Remember that great television ad from Staples featuring the easy button? Everything was resolved with the simple push of a button. It became such a hit that Staples began selling the actual easy button. If only life were that easy. As comical as it might be, reality tells us that many things in life just aren’t designed to be easy. When it comes to our own personal wellness journey, the road inevitable has a few bumps along the way. However, modern day medicine gives us the impression that there is an easy button that comes in the form of prescription medications. A quick fix for any ailment, hence the trend our society is facing today of increasing prescription use. The road to wellness has no use for an easy button because the easy fix does not address the underlying issue and is only a temporary solution.

A recent article from The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA, 11/3/15) highlighted the fact that society’s dependence on prescription drugs is continuing to increase. It also revealed an increase in those who are taking five or more medications as well. Five or more! With the number of side effects related with any medication, taking more than one at a time sounds like a recipe for disaster. How can someone know what “good” feels like if their body is dealing with the effects of the multiple medications they are taking?

While we might wish that there was an easy button when it comes to our health, it simply isn’t the case. What is is time, patience, knowledge, and work. Slowly unraveling the coils of a sedentary lifestyle with poor nutritional food choices. It took time to get us where we are at, it will take time to get us back to where we want to be. Toss out your misconceptions about wellness. There isn’t a band-aid approach that will fix things. There isn’t an easy button or prescription medications that will do the trick. What there is is you – your efforts, your commitment to yourself, your investment of time. A journey of wellness always begins somewhere, but where you go with it is completely up to you.

“Two steps forward, one step back.”

This familiar anecdote seems to capture the true essence of healing. At Damron Chiropractic & Wellness (DCW), healing is our top priority. However, healing is a process that not only takes time but also involves various stages. The stage that surprises our patients the most is called the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. This is also called the healing crisis stage. While it might seem odd to have the words healing and crisis connected, this is exactly what is happening within the body. Healing actually means the body is eliminating the toxins that are existing within it. The healing crisis is the temporary worsening of symptoms as the body goes through the process of getting well. It is normal and to be expected. Unfortunately, if we are unaware of this stage in our healing we might think something is wrong. We then want to stop whatever it is we are doing to heal, and then find ourselves once again right back where we started – in pain.

At DCW we are big advocates of education. We believe that with knowledge comes the power to transform your life. All to often, it is misconceptions or a lack of understanding that leaves people living with pain and discomfort. Many times, the people who walk through our doors have tried to address their pain in other ways, without success. From the onset, every team member at DCW works to identify, address, educate, and resolve whatever issue brought that person to us.

When it comes to healing, knowing that you will inevitably take “two steps forward, and one step back” at some point in the process is an important sign that you are on the right path. It means your body is responding well to the treatment you are receiving. Your body is working hard to heal, and sometimes that means experiencing additional symptoms such as nausea, poor coordination, headaches, and fatigue. The good news is that this is a temporary situation and one that resolves in only a couple of days.

Remember, healing is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight. It requires work. Your body is equipped to know what it’s supposed to do. Give it the room it needs to heal itself. Your body will thank you and you will benefit because you will feel the difference.

There’s a great song by Eric Clapton that he wrote for the 1986 movie “The Color of Money,” starring Paul Newman and Tom Cruise. The song is entitled “It’s In The Way That You Use It” and it’s about two pool hustlers and how they use their talents to scam others. It seems that the title is also appropriate for our general health and wellness, too. We may not have the ideal height, weight, genetic make up, or body type and that’s okay. What it really comes down to is how we use what we do have today so that we can enjoy the best health possible tomorrow. Or as Eric Clapton sings, “It’s In The Way That You Use It.”

We have all heard countless stories of the triumph of the human spirit despite incredible odds. Those individuals don’t let handicaps, bad luck, or tragedy prevent them from reaching their goals. They take what they have and create success. The same philosophy can be applied to any of us. Why should we let anything stop us from looking and feeling good? What it really comes down to is using each day to benefit our health. Taking one step at a time in the right direction versus throwing obstacles in our path. Obstacles such as excuses, distractions, laziness, and frustrations that give us “reasons” to not use what we have to make ourselves the best version possible.

With the New Year right around the corner, take time to evaluate what is holding you back from reaching your wellness goals. Be honest with yourself. Make 2016 the year you use what you have to stay on the path of wellness. If you’re stuck, Damron Chiropractic & Wellness can be your guide. Sometimes we need a little help, just like the training wheels on your first bike. DCW can be your training wheels that get you on the right path of better health and wellness. We can help you achieve the best health possible, in a way that honors who you are and where you are on your journey. Once you have your balance, you’ll be ready to take it from there.

Our modern world is filled with conveniences brought to us by the latest technologies. Inventions of plastic, pesticides, and preservatives have given us a wealth of options to help us live at a faster pace and do more. However, this lifestyle comes with a price. The price we pay is that we now must live in an environment that is filled with the byproduct of these conveniences. Byproducts that we ingest and then store within us. This situation can prevent us from achieving the weight loss we desire, simply because our body can not function as it should.

Let’s face it, if we can’t see it, we really don’t think about it. Out of sight, out of mind. Right? Unfortunately, whether or not we can see the toxins in our environment, they exist. Evidence is growing that reveals how harmful these toxins are to how our body functions, specifically how we process, store, and lose fat. Toxins can be found in everyday items like processed foods, cosmetics, many personal care products, our dental fillings, and even the plastic containers we store our food and water in. Yet, we trust that because the product or food is on the shelf it must be safe for us. While initially it might be, long-term exposure has the potential to change your body’s ability to control weight.

Our body is designed to naturally detoxify itself. Educating ourselves on what foods and products contain toxins and then working to avoid them our body can begin the process of ridding itself of the harmful inorganic compounds. Certain foods can help speed up the process, too. Foods such as cilantro and parsley, and eggs. You can also determine through diagnostic testing what toxins are present in your body so you can develop a plan to eliminate them.

More often than not, the presence of toxins in our body is the result of years of exposure. Be patient and give your body time to eliminate them. You may just find that by going this route your weight loss goal will be successful.