1 Minute Meditation

Wow, is it hard for me to get 20 minutes let alone 5 minutes to myself to meditate.  First of all, I am so easily distracted.  One little noise or my kids in the other room doing something that they know they shouldn’t be doing, and my brain is not in the right place.  I definitely don’t make that time for myself but I know how good it is for me.  I’ve come up with a way to do a 1 minute meditation that has really helped me be present and calm.  It may not be “actual” meditation but for this busy working momma, it works.  Ok, here’s how I do it. 

Step One:  Find a place to sit, quiet is good but if you don’t have quiet, still do it.

Step Two: Sit up straight and comfortable.  (If it isn’t comfortable for you to sit up straight, you may need to get checked out by a Chiropractor, this should be easy to do). 

Step Three: Close your eyes and take a deep breath in and hold it for a 5 count and then release.  Try to focus the breath deep into your belly rather than into your upper chest.  (Hint: stick your gut out when you inhale).

Step Four: Take a second deep breath but this time as you hold it for the 5 count, tighten your muscles (core, arms, legs) about 20% of a full contraction.  Release it all.

Step Five: Take a third deep breath and contract your muscles to the point of shaking and release after 5 

seconds. 

Step Six: Focus on one thing you are grateful for.  If I am alone I will say out loud, “I am grateful for my healthy children.  Thank you God.” If I am not alone, I’ll just think it.  There are so many things to be grateful for… pick one! 

It’s really simple, literally only takes a minute.  I make time for this every day and I’m telling you it has made a difference.  You may not have 20 minutes to devote to self-reflection, but you know you are lying if you say you don’t have a minute.  Heck, you can do this at a stoplight (I recommend keeping your eyes open for that one though, LOL).

Yours in Health,

Dr. Beth

Need a St. Louis Chiropractor? Call us at 314-596-4070 to set up your free consultation.

Why Does Sugar Hate Me?

I definitely don’t hate sugar.  I compare myself to a drug addict when it comes to sugar.   They say that Oreos are more addictive than Heroin.  REALLY?  I know I have a tough time just eating one cookie or one piece of candy.  So what’s a girl to do?  What’s a doctor to do?  I have taken it to an extreme and I promise you this is not right for everyone.  I’ve gone cold turkey.  

Starting at the beginning of this year, 6 months ago, I embarked on my sugar free life.  At times it has made me miserable and also extremely proud of myself.  The more I have read about sugar, the more I realize how much it was killing me.   I’m 40 lbs down from my highest weight (I do exclude the bursting with twins weight from that which was higher).  The have been 3 major cheat days, where I fell off the wagon, since January.  Each of those times I very much regretted those days because I felt sick for at least 2 days after.  Again, this is not for everyone, but it’s working for me.  

The truth is, FAT DOESN’T MAKE US FAT!  I know that sounds ridiculous when you hear that at first.  Too much sugar pretty much the only thing that can make humans fat.  Now when I say sugar, I really mean carbohydrates.  Sugar is the sweet stuff which we all know is bad, but what a lot of people fail to realize is that any carbohydrate (bread, rice, pasta, potatoes) will affect your blood sugar almost the same way as a soda.  When your blood sugar goes up, and you don’t use that energy immediately, you are making fat.

So my continued plan, eat low carbohydrate and as clean as possible for the rest of my life.  You heard me right, this is not a diet for me, this is a way of eating.  Please comment below and tell me what your struggle is.

 

Yours in health,
Dr. Beth Bagley 

Need a St. Louis Chiropractor? If you have any questions or want more information call us at 314-596-4070 to schedule a private consultation with me.

Reducing Aluminum Exposure for your Family

This week I watched a documentary (The age of Aluminum) about something I already thought I knew about, Aluminum.  So I started questioning practice members in my office this week, “does anyone else know about aluminum.”  The short answer is NO.  The possible links that are being researched are a little scary.  Things like Alzheimers, brest cancer, and allergies are just some of them. 

1.  Antiperspirant-  aluminium zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly ,  aluminium zirconium trichlorohydrex gly, Aluminium chloride, aluminium chlorohydrate, and aluminium-zirconium are the most common types of aluminum in antiperspirants.  How they work is that the aluminum makes a bond with the electrolytes in the sweat and it forms a gel plug in the sweat gland duct.  The worry is that it is possible that aluminum in leaching into the surrounding tissues, especially breast tissue which it is closest to.  Research being done in vitro (out of the body) show that breast cells exposed to aluminum will grow tumors.  The aluminum lobby says, “this is bogus” but to me it sounds a lot like what the tobacco lobby used to say about lung cancer.  ALTERNATIVE: use deodorant (aluminum free) or magnesium oil.

2.  Vaccines- I know there is much controversy over vaccines and our health.   But one incontrovertible fact is that vaccines have aluminum in them as something called an adjuvant which “improves the immune response” of those who receive the vaccine.  Well here’s something I didn’t know before, aluminum hydroxide is used to MAKE animals allergic to things so we can study them.  So, to put it another way, when we inject these animals with aluminum, it makes them allergic to eggs, wheat, soy, or whatever they choose to introduce at the same time.  This Article is one example of this.  There is also some speculation into how vaccines can be related to dementia (read more on number 4).  ALTERNATIVE: don’t get vaccines..

3.  Cookware-  My grandfather used to tell my mother, never let something sit too long in an aluminum pot.  He was sort of ahead of his time, a chiropractor and in love with health knowledge.   Tons of cookware is made with aluminum.  Probably not such a great idea now that we know that aluminum is toxic.  I think of it similarly to pewter.  People used to get lead poisoning from using pewter for cooking, now it is made with tin instead of lead, so it goes to show that metal can leach out of cookware.  ALTERNATIVE: Stainless steel or Cast Iron, also avoiding cooking with aluminum foil and whenever possible buy your beverages in glass bottles.

4.  Antacids-  Some antacids are made with aluminum like Gaviscon.  Check out these side effects.  Aluminum toxicity is a real problem.  Some people cannot process it as well as others and it has been related to Alzheimer’s (or Alzheimer’s like symptoms) and even Autism spectrum disorder.  Aluminum is classified in this article as an excitotoxin (meaning exciting neurons to death).  ALTERNATIVE: a different antacid whose ingredients don’t have aluminum like Tums or changing your eating habits to include less or no sugar and low carbohydrate/high protein and fat drastically reduces or eliminates heartburn (this is very true for me).

5.  Baking Powder- Who would have thought something as simple as baking powder lurking in our pantry could increase our exposure to aluminum.  In normal baking powder one of the ingredients is sodium aluminum sulfate.  ALTERNATIVE: Aluminum-free baking powder, it is sold in most grocery stores now. 

 

So those are the 5 ways my family avoids aluminum toxicity.  I’m sure we all still have some exposure like from eating out at restaurants and things we may not be able to control.  But in general, we follow the alternatives listed above and I’m hoping that my kids will have reduced chance of sickness as they get older.

Yours in health, Dr. Beth Bagley
Need a St. Louis Chiropractor? If you have any questions or want more information call us at 314-596-4070 to schedule a private consultation with me.

This Upper Cervical Chiropractic thing really does work...

It is always amazing to me how the body can heal itself when it is free from interference.  Here's the latest success story from our clinic.

"Over the last six years I have searched for help and answers for my neck, shoulder and lower back pain.

I have tried other types of chiropractic measures.  This would help with the pain and lack of mobility as long as I kept going and got the adjustments to put me back together again.  I also tried physical therapy, which worked on the shoulder and caused the back to fare up.  So that was stopped and the lower back was worked on and then the shoulder would become a problem again.  I needed some relief that would help my entire body.

My husband and I used to walk everywhere with our dog, it was an adventure because we would walk miles every day to different places.  We really enjoyed the time together.  Because of the pain I was not able to walk with them and it was really sad because we all missed that special time together (even the dog).

I also was blesses with a grandchild, so I needed to get healthy so I could get on the floor and play with him.  I saw this article about the doctor’s story and ripped it out of the paper, because I thought this was me in the story.  I got excited so I called and made my first appointment, I was skeptical at first because it all seemed too good to be true.

After seeing my x-rays and having all my questions answered I made the commitment to invest in my health.  This was in the beginning of November, a couple of months later my husband said that he thought the treatment was working because I was not in as much pain as I normally was.  My daughter said she could see the difference in my coloring, I look healthier.  Just last month I was able to walk the entire path of our favorite park without pain.  (I am looking for some warm weather to start up walking again).

My daughter was so happy with my progress, that she also decided to start treatments and is making progress on her health issues.

It is a joy to come into the office every time and see Michelle and Dr. Bagley, they are so enthusiastic and truly care about YOU.  Your successes are theirs, Dr. Bagley wants to hear about your concerns and takes the time to answer all of your questions.

This was the best decision I made for myself and hope you also take the time to help yourself get into good health. -Mary W."

 Thank you so much for your kind words Mary.  It has and continues to be a pleasure to serve you!  

Yours in health,
Dr. Beth BagleyNeed a St. Louis Chiropractor? If you have any questions or want more information call us at 314-596-4070 to schedule a private consultation with me.

Yo-Yo Chiropractic

“Yo-Yo Chiropractic”

     You start a diet, lose 15 lbs, then quit… only to gain the weight back, plus five extra pounds.  When it’s time to fit into that bathing suit, you’ll repeat the process all over again.  Yo-yo dieting is transient and event based – not lifestyle based, thus the results are always fleeting. 

     Yo-Yo adjusting works the same way.  Pain based clients neglect themselves into a health crisis, start some chiropractic care to address it and once they get results, quit… only to gain the problem back, plus a few extra aches down the road.  When the flair ups interfere with their life, they run back to the chiropractor for another round of ‘pain-loss’ care.  But like yo-yo dieting, the results of on again – off again chiropractic are fleeting because a commitment has yet to be made. 

     It’s obvious, actively engaging in healthy routines (like clearing nerve stress from your spine on a regular basis) is better for your overall wellness than living crisis to crisis.  Not to mention, it’s cheaper on your pocketbook too.  Keeping your spine in optimal shape is not an event – it’s a Lifestyle.

Check Spine Light

What would you do if your car's low oil light came on today?  Would you immediately top off your engine with some 10W-30 weight or put some black tape over that little annoying light so you wouldn't have to deal with its foreshadowing glow any longer?

     If you continue to ignore the warning light, there’s a good chance your engine will seize down the road - and if you were checking your dipstick regularly and adding oil when needed, the light might not have come on in the first place.  The same applies to your spine and regular Chiropractic check-ups.

     When your spine gets behind on maintenance, pain is a potential warning light.   Unfortunately by the time pain shows up, you've probably been out of alignment too long.  If that's the case, don't 'black tape' the pain with Tylenol or Advil.  Bring your spine in for a proper Chiropractic adjustment today to avoid a catastrophic seize event tomorrow.