from “treating symptoms” to “teaching and helping the individual create health.” Using the logic of turning on light to remove darkness instead of focusing on the dark, I teach classes now in my office about lifestyle—how to eat, how to move, and how to even think– because people still live under the illusion that their genes control their health.  Even though it’s now been proven in science that your genes are not your destiny (as was the “Central Dogma” of Medicine).  It’s now undisputable in the literature.   Your environment, (how you eat, move, and think), not your genes, determine how your body expresses health or disease.

Let me give you an example:  When you are under any stressor, from family, to work, to even dietary stressors like too much processed foods; your body goes through a “fight or flight” response, liberating a great deal of energy triggered by the lower brain into an emergency protective mode.  Like a tiger chasing a gazelle, the only thing on the mind is survival for both lion and gazelle for that temporary time—just until the chase is over, and the gazelle returns to safety.

The gazelle, 20 minutes later, returns to grazing, and the tiger returns and rests shortly after, but we humans are so intelligent that we have the ability to re-live that lion attack

over and over again, day after day, month after month, year after year, decade after decade.

Now, we don’t have to worry too often about being chased down by a tiger here these days—unless you’re on a safari… But we are programmed to react exactly the same for our own version of tiger attacks—Family stress, work stress, lack of feeling of control of our environment, insecurity, divorce, financial pressures, low self esteem, resentment, anger, victimhood.

We re-live these emotions and repetitively wire our nervous systems with this damaging biochemistry, year after year, and our health falls apart—and we run to the doctor for an answer.  We line up in hospitals and in doctor’s offices.  And we end up spending more and more money, year after year. We’re reaching a breaking point, and simply can not sustain what we’ve created.   We call them chronic “medical conditions”, it’s but I can show you beyond the shadow of a doubt that 75-90% are simply the body making a

normal response to our lifestyle and thoughts.   And the system is designed in such a way that the only solution is in the form of a test, a pill or a knife, which has been proven to do a little to deal with the symptoms, and NOTHING to deal with the cause.

So what’s the solution to our long hospital waits (it’s now been 6 hours already and we haven’t seen a doctor—let’s hope her Appendix doesn’t rupture in the meantime–if it’s appendicitis)?  Simple:  LESS SICK PEOPLE.  And that, my friends, is not in the hands of a doctor.  It’s in your hands.  Everyone knows they should drink less alcohol, stop smoking, exercise more, eat more veggies, control our stress, etc.  But the problem with our system is that it doesn’t teach us the why or the how.

When you realize that you simply can’t express your health potential without exercise, and you are taught how to slowly incorporate it in your sedentary life, change becomes easy.

When you realize the processed foods we are eating are toxic, and how our cells respond to the deficiency of proper nutrients in our fast-food diets, and then we are shown how to overcome our food cravings, change becomes easy and the pounds start to fall off.

When you realize that just as your thoughts have the capacity to make you sick, your thoughts also have the capacity to help make you well—once you’re shown how to get out of survival mode and into creating the life you want, change becomes easy.

Sitting and talking endlessly about our problems re-creates the emotions, biochemistry, and physical illness patterns.  When we are taught how to overcome our fears, guilts, anxieties, and depressive patterns of thinking with some simple tools, we can heal the mind (and then the body) from all sorts of dis-eases.   Instead of blaming our current misery on what happened weeks to decades ago, we can learn to be grateful for what we have NOW.  And our biochemistry begins to change.

Far less costly on the system and far more effective than anything the system could offer, If these lifestyle changes could be bottled and sold in pill form, it would be the next blockbuster drug.   These changes have been shown to cure diabetes, reverse heart disease, and heal cancer.

But they’re not available in pill form.  They’re choices that require empowering yourself rather than being a victim to your environment or heredity.  A difficult choice for most of us, but without taking action personally on this STARTING TODAY, our collective physical, mental, and financial health has ZERO chance of survival.  It’s that serious.

It’s the reason why I’m dedicating my life to teaching how to create wellness and avoid the use of drugs or surgery, rather than treat disease.   The biggest challenge my patients face is not how to change–  It’s making the time to do it.  The hopeless cases are all the ones who “never seem to have the time”.  Even though they have all the resources I may offer at their disposal, from wellness chiropractic spinal care, to exercises, to attending classes on posture and stress:  “I’m just too busy.”  And then eventually their body seems to force them to make the time.  And I watch them deteriorate year after year.  So it fuels my passion to teach.  “Doctor” in Latin doesn’t mean “pill pusher.” It means “Teacher”.

Side note:  It’s now 2 in the morning, and the doctor has just come in and narrowed it down to 3 possibilities:  Kidney stone, or Appendicitis, or Ovarian Cyst Rupture.  Since CT scans have high levels of radiation, we’ve elected to do an Ultrasound in the morning.  Took us 8 hours to get to this conclusion—and now we have to wait another 7 hours for another test to determine the next course of action.  I’m staying with her in the hospital and I write this amidst the moans and screams of other suffering people.  My heart goes out to them because I know many of their problems are preventable if they only took the time to learn how. Here’s a list of how most of them could have avoided being here in the first place:

1)   If you want to be more alive than dead, eat foods that are more alive than dead.  Find resources to teach you strategies how to overcome your food addictions.

2)   When you wake up in the morning, don’t get out of bed without first thinking about all the things that you are grateful for, and what you would love to create in your day.  If you don’t take time to do this, your day will be filled with things you will be ungrateful for.  Guaranteed.  Re-program healthy brain/body biochemistry by THINKING WELL—Think better than how you feel.  Learn strategies to deal with the inevitable adversities of relationships and of life.  Everything begins with a thought.

3)   Keep your spine moving with exercise.  50% of all body movement nerve pathways are in the spinal joints and if it doesn’t move sufficiently, or it gets stuck, you could be in a great deal of trouble.  See your chiropractor regularly to keep it moving properly.

4)   Balance your movement and rest.  If you don’t get enough movement and exercise in your day, or you don’t get enough sleep—your cells become resistant to insulin—which has been shown to be the underlying root cause of all chronic degenerative illness—diabetes, cancer, heart disease, aging, osteoporosis, even mental disorders like Alzheimer’s and depression.

The hospital is a horrible place to be, but thank God it’s there in emergency cases like the one Maria finds herself in right now.  Doctors and nurses can be heroes.  But when we turn to doctors and nurses to treat diseases caused by poor lifestyle choices—we are playing with fire, and it’s a game we can’t win.  I’ve dedicated my life to teaching strategies on how to dramatically reduce our need to ever play.

P.S.  Turned out to be a ruptured ovarian cyst, and Maria is home recovering beautifully.  We elected for no surgery, and it turned out to be the right decision.  Many thanks to the doctors and nurses and Paramedics at Burnaby Hospital, and to our friends and family for their support.