Submitted by synadmin on
Like it or not, it's another calendar year. For me, it represents my 60th year on planet Earth and I have decided to create an uprising!
In my endeavor to support my patients, friends and community, I have chosen to Start a movement. Movements begin when one or people sense a “growing dissatisfaction”. In this case, it's about restlessness and frustration with an out of control health care system that is both fiscally irresponsible and out dated in its practicality, is logic and its focus on disease care, not healthcare.
Last year my dad took ill and was taken to the hospital due to severe spasms that were taking place intermittently throughout his body. He was 87 years old and on 11 medications. His duration of stay was 7 days in the hospital. He had one diagnostic test and basically laid in bed 24/ 7. Since his conditions were varied, a pulmonary doctor, an internist, a kidney doctor and an orthopedist visited him. The only care rendered was a daily visit by each of them asking the basic question “so Milton and you feel”? Each physician did his or her most basic protocol. Using their stethoscope they listened to his heart and his lung fields. A quick entry onto the computer and a friendly “see you in the morning” and the care was complete.
When the human body is placed in a bed and no movement is given or rendered to the patient, especially at that age, one now needs rehabilitation. Why there was neither active therapy nor a requirement to get out of bed boggles my mind in a hospital setting
Dad was sent to a sub acute rehab facility to help him ambulate since he was kept in bed for an entire week.
Later that month, I received a statement from hospital demonstrating a shocking $47,000 billed to Medicare for dad's seven-day stay. Let me recap the events. 3 meals a day consisting of institutional food, four doctors duplicating the same assessment. No treatment of any kind (just observation) and one diagnostic assessment.
On a personal level, this was an AH HA moment for me. These events make me question the direction of what we call healthcare in our country. I clearly understand why our country is falling off of a fiscal cliff. There is just no way to justify $47,000 in expenses. I wish Medicare could have sent my dad off to Europe and had him stay in a magnificent Villa overlooking the Mediterranean. Had they done that, my father would have had a more enjoyable stay and Medicare would have saved itself about $30,000. PS-the food would have been a tad better –lol
Welcome to the trilogy of truth through my eyes as the central core philosophy of my work going forward:
“Align the spine”, “Eat from the vine”, “Calm the mind”
For the past 35 years I have embraced this philosophy, lived this philosophy and own it from the deepest place in my heart. I am so clear on the impact of the body's nervous system and its importance in maintaining all of our body’s functions. Alignment has everything to do with Chiropractic care, exercise and every type of physical motion to maintain the integrity and functioning of 110 joints from the base of the neck to the tailbone.
Stop! Think! Who do you know who suffers with chronic spine issues? 80-90 % of the population does! Why?
To know is not to do-therefore, in 2013, please challenge yourself to identify all that you know, but are not doing.
If you are serious about growing older gracefully, you need to embark on these strategies now!!!!! If you are a parent of young children, here is your opportunity to exemplify being “the model, not the critic”. A model of intelligent choices by “showing them the way”
Let 2013 be the year that you find your truth. Living a life that matters, a life with energy abounding. Living a life where your actions and habits are congruent with the vision that you hold for yourself.
“Eat from the vine”
It takes a conscious effort to decide on what you put into your body. The simple statement here is: “eat what grows”
There are too many products that are mass-produced today that have little if any nutritional value. They have been modified, adulterated, dyed and stripped of valuable nutrients.
Our society spends billions of dollars altering our external selves through Lypo suction, cosmetic surgeries, willingness to put dangerous chemicals into our bodies to make us look more appealing more attractive and seductive. Learning to eat from the vine is the most sensible, logical and healthiest choice each of us can make.
Why do we choose poor quality food? What emotional challenges do we have that lure us to disease producing and inflammatory foods?
In 2013, clarify your why. Why bother embracing these principles. Why make these choices and realign your future health plans? Remember you are the Spielberg of your own life, the producer and director. Nobody is holding a gun to your head recommending foods that will over time increase your chances of weight gain inflammatory problems and extreme exhaustion. Yes ,your low energy is tied directly to that “gas ” ( food) you feed your engine.
“Calm the mind”
The statistics are blatant and frightening. They are more psychotropic medications prescribed in America today than any other type of drug. With so many individuals struggling to cope with life's choppy waters, the number of people on antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication is staggering.
In 2013, commit to learning more about contentment, compassion and serving. Statistics state that we have an overwhelming number of narcissistic people spending their lives feeling entitled and forever wanting what other people have.
America is the wealthiest nation in the world yet filled with unhappy, unsatisfied and unhealthy individuals. It takes a strong commitment to change and rearrange daily habits.
Stress has been the buzzword for the last number of years. To spend a lifetime somewhat void of stress, endeavoring to remain in the “Buddha zone” is a formidable task. On a personal note, I only wish I could accurately account for the number of hours I have allocated to my reading, studying, writing and participating in the subject of “calm the mind”. Another question to be considered is simply why? My answer is brief. A had a strong desire to experience a relative level of peace in my life. Yes, all the books explained that subconsciously what most of us, if not all of us, yearn for is peace and happiness.
Question: how can we attract this into our lives if we do not spend time on it?
If our lives are filled with task-oriented activities 24 /7, it will be impossible to dedicate any time to the goal of peace and stress less existence.
Michael Jordan became great at what he did by playing basketball most of his time. Picasso and every artist spent a great part of their lives in the arena of what they found most important to their lives. How critical is bringing peace and tranquility, compassion and understanding into your life?
We say we want to be happier and more at peace but if we are honest, our investment to this goal has been anemic.
With time being so precious, I asked that you evaluate your day and if you are really desirous of bringing a more calm mind into your life, it is imperative to block out 30 minutes daily. It may require 30 less minutes on the telephone, 30 min. less roaming the web or 30 min. less on the adult baby sitter called the TV. Without this commitment to study, learning and immersing yourself in the philosophy of calming your mind, it will always remain elusive.
Unfortunately it will usually take an incident to move an individual to action. It is often a life altering event, a loss of life, serious illness, divorce or financial collapse. The enlightened warrior within you will see the value of “wisdom in advance of crisis”
So please once again, spend some time in deep inquiry. Through deep inquiry, we can begin this quest of what makes happy, healthy, peaceful and enlightened individuals tick. This is my hope for each and every one of you. It’s a quest handled over time, but one with great return on investment- a life of inner peace - priceless.
I am here to help navigate the complexity of the human body … Dr. Charles Berg
River Vale Chiropractic
674 Westwood Ave.
River Vale, NJ 07676
(201) 666-5300