So how about that Swine Flu?

February 22nd, 2010

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Let me first make it clear that in no way shape or form do I consider myself anti-medicine nor am I preaching that you should be. Modern medicine is vastly important and responsible for saving the lives of countless individuals. However, it is imperative to understand that we as a country are entirely over-medicated, overly vaccinated and in general in poor health considering that our countries world health ranking is 37th in the world yet we consume over 65% of the worlds pharmaceuticals. Does this sound healthy to you?

I’m sure you all were aware of the recent swine flu “scare”. Many of you received this relatively rushed and somewhat tested vaccine with the idea that it was the healthy thing to do.  Well the results are in and what was thought to be a pandemic turned out to be a overblown exaggeration with less virulence than the common cold. For those of you who waited to make an informed and educated decision, you seem to have made the right choice.  Please take a moment and read this article  from Dr. Mercola on the following link. He is a leading authority on health and wellness care and should be able to give some great information that could inform you greatly.

Dr. Mercola\’s take on the adverse reactions to the Swine Flu Vaccination

Have a great day and continue on your journey to becoming a better you :)

Dr. Jordan H Kaplan

Chiropractic Physician

www.Kaplanchiropractic.com

Are you D-ficient?

December 31st, 2009

vit-d-imIf you are visiting this blog, odds are you’re most likely a healthy individual whom strives to achieve optimal health and wellness. The routes that we can take to achieve health are countless and vary depending on personal goals. Most of us exercise, eat healthy, meditate to relieve stress, get adjusted and supplement when necessary. Unfortunately, food sources in this country are often processed and void of the nutrition necessary to maintain wellness. This leaves us with using supplementation to make up for any deficiencies we may have. Supplementing can be tedious and confusing at times. Proper dosage, supplement interactions, concerns over viable brands, and weeding through outrages claims by some companies all present problems to the consumer. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a Vitamin which was clearly more powerful and important than any other vitamin on the market? And imagine if this powerful/important vitamin was absolutely 100% free to anyone. I have some good news for everyone; this  actually exists and all you have to do to take advantage of this wonderful benefit is to simply walk outside and let the sun do its job :)

It doesn’t matter what your belief system is as to how humans arrived on this planet or what our purpose is on this earth. Were we placed her by god, evolved from primates, descendants of aliens, or just a pure scientific accident? At the end of the day, all of these belief systems share 1 major common benefit. We all can utilize the healing powers of the sun, regardless of who or what was responsible for its presence in our lives. Sunlight exposure(uvb rays) to the human body initiates a sequence of events  which ends in production of vitamin D3 in the human body. Current research shows that there may not be a more important and powerful supplement to our overall health.

Vitamin D research shows an absolute myriad of conditions that a Vitamin D deficient individual may have. Benfiets of supplementaion include but are not limited to;

  • Heart health*
  • Cancer prevention***************************************
  • Cell formation and cell longevity*
  • Skin health*
  • Pancreatic health*
  • Aging process*
  • Sleep patterns*
  • Hearing*
  • Reproductive health*
  • Athletic performance*
  • Eye health*
  • Vascular system health*
  • Respiratory health*
  • Immune health*… Most people feel in better health during the summer sunshine months — ever wonder why?
  • Healthy mood and feelings of well-being*
  • Weight management, including carbohydrate and fat metabolism*
  • Hair and hair follicles*
  • Strong and healthy bones, because vitamin D encourages calcium uptake*
  • Muscles*
  • Proper digestion and food absorption* (list from Mercola.com)*

Before beginning supplementation, please check your blood levels and see if you are deficient. The best and most effective way to supplement is via direct safe sunlight exposure. If you do not have access to sunlight, supplementing with D3 is also an option contingent on using reliable accurate brands.  Please talk to a local informed physician regarding dosage and testing. 15 mins a day of direct safe exposure will give you more than ample supply to keep your body happy and healthy.

Have a safe and exciting new years! Lets hope 2010 is the time to discover a new healthy you.

Yours in health,

Dr. Jordan H Kaplan

Chiropractic Physician

www.KaplanChiropractic.com

Have a Happy and Healthy holiday

December 23rd, 2009

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Best Wishes from Kaplan Chiropractic for this upcoming holiday season. Our cultures are comprised of a myriad of different religions and belief systems. It is during this holiday time that we can truly respect everyone’s different cultures and come together to enjoy this wonderful time of year. Let us take a moment to reflect and be proud of what we have accomplished and what we should be grateful for. I am grateful for all of my wonderful patients and those whom I have been able to help over the years. May we all look forward to a happy and healthy holiday season.

While it isn’t exactly easy to be healthy during the holiday season, below are just a few tips to ensure that we enter the new year healthy and vibrant.

1) Who doesn’t love holiday foods? Don’t get me wrong, in fact, I’m the first to indulge in the wonders of sugary holiday treats. Please enjoy in moderation and remember that these high glycemic index foods can do a lot more harm than good. The good news is that our bodies are very resilient, try to cut these cravings by opting for something sweet but healthy, such as fresh fruit (fruitcake doesnt count :) )

2) If possible, please try to get ample exposure to moderate sunshine. Remember that the health benefits of sun exposure in moderation are drastic. Sunlight exposure to the body stimulates production of Vit D3 which is know to increase immune function and aids to ensure proper development of cells in the body. If you don’t happen to live in sunny Miami such as myself, you can purchase a Vitamin D3 supplement at your local health food store. You pay for what you get, so this is not the time to look for bargain prices. Dosage is in I.U’s, so try to stick to about 2-5 thousand I.U’s per day. Please consult your local physician with any questions regarding dosage or products.

3) Don’ forget, our bodies perceive stress equally, whether it be physical, emotional or toxic stress.  Try to manage these stress levels if at all possible. Treat yourself to a holiday gift by stopping by your local therapist to talk about any emotional stresses, to your nutritionist to help you manage your diet during these times and your local Chiropractor to ensure that your body is functioning optimally and ready to take on life :)

Once again, have a great holiday. And remember, we only get one body in this liftime, so continue on your journey to becoming a better you.

Yours in health,

Jordan H Kaplan DC

Chiropractic Physician

www.KaplanChiropractic.com

90-10 Principle

December 9th, 2009

clouds_3201 Your life, health, and happiness is at the affect of countless variables. We know that we are affected equally by physical stress, toxins, and perceived mental stress. What if there was a way to change how we perceived stressful situations in our lives; wouldn’t that allow us to control and in doing so, optimize our levels of health and happiness?

Fortunately for us, the majority of what happens in our lives is solely controlled by our own actions and or reactions to people or events. It is how we choose to handle these occurrences that ultimately will dictate what our life has in store for us on any given day. Please view the following you tube video describing the “90-10 principle”. Hopefully it allows you to put your life into perspective :)

It should be noted that I take no credit for producing or creating this video or idea. I am merely presenting it as a tool for use if you choose to do so.

90-10 principle

Have a great day and continue on your journey to becoming a better you.

Dr. Jordan H Kaplan Dc

Chiropractic Physician

www.KaplanChiropractic.com

Headaches much?

December 3rd, 2009

bulldog-with-headache While most of us have become accustomed to living with/dealing with our health related issues, it is imperative to realize that most if not all of us can make drastic changes in our lifestyle to not just treat these symptoms but to fix the cause of most of these root problems. Of all of the condition’s that we as Chiropractors give care for, of the most common is the issue of headaches. When did it become so happenstance to take pain killers as if we were like popping a tic-tac or a Flintstones vitamin? Do you think that headaches are a normal occurrence?

Headaches can be viewed as a simple cause/effect paradigm. The root causes include but are not limited to stress, environment, toxins, menstrual, cervicogenic, and tension.  Of these, for the purpose of this post, will discuss the causation of cervicogenic related headaches.

A recent study done by Duke university demonstrated that 85% of all headaches were cervicogenic, meaning that the cause of the headaches were coming from the cervical spine. It’s really quite simple actually.The nerve supply to the blood vessels supplying the brain come from the cervical spine. Misalignment of the cervical spine begets instability which begets inflammation which leads to irritation to said nerve supply. When there is interference between the nerve and the end target(the blood vessel), the body adapts by doing what it feels is proper to ensure survival. Because of the importance of blood supply to the brain, the resultant action by the body is to cause vasodialation(expanding) of the blood vessels to shunt more blood to the brain. The majority of the time, this action though effective will cause headaches due to the rapid flood of blood to brain. So, what do Chiropractors do to correct this? Instead of giving the patient a pill/potion/lotion to take away the symptoms of the headache; we address the root cause which is the misalignment of the cervical spine. Most if not all of the patients which  show up in our offices will likely demonstrate a loss of cervical lordosis on x-ray examination. Treatment is rendered to the Cervical spine consisting of Chiropractic adjustement’s, soft tissue manipulation and physical rehab to restore proper structure.  With proper care, the misalignment is reduced thus eliminating the root cause of these headaches :)

In my years in practice along with fellow colleagues, we have seen countless numbers of cases in which this stood true. Wouldn’t it be nice to have your life back? Please stop “living” with headaches as if they were the norm! Please be informed that every case is different and consult your local Chiropractor to see if we can help. Whats the worst that could happen, the number one side effect of Chiropractic is Wellness anyway :)

Have a great day and continue on your journey to becoming a better you.

Dr. Jordan H Kaplan

Chiropractic Physician

www.KaplanChiropractic.com

Naturally decrease your blood pressure while becoming well :)

October 15th, 2009

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Please enjoy the following video discussing reduction of blood pressure through Chiropractic care. A few points to highlight; please note that after 1 adjustment, blood pressure remained decreased on average 14 points 8 weeks post treatment. That staggering decrease was as, if not more effective than the two leading drugs taken everyday combined :) Pretty amazing stuff. Please click on the link below. Have a great day and be well:)

www.Kaplanchiropractic.com

Natural Chiropractic care for reducing blood pressure

What is life?-Health?

September 2nd, 2009

 

 

For the record, the following literature was not written by me, but something that I came across which really gave a good description of how we should perceive our health.  For those of you unfamiliar with Chiropractic or for those of you whom assume that it’s solely about pain , please enjoy the following :)

God breathed into man the breath of life-we add-and left within a body manager to regulate body functions including reproduction of cells. There is a power within you-you recognize it in others as the ability to move-see-hear-speak-breathe. What is this power? Who can answer? We call that power INNATE INTELIGENCE. You look around and recognize there is a power that governs and controls the universe and all things in it. You may call it NATURE or you may say that it is an act of god. But whatever you choose to call it, you do recognize a force.

Within you is a “grain” of universal power. If there were not, you would cease to move, see, hear, breathe, feel-exist as a human intelligent being. As long as that power within you has control of your body, a state of health exists. Should something interfere with normal control of that internal power-than you cease to enjoy your birthright-Health-instead of a state  of disease becomes prominent.

Science has taught us to recognize when dis-ease exists. We learn to call what would seem to be a stomach dis-ease “indigestion”. If it is dis-ease of the kidney “nephritis” would be the term. But regardless of the term to designate the type of dis-ease-the reason for the dis-ease is the inability of your internal power (Innate Intelligence) to properly regulate function.

In Chiropractic, we maintain that your innate controls all body functions through the nerves of your body. If some factors cause a disturbance in the nerves so messages cannot get from the brain(source to the ending of the nerve) than at the end of the nerve, you begin to fell the state of dis-ease.

Health is the result of Innate having 100% normal control of your life through the nerves of your physical body.

Chiropractic is a method used to release interference to nerve supply so that the power can heal you.

Your Chiropractor does everything possible to help innate heal-but he cannot heal nor can anyone else produce healing for you. When the right adjustment is made, Innate goes to work .

You feel the results when dis-ease turns to ease.

Don’ you think it’s time to discover a better you :)

www.Kaplanchiropractic.com

305-598-2005

Reality of Wellness

July 30th, 2009

 

wellness1

A common question that I always ask of my patients in the office is for them to simply define health or wellness. The majority of the time, the patients response has something to do with “feeling good” or ‘being symptom free”, amongst a myriad of other similar answers. While the absence of symptom’s is a pleasant presentation, it’s imperative to understand that we cannot simply judge our health or wellness on that fact alone.  How many of us know a family member or close friend whom was under the presumption of being in good health until they had the wake up call of positive finding on a mammogram or have found pathology on a blood test. So was this person really in good health prior to the testing? Of course not, this is why it is so important for us to understand the concept of a WELLNESS lifestyle.

The process of enjoying a wellness lifestyle has little to do with prevention or early detection of disease, it is simply a way to cultivate a new life in which we take personal responsibilityfor this wonderful gift of a body that we were blessed with at birth. Attaining wellness will be different for each individual, essentially it begins with an assessment of what you are doing as an individual to further your life and what you are doing to hinder it. Keep in mind that health and wellness is a product of the sum total of the our mind, body and soul.  Don’t expect your body to function properly if you aren’t giving it the proper nutrition to thrive. Ourbodies are constantly regenerating and producing new cells every day. If you want quarter pounder w/ cheese cells, this is your right, but don’t expect to be well if this is your choice. Exercise! A body in motion is a body living, a body still and stagnant is a body dying! Please consult a fitness professional to get your life in order. Get adjusted regularly! Why do my patients come in for care? Is it because they are all in pain? No, my patients receive care because they know  they how they feel when they are properly adjusted and functioning at their optimal level. Please contact me at any time to discuss this in further detail :)

This brings us to the mind and soul portion of wellness. If any one discounts the power of the mind, they have made a large mistake. If  you do anything today, please start with developing a positive mental outlook on life. It is so very true that our thoughts create our reality. Take the time each day to give thanks for what we have and to envision what we deserve. You will be amazed what will be brought into your life. If you find this difficult to do, please reference the work of Napolean Hill, The master key System, Dr. Joe Dispenza amongst many others who can help to further and evolve our brains.

Please feel free to contact me at any time with any questions you may have. My office is always open. Don’t you think it’s time to discover a better you!

WWW. KAPLANCHIROPRACTIC.COM

Feeling stressed?

May 28th, 2009

                                                                         no-stress-sign                                                                                                                                                   Stress defined as a nonspecific  adaptation response of an organism to a stimulus or stressor.Whom among us doesn’t experience stress in one way or another each and every day. The good news is that our bodies are born with an amazing inherent ability to deal with such stressors, the not so good news is that we can only “deal” for so long before we start to show the symptoms of a highly stressed body and mind.

The easiest way to initiate a stress-free lifestyle is to identify what we may be doing to stress our bodies and than elimate said stressors to optimize health and wellness. Lets look at your body as being at the effect of 3main stressors; Chemical, Physical, and Emotional. Examples of chemical stress may include artificial sweeteners, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and anything perceived as a toxin. Examples of physical stress may include trauma, inactivity, heavy work, and poor weather. Emotional stressors may include fear, anger, guilt, depression, anxiety or even joy. Please be aware that we are at the affect of each and every one of these equally, take the time to identify which of these may be hindering your overall wellness and take steps towards change.

So what happens to our bodies under times of stress? The human body has two major operating systems. Sympathetic- fight or flight and Parasympathetic- rest and digest.Under times of stress, our bodies generally shift towards a sympathetic mode, this effect can triggered by simple actions such as watching a scary movie or  the news. Essentially, anything that can evoke an emotional response such as fear will lead us down this path of sympathetic stress overload. The actual physiology behind it is complex and can be explained in further detail if you choose to contact me but at the end of the day, a cascade of events that occurs within the body following this sympathetic response can lead to symptomatology including but not limited to reflux, gastritis, chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, depression, and insomnia.

The syptomatology can be very severe and debilitating at times but the great news is that all of this is reversible if you choose to make a healthy change. So what to do? Stop putting yourself in situations which evoke fear,  stop watching sad and depressing news, switch to comedies and ween your self off of scary movies. Stop filling your bellies with toxic substances that can at times have an even worse effect than actual perceived physical stress. Smile, yep its that easy, just smile. Take proper care of your body, this entails eating right, sleeping right, keeping  in a wellness state by staying properly aligned and optimized through Chiropractic care.

Remember, this is the only body you have. Don’t you think its time to discover a better you?

So you’re still consuming aspartame, really?

May 21st, 2009

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                                                                                                So you and you’re loved ones are still drinking and or eating aspartame filled products, really? The same aspartame which was once listed by the pentagon as a biochemical warfare agent, really? The same aspartame which research has linked to adverse effects such as headaches, memory loss, mood swings, seizures, multiple sclerosis, tumors, parkinson-like symptoms and even death; you’re actually still eating this, really?

Some consider it to be a “healthy”option because of its lack of calories, seriously, really? The same “healthy” aspartame which breaks down into formaldehyde, formic acid, and aspartylphenylalanine(DKP) which just happens to be toxic, really? The same “healthy” aspartame which is classified as  a strong excitotoxin which even in small concentrations can cause brain cells to become so overexcited that they very quickly burn themselves out and die, I mean really? The same formaldehyde laden Aspartame which causes retinal damage and birth defects, interferes with DNA replication, and has been shown to cause squamous cell carcinoma; this stuff is in childrens cereals,fiber supplements, jams, sodas, sweets, and most if not all gum, really?

Excuse the angry rant :) Keep in mind that our health and overall wellness is at the effect of many variables. Our body perceives toxic stress similar to trauma or environmental toxins. Hopefully, we can work together to keep health and wellness a priority.

Aspartame is NOT a life saving drug nor is it even an effective diet aid as is evidenced by studies showing increses in weight gain with prolonged usage as compared to placebo. Please see alternatives for your diet needs.

Healthy options for limiting caloric intake include but are not limited to Stevia, agave nectar, xylitol, or simply turbinado sugar. Please be aware that this is the only body that you have, treat it accordingly.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this matter.

Have a great memorial day!