Staying healthy isn’t always easy. With the ongoing stressors of life, work, family, sport and finances, it is easy to let something that is so important slip. We are sure that if you had to think of one person with Cancer, Heart Disease or Diabetes, you would be able to come up with several names.

As the saying goes, ‘there is no point being the richest man in the graveyard’. It is now estimated that over 90% of the health challenges people experience daily, could be prevented or reversed by a change in lifestyle.

To fail to plan is a plan to fail! How many of you find yourself taking better care of your car, your hair, your home, your work tools or someone else, better than you take care of yourself?

In a study recently done on Australians, performed by the drug company Pfizer, 70% of Australians suffer from a health condition, including high cholesterol, depression, heart disease, chronic pain and diabetes. It also found that around 66% of Australians choose prescriptive medicines to treat the symptoms of these conditions, instead of making lifestyle changes or seeking natural health alternatives, such as Chiropractic care, exercise or a change in nutrition.

Our life expectancy is increasing, however our quality of life is decreasing. So, people might be living longer, but spending the last of their years in a nursing home, or on numerous medications, with no quality of life – this is not living!

So, the question is, what is your plan to take yourself into your 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and beyond with more energy, vitality, health and zest for life as each year passes? Have you even thought about it? If you haven’t, then you must!

To Fail To Plan, Is A Plan To Fail

When it comes to planning, people spend more time planning a holiday than planning how they are going to take care of their body each day so they can enjoy their holiday. Now of course, we believe in balance and if you do the right thing 80% of the time, then you can afford to ‘zag’ as we like to call it. But, many people ‘zag’ 80% of the time and only stop to think about their health when something goes wrong.

Get Inspired!

We just had the privilege of celebrating our pop’s 90th birthday last weekend. He is one of the most energetic, passionate and full of life people you will ever meet. We are told often, how lucky we are to still have our grandparents alive. This is sad, but true. So many friends around us don’t have grandparents or great grandparents to share with their own children.

That being said, what is the picture you see when you think of yourself when you are 60, 70, 80, 90 or 100? Is it someone living life and getting out there and doing it? Or is it a picture of someone in a nursing home, unhealthy, waiting to die? You have the choice of how it will turn out. Remember, good health doesn’t happen by chance, we create it, we plan it, we do it everyday!

Here is an example of Bill & Mary, an 83-year-old high jumper and a 90-year-old triathlete - both of them doing what it takes and living life.

They will bring tears to your eyes and show you what is truly possible, if you want it to be!

If being healthy at 100 is something that inspires you, then start planning for it today, don’t gamble with your life, take care of yourself today and your body will allow you to enjoy life to the fullest in the years to come!

We hope you are as inspired as we are and that your choose life, choose health, choose to plan for a long and healthy life!

In today’s modern fast-paced society, health tends to be one of those things that people don’t necessarily value… until that is, it is no longer there!

Even if people say they do value health, they may talk a good game, but follow their actions and that will give you the real story.

The challenge somewhat lies in the way people gauge their health.  What I find as I read through the hundreds of entrance forms each month that people fill out as they enter our wellness center is that the vast majority judge how well they are by how they feel.  And I can’t blame them; after all we all want to feel great.  What many don’t realise though is that only less than 10% of our nervous system perceives pain.  How we feel is a by product of how we are functioning, yet most of us focus only on the tip of the iceberg – how we feel (the 10%) and not on what lies beneath – how we are functioning which makes up 90% of the story.

The consequence of this is that despite the amazing advances in medical technology and drug therapy we are the sickest generation to have lived.  Over the past decades each year our average age of death increased for both males and females, until a few years ago that was.  Now our life expectancy is decreasing.  What this tells me is that the advances in medical intervention wasn’t actually extending our lives, but rather prolonging our death.  Those final years on the planet, the people’s quality of life was probably not what they considered thriving, but just surviving.

A classic scenario is the person who feels fine, their GP gives them clean bill of health and the next day they drop dead of a heart attack.  This is the first symptom that there was even a problem for 40% of people who get a heart attack – they are at their own funeral.  Upon autopsy it is revealed that they had a ‘clogged’ artery.  It is commonly know that we seldom feel a clogged artery.

So it doesn’t make a lot of sense to follow this Pain-Problem Paradigm – in other words wait until there is pain to know there is a problem, then do something about it (or even worse mask the body’s attempt to let you know there is a problem by taking a ‘pain-killer’).  Some just ignore the problem all together using what I call ‘Hope Management’.  That is, just hope it goes away.

The way of the future is the Power-Problem Paradigm.  It is well known by reputable health care professionals that the brain via the nervous system supplies the power to all the cells, tissues, organs and other systems of the body.

If there is an interruption in this power supply, it can be a direct or indirect cause of virtually any health challenge in the body.  The nervous systems role is to control and co ordinate all body functions, keeping them working in harmony.  It makes our heart beat 100, 000 times per day without us even having to think about it.  Our nervous system directs the immune system to relate us to our environment through its defenses and the nervous system helps us deal with life’s stresses.  That’s why we get the feeling like ‘something or someone is getting on my nerves’ when the stress we can comfortably handle is above our threshold.

Think about how the power supply works in our house.  If there is too much ‘stress’ on the system, rather than causing the whole house to burn down, there is a fuse box that regulates the power.  It makes more sense to ‘blow’ a fuse than to lose the whole house.  Our bodies work much the same.  If we are experiencing too much stress in our system through physical (car accidents, slips/falls, sporting injuries, poor posture, birth process), chemical (toxins, food additives, medications) or emotional (work, finances, relationships, road rage) the vertebrae in our spine are like a fuse that can ‘flip’ and help our nervous system deal with the stress in the short term.  If the stress is great enough or it remains for a sustained period of time, the spine will now adopt this misalignment as ‘normal’.  In other words the misaligned vertebrae causes the poor posture.

Here is the interesting thing – remember we spoke about power.  We learnt that the power that keeps you healthy, energetic and functioning well courses through the nervous system.  So the impact that the misaligned spine has on your health can be significant.  “But surely I would know if I have a misalignment in my spine causing poor health” you might say!  Well if you judge by how you feel and there is no pain or symptoms you may be led to believe you are fine.  Yet now you know that the way we feel is only 10% of the picture.

The fact is most people have not had the power that runs there body checked to ensure it is proving 100% nerve supply to gain 100% function.  The principles of healing at Body Brilliant Chiropractic and of Wellness Chiropractors all over the world are twofold – firstly check to see the alignment of the spine and accurately gauge if there is pressure on your power supply.  Secondly, identify, reduce or ideally eliminate the stressors in your life so that they don’t continue to reduce your power supply.

People who follow this Power-Problem Paradigm get to the cause of their problems quickly, safely and effectively that allows them to experience their peak health and life potential.  It is a vast difference to the Pain-Problem Paradigm whereby people use drugs and surgery to temporarily mask the pain, and often lead to further ‘side effects’.

I am a big believer in ‘horses for courses’.  Drugs and surgery used at the right time in crisis care are ultimately life-saving.  The challenge is that the crisis in 95% of cases would not have been necessary if some time had been invested into their health while they still had it.  But not every person is prepared to take the time or responsibility to follow the Power-Problem Paradigm.  It is not a case of just showing up and saying “here I am doc – fix me!”  The meaning of the word doctor is ‘to teach’, not write prescriptions.

In addition to the services we provide in our centre, we believe in educating and empowering people.  Which is why every week at our half hour to health workshop series, patients and health conscious people of the Gold Coast learn what they can and should be doing to move well, eat well, think well and stay well adjusted to prevent becoming another health statistic. If you are looking for answers and want to make a change today, contact our team or book in for an upcoming workshop and kick hope management to the curb!

As a father to two little boys, I know what a precious gift children are. As a chiropractor, I also see how precious their health is.

Every day in our centre I see newborns, toddlers and children of all ages as their parents understand the importance of nurturing a healthy spine. Chiropractors such as myself and all over the world, see a surprisingly wide variety of health problems in children such as reflux, colic, asthma, growing pains, ADHD and other behavioural conditions, ear infections, bed wetting, digestive and sleeping problems to name a few.

In speaking with many parents, they are often unsure why a baby or 5 year old may need to see a Chiropractor. What they don’t know is that a misalignment of the spine, what we call subluxation, could be effecting their child’s level of health and the function of their nervous system.

Your nervous system controls every single function in your body. It is so amazing that it sends messages at over 400km per hour all over the body controlling balance, digestion, thoughts, co-ordination, healing and millions of other functions. It is our spine which protects our spinal cord and nervous system. A misalignment in the spine, what we as chiropractors call subluxation, can put endangering stress and pressure onto the spinal cord or nervous system, which can effect the function of where ever the nerve is going to.

Many people see chiropractors for concerns such as back pain, headaches, neck pain or sciatic pain, which is often due to the misalignments in the spine in the low back or neck. What many people fail to realise it that those nerves in the neck also feed the brain, respiratory system and thyroid. The nerves in the low back feed the reproductive system, digestive system, liver, kidneys and so much more.

We like to say that ‘if your spine was on your face, you would take better care of it.’

There are many causes of subluxation, or misalignments to the spine. Common causes are car accidents, slips and falls, poor work or sleeping postures, incorrect lifting. But other causes that many people don’t think about can begin literally from day one! The birth process itself is enough to cause subluxation in a newborns spine. Especially if forceps, vacuum extraction or a c-section took place. Also consider falls off a change table, down stairs, being hit on the head by a loving brother or sister, sports injuries, falling out of bed or trees and it is not hard to see why it is so important to have children’s spine checked as soon as possible.

Ear infections, colic, reflux, ADHD, postural imbalances and so much more may be caused from subluxations. If there is pressure on the nervous system in the neck and those nerves travel to the ears, then it is highly likely that the nerve flow to the ears may be effected, causing ear infections, for example.

Some parents may have questions around the techniques used on babies or children. The techniques that chiropractors use on a newborn are completely different to those of a 15 or 40 year old and a chiropractic adjustment is very safe and gentle. Many babies often sleep through their adjustments as only light finger tip pressure is often needed to perform an adjustment.

I speak to parents every day who are sick of being given a prescription for their child without doctors ever getting to the cause of why the health challenge arrived in the first place. Our goal as chiropractors at Body Brilliant is to increase awareness in the community of how subluxation may be effecting the level of health you or your children are experiencing.

At Body Brilliant, out purpose is to get to the cause of your health challenges and to maintain health for you and your family, naturally. If you are ready to get to the cause of any health challenges you or your family are facing, or if you want to maintain a healthy body for life, contact our team today to find out more. If you don’t live in the area, we will gladly put you in touch with a Family Wellness Chiropractor who can help you on your way to optimal health and vitality, naturally.

Something that is often said in our centre is “If your spine was on your face, you would take better care of it.” In today’s society, many people place their focus on ‘looking good’ and trying to be ‘fit’, but many people don’t understand that there is a huge difference to how we feel and how healthy we truly are.

Society is driven by ‘feeling’, if we feel good, then we must be healthy – wrong! In fact, less than 10% of our entire body has any ability to feel pain, yet most of us don’t do anything to take care of our health until we feel a ’symptom’. How many times have you heard someone say, “I don’t understand how this person got sick, they seem so healthy and they were only 43″?

Many of us spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars a year on our hair, make-up, plastic surgery, clothing, teeth, body care products and treatments but often little thought is given to taking care of our spine and nervous system. Our nervous system controls every single function in our body. If our spine moves out of its ideal healthy position, it can place dangerous stress and pressure on the spinal cord and all the nerves that exit from the spine at any level.

This past Saturday was World Spine Day. Every day millions of people of all ages all over the world experience the natural benefits of Chiropractic Care. These people don’t just go to their Chiropractor for ‘back and neck pain’ but for thousands of other reasons, one of them being to maintain their health! It is not uncommon for us to see and help people with Ear Infections, Headaches, Reproductive problems, Period Pain, Infertility, Asthma, Poor Immunity, Chronic Fatigue, Digestive Problems, Stomach Ulcers, Thyroid Problems, Depression, Sciatica, ADHD, babies with Colic or Reflux, the list goes on….

By having a check-up by a Chiropractor, such as our team at Body Brilliant Chiropractic you can have the opportunity to discover how healthy your spine really is, rather than waiting for something to go wrong in the years to come.

There is no value in being the richest person in the graveyard. Think about looking after your health today, without basing it on the absence of symptoms (which is only 10% of the story). Each day, your actions either build or destroy health in your body, be aware of the choices you are making and choose health, not sickness!