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YO...Your Health is a Bunch of T-Shirts
…Your Health is a Bunch of T-Shirts
by Dr. Reed Nelson
We all know the people that wear the T-shirts. You know the shirts with the interesting sayings on them. Although I don’t often wear
T-shirts, I have quite the collection. During the 27 year journey of helping others with their health, I have accumulated a collection of truths about us humans. These T-shirts contain wise words about the life and health of the human being. Now I should mention, I cannot take you through my whole wardrobe in this article. We can however certainly take a peek at a few shirts. Each of the shirts in this writing either does, should or will have books written about them. They are just interesting truths. So open your mind as I take you into my closet.
You’re unique but you’re not that special
Quite the shirt! We all are unique. We all have amazing potential. You can thank the world designer. Without our unique differences the world would be quite boring. Despite these differences, pretty much the same stuff happens to all of us. At some point in time, we all will have an unfortunate health injury. Pretty much everyone will turn an ankle, break a bone, or fall. We all will be hurt by someone or something physically and/or mentally. As well, all of us will be helped by someone kind.
Bob is a good example of a guy that needs this shirt in his closet. I will say Bob is unique, I enjoy him. Bob also thought he was special. Bob thought he didn’t need sleep like the rest of us. Bob told me, “I only sleep 3-4 hours per night.” He was proud of it! “That’s all I need.” Bob said. I told
Bob generally that is not good for your health. Bob replied, “No, it's fine for me, I’ve been doing it for years.” In short, Bob began to have problems with his body. He achieved many degenerative joints and
You’re UNIQUE but you’re not that SPECIAL
had a plethora of knee surgeries. Bob had a disc problem, tissue tears, tearing in his shoulder and triceps, a broken hip, drug treatment for pain and inflammation problems and prostate cancer. Bob did all of this before the age of 55. Bob is loving. Bob is unique but, Bob is not that special. It’s safe to say that Bob requires rest and regeneration just like the rest of us.
So you see, the truth is pretty much the same things happen to all of us. It’s safe to say we all will feel pain and sorrow. We all will experience pleasure. At times our brains will feel sadness; and we will all know how it feels to smile. This brings me to my next shirt…
It’s never what happens; it’s what you do when it happens
As with all the truth T-shirts this shirt deserves some pondering. Two men lose a limb in a war injury. The one man remains a victim. He is quick to anger, stuck in the past and negative. He turns to alcohol and abusive language to change his state of mind and to feel significant. The other man is thankful he did not lose both of his legs! The second man goes on helping other amputees and works with a team to develop better limbs. He lives life full of love and connection, is inspiring and respected. How does the same thing happen to both men and their health and happiness end up in such different places? Answer, because it’s never what happens, it’s what you do when it happens. Great shirt! This next t-shirt is deep but essential to living a long life of health and wellness.
You got to have faith
I’m not talking religion here. You must have faith that the human body, for the most part, heals itself. I’m talking faith that the world designer did not make the human animal with a few needless organs or a lack of drugs. This shirt is quite direct and isn’t in any way meant to downplay the valuable benefits of drug treatments. It’s to say that he with the most drugs does not win. This faith I am talking about doesn’t stop here either. You must have faith that there is a universal intelligence, which is good. You have to believe that good is ultimately more powerful than evil. It is powerful to belief goodness triumphs over evil. As far as faith goes, whether you think you can do it or you think you can’t do it, most of the time you’re going to be right. It’s just how the brain body connection works.
You got to have FAITH
Your health is like a farm
Any farmer knows there are winters, spring, summer and fall. The farm is cyclic. Life is cyclic and therefor so is your health. The farmer that has the best crops in the spring did not do the least work in the fall. A good book said it well, “We reap what we sow.” From cardiovascular disease to obesity we must take general responsibility for our health. You see, for the most part any disease that comes into our body is earned. We are at least in part the creator of the disease because we are in fact the creators of our health. What can lead to controversy and confusion on this topic is the exceptions. It is unwise to base position on exceptions. The truth is, sometimes we can do everything correct, and still have a health problem. Let me take it back to the farm to clear this up. The farmer can do all the hard work that is needed to have great crops, but sometimes a fire or a flood just ruins everything. In general however, a farmer is rewarded in the spring for the hard work he/she has done in the summer and fall. The farmer will reap what he/she sows and we do the same with our health.
CNS rocks
So what is the CNS? The human central nervous system is made up of brain matter, eyes, and spinal cord. I should point out that many educators don’t include the eyes in the CNS but they absolutely are. I saw it for myself; the eyes are a direct extension of the brain. In fact this extension of the brain is one of the unique features that gives the human being great advantages over other animals. This brain talk reminds me of another important T-shirt to own on this subject.
Your health is like a farm
CNS ROCKS
Seek and you shall find
What you direct your brain to think about is your focus. What we humans think we feel. The brains thoughts are things. Happiness, sorrow and frustration, these feelings don’t even exist if it wasn’t for our central nervous system. It’s good to know this. One important thing about focus is it helps establish our beliefs. Beliefs are powerful real things too. Our beliefs can limit us or our beliefs can be the foundation to do something outstanding. There is always both good and bad to see and our brains can find either in any situation. It simply just depends on what we direct our brains to look for. If you’re looking for the worst in something, you will find it. I will also remind you, this CNS I’m talking about is not designed to make us happy. It’s designed to make us survive! Health and happiness is a choice. We all have the power to choose, we can see the good, we can see the bad, and the choice is but our own. Seek and you shall find, nice shirt.
See it as it is
The next T-shirt goes hand and hand with brain and body talk. Don’t make life’s occurrences
Seek and you shall find into more or less than what they are. This too is just a brain body thing; it’s just how we are designed. Our mind’s tendency is to error on making things into more than they are to keep us safe. The world designer was thoughtful and intelligent. Before we relax to drink from the stream, we check for danger. Now of course present day humans have less chance of being preyed upon. Nowadays most lions, tigers and bears aren’t looming around your morning coffee. If you understand this brain tendency however, you can absolutely benefit your health and your life. Speak to yourself! Ask yourself questions, “Is my brain making this into more than it is? What exactly does this really mean? What else could this be?” The opposite can be true as well. Our brains can make things into less than what it is. I always say, you can’t continue the backyard barbecue when the house is on fire. Sometimes our minds won’t be looking at something correctly. The brain will see it as less than it is. One might say, “Oh the house is on fire, but I’m enjoying this barbecue, did you try the ribs?” In this example, the person clearly is making the occurrence of a house fire into less than it is. Do as the shirt says, “See it as it is.”
SEE IT AS IT IS
Baby steps How do you eat BABY STEPS a hippopotamus? Answer, one bite at a time. The process is no different when it comes to your health. When it comes to health challenges like losing weight or cardio vascular fitness, owning this T-shirt becomes valuable. When humans allow themselves to think about the entire project, they don’t even wish to start. Furthermore the whole process can be discouraging and overwhelming. On the contrary, when a person reminds themselves only of the things necessary to do tomorrow, it becomes a whole lot easier. Your health will be rewarded for the small things you do over a long period of time. A man walked into a gym with the goal of achieving big biceps. He curled and curled and gave it his all. On the way to car he said to himself, “I did everything I could but it just didn’t work for me.” He didn’t own the shirt.
So what’s in your closet? Do you need to add a few interesting shirts to your health and wellness wardrobe? It’s been my pleasure to share a few of mine with you but it is time for me to go, I must do some laundry. Peace.
Reed Nelson, DC, BS is the founding partner of Westmoreland Chiropractic & Rehab Associates, a group of wellness providers including Chiropractors, Massage Therapists and a Nutritionist, helping people with their health in multiple locations in Westmoreland County. Dr. Nelson is passionate about community involvement and gives time and financial support to many charitable causes.
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