October 2022

Many people look at Chiropractic and other alternative reports of healings as being placebo. If it is placebo and it works, then that’s great! Embrace the placebo! Although, hundreds of thousands of people report to have received benefit from Chiropractic with various ailments, the placebo can be an integral part in a persons healing.

The belief of an individual also plays an important role in that persons healing process. If a person doesn’t believe they can be healed or if they don’t love themselves, then it is often very difficult to heal; they may have many doctors for different problems and overbook their calendars with appointments to try to spear head issues with all angles. Yet somehow they don’t seem to get better from their issues. Every doctor is different that is true. Though, I believe as human beings, it is vital for all of us to look inward at ourselves and ponder on our problems; ask questions to our consciousness and wait to see what answers come to the mind. As answers come, we become more aware why we are experiencing what we are experiencing which gives us greater capacity to overcome our obstacles.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Josef Patterson…

A lot of people believe that Chiropractic is controversial in that it’s based off of pseudoscience. It is true that if Chiropractors only practiced evidence based medicine, then we would only be adjusting the low back.¹ That being said, more than half of all medical treatments are not validated by proper clinical trials in mainstream medicine and even up to 85%.² Looks like there is a lack of evidence on both sides of alternative and conventional medicine! 

Both practices of medicine have seen countless times where a patient defeats the odds and may be miraculously healed. These healings can’t be explained by science. If it comes down to deciding which form of medicine to try, follow your heart and you will be guided to what is best for you.

References:

[1] Ernst E (May 2008). “Chiropractic: a critical evaluation”. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 35 (5): 544–62. doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2007.07.004. PMID 18280103.

[2] Michael L. Millenson, AB: “Demanding Medical Evidence: Doctors and Accountability in the Information Age.” The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Issue 2, September 1998. http://www.amazon.com/Demanding-Medical-Excellence-Accountability-Information/dp/0226525880

Yours in Health,

Dr. Josef Patterson…

Chiro means “hand” and the rest of the word means to practice using the hands. Chiropractic first came about in the 1890’s from a man named D. D. Palmer who claimed to have received it from “the other world.”¹

The belief behind Chiropractic is that if there is any imbalance in the body, then the nervous system is being hindered in its communication somewhere else in the body through the musculoskeletal system. Chiropractic uses the hands of the practitioner to move those stuck parts and allow proper flow of neurological activity; thereby allowing the area affected to heal.

Reference:

[1] D.D. Palmer’s Religion of Chiropractic – Letter from D.D. Palmer to P.W. Johnson, D.C., May 4, 1911. In the letter, he often refers to himself with royal third person terminology and also as “Old Dad”.

Yours in Health,

Dr. Josef Patterson…

I think we have made a good point that the research and evidence is there to support a vast multitude of health benefits when it comes to mindful breathing practices. Whether you practice Yoga, Tai Chi, Kung Fu, Qigong, Box Breathing Tummo Breathing, or simply just focusing on breathing – you will find benefits that come to you.

Almost any imbalance that you may have can be helped by breathing correctly and with intention. Our body’s are powerful, you are powerful and can change your life. Can you believe it? Can you see it? Can you feel it?

You have the power to change your physiology. There are very few things that you can control in your life. But what you can control is what you do, say, think, and how you breathe. Breathe life into your life. Inhale the joy of all your blessings. Soak in the colors and the sounds of life with your breath and let it instill upon your heart. So much happiness and joy is out there and you can receive it if you choose.

With much love from my heart I am grateful to you for reading these posts, and I hope that your life may be better for it.

Thank you,
Dr. Josef Patterson DC…

Many research articles have found that the more time infants spend chewing and sucking, the more developed their faces become along with their airways. Then, later in life they also breathe easier and better. Research also has shown straighter teeth, lowered incidence of snoring and sleep apnea in infants who were breastfed verses bottle-fed. If you are able to breastfeed your infant, you can set their life up with a host of health benefits when they are older!

This doesn’t mean that you’re a horrible mom if you were not able to breastfeed your child, or couldn’t do it for a long period of time. I know this since my wife has had, what you may call, learning experiences with breastfeeding. I personally believe that if you do the best that you can, then the will from above will do the rest.

Tips for

• • • • •

better breastfeeding:

Drink lots of water!

Eat more oats in your diet

Periodically taking Fenugreek for milk supply

Eat more vegetables and nutrient dense foods for better health in mom and baby

Use silverette’s silver protective cups to prevent mastitis, sore or cracked nipples, and heal damaged nipples due to breastfeeding. Get these here: https://silverette.com/en/

• Get a thick nursing pillow to keep your back from slouching forward too much. It’s easy to fall into a poor breastfeeding posture which will increase back stiffness and pain
  
• Apply heat for clogged ducts

• Peppermint oil helps to dry you out faster when you’re done breastfeeding
  

Thank you,
Dr. Josef Patterson DC

…

What’s really remarkable is the fact that some forms of breath such as Tummo breathing can increase the body’s temperature so that it won’t get hypothermia and stay warm in freezing temperatures! In 1981 Herbert Benson went to the Himalayas placed sensors on three monks to measure their temperatures. When asked to perform Tummo breathing, the monks extremities went up by as much as 17 degrees Fahrenheit then stayed there!1

In the early 2000’s a man named Wim Hof was able to simplify Tummo breathing and teach it to others who have no prior special training. Radboud University researchers injected E. Coli endotoxins, which induces fever and nausea, into one such group who learned from Hof and the group was able to control

their heart rate, temperature, and immune response by stimulating the sympathetic nervous system. They never got sick from it!2

This is called the breath of fire for good reason! It may be beneficial for all of us in our day and age, to learn this technique to give us boosts of energy, and to enhance the immune system to heal wounds and fight off infections.

Reference:

1. 
   Benson, H., Lehmann, J., Malhotra, M. et al. Body temperature changes during the practice of g Tum-mo yoga. Nature 295, 234–236 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1038/295234a0
   
2. 
   Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre. (2011, April 22). Research on ‘Iceman’ Wim Hof suggests it may be possible to influence autonomic nervous system and immune response. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 28, 2022 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110422090203.htm
   

Thank you,

Dr. Josef Patterson DC…

A remarkable story of a woman who cured her own scoliosis which was “incurable” according to conventional medicine at the time, was from Katharina Schroth. Born in the late 1800’s Katharina was diagnosed with scoliosis which suffering would be expected to leave her in bed the rest of her life and roll around in a wheel chair.

She didn’t want that to be her life though. Receiving inspiration from a balloon on how it expanded and moved around things, she felt that the lungs were no different. She thought that if she could expand her lungs, then she might be able to straighten her spine and improve her life. She worked to mirror the deformity in her back with specific corrective movements. She also realized that postural control can only be obtained by changing postural perception.

Isn’t it neat that by movements and breathing one can influence the curvature of their spine! Reference:

1. Weiss, HR. The method of Katharina Schroth – history, principles and current development. Scoliosis 6, 17 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-7161-6-17

Thank you,

Dr. Josef Patterson DC…

I love the scene in The Lord of the Rings when Frodo Baggins says, “I wish none of this had happened.” Then Gandalf the grey says to Frodo:

“So do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

― J.R.R Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring Humor me for a moment and lets change those words slightly:

“So do all who live to see such [breaths]. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the [breath] that is given us.”

The average person will take about 670 million breaths in their life time. So someday, we can safely conclude, the breath that we are given will be gone. What are we doing with each breath that we take? Are we spending our breath speaking unkindly towards others? Or are we using our breath to speak unkindly towards ourselves? What we speak has power as it literally affects the physiology of our body.

I recently read something that really struck a true cord in me from Mary Beth Wilkas Janke PsyD:

“Words reinforce your thinking. Positive thinking is reinforced by positive speech and vice versa. Your words create your destiny.

Today, remove the word “can’t” from your speech. I am confident you can do this.”1

May we use our breath, not only for the healing of our body, but also for the healing of our soul and the souls around us.

Reference:

1. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-protector/202010/the-power-positive-speech

Till next time. Thank you,

Dr. Josef Patterson DC…

I love this quote taken from a stone inscription written around 500 BCE of the Zhou dynasty:

“In transporting the breath, the inhalation must be full. When it is full, it has big capacity. When it has big capacity, it can be extended. When it is extended, it can penetrate downward. When it penetrates downward, it will become calmly settle. When it is calmly settled, it will be strong and firm. When it is strong and firm, it will germinate. When it germinates, it will grow. When it grows, it will retreat upward. When it retreats upward, it will reach the top of the head. The secret power of the Providence moves above. The secret power of the Earth moves below.”

“He who follows this will live. He who acts against this will die.”

Those are some intense and deep words that can have lots of meaning. This text gives us a guide map to proper breathing. With what we have learned previously on these blog posts on breathing, it truly is the breath that gives us life. Whether you believe in God, Buddha, or the Universe as our creator, the breath seems to be a common theme that is lent to us which keeps us alive. Even if you don’t believe in Deity, it’s pretty well known that when you stop breathing you will die. Many people report those who are passing on tend to take one deep breath and exhale it out before they die.

Lets think about this one for a moment. If we stop breathing just partially (by holding our breath or shallow breathing) we may die partially. Or in other words have illness or disease. If we continue on that path of holding onto that partial breath, then it may even lead us to the grave. On the flip side, the more we breathe, and the more effectively we breathe, then the more we can recover, rejuvenate, perform, and heal from our infirmities.

Till next time. Thank you,

Dr. Josef Patterson DC…

Studies show significant improvements in persons with balance issues when doing Tai Chi.1, 2 The mixture of deep breathing with slow balancing movements compounds on each other to work with healing AND physical performance. In this case, balance. The risk of falls decreases by about 45% over short term studies!3

Remember the previous post about how deep breathing influences the brain to increase in density and grow? Any part of the brain that you start to use more on a regular basis will grow new neuronal connections so that that area of the brain will function faster and more efficiently. Like-wise will those areas of our brain (primarily the cerebellum) function more efficiently if you use it more to balance.

Reference:

1. 
   Hain, T. C., Fuller, L., Weil, L., & Kotsias, J. (1999). Effects of T’ai Chi on balance. Archives of otolaryngology–head & neck surgery, 125(11), 1191–1195.
   
2. 
   Zou, L., SasaKi, J. E., Wang, H., Xiao, Z., Fang, Q., & Zhang, M. (2017). A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Baduanjin Qigong for Health Benefits: Randomized Controlled Trials. Evidence- based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM, 2017, 4548706.
   
3. 
   Lomas-Vega, R., Obrero-Gaitán, E., Molina-Ortega, F. J., & Del-Pino-Casado, R. (2017). Tai Chi for Risk of Falls. A Meta-analysis. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 65(9), 2037–2043.
   

Till next time. Thank you,

Dr. Josef Patterson DC…