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Migraine Headache Causes and Treatment Options

Migraine Headache Causes and Treatment Options

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????For those of you who wonder if you’ve ever suffered a migraine, it is likely you haven’t.  Migraines are a debilitating form of headache that can involve not only intense throbbing head pain, but also nausea, vomiting and flashes of light.  Despite how common migraines are, there is surprisingly little known about what exactly causes them.  Researchers believe that they are due to a combination of different factors, including genetics and environment, which cause chemical changes in the brain.

When a migraine occurs, levels of serotonin have been found to drop.  Serotonin is the neurotransmitter that regulates mood, appetite and sleep.  Experts believe this drop causes the trigeminal nerve, which is a major pain pathway, to release neuropeptides into the meninges that covers the brain, causing intense headache pain.

Other likely causes of migraines include the following:

* Hormonal changes in women – Particularly when estrogen fluctuates before menstruation, during pregnancy or during menopause.
* Sensory stimulation – Bright lights, glare from the sun, loud noise or even certain scents (whether pleasant or unpleasant) can trigger a migraine.
* Particular foods – Some of the most common food triggers of migraines are red wine, caffeine, aged cheeses, chocolate and monosodium glutamate (MSG), which is a flavor enhancer commonly used by Asian restaurants.  Pickled or fermented foods and the nitrates in deli meats and can also be triggers.
* Not eating – Skipping meals or fasting.
* Changes in sleep – Both getting too much and too little sleep can trigger a migraine.
* Stress – Not surprisingly, stress can contribute to the likelihood of getting a migraine.
* Medications – Particularly vasodilators and contraceptives.
* Physical activity – Intense physical exertion (including sexual activity) can be a trigger.

Your family history plays a major part in whether or not you are likely to get migraines.  Of those who suffer from them, 90 percent have a family history of migraine attacks.  Although they can begin at any age, most people who are going to get migraines have had their first attack during their teenage years, and nearly all have had at least one by age 40.

Treatment for migraines can include pain relievers such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen and anti-emetics to control nausea and vomiting.  For those with chronic migraines who do not respond to over-the-counter pain medication, a doctor may prescribe a drug such as Sumatriptan, which is similar to serotonin and reduces the vascular inflammation that is associated with migraines, in addition to reducing the action of the trigeminal nerve.

In addition to avoiding the known triggers mentioned above, some migraine sufferers use various vitamins and herbal remedies to help prevent them.  These include vitamin B12, riboflavin, coenzyme Q10, magnesium citrate, feverfew, butterbur and melatonin.

Chiropractic care can also help to prevent and relieve migraines.  Studies have found that chiropractic relieves migraines as well as medication, and with no side effects.  Also, those who received regular chiropractic care reported a significant reduction in both the frequency and intensity of their migraines.  Dr. Oblander has had great success in working with his patients who suffer from migraines. Quite often, he has discovered that there are multiple factors involved for his patients who frequently suffer from migraines. If you are one of the unlucky ones for whom migraines are a fact of life, just remember that there are safe and effective ways to treat them.

Look Who Else Uses Chiropractic: Professional Football

Look Who Else Uses Chiropractic: Professional Football

football-collage-200-300Professional football teams recognize the value that having regular chiropractic care affords their players.  All of the 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL) use the services of a chiropractor for treating and preventing injuries to team members.

Dr. Spencer H. Baron, a team chiropractor for the Miami Dolphins and past president of the Professional Football Chiropractic Society, said, “The robust need for chiropractic care in the NFL has been deeply driven by the players’ desire for peak physical conditioning and not simply for injuries. From the earliest years of full contact football, their bodies are subject to structural stress that doctors of chiropractic are specially trained to care for. Many DCs who provide their services to professional athletes travel with their respective teams throughout the season, treating players up until game time, during the game and sometimes immediately following.”

A number of professional football players are staunch advocates for chiropractic care and the ability it gives them to perform at their peak.

Emmitt Smith, a former NFL player for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals and NFL all-time record holder for rushing, dealt with a lot of hamstring problems during a tough season in 1994. He related how he had some difficult questions to answer: “’Do I need to get more rest? Do I need to eat better? Do I need a little more training? How can I take care of my body better? Do I need to find a Chiropractor?’ It was time for me to invest in me.” Smith added, “I found a specialist that’s really good in balancing out my body to make sure my hips are rotated right, and my body is functioning properly.”

Smith continued, “I remember somebody telling me that what I put myself in during the games is like having a car wreck every Sunday. It’s against the norm. You can find yourself in awkward positions. That stuff takes its toll. But if you take advantage of the health care, balance your body back out, put it back where it’s supposed to be, you function better, and you recover faster.” He said about chiropractic, “You can have a Ferrari body, but your wheels need balancing. I felt if I took care of my body, I could still function when I got older.”

Chiropractic apparently served Smith well in helping him maintain function and flexibility, because after his retirement in 2004 he went on to win the third season of Dancing With the Stars, teamed with professional dancer Cheryl Burke.

Other professional footballers have expressed their appreciation for chiropractic care as well. Joe Montana, who possesses three Super Bowl MVPs and was named Player of the Year in 1990, was so appreciative of chiropractic that he agreed to become the spokesperson for chiropractic in the state of California, saying “Chiropractic has been a big part of my game. Chiropractic care works for me.”

New Orleans Saints wide receiver Lance Moore is another chiropractic devotee. He said, “Not only did my chiropractor get me back on the field, but he helped me to stay on the field. My body just feels much better overall because of the care I’ve gotten.”

Three-time Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice, a former wide receiver with the San Francisco 49ers said, “I believe in chiropractic, and I know that it works. You probably know about my long and successful career in football. I’m flattered by the testimonials to my durability. Football is a very rough and vigorous sport. Chiropractic was the key to keeping me in the game.”

Is There Such a Thing as a Negative Calorie Food?

Is There Such a Thing as a Negative Calorie Food?

woman-wondering-200-300One of the most widespread diet gimmicks circulating around the Internet is the practice of eating “negative calorie food.”   What is meant by this term is the idea that certain low-calorie foods burn more calories in their preparation, consumption and digestion than the calories they contain.  Although this is an attractive idea that would seemingly allow you to eat as much of these foods as possible without gaining weight, there is no scientific research confirming that it is actually true.

Celery is the most frequently used “example” of this idea in action.  A stalk of celery contains only between 8 and 10 calories.  Ninety-five percent of it is water, with the remainder being composed mostly of fiber.  Chewing food burns only around 5 calories an hour, and digestion adds just a few more calories to that amount.  The process of digestion does not take very much energy, accounting for only about 5 percent of your daily energy expenditure.  To put it in perspective, consider that it takes 15 minutes of strenuous exercise to burn 100 calories.  Dr. Nancy Snyderman, the Chief Medical Editor for NBC news, says in an article in Time magazine, “The calories your body burns in fueling the digestive cycle are minuscule compared with the calories in the food itself.  Although chewing celery might seem like a strenuous activity, it burns about the same amount of calories as watching grass grow.”

One of the features that nearly all supposed negative calorie foods share is that they have very high water content.  In addition to celery, among the other foods on this list are watermelon, lettuce, apples, grapefruit, lemons, limes, onions and pickles.  All contain a lot of water and are relatively high in fiber (which is healthy in itself).  However, making a diet exclusively out of these types of foods would eventually cause nutritional deficiencies.

Although no scientific studies have proven the theory, it may be possible-technically speaking-that eating some kinds of negative calorie foods could provide a very slight negative calorie deficit under a particular set of conditions.  However, it would not be significant enough to affect any kind of weight change and, as a practical nutritional matter, has big drawbacks.  The only way negative calorie foods can help you lose weight is if you eat them in place of higher-calorie foods that have more nutritional value.

The Director of the obesity and diabetes programs at Harlem’s North General Hospital, Cathy Nonas, notes that, “If you substitute celery for cookies and pretzels, and those are the things that were putting you over the top in terms of weight then yes, you will lose weight.  But you’re not going to lose weight by chewing celery a couple times a day if you’re not exercising and changing what else you eat.”

Starve a Cold and Feed a Fever

Starve a Cold and Feed a Fever

???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Most of us have probably heard the old adage “starve a cold and feed a fever” (with some believing that it’s the other way around…), but does this saying hold up in the face of scientific research?  The short answer is “no.”  The best thing you can do is probably to feed both.

We would all like to believe there’s some easy way of reducing the length or severity of our suffering as we sniffle and cough our way through the aches, pains and lack of energy brought on by a cold or flu.  However, there are not really very many things that can be done about it, apart from getting plenty of rest and drinking lots of fluids.  But what role does eating-or not eating-actually play?

There was one study in 2002 performed by Dutch researchers and published in the journal Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology that tested the validity of the concept.  They found that fasting was better at fighting the infections that caused fevers, and eating a meal better fought off viruses associated with colds.  However, it used a very small sample of subjects and its results were not reproducible in further studies.

Most people do not feel particularly hungry when they are sick with a cold or fever anyway, as the body naturally regulates the amount of food we eat when ill.  Certainly, eating a large heavy meal will use some reserves of energy that would be better used in fighting off pathogens.  However, keeping a steady stream of nutrients flowing through your system is a good idea and provides your body with the tools it needs to kill invading viruses.

Concentrate on getting nutrient- and antioxidant-rich foods in your diet as best you can, along with plenty of sugar-free fluids.  Many people drink a lot of juice, thinking it will provide them with vitamin C, but you would be better off eating strawberries or red peppers (both of which are high in vitamin C) or taking a supplement, as juice comes with a lot of sugar.  Sugar has been proven to suppress the immune system, which is exactly the opposite of what you need when you are ill.

Warm broths are also excellent when you are sick.  The prescription of chicken soup for upper respiratory symptoms has been around since the time of the ancient Greeks, and the practice was adopted by the Jewish physician and philosopher Maimonides.  There’s a reason your mother brought you chicken soup when you had a cold or flu.  Far from being an old wives’ tale, a study performed by Dr. Stephen Rennard from the University of Nebraska Medical Center showed that chicken soup inhibited the movement of neutrophils (a type of white blood cell) in the body so they could not travel to the upper respiratory area and induce inflammation.

Chicken soup is only effective as a treatment if it is prepared using both chicken and a variety of vegetables such as onions, celery, carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips and parsley (and then filtered).  Whatever its activity against pathogens, at the very least it provides your body with plenty of nutrients and warm liquids that will help get you feeling well again soon.

Patient’s Satisfaction with Chiropractic Care

Patient’s Satisfaction with Chiropractic Care

satisfaction-form-200-300When it comes to making important choices about treatment options for back pain, it’s worth looking at the experiences of others who have found something that works.  In recent years, the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center has surveyed the magazine’s subscribers to do just that.  In April and May 2009, Consumer Reports released some of its findings publicly.  A summary appears below.

About the Survey Participants:

* More than 14,000 participants who had suffered from lower-back pain in the prior year but had never had back surgery.
* More than half reported that pain severely limited their daily routine for a week or longer.
* Many reported that pain interfered with sleep, sex and efforts to maintain a healthy weight.
* 88% reported that the pain recurred through the year.
* Most had tried five or six different treatments.

How Respondents Ranked the Healthcare Providers Who Had Treated Them:

Healthcare Provider Percent Who Were Highly Satisfied With Treatment and Advice*
Chiropractor       59%
Physical Therapist+ 55%
Acupuncturist    53%
Physician, Specialist 44%
Physician, Primary Care 34%

How Respondents Ranked Selected Back Pain Therapies:

Therapy Percentage Who Reported that the Therapy Helped a Lot
Chiropractic Manipulation 58%
Prescription Drugs 45%
Over-the-Counter Drugs              22%

In July 2011, Consumer Reports published an updated report describing how Americans use alternative approaches to healthcare as well as their experience with various therapies and their providers.  Chiropractic care once again was reported to be the most popular approach to back pain relief and was ranked most highly in terms of patient satisfaction.

Your Doctor of Chiropractic can help relieve back pain and restore mobility by using a drug-free, hands-on technique called “spinal manipulation” or “chiropractic adjustment”.  He or she may also use other manual therapies, such as massage, to complement this primary treatment.  In addition, many chiropractors are skilled in designing exercise and nutrition programs for their patients that will help their bodies resist injury and function properly.  By focusing on both immediate pain relief and the underlying causes of back pain, your chiropractor can help you achieve a healthier overall lifestyle.

Every body is different. If you have questions about this article or whether chiropractic is an appropriate choice for your specific situation, please ask. We are here to help!

Quick Pasta Bolognese – Fun Healthy Recipe for those busy nights!

Quick Pasta Bolognese – Fun Healthy Recipe for those busy nights!

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Quick Pasta Bolognese

From EatingWell:  January/February 2013

4 servings                                    

Active Time: 30 minutes           Total Time: 40 minutes

 

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 medium stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 ounces whole-wheat rigatoni or penne (about 3 cups)
  • 8 ounces lean (93% or leaner) ground beef
  • 1/3 cup dry red wine (can substitute beef stock)
  • 1 14-ounce can petite diced tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

  1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain.
  3. Add beef to the vegetables and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add wine and cook until almost evaporated, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and nutmeg; reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in salt and pepper. Serve the pasta with the sauce.

Per serving: 414 calories; 10 g fat ( 3 g sat , 5 g mono ); 43 mg cholesterol; 55 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 26 g protein; 7 g fiber; 522 mg sodium; 709 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin A (118% daily value), Vitamin C (39% dv), Zinc (33% dv), Iron (24% dv), Potassium (21% dv), Magnesium (19% dv).

Carbohydrate Servings: 3 1/2

Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 2 1/2 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1/2 fat

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

If you like to utilize natural health remedies as much as we do….Stay tuned….we will be having a herbal class by Lori Cameron on Simple Home Remedies! Lori is a Master Herbalist and will have some great information to share! We will be announcing the date of her class soon!

 

Oblander Chiropractic, 3307 Grand Avenue, Ste. 101,  Billings, MT 59102

Phone: 406-652-3553

For more healthy recipes go to our website at www.oblanderchiropractic.com!

What’s Your New Year Plan?

What’s Your New Year Plan?

iStock_000016576964SmallEach year millions of people make New Year’s resolutions and each year millions fail to accomplish the desired results.  Why is this? Because a resolution represents change, something many people are resistant to…in fact, some even fear it.  Positive changes are never easy, but will always result in personal growth.  Mahatma Gandhi said “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”.  The two most important words in this quote are “YOU” and “BE”.  “Be” is who you are, not merely how you act, it is what drives your actions.  The reason so many fail to achieve success with their resolutions is they attempt to change what they “DO” instead of changing who they “BE” inside.

Let’s consider the BE-DO-HAVE concept, which states that in order to achieve a desired result you must BE the type of person who will DO the things necessary to HAVE the desired outcome.  Most people fall into the trap of attempting to change their actions (DO) without first changing who they are and how they think (BE).

For example, have you ever had a resolution that involved losing a certain amount of weight by trying some new fad diet?  You may have been successful in the short term by following the recommended diet, but chances are you reached your goal and the diet went out the door and the pounds came back on.  This is a classic example of trying to modify your actions without changing who you are and how you think.  This approach will fail every time the focus is on the DOING not the Being.

Back to the title, “What is your New Year plan”? I will try to help you with a few quick and easy, but powerful tools to help you succeed.

1) Set Goals
The number one rule of goal setting is that your goals must be written.  Writing your goals will materialize your thoughts… and thoughts motivate action.  A useful acronym to help with goal setting is S.M.A.R.T.  Make your goals Specific (you are more likely to achieve a specific goal than a general goal), Measurable (must have criteria for measuring progress), Attainable (Make sure you have or are developing the attitudes, abilities, skills, and financial capacity necessary for achieving your goal), Realistic (must represent an objective that you are willing and able to work towards), and Timely (must have a timeframe for accomplishing your goal).

2) Visual Success
Visualization is a process of holding a thought in your mind and allowing it to propagate into a mental picture that you can see, hear, feel, smell, and even taste.  If you visualize yourself achieving your goals you are more likely to be successful. Implementing these tools and concepts will help you not only achieve, but sustain your New Year’s resolutions.

3) Affirm Your Intentions
Affirmations are positive statements that stimulate your mind with an attitude of  Expectancy and are your opportunity to condition yourself to be exactly who you want to be.  Some examples include: “I can do anything I want to do!”, “I am a happy person!”, “I am worthy of success!”, and “I am health!”  Affirmations should always be written and read with regularly and should support whatever it is that you are working towards.  They should be written in first person and in present tense.  For example “I am…” vs. “I will…” Affirmations are best done at the beginning of your day and should be carried around with you as a reminder, and most importantly they should be said aloud with enthusiasm!

December is a great month to start organizing your New Year Plan.  My hope is that you will utilize and share this information with others so that we may all BE the change we wish to see in the world.  As Thomas S. Monson says, “The Future is as bright as our Faith.” Where can you go in 2013 and what can you accomplish if you exercise faith in yourself and in your ability to learn to make great choices? Here’s to a bright future!

PS – If weight loss is a part of the changes you are seeing for yourself in 2013, let us help! Our weight loss program is designed to help you make a successful transition in not only reducing your weight but in your health habits and life choices as well! Go to www.healthyhabitsbillings.com or call our office at 406-652-3553

The Fiscal Cliff

The Fiscal Cliff

capitalAs most of us know – our country is approaching what is currently being The Fiscal Cliff.  There are many varying opinions that are being expressed about the fiscal cliff.

We believe that increasing taxes will only increase the burden on small business and on each wage-earning tax payer.  I have included below our personal plea with members of our Montana congressional delegation:

Most small businesses are organized as pass-through entities, where the business owner reports their business’s income on their individual tax returns. Allowing the current tax rates to expire will increase the taxes that small businesses pay, directly impacting the ability of small-business owners to invest money back into their businesses.

Raising taxes on small businesses, especially in the current economic environment, hurts our ability to grow and create jobs. I encourage you to give small-business owners the certainty we desperately need by extending all the current tax rates across the board and fighting to avoid the Fiscal Cliff.

I ask that you search your heart and do not cave in to politics or pressure from President Obama.

The right thing to do is to lessen the burden put on taxpayers, eliminate waste and reduce expenditures.

The easy way is to just ignore the true needs of this country and to raise taxes and continue to spend as though your pocketbook is limitless.

The right way is to do get back to running this country by looking to God for direction, utilize honesty and integrity in place of excuses, and by recognizing that hand outs do nothing – but a hand up can make all the difference.

How welfare is handled must change so that it is no longer just a hand out. No one wants anyone to go hungry or be homeless but entitlements are only creating a unrealistic culture where the lazy expect a hand out, those willing to work are expected to support the lazy and those who hard working and highly successful are demeaned because they adhere to those very principles which have  made this country great.

This country will only continue to be great when we, who inhabit it: work hard, obey God’s commandments, make our family’s moral upbringing and education a priority, each work to be a positive part of this nation’s moral fabric and strive to serve each other.

The truth is that for too long this nation has tried to remedy our problems by excessive expenditures from the nation’s pocketbook. It is now time to realize that the only way to solve the problems this nation has is to recognize that each citizen has a responsibility to make this nation collectively better. Fraud, dishonesty, and living beyond our means must be a thing of the past. Honesty, integrity, hard work, and doing right must ever be our watch cry.

I plead with you to do the right thing now.
The elections are past – but our need to communicate to Washington D.C. is not.  Please make your voice heard and let members of Congress know that responsible changes need to be made in this country – not tax increases!

PS – My apologies for the words with the built in links. I did not place them there and I cannot figure out how to get rid of them.  Jo Oblander

Chiropractic Boosts Immunity!!!

Chiropractic Boosts Immunity!!!

We wanted to share this article. We see the influence that chiropractic adjustments have on immunity and overall health all the time. However, we know that our patients seldom get to have that amazing vantage point that we do! With the cold and flu season upon us and for overall health – make sure you keep you and your loved ones adjusted!

Chiropractic Boosts Immunity
Friday, February 04, 2011 by: Dr. David Jockers

The nervous system and immune system are hardwired and work together to create optimal responses for the body to adapt and heal appropriately. Neural dysfunctions due to spinal misalignments are stressful to the body and cause abnormal changes that lead to a poorly coordinated immune response. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to boost the coordinated responses of the nervous system and immune system.

The autonomic nervous system is hardwired into the lymphoid organs such as the spleen, thymus, lymph nodes, and bone marrow that produce the body’s immune response. Growing evidence is showing that immune function is regulated in part by the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.

Subluxation is the term for misalignments of the spine that cause compression and irritation of nerve pathways affecting organ systems of the body. Subluxations are an example of physical nerve stress that affects neuronal control. According to researchers, such stressful conditions lead to altered measures of immune function & increased susceptibility to a variety of diseases.

Inflammatory based disease is influenced by both the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems. Nerve stimulation directly affects the growth and function of inflammatory cells. Researchers found that dysfunction in this pathway results in the development of various inflammatory syndromes such as rheumatoid arthritis and behavioral syndromes such as depression. Additionally, this dysfunctional neuro-endo-immune response plays a significant role in immune-compromised conditions such as chronic infections and cancer.

Wellness based chiropractors analyze the spine for subluxations and give corrective adjustments to reduce the stress on the nervous system. A 1992 research group found that when a thoracic adjustment was applied to a subluxated area the white blood cell (neutrophil) count collected rose significantly.

In 1975, Ronald Pero, Ph.D., chief of cancer prevention research at New York’s Preventive Medicine Institute and professor in Environmental Health at New York University, began researching the most scientifically valid ways to estimate individual susceptibility to various chronic diseases. He has conducted a tremendous amount of research in this area that includes over 160 published reports in peer reviewed journals.

Pero and his colleagues discovered that various DNA-repairing enzymes could be significantly altered following exposure to carcinogenic chemicals. He found strong evidence that an individual’s susceptibility to cancer could be determined by these enzymes. Lack of those enzymes, Pero said, ‘definitely limits not only your lifespan, but also your ability to resist serious disease consequences.’

Pero was fascinated by the relationship cancer-inducing agents had on the endocrine system. Since the nervous system regulates hormone balance, he hypothesized that the nervous system had to also have a strong influence on one’s susceptibility to cancer.

To support this argument he found a substantial amount of literature linking various kinds of spinal cord injuries and cancer. Pero found that these injuries led to a very high rate of lymphomas and lymphatic leukemias. This understanding led Pero to consider Chiropractic care as a means of reducing the risk of immune breakdown and disease.

Pero’s team measured 107 individuals who had received long-term Chiropractic care. The chiropractic patients were shown to have a 200% greater immune competence than people who had not received chiropractic care, and a 400% greater immune competence than people with cancer or serious diseases. Interestingly, Pero found no decline with the various age groups in the study demonstrating that the DNA repairing enzymes were just as present in long-term chiropractic senior groups as they were in the younger groups.

Pero concluded, ‘Chiropractic may optimize whatever genetic abilities you have so that you can fully resist serious disease…I have never seen a group other than this show a 200% increase over normal patients.’

Kent, Christopher. Models of Vertebral Subluxation: A Review. Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research. August 1996, Vol 1:1. Pg 4-5

Sternberg EM, Chrousos GP, Wilder RL, Gold PW. The stress response and the regulation of inflammatory disease. Ann Intern Med 1992; 117 (10):854

Brennan PC, Triano JJ, McGregor M, et al. Enhanced neutrophil respiratory burst as a biological marker for manipulation forces: duration of the effect and association with substance P and tumor necrosis factor. J Manipulative Physiol Ther 1992; 15(2):83

Preparing For the Holidays

Preparing For the Holidays

As we approach the holidays we want to focus on presence. That isn’t a typo. I’m referring to presence as in a state of being, rather than the typical presents that we think of this time of year which come wrapped up in fancy paper. If you are like most people you probably can’t remember the long list of gifts you’ve received over the years. While we appreciate the gifts and the people who gave them to us, most of those gifts get lost in the shuffle with all the other stuff we accumulate over time.

However, can you remember a gift that did have a long lasting impact on you, either because it was something that you truly wanted or needed or it had deep personal significance? When you think of that gift does it remind you of the person who gave it to you? The true gift is the presence of the people that we love and that love us. Think about times in your life that you shared with someone special and what that time together means to you. Then take a look at your life now and the people in it. Are you doing what it takes to create those special moments with the people you care about in your life?

In our fast-paced society it is easy to lose track of the things that are most important, the things that are going to mean something when our eulogy is being read. People often throw out the phrase, ‘It’s the quality of the time that matters, not the quantity’. Wrong, it’s both.

You can spend all kinds of time with someone and never have a meaningful exchange. On the other hand, you can have some great moments that stand out as the exceptions to the rules of the relationships in your life. I suggest that we should try to combine quality and quantity and create truly meaningful relationships in our lives.

“The most precious gift we can offer others is our presence. When mindfulness embraces those we love, they will bloom like flowers”~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Take this opportunity to evaluate your relationships. If you find that you are not doing all you can to nourish those relationships, recommit to improving the quality and quantity of the time you invest in them. This year and going forward, make your presence your present.