Dr. Mark Haynes, DC: The 7 Secrets to Health and Better Healing

In our continuing journey towards better health, my husband and I were happy to accept an invite to a presentation given by Dr. Mark Haynes, DC, (doctor of chiropractic). We were fortunate that the event took place at Five Points Community Farm Market in Norfolk, VA because we were fed wonderful, healthy and whole, pesticide-, antibiotic- and hormone-free foods by the fabulous cooking staff at the cafe there. (And you should really click on that link because you're going to see some surprises on the price list!)

But beyond the food, we found and heard a caring chiropractor who treats patients like family. Dr. Haynes gets choked up relating the story of a woman left without hope by modern medicine, who quickly regained full health using the 'alternative' medicine of chiropractic with a congruent change in lifestyle practices. While admittedly beyond the norm in regard to recovery time, she is not beyond the norm in regard to the effective works of a caring chiropractic.

We spoke with Dr. Haynes after the presentation and asked if I might use some of his information in this post. He could have said, "No, I would really prefer that people come to my presentations." But he didn't. He could have told me I could only use this or that part or phrase, but he didn't do that either. Instead, Dr. Haynes told me I could share his information in any way I deemed fit...and sent me the entire slide presentation!

I am so excited to share his information...(those of you who've been around awhile know how excited I get about sharing good news)...and I feel everything he shared was important. So, I'm not only making it easy on myself today, I'm passing along a gift. Although without his presentation of the points, this may seem just a tad 'dry', I hope you will believe me when I tell you the passion with which it was delivered was far from that.

Don't make the mistake of thinking all chiropractors have this same passion, because the unfortunate truth is that there are those who don't. Not all daycare workers want to care for children. Not all plumbers want to care for plumbing. Not all doctors want to doctor. But when we need a service and find those who have a passion for offering that service, we feel we've hit a gold mine. When you decide chiropractic is for you, be choosy, do your homework and look before you leap. Interviewing the doctor is just as important as them interviewing you.

Read, learn, and be inspired to make changes that count. We are. Although we have made many changes in our eating habits over the past year, and in other areas as well, including re-adjusting some of our thinking, we haven't done so well in the exercise area. We have renewed an old commitment, and started walking so the nutrition we are working hard to maintain can be processed into optimum energy for our bodies. Now, if we can just maintain that commitment!

We are also getting our spines checked this week.

~Many Blessings,
'Clee'


When you click the link below, it will take you to the slide presentation. You will see arrows at the bottom left. Click on the right-hand arrow to take yourself through the slides at your own pace.

The 7 Secrets to Health and Better Healing 

And one last word of free advice passed on to us via Dr. Haynes: Cullipher Farm in Pungo is family owned and the ONLY organic U-Pick strawberry farm in Virginia. Strawberries, by the way, are 3rd on the 'dirty dozen' list, a list that tells the 12 fruits/veggies that need to be purchased organically due to consistently testing for the highest amounts of pesticides.

Naps For America

Today, the sun is actually shining and it's supposed to be around sixty degrees by afternoon. I hope so. We had a rough start to the week and I'm hoping the week becomes like the month of March is supposed to be..."in like a lion, out like a lamb."

Yesterday, I was able to go to Parents' Day at my granddaughter's ballet school. She's the youngest child in the youngest group of children. All the other girls had on their little net tutus, but not our little whirlwind. Seems she played with her ballet bag and removed the tutu while at her home, but having had to dress at my home, she was without.

No matter. The room was full of dainty pink tinkerbells and our tink was yet the prettiest little belle out there, of course. It was a delightful half-hour. Classical music was used for the whole of their performance...or, her performance, since our little fairy was the only one we really saw.

My most favorite part was when her instructor had them all standing in a line, facing us. They were supposed to stand tall and at the teacher's cue, gracefully raise and lower their arms. Our graceful lass bent over from the waist, eyes to the floor as if studying an invisible bug. From this position, each time the teacher said 'arms up!", she lifted her arms. (Obedient...sort of.) Everytime she said, "Arms down!", our girl's arms dropped. Loosely dropped. More like, plopped...and then swung lazily, awaiting the next cue to painstakingly rise again. All this as her upside-down ponytail swept the floor.

At one point, she lifted her head and looked at her mom who happened to be sitting right in front of her. Mom motioned her to stand up straight, and whispered, "What's this bending over stuff about?"

Our little sweetie replied, "I'm ti-wed."

Well, then! That I can understand. 'Ti-wed' is common ground.

Sleep is the best counter for tiredness, though a Red Bull can stall the need for a while, but honestly, sleep is such a good thing. I wish more Americans would understand that.

I read recently, and it wasn't the first time I'd seen this, that naps help prolong life...by a good percentage. I love naps. I don't get them like I used to, but I try to reserve Sunday afternoons for a bit of one, or a long one...whatever my body cries for.

Sleep rejuvinates the mind. Heals it, even. People having undergone extreme stress need sleep, as I'm sure you know. But the restoring effects of sleep are not meant for the extremes alone. Every one has problems and stresses and if sleep helps those with the larger ones, what might it do for those of us encountering 'mere' daily stresses? Sleep helps the mind sort out its troubles so it doesn't get confused and cause us to do really stupid things.

That's why all of America needs to be turned on to sleep. Especially anyone in leadership. We are living in a time when the stresses are the highest they've ever been for most people of our country.

I wonder if we could twist some arms, starting at the White House, into daily napping? Think about it...more rest means smarter decisions. Maybe there would be a little less of this attempt to force things that seem right at first glance, but in the long run, could be dangerous. (It's like when bacteria isn't first cleaned from the wound before the band-aid is applied.) But I suppose that's a conversation for another day, and maybe even not by one such as I.  The point is, in order for people to make good, healthy decisions, they need their sleep.

Much of the rest of the world has already figured this out. So many of them have siesta's. We don't want to do that. We're afraid, I guess, that they'll beat us to...something. We are not so great and so big that we can ignore our health. The old adage, 'If you ain't got your health, you ain't got nothin'" holds great, down-to-earth truth. To me, it would be so great if lawmakers would create one really great law...that we all have a daily rest time...or nap time. If they did, you know what I'd say?

"Naps? Oh, no! Please, please, don't make me!" while quickly heading toward my bedroom...before they changed their minds.