November 2014

You know that feeling you get when someone tells you that they’ve never done or experienced something and you can’t help but think, “but wait, WHY NOT”? That’s often the feeling or thought that crosses my mind when people tell me they’ve never had a massage or facial. It’s shocking to me. Absolutely shocking!

Having been lucky enough to grow up in a household where spa treatments were introduced early on in my life, I’ve always felt the need to advocate for their importance in everyday life to those who have yet to (or even refuse to) experience a body or skin care treatment.

I get it, massages and facials can seem like an extravagant extra purchase, that money can go elsewhere, right? Well, where else are you spending it? When you take a look at the benefits of receiving regular massages and/or facials, combined with our incredibly affordable prices, you might be able to understand why it is that I am somewhat flabbergasted when people say, “I don’t need that”. I say this because, well, everyone does!

At Healing Hands Day Spa, we offer not only affordable massage, facial and skin care treatments, but unforgettable ones at that. It’s not just a cute joke that our name is Healing Hands! Working as the manager here, I am not exaggerating when I say that nearly every person who leaves their treatment room can’t help but express (in their incredibly relaxed state) just how happy they are that they came in. I often hear, “I can’t wait to come back”! People have even commented on how relaxing just sitting in the waiting room is!

We offer more than just treatments, we offer a soothing, relaxing escape from your daily routine – we know how important “me time” really is. Being a regular client here myself, I am less than happy when I need to miss one of my regular appointments, especially massages. But facials as well. Okay fine, I hate missing any appointment that I have.

As someone who suffers from spinal issues, my regular massages are what keep my body going. Not only do our massage therapists customize the treatment to fit your needs, they actually listen to you. The same goes with our estheticians as well, they listen to what you want and need in regards to your skin care. I’ve visited many other “spa” settings while living out of state and other cities in the Bay Area where I couldn’t even relax. A lot of the treatment sounded like this: “a little more pressure there… Okay yeah, can you add a little more pressure there… So if you could increase the pressure there that’d be great…” Do you know how many times that scenario has run through my head at other places? I don’t even want to talk about it.

If you’ve never experienced a skin care treatment or massage, or even if you have but just haven’t made your way to our side of town, give us a call at 925-362-9892 or book online at www.healinghandssalon.net and we’ll be happy to set you up for a blissful experience!

If you are suffering with neck pain from a pinched nerve or herniated disc, you know how debilitating it is and how the pain slowly leaks the vitality from your life. At Align Healing Center we specialize in treating pain naturally. It is our mission to help relieve pain without the use of drugs or invasive procedures and without inducing more pain! If you or someone you care about suffers from pinched nerves or disc related pain, it is worthwhile to explore the natural therapies that are available today.

What is cervical disc herniation?
The bones (vertebrae) that form the spine in your back are cushioned by round, flat discs. When these discs are healthy, they act as shock absorbers for the spine and keep the spine flexible. If they become damaged, they may bulge abnormally or break open (rupture), in what is called a herniated or slipped disc. Herniated discs can occur in any part of the spine, but they are most common in the neck (cervical) and lower back (lumbar) spine.

A herniated disc is usually caused by wear and tear of the disc. As we age, our discs lose some of the fluid that helps them maintain flexibility. A herniated disc can also result from injuries to the spine, which may cause tiny tears or cracks in the outer layer of the disc. The jellylike material (nucleus) inside the disc may be forced out through the tears or cracks in the capsule, which causes the disc to bulge, break open (rupture), or break into fragments.

What are the symptoms of a herniated disc in the neck?
Herniated discs in the neck (cervical spine) can cause pain, numbness, or weakness in the neck, shoulders, chest, arms, and hands. In some cases, a very large herniated disc in the neck may cause weakness or unusual tingling affecting other parts of the body, including the legs.

Arm pain from a cervical herniated disc is one of the more common cervical spine conditions. The arm pain from a cervical herniated disc results because the herniated disc material “pinches” or presses on a nerve in the neck, causing pain to radiate along the nerve pathway down the arm. Along with the arm pain, numbness and tingling can be present down the arm and into the fingertips. Muscle weakness may also be present due to a cervical herniated disc.

How can I heal my pain without drugs or surgery?

1. Non-Surgical Spinal Decompression Therapy
Non-surgical spinal decompression is a state of the art treatment that has been helping thousands of patients with chronic neck or lower back pain, sciatica, and herniated, bulging or degenerated discs. This is an entirely different treatment from traditional chiropractic adjustments. Many of the patients who are candidates for this procedure have already tried chiropractic, physical therapy, injections, and/or were told they would need surgery.
This breakthrough treatment works by gently separating the vertebra which decompresses the disc, thus causing the bulging material to be drawn back into the disc. Non-surgical spinal decompression is very effective, has a high success rate, and can be utilized for both cervical and lumbar disc injuries.

2. Class IV Laser Therapy
Laser treatments at Align Healing Center are done with the K-laser 1200 Class IV Laser. Class IV Laser therapy gets to the root of the injury and treats it at the cellular level, providing energy to the cells so they can heal. This laser does not cut or burn but is gently absorbed by the tissue. During each painless treatment, laser energy increases circulation, drawing water, oxygen, and nutrients to the damaged area. This creates an optimal healing environment that reduces inflammation, swelling, muscle spasms, stiffness, and pain. As the injured area returns to normal, function is restored and pain is relieved.

There is hope!
We have found that a combination of Class IV laser therapy and spinal decompression offers outstanding results in healing stubborn neck pain due to a pinched nerve, bulging discs or spinal degeneration.

This unique combination of non-invasive therapy offers a chance for realizing a permanent cure for neck or back pain. This eliminates the long-term care commitment forced upon patients by other symptomatic low-back pain treatments such as: drugs, injections, and surgery. With proper care and rehabilitation of your spine you can be back to your healthy self quickly!

For more information about Dr. Niele Maimone, DC or to set up a complimentary consult call 925.362.8283 or visit www.alignhealingcenter.com.

Other than consciousness, which is arguably the most important aspect of being human, memory is what provides the mental structure for a meaningful life. After all, without memory, all of our thoughts would be in isolation, separated from the past without context. It would be a constant stream of thought generated from our immediate surroundings, or would simply percolate up from our subconscious— of which we have no control. We couldn’t understand jokes, drive a car or recognize a friend.

We take our memory for granted, but when it starts to fail we know that it’s a problem—a big problem. It’s very much a disability, but just not as evident or as obvious as a limp or a tremor. You know it’s happening; you’ve gone into the bedroom to get something and then forgotten why you went in there, or you are reminded of an important conversation with a friend that you can’t fully recall, or you can’t remember a paragraph you read right after you’ve just finished reading it. “It’s not a silly little moment,” as the John Mayer song goes, it’s as substantial and life changing as it gets.

When memory is mentioned in the media, it’s typically associated with a disease like Alzheimer’s or Senile Dementia. Most of what we know about memory has accumulated only in the last five years. Before then, the brain was thought to be “set,” in other words, non-changeable, which colored our view about its processes, and especially about memory. Since we didn’t know how memory was formed or where it was stored in the brain, strategies to improve it were based on conjecture and hope. This is not a good recipe for success.

With the progress of neuroscience came a clearer formulation of memory science. I can’t cover the neuro-chemistry of memory in depth in this short article, but I’d like to discuss some of the concepts of how memory works and talk about a few therapies that have worked in my office to improve brain function and restore memory.

Early theories thought of memory as a time-related progression, moving from sensory memory (1 sec.) to short term or working memory (up to 1 min), and then to long-term memories. A more recent theory suggests that it’s actually the depth of mental processing that creates long term memory. We have all experienced the effectiveness of giving an idea special meaning by associating it with something else. Having the brain take a more in-depth look at an idea requires neurons to fire in a particular pattern which forms a neuron “circuit” that actually alters brain tissue. When this happens your brain is never the same again.

A part of the brain called the hippocampus, along with the prefrontal cortex, is believed to be the transition point to long-term memory. If the hippocampus is functioning too low, memories simply peter away. This area of the brain also controls the adrenal glands that produce cortisol (the stress hormone), which, if is too high or too low, will decrease long-term memory. It should be said that memory is actually stored in many areas of the brain and so, to some extent, a healthy brain leads to a good memory. The prefrontal cortex is important because that is where the organization of memory occurs.

Next month, I’ll go over the approach I take for increasing overall brain health and improved memory, but for now remember that any improvement in nutrition, like decreasing carbohydrates (grains), fast food, increased omega 3s, and exercise will go a long way to making you remember the date of your partner’s birthday and where you put your keys. To really get into the specifics of your individual memory/brain issues, a full assessment of your biochemistry with blood and hormone tests (and possibly others) is needed so we can find the specific cause of your problem and issues that have developed over time.

Dr. Don Davis, D.C., DACNB is a BOARD CERTIFIED CHIROPRACTIC NEUROLOGIST in Walnut Creek. He has been serving individuals with chronic pain for 30 years. For information about how you can get a free consultation with Dr. Davis, call (925) 279-4324 (HEAL).

Just for comparison, let’s pretend that we are building a supersonic fighter. When several of the parts come in they don’t meet specifications. Due to a lack of titanium several were made of aluminum. Even with no knowledge of engineering, we all know this plane would fail. But isn’t that the way we have been building our bodies? Due to our own actions, to the medical industry and to our lack of leadership, the specifications for an adequate immune system cannot be met, thus our defense is down.

Wait, there is help! The Drug Cavalry is coming, just in time, to hide our deficiencies and cover the symptoms. Now, with their special drug, our plane is able to fly with aluminum parts. We can even get AMA and FDA approval that the “standard of care” was followed and those parts are fine, although, with a serious challenge, those parts are more like paper.

What can we do to make up for this disaster? The purpose of this series of articles on the immune system is to help find an answer. The immune system is so complex that we are only just beginning to discover its many intricate and interrelated activities. Just last year the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was given for the discovery of how cells communicate allowing cellular cooperation in the destruction of invaders.

What can you do to help these heroes, aka your cells, keep defending your body? Give them the supplies they need. Even if you follow all guidelines for ideal nutrition, you could easily be missing critical minerals that are necessary in order to provide your immune system with what it needs.

Over 75 years ago a health agency for our government warned our country that, due to farming methods, the soils were being seriously depleted of essential minerals. So far, science has found that we need Copper, Zink, Magnesium, Selenium, Iodine and Iron. The reason I say “so far,” is that we need more research.

When given rare earth minerals, the life span of laboratory animals greatly increases. Certain areas of our planet have human societies with incredible health and longevity. In these areas they get the minerals naturally because their crops are irrigated with glacier water or their diet includes ocean products, such as seaweed. We have idiot regulators in California that will not allow glacier dust to be brought into the state because it contains asbestos, a substance found in the soil throughout our state. I bought Canadian Glacier Dust in Oregon which contained 76 minerals and my vegetables grew faster and bigger and were bug resistant.

There are several very good supplement companies that provide these minerals in a chelated form, but nothing is as good as the colloidal form found in vegetables. It should be so obvious to all of us that even with all the incredible advances in industry and science, the USA is one of the world’s leaders in degenerative diseases.

As I explain in my book Why?, to have the best chance for a wonderful, healthy, still active and youthful life when others your age, and younger, are in rest homes or passed on, you must be proactive. The more you can educate yourself on the subjects of nutrition, exercise, stress control and happiness, the better chance you have. You can bet big Pharma will do everything it can to keep from losing customers. Their loyal followers will try to convince you that it’s easier to take drugs to feel good than to go to all that trouble of careful shopping and food preparation.

On my website, www.drbrownwhy.com, there will be regular blogs on new findings and health tips I come across in my research for my next book. I have also made myself available for talks to groups and organizations.

Confidence is beautiful!
A woman that is confident radiates strength, passion, and conviction. A confident woman is not afraid to be herself. She has high self-awareness, knows all aspects of herself, and trusts her instincts. She knows that she is beautiful just the way she is, regardless of what the media dictates.

That beautiful black dress, heels and make-up can make you feel a little sexier, but the sexiest thing about you doesn’t have a color or shape. You can’t touch it, but you sure can feel it … it’s self-confidence!
Being comfortable with who you are, is ultimately what’s behind this new movement that redefines sexy from appearance to inner strength. It’s no longer about what others think of you or trying to live up to a man’s idea or media’s image of what beauty is, it’s what you think of yourself, that makes you sexy.

The Strength to Be Confident
Beauty is far beyond skin deep. There are “beautiful” women who think negatively about their appearance, and women who, some might say, are not as “beautiful,” yet they exude confidence and self-acceptance. That inner-strength to positively believe in who you are and own your body, is the strength you have to build to become sexy.
That mental toughness is only built through believing your own hype. If you don’t create hype for yourself, you have nothing to believe in but only what others think of you. Change that today by coming up with your own self-confidence mantra.

As an insecure woman, you rely on others and put a lot of expectations on them to validate you and make you feel good. It is absolutely essential for you to feel good about yourself and know yourself, FIRST – before you have wonderful deserving relationships.

How you feel about yourself, and how you carry yourself is ultimately more important than how you look (Although I do think taking care of yourself and wearing your own style of make-up fills the pretty side of your soul). Many people find other qualities more important than looks. Other qualities like confidence and self-esteem! Trying to please others or live up to others’ expectations is not sexy. To build strength and define your own beauty, consider your body and looks in your own definition of sexy.

It isn’t until you accept yourself and change your mindset that you can truly start moving in the right direction, and positive change will follow. The strength to accept yourself comes from knowing your own importance. The body you want is only possible through the body you’ve got. Loving it, accepting it, and treating your whole body with love from head to toe, is essential to being sexy. So embrace the face and body you’ve got, in all its sexy glory, so you can move towards a positive outlook on life and confident persona.

Kill the fat talk (and skinny talk, too!) Too many times there’s an “us against them” struggle between “overweight” and “skinny” people. This shouldn’t be. The put-downs, stares, and judgments need to stop! Accepting an individual is the best way to accept your own body and is the first step to stop comparing yourself to others. Empowering other women is by far the sexiest and most meaningful.

The most beautiful people I know are the people that are beautiful from within. They love themselves and the world around them. Absolute confidence comes from within us, not from outside influences –and THAT is a beautiful thing.

My apologies for being a bit nonplussed. I had the great fortune of attending the 5th game of the recent NLCS playoffs at AT&T Park in San Francisco. I don’t think I can slip a Travis Ishikawa question past our discerning readers. Speaking of San Francisco (I was anyway), try the following.

1. The greatest car chase in movie history took place in San Francisco as Steve McQueen and the pursued covered every section of SF by simply turning a corner. What was the name of this classic movie?

2. The Giants came to town in 1958. Candlestick Park was not built until 1960. Where did the Giants play those first few years?

3. The current anthem to SF is Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” but prior to that it was the title song from the 1936 movie “San Francisco.” Who sang it in the movie?

4. Who was the mayor of San Francisco when Candlestick Park was built?

5. Who were the two stars of the TV show “Streets of San Francisco?”

6. In the 40’s, a future TV star played “Pat Novak for Hire,” a detective show on radio that was produced in San Francisco. Who was he?

I like to consider myself a Patriot but I have to admit to some very strong praying going on when my only son reached draft age. My husband had served in Vietnam and I saw firsthand the emotional struggles that came with being a Light Infantry Squad Leader. Scars that would last a lifetime…how could they not?

I have not only a tremendous respect but an outright love for the men and women who serve us, defending America. Veteran’s Day for so many has become just another day.

What easier way to build a little awareness, than a movie or two this month. While some people love military movies, many of us stay as far away as possible. Political views on war? Get over it! Whichever side of that fence you’re on, we still need defenders in our society. Without our military there would be no America!

There are so many good ones, I didn’t know where to start. When you reach back to the very early years in America we have the brilliance of Glory, God’s and Generals (long but good) and Gettysburg.

World War I brought us the epic All Quiet on the Western Front. The 1979 made for TV version with Richard Thomas actually paled in comparison to the 1930 classic. Go for the original if you can find it!

Saving Private Ryan is to me the benchmark for World War II movies. The first five minutes almost had me walking out of the theater but once I settled into the horrible realities of war I was set for a real education. This is a “must see” movie. If you are looking for an earlier vintage WWII movie you can’t go wrong with Bridge on the River Kwai or The Thin Red Line.

I had a little problem putting together a list of Korean Conflict (I’m sure it felt like a war to those who were there) films. Battle Hymn and The Bridges of Toko-Ri are a couple, but the standout, probably because of the popular TV Series was Mash. I’m sure there are still reruns showing somewhere!

Vietnam. Now we’re getting to the point in time that many have been touched by. One of the greatest tragedies of Vietnam is how the war was portrayed by Hollywood. One of the most honest accounts can be found in We were Soldiers Once with Mel Gibson.

From there we move to the Middle East and more defined political opinions on our intervention. The vantage points are all over the place but the plethora of movies seems to take in them all. Some of the better attempts are Lone Survivor, The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.

In my opinion one of the best is Black Hawk Down but for just pure entertainment you won’t want to forget Top Gun. The music score alone is worth the viewing!! So this month reflect on our many blessings in America and know that our system of government, while not always perfect is as close as it gets. That system and our military allows us the privilege of not thinking too much about Veteran’s Day! Why don’t you change that up this year! Watch a movie and thank a Vet! As always I love your comments at chastings@rockcliff.com.

Walk into any library or book store and what surrounds you? Books, right? Well, on one level this is true… but it’s not the complete answer, is it?

Aside from bound volumes of paper with letters, symbols and images, what you are really surrounded by are messages from the past; thoughts, ideas, wisdom and stories—and the accounts of history as experienced in what was once “real” time for someone else.

So let me ask you. What would you like to say to your great, great, great grandchildren? What wisdom have you developed in your life that you would like to share with your kids—and their kids—that may save them from having to learn some of what you’ve had to learn “the hard way?”

In our fast–paced, high-tech world, we sometimes overlook the power of the written word. But as far as we have come—and as fast as it seems we have arrived at wherever we “are”—it is still true that printed words are the most enduring and impactful form of communication.

Sure, there are “classic” films; there are recordings, sculpture, paintings and other art forms that endure—but none of these compare with books in terms of volume and detail. This is why all organized methods of education are built around books.

Some, like me, believe there is a foundational, spiritual basis to the power of words—it’s why the Bible is referred to by many as, “The Word of God.” Books are the keepers of dreams and aspirations; the conduits of time transcendence through generations.

Perhaps you’ve never seriously considered your impact on the future. What will be your legacy? What would you like to contribute to the world that will be after you are no longer here? What would you like to say now that will reach forward and touch your future family and friends? One of my greatest joys with ALIVE Book Publishing is being able to help people do this every day.

Are you ready to record something for posterity? Isn’t it time to stop just thinking about your legacy?

Sit down and write!