Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.
- Hippocrates

The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while nature cures the disease. - Voltaire

You are on fire

Billy Joel's song "We didn't start the fire" deals with modern history but it could also be applied to our own bodies.

Why? Because we really are on fire. No kidding. At this moment, as you quietly sit reading these words, you're burning, breathing in oxygen, mixing it with fuel and giving off heat and energy.

So why don't you burn up?

A forest fire, a candle flame, a match, or a burning bush (except in the Bible) are considered out-of-control fires - the high heat burns up the tree, candle, match, etc. - and the fire can spread and cause widespread damage.
.
But your fire is different. It's not overheating and burning you up, nor spreading and engulfing others. If you had that kind of fire you'd shortly be nothing more than a pile of ashes. Instead your fire operates at low temperatures: slow, controlled, contained and constant.

Why? It is because a special kind of protein (enzymes) permits burning at low temperatures - 98.6 degrees F. on average. (Your body temperature actually changes throughout the day - it's lowest in the morning, highest at night).
Your controlled fire permits you to use the energy to think, contract muscles, digest food and do thousands of other things you need to do to stay alive.

You didn't start the fire - you got it from your parents who got it from their parents who got it from their parents, and on and on and on - but you must tend the fire carefully.

That means healthy fuel - nutrient-dense foods, sunlight, rest, exercise, enjoyment, fulfillment and avoiding toxins; and (very important) seeing your chiropractor to ensure a healthy nervous system.

Regular chiropractic care will keep you free from subluxations so your body will work without nerve interference. That will help ensure high resistance to disease, proper system function and health so your fire will burn bright and clear and will give off much light so you'll enjoy a long, healthy life.

TMJ and Chiropractic

If you place your fingers in front of each ear and open your jaw, you'll feel lots of wiggling. This is where your skull's temporal bone attaches to your mandible (jaw): the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Lots of ligaments, cartilage, fascia, discs, muscles, nerves and blood vessels run in, around and through it.

That is why, when the TMJ joint is misaligned, you can have all kinds of problems: trouble opening the mouth wide; clicking or popping sounds; a locked jaw; headache; hearing loss; tinnitus (ringing in the ears); throat fullness; facial swelling; shoulder, cheek or jaw pain; neck ache; facial nerve pain; ear or eye pain; dental pain; nausea; blurred vision and dizziness. (1)

Spine and TMJ problems appear related and for that reason more TMJ sufferers are benefiting from chiropractic care. (2) By relieving pressure on the spine and cranial bones, chiropractic may relieve or correct TMJ problems. (3)

Conversely, an unhealthy skull/jaw alignment can put great stress upon the spinal column. There are documented cases of dental problems that, once corrected, have helped chiropractic patients to better hold their spinal adjustments. (4-5)

All TMJ sufferers need a chiropractic checkup. Anyone who has been to the dentist should follow up with a quick stop at their chiropractor.

102 and loving the Sox

102-year-old Alice Tillinghast lives out her dream of throwing out the first pitch to her beloved Boston Red Sox, showing it is never too late. Never let go of your dreams.

http://darynkagan.com/over60/stories

Sunlight is healing

Vitamin D has been studied for its ability to prevent cardiovascular disease, breast cancer, and colon cancer - and new research shows it might fight pancreatic cancer - the 4th leading cause of cancer deaths in the US. Just a few minutes of natural sunlight helps your body synthesize vitamin D.

Other sources of Vitamin D are eggs (buy organic from free range chickens, of course), liver, fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, herring and raw milk. We don't recommend pasteurized, low fat or skim milk as good sources since artificially added Vitamin D is not in its natural balance and is not used as well by your body. The natural sources are the best.

Humor
GRANDCHILDREN

My young grandson called the other day to wish me Happy Birthday. He asked me how old I was, and I told him, "62." He was quiet for a moment, and then he asked, "Did you start at 1?"

After putting her grandchildren to bed, a grandmother changed into old slacks and a droopy blouse and proceeded to wash her hair. As she heard the children getting more and more rambunctious, her patience grew thin. At last she threw a towel around her head and stormed into their room, putting them back to bed with stern warnings. As she left the room, she heard the three-year-old say with a trembling voice, "Who was THAT?"

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods." The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"

My grandson was visiting one day when he asked, "Grandma, do you know how you and God are alike?" I mentally polished my halo while I asked, "No, how are we alike?" "You're both old," he replied.

A little girl was diligently pounding away on her grandfather's word processor. She told him she was writing a story. "What's it about?" he asked. "I don't know," she replied. "I can't read."

I didn't know if my granddaughter had learned her colors yet, so I decided to test her. I would point out something and ask what color it was. She would tell me, and always she was correct. But it was fun for me, so I continued. At last she headed for the door, saying sagely, "Grandma, I think you should try to figure out some of these yourself!"

When my grandson Billy and I entered our vacation cabin, we kept the lights off until we were inside to keep from attracting pesky insects. Still, a few fireflies followed us in. Noticing them before I did, Billy whispered, "It's no use, Grandpa. The mosquitoes are coming after us with flashlights."

When my grandson asked me how old I was, I teasingly replied, I'm not sure." "Look in your underwear, Grandma," he advised. "Mine says I'm four to six."

A second grader came home from school and said to her grandmother, "Grandma, guess what? We learned how to make babies today." The grandmother, more than a little surprised, tried to keep her cool. "That's interesting," she said, "how do you make babies?" "It's simple," replied the girl. "You just change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es'."

Children's Logic: "Give me a sentence about a public servant," said a teacher. The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder pregnant." The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked. Sure," said the young boy confidently. "It means carrying a child."

A nursery school teacher was delivering a station wagon full of kids home one day when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting in the front seat of the fire truck was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog's duties. They use him to keep crowds back," said one youngster.
"No, said another, "he's just for good luck."
A third child brought the argument to a close. "They use the dogs," she said firmly, "to find the fire hydrant."