Don't Believe It, Just Use It

It's good for people to believe in something. But you don't have to believe in energy, you just need to use it. Belief is what you do when something lacks reality. When you make a meal, you don't need to say,

"I believe this raw rice will become cooked rice." You don't need to say,

"I believe in you," before you turn on a windshield wiper.



All you have to do is know there is energy in your body and know how to change and manage it. To use energy, you don't have to graduate from college or pass a test. Already within your brain is the technology,

the universal principles,

that know how to use energy.

Without believing in energy,

you can test it and

see the results for yourself.



Your destiny can change

as you manage energy.











Ilchi Lee

The Fat Burning Hormone

You may have heard that eating before bed is a big-time "no no" for those looking to lose weight. In fact, you've probably even heard that eating late at night will undoubtedly cause you to GAIN weight...even worse!



Well, there's good news, and that good news is that not every food that you eat past 7PM will be automatically deposited to your butt, thighs, and love handles.



In fact, there are certain foods that you can eat as a late-night snack that can actually INCREASE your fatloss results! The key is knowing which foods to eat, and which to avoid, as the evening progresses.



Here's a good rule of thumb: Avoid carbs before bed in favor of slow-digesting high-quality protein.



Carbohydrate consumption causes significant rise in the storage hormone insulin, which also puts the breaks on fat-burning. That's a recipe for disaster in the late evening hours as your metabolism is winding down, but fortunately, slow-digesting protein isn't.



Instead, slow digesting proteins provide your body with a steady flow of amino acids throughout the night to help you recover from exercise and maintain your calorie-burning lean muscle as you lose fat.



Here are some of my top pre-bedtime choices:



1. Animal and Marine Protein (not red meat) - Animal and marine protein sources such as chicken, turkey, and fish are great pre-bed meal choices because they digest slowly and have a very low insulin release. These sources also promote the release of another hormone, glucagon, that assists the body with breaking down stored carbs and fat within your body to be burned for energy...a double win! Red meat has a significantly higher insulin response so it's best to avoid in the evening.



2. Cottage Cheese - Cottage cheese is very slow digesting and coats the stomach to be assimilated by the body over many hours. As a protein, it also stimulates glucagon release; a solid pre-bedtime choice. Just make sure you're using plain cottage cheese, not the flavored varieties with added sugars.



3. Green Vegetables - While these aren't considered a protein, they contain virtually no calories, are high in fiber, and they're very filling. Often times when I get a late night craving I eat a big bowl of green veggies and it completely kills my craving...a diet savior!



4. A Slow-digesting, Low-carb Protein Shake - I use a slow-digesting protein shake before bed literally every day. It's become somewhat of a ritual and great, tasty way to end my day. The vast majority of my clients have grown to love the habit as well...who doesn't love dessert before bed? :) I normally blend the shake with almond butter to get some healthy fats in there, and man, it tastes good with the right protein powder.



WARNING: Avoid taking a simple whey protein powder before bed...research has show



that it causes more of an insulin release than white bread! Instead, you need a time-releasesd blend that includes a blend of slow-digesting, high-quality proteins.



Source: Biotrust Nutrition

Chush

In New York, Chush is a school that caters to learning-disabled




children. Some children remain in Chush for their entire school



career, while others can be main-streamed into conventional



schools. At a Chush fund-raising dinner, the father of a Chush



child delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who



attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he



cried out, "Where is the perfection in my son Shaya? Everything



God does is done with perfection. But my child cannot understand



things as other children do. My child cannot remember facts and



figures as other children do. Where is God's perfection?"



The audience was shocked by the question, pained by the father's



anguish and stilled by the piercing query. "I believe," the



father answered, "that when God brings a child like this into the



world, the perfection that He seeks is in the way people react to



this child."



He then told the following story about his son Shaya: One



afternoon Shaya and his father walked past a park where some boys



Shaya knew were playing baseball. Shaya asked, "Do you think they



will let me play?" Shaya's father knew that his son was not at



all athletic and that most boys would not want him on their team.



But Shaya's father understood that if his son was chosen to play



it would give him a comfortable sense of belonging.



Shaya's father approached one of the boys in the field and asked



if Shaya could play. The boy looked around for guidance from his



team-mates. Getting none, he took matters into his own hands and



said, "We are losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth



inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him up



to bat in the ninth inning."



Shaya's father was ecstatic as Shaya smiled broadly. Shaya was



told to put on a glove and go out to play short center field. In



the bottom of the eighth inning, Shaya's team scored a few runs



but was still behind by three. In the bottom of the ninth inning,



Shaya's team scored again and now with two outs and the bases



loaded with the potential winning run on base, Shaya was



scheduled to be up.



Would the team actually let Shaya bat at this juncture and give



away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shaya was given



the bat. Everyone knew that it was all but impossible because



Shaya didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, let alone



hit with it. However, as Shaya stepped up to the plate, the



pitcher moved a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shaya



should at least be able to make contact. The first pitch came in



and Shaya swung clumsily and missed. One of Shaya's team-mates



came up to Shaya and together they held the bat and faced the



pitcher waiting for the next pitch. The pitcher again took a few



steps forward to toss the ball softly toward Shaya.



As the pitch came in, Shaya and his team-mate swung the bat and



together they hit a slow ground ball to the pitcher. The pitcher



picked up the soft grounder and could easily have thrown the ball



to the first baseman. Shaya would have been out and that would



have ended the game. Instead, the pitcher took the ball and threw



it on a high arc to right field, far beyond reach of the first



baseman. Everyone started yelling, "Shaya, run to first. Run to



first!" Never in his life had Shaya run to first. He scampered



down the baseline wide eyed and startled. By the time he reached



first base, the right fielder had the ball. He could have thrown



the ball to the second baseman who would tag out Shaya, who was



still running. But the right fielder understood what the



pitcher's intentions were, so he threw the ball high and far over



the third baseman's head. Everyone yelled, "Run to second, run to



second." Shaya ran towards second base as the runners ahead of



him deliriously circled the bases towards home. As Shaya reached



second base, the opposing short stop ran to him, turned him in



the direction of third base and shouted, "Run to third."



As Shaya rounded third, the boys from both teams ran behind him



screaming, "Shaya run home!" Shaya ran home, stepped on home



plate and all 18 boys lifted him on their shoulders and made him



the hero, as he had just hit a "grand slam" and won the game for



his team.



"That day," said the father softly with tears now rolling down



his face, "those 18 boys reached their level of God's



perfection."



- Author Unknown

Spiders Web

A young soldier found himself in a terrible and hopeless battle.

The enemy was soundly defeating this young man's army. He and his

comrades found themselves hastily retreating from the battle

field in defeat, running away in fear for their very lives. The

enemy gave chase. This young man ran hard and fast, full of fear

and desperation, but soon found himself cut off from his comrades

in arms.

He eventually came upon a rocky ledge containing a cave. Knowing

the enemy was close behind, and that he was exhausted from the

chase, he chose to hide there. After he crawled into the cave, he

fell to his face in the darkness, desperately crying to God to

save him and protect him from his enemies. He also made a bargain

with God, one which I (and perhaps you too?) have made before. He

promised that if God saved him, he would serve Him for the

remainder of his days.

When he looked up from his despairing plea for help, he saw a

spider beginning to weave its web at the entrance of the cave. As

he watched the delicate threads being slowly drawn across the

mouth of the cave, the young soldier pondered its irony. He

thought, "I asked God for protection and deliverance, and he sent

me a spider instead. How can a spider save me?"

His heart was hardened, knowing the enemy would soon discover his

hiding place and kill him. And soon he did hear the sound of his

enemies, who were now scouring the area looking for those in

hiding. One soldier with a gun slowly walked up to the cave's

entrance. As the young man crouched in the darkness, hoping to

surprise the enemy in a last-minute desperate attempt to save his

own life, he felt his heart pounding wildly out of control.

As the enemy cautiously moved forward to enter the cave, he came

upon the spider's web, which by now was completely strung across

the opening. He backed away and called out to a comrade, "There

can't be anyone in here. They would have had to break this

spider's web to enter the cave. Let's move on."

Years later, this young man, who made good his promise by

becoming a preacher and evangelist, wrote about that ordeal. What

he observed has stood by me in times of trouble, especially

during those times when everything seemed impossible.

He wrote: "Where God is, a spider's web is as a stone wall. Where

God is not, a stone wall is as a spider's web."

-- Author unknown

Carpenters........

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-
contractor of his plans to leave the house building business and
live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended
family.
He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could
get by.The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and
asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor.
The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his
heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and
used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his
career.
When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to
inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to
the carpenter. “This is your house,” he said, “my gift to you.”
What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was
building his own house, he would have done it all so differently.
Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.
So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way,
reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the
best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort.
Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and
find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had
realized that we would have done it differently.
Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each
day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build
wisely. It is the only life you will ever build. Even if you live
it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived
graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, “Life
is a do-it-yourself project.” Your life tomorrow will be the
result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.
– Author Unknown

Chiropractic Information

Chiropractic More Effective Than Physical Therapy for Back Pain

Numerous studies have shown that chiropractic can be an effective treatment for patients with low back pain. Now a new report¹ has looked further into the effectiveness of chiropractic by comparing it to physical therapy treatment, and, more significantly, studying the long-term benefits of chiropractic as measured by the annual number of office visits.
Most studies that look at long-term effects of treatment simply look at self-reported outcomes: level of pain and disability. This study took a different approach. By examining how much care patients sought after the initial study period, they could determine the effect each treatment method had on future health care consumption:
“Care seeking behavior by patients with low back pain is most commonly associated with increased pain and disability, meaning more care is sought when worse symptoms are experienced. The amount of health care utilized may therefore be used as a measure of patient health status, and thus may be compared between groups of patients to determine effectiveness of certain therapies.”
“Proctor et al.² determined that about 25% of patients with chronic, disabling, work-related musculoskeletal disorders pursue new health care services after completing a course of treatment, and among those who sought additional health care from a new provider, a subgroup of <15 a="a" accounted="accounted" an="an" and="and" care="care" chronic="chronic" dimension="dimension" disabling="disabling" disorders="disorders" disproportionate="disproportionate" disputes.="disputes." financial="financial" for="for" from="from" further="further" health="health" important="important" in="in" is="is" lost="lost" more="more" musculoskeletal="musculoskeletal" new="new" of="of" ongoing="ongoing" outcome="outcome" p="p" patients="patients" post-treatment="post-treatment" procedures="procedures" productivity="productivity" provider="provider" share="share" stated="stated" surgical="surgical" that="that" they="they" utilization="utilization" with="with" work-related="work-related" worker="worker">The authors started with 191 patients with low back pain. 107 patients received chiropractic care (flexion/distraction treatment, or FD) and 84 patients received active exercise therapy (EP) from physical therapists. All patients received treatment 2 to 4 times per week for four weeks. The study subjects were then followed for one year to assess outcomes. The authors found:

• 38% of the FD patients and 54% of the EP patients sought care for their back pain during the one-year follow-up.
• FD patients had an average of 2.2 visits to a health care provider after the treatment period, while EP patients had an average of 6 visits.

“We hypothesized that there would be no group difference in the average number of visits to any health care provider. The results demonstrated that actually there were significant group differences during the year after trial participation, with a higher number of visits to any health care provider and to a general practitioner in the EP group.”
The authors conclude:
“Based on one-year follow-up data imputed for complete analysis, participants who received physical therapy (exercise program) during a clinical trial attended a higher number of visits to any health care provider and to general practitioners during the year after care when compared to participants who received chiropractic care (flexion distraction) within the trial.”

1. Cambron JA, Gudavalli MR, McGregor M, et al. Amount of health care and self-care following a randomized clinical trial comparing flexion-distraction with exercise program for chronic low back pain. Chiropractic and Osteopathy 2006:14:19.
2. Proctor TJ, Mayer TG, Gatchel RJ, McGreary DD: Unremitting health care utilization outcomes of tertiary rehabilitation of patients with chronic musculoskeletal disorders. Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 2004, 86A:62-69.

Neck and Back Pain in Children... The Role of Backpacks

Public health experts have recognized for many years that excessively heavy backpacks can cause back and neck pain in children. Three new studies have recently been published on this issue, and they shed some light on prevention of back pain in children.

Physical and Psychological Factors in Children with Back Pain

This British study¹ was designed to examine ergonomic and other factors that might account for back and neck pain in schoolchildren.
The authors gave questionnaires to 697 children aged 11-14. Of these students, 27% reported having neck pain, 18% reported having upper back pain, and 22% reported having low back pain.
After analysis of the collected data, the authors found the following:

• Neck pain was linked to school furniture, emotional and conduct problems, family history of low back pain and previous treatment for musculoskeletal disorders.
• Upper back pain was associated with backpack weight, school furniture, emotional problems, and previous treatment of musculoskeletal pain.
• Low back pain complaints were associated with school furniture, emotional issues, and “family history and previous injury or accident.”

Effects of Backpack Weight on Posture

This Italian study² looked at 43 students with an average age of 12.5 years. The authors tested each of the children with an 8-kg and 12-kg backpack, and they had the children wear them over one shoulder and two shoulders. Posture was evaluated on the children while they did a 7-minute treadmill walk.
The authors found that the posture of the children was substantially altered under load. Not surprisingly, asymmetrical loading (carrying the backpack on one shoulder rather than both), resulted in the most complex postural changes.
“Our results suggest that a 12 kg load, fairly common in this population (carried at least once a week), seems to push the postural system to its physiological limits.” ²
They found that the postural changes were corrected once the load was removed, but the long-term consequences of these excessive weights are unknown.
Limit Backpack Weight to 10% of Child’s Body Weight

In the third report,³ the researchers interviewed 531 children from 5th to 12th grade and weighed the backpack of each student. The found that:

• “Younger students and females are more at risk due to relatively lower body weight...”
• Female students carried heavier backpacks than did male students.
• “Greater relative backpack weight is associated with upper– and mid–back pain reports but not neck or lower back pain; it is also associated with lost school time, lost school sports time, and greater chiropractic utilization.”

The authors of this study recommend that backpacks weigh no more than 10% of the child’s body weight, which is lower than the current recommendation of 15%. Previous studies have found that students often carry between 17-22% of their body weight. ²
From these studies, it’s clear that a significant number of children suffer from neck and back pain. Because a substantial portion of these complaints may originate in backpack usage, it is critical when dealing with children with neck and back pain to ask about backpack usage. Musculoskeletal pain in children is especially a concern since it has been associated with pain in adulthood.

1. Murphy S, Buckle P, Stubbs D. A cross-sectional study of self-reported back and neck pain among English schoolchildren and associated physical and psychological risk factors. Applied Ergonomics 2007;38(6):797-804.
2. Negrini S, Negrini A. Postural effects of symmetrical and asymmetrical loads on the spines of schoolchildren. Scoliosis 2007;2(1):8.
3. Moore MJ, White GL, Moore DL. Association of Relative Backpack Weight With Reported Pain, Pain Sites, Medical Utilization, and Lost School Time in Children and Adolescents. Journal of School Health 2007;77(5):232-239.

Chiropractic and Spinal Stenosis

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a serious health problem, especially among the elderly. “Spinal stenosis has been defined as any narrowing of the spinal canal or the various tunnels through which nerves and other structures communicate with that canal.” 1 The most common symptoms of LSS are:

• Pain and numbness in the low back.
• Pain and numbness in the legs and buttocks.
• Symptoms are usually worse after walking or extension of the lumbar spine.
• Symptoms improve with flexion of the lower back.

The authors of a new study2 discuss the problem of LSS:
“LSS is one of the most common reasons for spine surgery in older people, although little is known about the efficacy of surgical management of patients with LSS, particularly compared to non-surgical management. It is generally felt that most patients with LSS should be managed non-surgically before considering surgical intervention, but little is also known about what non-surgical approaches are most efficacious.”
The researchers set out to determine if chiropractic is beneficial for these patients. They studied 55 patients with LSS diagnosed by MRI or CT scans. Each patient was given questionnaires to determine disability and pain intensity before treatment and at a 16-month follow-up. In addition, the subjects were questioned regarding improvement every 3 to 4 weeks during treatment.
The patients were treated with the following techniques:

• Distraction Manipulation (DM) – a technique where the patient lies prone on a table that “allows for distraction of the spine through inferiorforward and flexion movement of the lower body.”
• Neural Mobilization (NM) – “a manual and exercise oriented method that is theorized to mobilize nerve roots that are suspected to be the source of nerve root pain.”

Patients were given individual treatment plans, but generally were seen 2-3 times per week for three weeks, then one or two times a week after that. The average number of treatments was 13.3.
The authors reported the following findings at the completion of treatment:

• The average patient-rated improvement was 65.1% from baseline to the end of treatment.
• The average patient improvement in disability was 5.1 points on the Roland Morris Back Pain and Disability (RM) questionnaire.
• There were also significant improvements in “worst pain.”

At the 16 month follow-up:

• The average patient-rated improvement was 75.6%.
• The average improvement in disability was 5.2 points on the RM.
• “Clinically meaningful improvement in disability was seen in 73.2% of patients.”
• The average improvement in “on average pain” was 3.0 points on the RM.
• The average improvement in “at worst pain” was 4.2 points on the RM.
• Only two patients needed surgery by the 16 month follow-up.

Other studies have looked at the natural course of LSS with conservative treatment, and it appears from this study that chiropractic may be more effective than other treatments. A 1996 study3 found that “non-surgical” treatment resulted in improvement of only 1.6 points on the RM after one year.
The authors conclude:
“The combination of DM and NM may be a safe and effective approach for patients with LSS. Because the sample size is relatively small and there is no control group, firm conclusions regarding this cannot be drawn. The outcome of this approach compares favorably with other non-surgical treatments, and treatment with DM and NM may be a viable non-surgical option before considering surgery for LSS.”

1. Nowakowski P, Delitto A, Erhard RE. Lumbar spinal stenosis. Physical Therapy 1996;76:187-190.
2. Murphy DR, Hurwitz EL, Gregory AA, Clary R. A non-surgical approach to the management of lumbar spinal stenosis: a prospective observational cohort study. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2006;7:16.
3. Atlas SJ, Deyo RA, Keller RB, et al. The Maine Lumbar Spine Study. Part III. 1-year outcomes of surgical and nonsurgical management of lumbar spinal stenosis. Spine 1996;21:1787-1795.

Ice Cream

Last week I took my children to a restaurant. My six-year-old son

asked if he could say grace. As we bowed our heads he said: "God

is good. God is great. Thank you for the food, and I would even

thank you more if mom gets us ice cream for dessert,and Liberty

and justice for all! Amen."

Along with the laughter from the other customers nearby, I heard

a woman remark, "That's what's wrong with this country. Kids

today don't even know how to pray. Asking God for ice-cream! Why,

I never!"

Hearing this, my son burst into tears and asked me, "Did I do it

wrong? Is God mad at me?" As I held him and assured him that he

had done a terrific job and God was certainly not mad at him, an

elderly gentleman approached the table. He winked at my son and

said, "I happen to know that God thought that was a great

prayer." "Really?" my son asked. "Cross my heart." Then in a

theatrical whisper he added (indicating the woman whose remark

had started this whole thing), "Too bad she never asks God for

ice cream. A little ice cream is good for the soul sometimes."

Naturally, I bought my kids ice cream at the end of the meal. My

son stared at his for a moment and then did something I will

remember the rest of my life. He picked up his sundae and,

without saying a word, walked over and placed it in front of the

woman that made the remark. With a big smile he told her, "Here,

this is for you. Ice cream is good for the soul sometimes, and my

soul is good already."

-- Author Unknown

Gift Of Love

Many years ago, when I worked as a volunteer at Stanford

Hospital, I got to know a little girl named Liza who was

suffering from a disease and needed a blood transfusion from her

five-year-old brother, who had miraculously survived the same

disease and had developed the antibodies needed to combat the

illness.

The doctor explained the situation to her little brother, and

asked the boy if he would be willing to give his blood to his

sister. I saw him hesitate for only a moment before taking a deep

breath and saying, "Yes, I'll do it if it will save Liza."

As the transfusion progressed, he lay in bed next to his sister

and smiled, as we all did, seeing the color returning to her

cheeks. Then his face grew pale and his smile faded.

He looked up at the doctor and asked with a trembling voice,

"Will I start to die right away?" Being young, the boy had

misunderstood the doctor; he thought he was going to have to give

her all his blood.

-- Author Unknown

A Quiet Voice........

This little story reminds us to listen to that small quiet voice

from within -- you never know where it will lead you.

As a teacher of origami (the ancient Japanese art of paper

folding) at the LaFarge Lifelong Learning Institute in Milwaukee,

Wisconsin, Art Beaudry was asked to represent the school at an

exhibit at a large mall in Milwaukee. He decided to take along a

couple hundred folded paper cranes to pass out to people who

stopped at his booth.

Before that day, something strange happened -- a voice told him

to find a piece of gold foil paper and make a gold origami crane.

The voice was so insistent that Art actually found himself

rummaging through his collection of origami papers at home until

he found one flat, shiny piece of gold foil.

"Why am I doing this?" he asked himself. Art had never worked

with the shiny gold paper; it didn't fold as easily or neatly as

the crisp multicolored papers. But that little voice kept

nudging. Art tried to ignore the voice. "Why gold foil anyway?

Paper is much easier to work with," he grumbled.

The voice continued. "Do it! And give it to a special person." By

now Art was getting a little cranky. "What special person?" he

asked the voice. "You'll know which one," the voice said.

That evening Art carefully folded and shaped the unforgiving gold

foil until it became as graceful and delicate as a real crane

about to take flight. He packed the exquisite crane in the box

along with about 200 other colorful paper cranes he'd made over

the previous few weeks.

The next day at the mall, dozens upon dozens of people stopped by

Art's booth to ask questions about origami. He demonstrated the

art. He folded, unfolded and refolded. He explained the intricate

details, the need for sharp creases.

Then, suddenly, there was a woman standing in front of Art. Was

this that special person? Art had never seen her before, and she

hadn't said a word as she watched him carefully fold a pink piece

of paper into a crane with pointed, graceful wings.

Art glanced up at her face, and before he realized it, he found

himself reaching for the "gold-foil crane" he'd labored over the

night before. Carefully he picked up the gold crane, and gently

placed it in the woman's hand.

Art said: "I don't know why, but a voice told me to give you that

golden crane. The crane is the ancient symbol of peace," Art

said

simply.

The woman didn't say a word as she slowly cupped her hand around

the fragile bird as if it were alive. When Art looked at her

face, he saw tears filling her eyes.

Finally, the woman took a deep breath and said, "My husband died

three weeks ago. This is the first time I've been out. Today...."

She wiped her eyes with her free hand, still gently cradling the

golden crane with the other. Then she said very quietly, as

tears

streamed down her face. "Today would have been our 'golden'

wedding anniversary."

Then the lady said in a clear voice, "Thank you so much for this

beautiful gift. Now I know that my husband is at peace.

Don't you see? The voice you heard, it was the voice of God, and

this beautiful crane is a gift from Him. It's the most wonderful

50th wedding anniversary gift I could have received. Thank you

for listening to Holy Spirit within your heart."

And that's how Art learned to listen very carefully, when the

Holy Spirit speaks to him within, and tells him to do things he

may not understand -- now or even later.

Are you listening, my friend? God may be speaking to you.

-- Author Unknown

Removing Rocks..........................

A little boy was spending his Saturday morning playing in his
sandbox. He had with him his box of cars and trucks, his plastic
pail, and a shiny, red plastic shovel. In the process of creating
roads and tunnels in the soft sand, he discovered a large rock in
the middle of the sandbox.
The boy dug around the rock, managing to dislodge it from the
dirt. With a little bit of struggle, he pushed and nudged the
rock across the sandbox by using his feet. (He was a very small
boy, and the rock was very large.) When the boy got the rock to
the edge of the sandbox however, he found that he couldn't roll
it up and over the little wall.
Determined, the little boy shoved, pushed, and pried, but every
time he thought he had made some progress, the rock tipped and
then fell back into the sandbox. The little boy grunted,
struggled, pushed, & shoved; but his only reward was to have the
rock roll back, smashing his chubby fingers.
Finally he burst into tears of frustration. All this time the
boy's father watched from his living room window as the drama
unfolded. At the moment the tears fell, a large shadow fell
across the boy and the sandbox. It was the boy's father. Gently
but firmly he said,
"Son, why didn't you use all the strength that you had
available?"
Defeated, the boy sobbed back,
"But I did, Daddy, I did! I used all the strength that I had!"
"No, son," corrected the father kindly.
"You didn't use all the strength you had. You didn't ask me."
With that the father reached down, picked up the rock and removed
it from the sandbox.
Do you have "rocks" in your life that need to be removed? Are you
discovering that you don't have what it takes to lift them? There
is One who is always available to us and willing to give us the
strength we need. Isn't it funny how we try so hard to do things
ourselves.
-- Author Unknown

Are You Out Of Control?

Does your life feel like's it out of control sometimes?

Did you ever say to yourself, "Why does this always happen to me?"

The decisions we make every minute of the day sometimes come back to us later and we're not always happy with the results.

But an important secret to success s to accept responsibility for every decision we make, not just the good ones.

When you take responsibility for your own actions, positive things start happening in your life.

I don't know what the reason is for that, but as soon as you accept the responsibility for where you are and what you are and what you've done suddenly you are in control of your life.
You realize that all the blame is on you. You are where you are in life because of CHOICES you've made... no one else.

No one else is to blame for your situation. Only you are to blame.

Once you realize that and accept that, you're in control. And once you're in control you can change your situation - if you want.

Does your life feel "out of control" sometimes (all the time?). This is the reason why.


I want you to get this planted firmly in your mind:

"I am responsible for my own actions. I am responsible for the situation I'm in right now. No one else is to blame for it. It's my mess and I'm going to do something to clean it up starting today."

The question you need to ask yourself continually is:

"What am I going to do to change my life right now, for the better?"

Now if you're one of those individuals who has always accepted responsibility for your own actions, then bless you.

You are to be congratulated- you are also rare.

I guarantee you though that re-affirming "you are responsible for you own actions" will be good to remember once in a while.

Start taking control of your life instead of being lead by your fears, insecurities, phobias, hate or other people.

It starts by accepting responsibility for yourself and your actions.


David J Vallieres

Old West Justice

A man in the Old West was being tried for stealing a horse.

You need to remember that stealing a horse in the Old West was a

very grave and serious offense. A person could be hanged if found

guilty of such a deed.

It so happened that the man whose horse had been stolen had

always made it a point to get the best of any person with whom he

had any dealings. He had never tried to do anything good for

anyone other than himself. Consequently, the man whose horse had

been stolen didn't have a single friend in the entire town. The

case was tried and presented to the jury.

The evidence against the accused man was pretty strong. After

about thirty minutes of deliberation, the jury returned to the

court chambers.

"Gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?" the judge

asked.

The chairman of the jury stood up. "Yes we have, your honor," he

replied.

"What is your verdict?" inquired the judge.

There were a few moments of silence and then the chairman spoke.

"We find the defendant not guilty if he will return the horse."

After the judge had silenced the laughter in the courtroom, he

admonished the jury. "I cannot accept that verdict. You will have

to retire until you reach another verdict," said the judge. The

jury went back into their room to deliberate toward another

verdict. No member of the jury had any particular liking for the

man whose horse had been stolen. At one time or another he had

gotten the best of each of them. About an hour passed before the

jury could reach another verdict. They re-entered the courtroom.

They took their place in the jury box and the courtroom grew

silent.

"Gentlemen of the jury," began the judge, "have you reached a

verdict?" The chairman of the jury stood up.

"Yes we have, your honor," he replied. "What is your verdict?"

asked the judge.

The courtroom was totally silent. You could have heard a pin

drop. Everyone eagerly awaited the verdict. The chairman read the

decision reached by the twelve good men, tried and true.

"We find the defendant NOT guilty, and he can KEEP the horse!"

The courtroom burst into laughter! Moral of the story: If you

spend your life trying to take advantage of others, never caring

about them in any way except what you can get from them or what

they can do for you, you will end up a loser, like the man who

lost his horse.

If you desire a friend, then be a friend. If you desire for other

people to help you, then help other people. If you desire justice

at the hands of others, then practice justice toward them.

Regardless of what you may think, the old Biblical admonition is

true. We do reap what we sow.

-- Author Unknown

Ask the Doc

Causes of Fibromyalgia?

 

Q: Dr. Moulas, what is the true cause of fibromyalgia?

 

A: Fibromyalgia is a disease that has multiple causes. In the research studies that have been completed on fibromyalgia patients, several major theories have come to light.

 

The first is that there has been an injury to the neck or upper spine, which triggers fibromyalgia by affecting the central nervous system. Another is that psychological stress is the cause. It’s even possible that disturbed sleep patterns for long periods of time can trigger the disorder. If your true cause is any of these, we can start making a difference in small increments right now, today!

 

Physicians don’t have a method of determining what is YOUR true cause of fibromyalgia, so we’re waiting for technology to come up with some valid tests. In the meantime, we already have solutions for injury to the neck or upper spine: chiropractic and healing the body from within. We already have solutions for reducing psychological stress. And we already have solutions for disturbed sleep patterns. Some of these solutions are in this report. All you have to do is embrace them! Get going on using them and your body will get going with the healing!

 

More on Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Good News about Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

 

When you have carpal tunnel syndrome, it may seem that life has come to a standstill. You may found it difficult to wash your hair in the shower, button your buttons and zip up your parka, type on the computer keyboard, do simple household chores, sleep and even drive a car without pain. With constant pain, it’s easy to think about giving up!

 

The good news is that a chiropractor can definitely make a difference in your life. The road to recovery will take awhile, but with treatments and proper home care, you will soon discover that you can gain much control over the pain that accompanies this musculoskeletal disorder.

 

As your chiropractor, I’ve already done everything to insure that your carpal tunnel syndrome is not the result of serious disease. I have set up a treatment plan for you that I am confident will help us address the causes of this disorder once and for all. My goal is for you to be free of carpal tunnel syndrome within six months. Many of my patients begin their carpal tunnel syndrome-free life a lot earlier than that and they do it because they continue treatment and follow my home care recommendations.