By William Stanley Ferris
There we were standing in surgery with three surgeons, four nurses and a sedated patient lying on the operating table. As a new medical device sales representative, I stood there when suddenly my manager left to receive a call. All eyes turned to me as direction was needed to operate the device that assisted in surgery. The nerves were felt but the training kicked in. Everything went smoothly as the surgery finished successfully without a hitch.
That was 25 years ago and my perspective has grown significantly since becoming a chiropractor in 2001. Both sides are pretty clear. Side one is referred to as allopathic medicine (drugs and surgery) and side two is known as complementary and holistic (namely chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, etc.).
While drugs and surgery have their place, so does holistic approaches to health, wellness and pain relief. I believe there are three main areas that when addressed will help to reduce and even avoid a majority of our healthcare problems.
The three foundational keys to optimal wellness while hopefully avoiding costly doctor visits are, in my opinion, the following:
1. Proper BIA (Body Impedance Analysis) which is a measurement of lean body mass (muscle) to adipose tissue (fat). There is an optimal number range for this. We must endeavor to dial this number in. 2. A strong gastrointestinal system. I call it a titanium gut. A 5R program works great here. Remove unhealthy organisms, replace, reinoculated, regenerate, and retain healthy bacteria. 3. A strong musculoskeletal system through proper spinal alignment, stretching and flexibility. This will greatly reduce nerve entrapments that are both painful and unhealthy.
These three simple principles will honor your body and pay homage to your mother who knew best when she said “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”
William Stanley Ferris is a doctor of chiropractic with specialization in functional medicine. He is the president and founder of Modern Chiropractic & Pain Relief and New York Weight Loss in Victor. Call 585-398-1201 or visit www.modernchiropractic.com