Car accidents happen way too often.  And the timing is never good.  Plus the number of things you have to deal with afterwards is exhausting.  Not only does your body hurt, you have to call the insurance company, get the car fixed, play phone tag, sign endless papers, and on and on..... UGH!

But when it comes to get actual relief following your accident, chiropractic is likely your best answer.  Here's a few reasons why.

1. Pain meds cover the problems but don't fix them.  While you may get temporary relief, without getting muscles and bones back in place the strain on the body stays intense.  We've seen a number of people go through months of medications with little results only to find almost instant relief with an adjustment.  Sure, the medication can be tremendously helpful at first.  But it doesn't get to the root of the problem.

2. Car accidents can have long term effects that chiropractic can directly address.  Headaches, neck pain, and shoulder problems are common problems after a wreck.  The impact of cars hitting each other can damage the spine pretty severely.  Chiropractic and a combo of proper therapy helps repair that damage and stop it from getting worse over time.

3. Gets you back to LIFE more quickly.  The physical pain of an accident is bad.  Couple that with the mental/emotional stress and it creates enormous drains on your time and energy.  Relieving the pain and having some of that stress lifted off your shoulders helps with everything else.  Our office has worked with enough car accidents that we can streamline not only your treatments, but the behind scenes headaches that pop up as well.

If you or a loved one are in an accident, don't wait to call for help.  Get the relief and care you need right away by giving us a call.

​The brain is awesome.  Filled with a dizzying labyrinth of cells and connections, it takes in huge our world and turns into something we can understand.  But as amazing as it is, the brain likes to play little tricks on you too.  Here are 6 tricks you might not have known your brain was pulling right between your very own ears.

1. You See Everything - 11 Trillion bits bombard your system every second.  How many do you consciously recognize? 50.  That's it.  Which means all that you see, hear, taste, smell, and feel is just the beginning of what's out there.  You are consciously aware of a staggeringly little amount.

2. You do See Everything....sort of - The remainder of those 11 Trillion bits outside of your conscious awareness  don't go to waste.  You respond to them through other ways.  Ever notice your jaw clenched without realizing you were upset?  

3. It Fills in the Gaps - How many of each animal did Moses put on the Ark?  2 right? Nope.  Read the question again.  Look at the name.  If you missed it don't worry.  So did I.  The brain takes familiar information and fills in gaps.  For example, it sees "animal" with "ark" and assumes you're talking about Noah.  

4. Just Read This - I cnduo't bvleiee taht I culod aulaclty uesdtannrd waht I was rdnaieg. Unisg the icndeblire pweor of the hmuan mnid, aocdcrnig to rseecrah at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mttaer in waht oderr the lterets in a wrod are, the olny irpoamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rhgit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whoutit a pboerlm. Tihs is bucseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey ltteer by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Aaznmig, huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghhuot slelinpg was ipmorantt! See if yuor fdreins can raed tihs too.

5.  You Think You Know - Ever knew something that you KNEW you KNEW only to realize you were wrong later on?  Like mixing information together in #3, we group data in our brains in certain ways.  Sometimes the "wires get crossed" and what we thought was right was a incorrect grouping of similar information.

6. Finds Middle Ground - Go the store and look at coffee.  Of all the brands, you're most likely to choose the one priced in the middle.  Not the highest (you're not a Rockafeller).  Not the lowest (you do want some quality).  You almost always pick right in the middle.  Study after Study prove it.

Can you trust your brain?  Yes, to a degree.  Just remember that for everything you see - there's more to discover.  ​

​Truthfully, the human brain is built for change.  It thrives on the constant stream of input pouring into it on a moment by moment basis.  Each bit of data is a bite of food that nourishes and sparks growth and development.  The ever changing environment and ongoing interpretation of our world provide a necessary stream of conscious and subconscious information that makes change both unstoppable and healthy.

But there are parts of the human brain that make it difficult to create change on our terms.   It often leaves us feeling swept away in the tidal wave of change that can't be held back. One major part of the brain responsible for this action is a small structure tucked deep inside the core of the brain called the Amygdala.  

The amygdala's role in our world is to color our memories with the paintbrush of emotion. Whenever you notice a feeling of warmth and love around the memory of a grandparent or a sense of fear and anxiety around a spider in your home, you're getting a glimpse of the Amygdala at work.  And really, we're glad for this activity.  It serves as a protective mechanism helping us recall dangerous situations and urging us to avoid them further. 

"The Amygdala serves us by protecting us from potential danger.  But it can sometimes hold us back."

Yet there are times when this emotional memory can act as a hindrance.  During those times when you attempt to create positive change in some aspect of your life but are struck with fear, doubt, confusion, and anxiety it is most likely the amygdala stirring this response.  Each movement towards something new and different sparks a cascade of memories about similar experiences from your past.  Each one is met with the activation of the amygdala relaying a detailed emotional recall of how you felt before, during, and after those changes.  If previous attempts towards change have been met with failure, disappointment, guilt, and shame (you can tell my personal favorites), stepping out to achieve that change can be extremely difficult while the amygdala is chattering endless warnings in your ear.

Consider this example.  You want to lose weight.  Another New Year's is coming and with it a fresh batch of resolutions.  Most likely among them is the desire to drop a few pounds.  You've read some books, created your grocery list, and are ready to go.  But as the day approaches you feel apprehension amidst the excitement.  You begin to worry that this year will be like all those before with initial gains outweighed by eventual demise.  The sheer emotional frustration of it all has you unsure of how you'll succeed this time.  What will be different?  And what will happen to your confidence if you fail again?  Maybe it isn't worth it.  Maybe you should just learn to be happy where you are.  Maybe everyone else is right and living "just ain't worth it" if you can't have your cake and actually eat it too.  

All of these thoughts are messages from the amygdala.  It questions and consults previous experiences and then portrays possible outcomes.  Unfortunately, most of them are protective and negative.  It's not very often that it shows us the upside of stepping outside our comfort zone.  So what do you do?

Follow the ABCs. 1. Awareness   2. Breathe   3. Confront and Create.

With awareness you notice where in your body the memory or thoughts are coming from.  Does it cause a tightness in your throat or knotting in your gut?  Are you writing a story that seeks out all the potential hazards and things that might go wrong?  Just notice.  Once you do, move to Breathing.

Breathe with your belly.  Inhale with the belly pushing out and exhale sucking the belly back in.  Doing this immediately shifts the physiology from stressed to relaxed.  It provides the brain and every other cell with high levels of oxygen that allow for clear thought and better decision making.  Do 10 breaths in this manner and then move to part three.

Confront and Create.  Confront the feelings or thoughts by determining if they're real or just a series of mind chatter.  Then create the feelings and thoughts that provide the change and outcome you desire.  Take the time to really feel the happiness, joy, and pride of your achieved goal in the very cells and tissues of the body.  This creates a new circuitry for the amygdala to support and the body to achieve.  

Your body and brain are built for change.  Use the power of the mind and human form to step into a life that brings healing and harmony to you and your world. 

​While running the other day, I came to a big hill. I was already tired, but committed to my goal of finishing the run. At the bottom of the hill I could barley see the top and had a moment thought of, "I can just walk this". True statement, nothing would be lost from walking up the hill and much would be gained. I made a choice, a choice to run up this hill. As I continued up, staring at the peak, I remembered something special. Short term goals are just as important as the long term goals." With that reminder in my mind, I shifted my gaze from the peak of the hill to the ground in front of me where my next step would land, and the next. Ever so often, I looked up to remember where I was going and see how far I had come, but then back to the next step. Before I knew it I was at the top of the hill and cruising down the other side. But, in this downhill moment, there was much to be observed. For one, if I just let momentum take me, I could easily have tripped over my feet and rolled down the hill. I was still mindful of the moment and the movement. At the bottom of that hill, I gave gratitude for my experience and the clarity of life I received. So here it is, my reflections from the hill.
When setting goals, we are best served by having short and long term goals. It's great if the long term goals make you weak in the knees, focus on the short term goals to strengthen those knees. 
Don't forget to look up (and around) once in a while. If we become too rigid or too focused and single-minded, we miss the beauty along the way, we miss new opportunities or possibilities that show up and we might lose sight of our goal.
Don't stop once you reach the top. Sometimes reaching a goal can be anti-climatic, but that doesn't mean to just jump into the next goal. Take time to celebrate your success. Celebrate! Maybe on a run like this it is just a smile at yourself or throwing your hands up in the air in victory, but whatever you do, don't forget to celebrate.
Then, reflect, restore and relax. The downhill portion is easy, gravity will just take you all the way to the end. But, this is the time to reflect on what you learned about yourself, your beliefs and abilities. It's time to ground that expansion that occurred inside you on the journey up so that it  anchors into the cells of your being. "I did this." "I am enough" "I am supported". It is a time to rest and restore the body, mind and spirit. Many people forget about this step and find themselves forced to rest because of illness or severe body pain or fatigue. Reflect, rest and restore.
The journey up and the journey down are just as important as reaching the goal, I would say more important. It is where we learn about who we are, who we can be. There is an understanding, a clarity and and expansion of wisdom that occurs when we stay in line with who we are as we climb towards those goals. It doesn't matter if you reach the top, it matters if you pay attention to who you are on the journey, what you choose on the journey and what you learn on the journey.
Life isn't just about the peaks and valleys, it's about the lessons in between.