5 Year Anniversary Open House!

5 Years!

Sometimes it's hard to believe that it's been that long, and other times I feel like I've been doing this forever.  In a good way, that is.  I love being a chiropractor.  Our new location is working out great, and I wanted to have a party to celebrate our time in service to our community.

The party will be at Brilliant Life at its new location:

708 Broadway, Suite 170, Tacoma, WA.  It's on the mezzanine level, so take the stairs up one flight or the elevator to the M level.  We'll make sure the doors are open for you, so come on in!  Parking in front of the building is pay to park for 2 hours, or up the street it's free for 90 minutes.  One note, if you pay for 2 hours, you get the whole day for free on Saturdays, so just do that and stay the whole time!


Some of the exciting prizes to be had this weekend:

Massages from two great practitioners
6 Week Intro to Yoga at Source Yoga
Introductory Acupuncture Session
A Gift Certificate to Gateway to India
Three Sessions with Lean Body Lifestyles
A Free Initial Visit from Brilliant Life Chiropractic
A Sailboat Ride!

We're still collecting prizes, but that's what we have so far!  There will of course be good food, drinks, and free massage plus adjusting demonstrations for those who have never discovered Dr. Paul's gentle touch!

Kids are welcome!

There will also be some exciting special offers for new practice members, so bring your friends and family along.

I hope to see you there!

"Just put it back in place!"

Hi everyone!

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything to this blog, and I apologize for that.  I am committed to getting pertinent and relevant information out to you, and I haven't been doing that.  I could tell you that it's been crazy during the holiday season and with the move, but those are just excuses, and the real truth is that I didn't do it.  So now I'm doing it!

I want to address something that is a common misconception about chiropractic.  The idea that all we're doing is putting a bone back in its proper place.  It's an understandable thought.  We talk about the idea of alignment, or at least, most chiropractors do, so whether you've heard me say it, or you've heard another doc talk about it, the idea is out there.  The thing is, this is only a simplistic, and therefore slightly flawed understanding of how the body deals with stress, and therefore, how the adjustment works to help the body to integrate it.  The image to the right shows three lumbar vertebrae in close approximation.

Other images would show one of these vertebrae pushing backwards, perhaps, and then angry red nerves coming out of that area would show just how much pain the person is experiencing.  And yes, this happens.

Typically, however, the subluxation (the "misalignment" which results in nerve interference) has more to do with how the area is moving, not where it's sitting.  The adjustment is more about allowing the body to release a pattern of tension that is preventing a normal movement pattern then it is about taking something and shoving it back to where I think it should go.  It's all about movement, folks!

When the tension is nominal, and the spine is free to move, then the nerves aren't being interfered with.  What's more, the vertebrae have a greater freedom and ability to be in lots of different locations, but with a strength and stability that allows them to do it!  That's also the reason why I don't tell people to be really careful after an adjustment.  They aren't going to knock it "out of place".  It really doesn't work quite like that.  I simply advise them to pay attention to what their body is asking of them, and try to honor that if they can.

Now, this is an advanced concept in chiropractic.  There are chiropractors who would disagree with me.  So if it doesn't work for you, don't take it in.  Just gloss over this blog post and ask me to "Just put it back in place!"

I'm happy to oblige!

We've moved!

It's official!

Brilliant Life Chiropractic is now located at its new home on Broadway, on Antique row.  The address is:

708 Broadway Suite 170,
Tacoma, WA 98402

All phone numbers and email addresses are the same.  I apologize for being a little quiet lately, but there is a lot to do when it comes to moving, and now that things are finally settling down, I can get myself back onto the blogging scene.

Many thanks to the folks at 6th Ave for making our 5 year stay there an awesome one as we got introduced to our community and starting to help people live a brilliant life.  And now it's time to make an even bigger difference!

In a recent interaction, I spoke with someone who was in a lot of pain.  My encouragement is always to avoid taking any pain relieving drugs unless you absolutely have to. Everyone has a different threshold for when that is.  Mine is constantly being refined.  This particular person had broken a bone, and it was painful to walk, so they were taking ibuprofen.  Most people consider ibuprofen to be a relatively benign drug, one that reduces inflammation and pain, and generally makes life more bearable.

But ibuprofen is not without its risks.  In fact, 16,000 people die each year from appropriate use of ibuprofen and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.  Also, regular use of ibuprofen has been linked to kidney cancer.  It has also been shown to be protective in some cases, so the jury is out on that one.

But let's look at it from another perspective.  The Chiropractic one.  From this viewpoint, the body knows how to heal itself.  It has an intelligence inside of it that has been evolving for thousands of years to deal with these kinds of things.  From that viewpoint, the pain that people experience is there for a reason, to tell us when something isn't working, or that we need to change our patterns or position.

In the example I presented, the person took ibuprofen after walking around with their broken bone, and the pain had become unbearable for them.  Understandably, they wanted to alleviate it.  But, when you take ibuprofen and the pain levels become reduced, one might have a tendency to then be more active than might be appropriate to allow for proper healing to take place.  I encouraged this person to rest and relax, since their body had been giving them clear signals that they shouldn't walking around any more.

That is the reason I would choose not to take ibuprofen.  I prefer to let my body tell me exactly what is going on, and what is the best course of action for true healing to take place.  Experiencing pain tells me that I need to rest.  And sometimes even a lack of sleep because I'm uncomfortable and need to keep shifting is the way that soft tissue mends itself.  Is it possible that in cases like that, the movement is more helpful than the sleep that we're losing?

Something to consider, I think.

Moving, and injuries

So, as it happened, I hurt myself on Friday last week doing one of my workouts.  People know I like to workout using the CrossFit paradigm.  I find it to be the best workout protocol I've ever encountered, with high intensity and highly functional exercises.

The most common question I get after telling people I got hurt was if I got hurt "doing CrossFit."  I want to take some time to address this.  Did I get hurt doing CrossFit?  No.  Was I doing a CrossFit workout at the time?  Yes.  But was it something to do with the nature of the CrossFit workout?  Not at all.  I hurt myself.  I was doing a complex movement known as a squat clean which requires a complicated set of timing, coordination, strength, and agility.  Perhaps I got a bit careless.  Or maybe I was tired because I'd been sick not long before.  I really don't know exactly.  But it had nothing to do with the nature of CrossFit itself.  I hurt myself.

Now, the awesome thing about all of this is that I am now almost 100% better after only a few days.  I'm already back to performing my warmup, and I'm very excited about that.  My wife, Laelle, adjusted me a few times each day over the past 4 days, and now I'm almost 100%.  Yay to Chiropractic!  But more than that, Yay to the power of the body to heal when there is no interference!

708 Broadway, our new location!

I definitely hope that I am completely at 100% by the time our move comes up.  Yes, that's right, Brilliant Life Chiropractic is moving to another location.  We're headed to 708 Broadway, suite 170, in the passages building.  Parking is the first question on people's minds, and every time I have driven by the new building, there has been plenty of parking, both paid and free.  And the paid parking is not very expensive, only $0.75 an hour.  We'll have plenty of quarters in our new office to help those out who forget.

The move takes place over the first weekend of November, and so our first day at the new office will be Monday, November 5th.  It was initiated because of the noise level coming from our neighbors at Studio 6 Ballroom.  They started a Zumba class during the adjusting hours at Brilliant Life which seriously disturbed my adjusting.  Despite repeated attempts to come to a compromise that would work for both of us, we were unable to do so.  Dropping the class would have represented a significant decrease in their income, and I was losing money keeping it where it was.

So, I'm taking this as an opportunity to upgrade Brilliant Life Chiropractice.  The new office will be quieter, move private, and more professional, without losing that feel you've all come to know and love about Brilliant Life.  We're the same, only at a new location.

Remember, we're at 708 Broadway, ste 170 starting on November 5th.  See you there!

Upcoming Events and Some News!

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post, because things have been busy in Brilliant Life!  First off, I have a bunch of events coming up in the next couple of weeks that I would love to share with you.

Open Healing Night - Wednesday, October 3rd, 7:00 pm

This event is for all of you who have been thinking of giving me a try, or know someone who you would like to introduce to my unique and gentle style of Chiropractic, but weren't sure for whatever reason.  Now is your chance to receive an adjustment for no charge.  Come and discover what your friends and family have been raving about.  See how gentle and honoring Chiropractic care really can be.  And realize just how healthy you can be too!  See you there.

Introduction to the Landmark Forum - Saturday, October 6th, 2:00 pm

Landmark Education has been in the field of education for decades, and they deal with what really matters to people, in all areas of life.  Do you want to become more powerful and at the same time, discover more self expression and peace of mind?  It sounds amazing and transformative because it really is.  At this event, you will work on a real problem that you are dealing with and bring new possibility to it in a way you'd never imagined possible.

Healing from Within - Wednesday, October 13th, 7:00 pm

Where does healing really come from?  How does it work?  How does Chiropractic fit into that, and what is Dr. Paul doing with those light touches?  These questions and more will be answered at this informal gathering and talk.  There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and answers, so come prepared.  And if you have friends or family that you have tried to explain this work to, this is another great option to educate them and perhaps introduce them to this amazing work.

More news to come, but that's enough for now!  Take care everyone.  Health and happiness!

Icing Injuries? Not me!

I have an unconventional view of icing injuries.  The traditional medical view says that if you sprain your ankle, you absolutely should put ice on it to control the inflammation and keep swelling and pain down.  The rationale is that this will make you more comfortable and keep the rest of the tissues healthy by preventing any sort of edema and pressure from inflicting further harm than the original insult.

I think that's crazy.

Let me say that again.  I think that's crazy, IF your goal is healing.  If, for example, you are an athlete, and you want to get yourself back out on the field as quickly as possible, and you don't care that you've just damaged tendons or ligaments or whatever, then great!  Ice away that pain and inflammation, let the body throw scar tissue down later and then do a bunch of rehab to treat an injury that will likely trouble you for years afterwards.  But at least you'll get to perform!

Okay, that sounds harsh, and I know it.  It's a perfectly valid choice if the goal is performance.  In the athlete's case, that's how they earn a living!  I get that they need to sacrifice their body for that.

But what about the rest of us?

Consider: What if, there were an intelligence at work in the body?  What if the body already knew how to deal with an injury because it had thousands, if not tens of thousands of years practice perfecting a system that works?  Do you really think it's making inflammation because it's wrong?  No.  Here's what inflammation (acute inflammation, that is) does with an injury.  Pain and Swelling!

Ouch!

Pain: By making it hurt, you are less likely to step on it.  That means you aren't as likely to continue to injure it.  Great plan!  When you dull the pain with ice (or an analgesic or muscle relaxant or ibuprofen) you are no longer in communication with your body and don't know your real capacity.  The risk for further injury is higher that way.

Swelling: Not only does this bring fluid to the area, but it splints the affected limb as well.  The fluid brings in all kinds of white blood cells to clean up the damage, prevent and heal any infection that might have occurred, and generally clean up and start the healing process.  It also allows for more fluid to clear out, thus removing toxins.  Stopping this process will halt all of that.  And what do we do without the swelling to splint it?  Of course we wrap it another splint.

Both of these further the case for healing.  Putting up your foot is a great idea, and in fact, I've found that when I injure myself like that, it simply feels better to elevate it.  No drugs necessary!  And it's likely a good thing to do so because of the increased fluid flow back to the heart, speeding the toxin clear out.  When the foot stops feeling pain, maybe you're ready to walk on it again!

But don't take my word for it.  Just try it next time you're hurt.  See if it helps.  The last time I did, I healed an injury site that I had been chronically injuring repeatedly for almost 20 years.  Haven't hurt it since.

Primal Challenge 2012

Due to the enormous success of the first challenge back in October of last year, I have decided to run another one!  The 30 Day Primal Challenge is an attempt to change eating habits to a more paleo style of eating, following some of the guidelines of the Whole30 and the Primal Blueprint.  (For those books, order from the links or see my lending library)  For those of you who don't know what that is, its looking at what our paleolithic ancestors might have eaten and extrapolating out to today what foods might we eat that would be similar to that.  The premise is that our genes have evolved over thousands of years eating those kinds of foods, and certain more modern processed foods have only been around for a few hundred, or at most a thousand years.  A thousand years is just a blink of an eye in evolutionary time.  So, we are effectively taking advantage of what our genes are already adapted to, and this results in greater health and wellness.

What it looks like is this:

1. Eat lots of plants
2. Eat meat
3. Avoid grains of all kinds (wheat, rice, oats, corn, etc.)
4. Avoid legumes of all kinds (beans, soy, peanuts, etc.)
5. Supplement as needed with nuts, seeds, and fruits

That's about it!  There are some fine details that I will go over in a special presentation on Monday, September 17th at 6:30, once adjusting hours are all done.  Please attend if you are interested in the process to freshen up on the rules of the program and make sure you know how to do it!

There will be a sign up sheet at the front desk. Feel free to bring questions to the presentation.  I know for many of you this will mean a major shift in your eating, but the best way to get over it is just to jump in and do the best you can.  There will be mistakes and cheats, I imagine, but all there is to do is get back on the horse and try again for the rest of the challenge.

The challenge will last for 30 days, from the 24th of September to the 24th of October.  (Yes, the 24th of October counts as the 30th day.) That should be plenty of time for people to get back on the candy at Halloween if you so desire, but I'm hoping that you will lose your taste for sweets during this process, and won't even be tempted!

Please join us!