Olympic Fever

The Summer Olympics started getting more interesting to me after I trained for my first triathlon sprint.  I was living in Port Orange, FL going to Chiropractic College.  For my training I was riding my bike outside, running outside and swimming at the YMCA pool right next to my school.  While swimming in the lap lane in the afternoon there was this high school coach outside the pool motivating/coaching his team.  When I was in the pool there was always this one kid who it seemed would finish 2 laps for  every lap I would do.  I just felt really slow.  It took a couple of months after turning on the TV to find out that Ryan Lochte was that swimmer and the coach outside the pool was his father.  After that I didn't feel so bad that I was constantly slower that an Olympian.



Fast forward a bunch of years, and now the 2012 Olympics are coming up and I find out that one of my friends Dr. Jason Gerard (Chiropractor) is one of the Performance Doctors for Team USA.  Yes you read that right, not a pain doctor, but a PERFORMANCE DOCTOR.

I personally take care of many athletes, no Olympians, but I know why we are considered performance doctors to Olympic Athletes.  It really comes down to a science,  and here it is... you know that we have a nervous system in our bodies.  It is comprised of our brain, spinal cord, and and all the nerves that branch out through the spine to everywhere in the body.  The nervous system is the master control system of the whole body, and when it is in clear communication with the body, the body functions and performs at peak levels.

Being that the spine and the Central Nervous System are so intricately connected;  correct spinal alignment will give your nervous system the best chance to work at peak levels.  A misaligned spine will do the opposite.  It will actually interfere with the clear communication of the nervous system, possibly interfering with sensory (pain), muscle and or organ function.  That also means immune function can be effected.

Now you are wondering, what can cause poor spinal alignment, aren't you?  There are three basic things that can do this, they are called the "Three T's"- Thoughts, Traumas, and Toxins, the three major Stressors that effect your life.  Thoughts- your thoughts can effect your health.  Think about this... If someone around you claps their hands really loud, you JUMP.  What happens inside?  Your blood pressure goes up, your heart rate changes, you go into a fight or flight response.  Realize that your mind did that, nobody touched you.  Your thoughts can change your neurology, which can change your physiology (the way your body works), so good thoughts are always best.  Traumas- This could be anything from the birth process, to a car accident, to training too hard in a gym or for a sporting event.  Toxins- these are things that are put in your body.  They could be pollution in air or water, unhealthy food, cigarettes, and a very important one most people don't thing about are the vaccines that are given to children (filled with poisonous chemicals), and medicines, over the counter or prescribed.  The "Three T's" lists above are just a little bit of what can cause the nervous system to malfunction and cause spinal misalignments(subluxations).  Many times you don't even feel them.

The ONLY Doctors in the WORLD trained to analyze the spine, detect and correct subluxations (spinal misalignments) are CHIROPRACTORS. We are the solution to this problem.  

So back to the athletes and Olympic athletes, do you think athletes want their nervous system to work free from interference?  I'm not an Olympic athlete and I want my nervous system working the best that it could possibly work, wouldn't you want the same for yourself and your family?  I've been getting adjusted for 33 years as of today (that means since birth) and my brother and sister have been getting adjusted since they were born too.

I tell you all this because you have the right to be healthy and have a fully functioning nervous system from your first breath of life to your last.

Here are two great quotes for you:

"The doctor of the future will give no medicine, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet and in the cause and prevention of disease"- Thomas Edison

"The doctor of the present will give no medicine but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the cause and prevention of DIS-EASE. BE PRESENT!”-Dr. Eric Plasker

I have to say one last thing  "GO TEAM USA"

Thanks for reading,

Yours for a Healthier Future

-Dr. Josh Handt D.C.