Archive for the ‘health care reform’ category

Safety Pins and Chiropractors

January 31, 2014

Safety_Pin[originally published in KCN, February 2014]

Safety pins. They’ve been around for more than 150 years and have seemingly endless uses, not the least of which is the reason we chiropractors like to use them.

Sounds odd, I agree. To be more accurate, most chiropractors of today don’t use them at all, which is a shame.

No, it’s not an old school style of adjusting — unless adjusting “between the ears” counts. Rather from as far back as 1927, chiropractors of yesteryear have used safety pins as a way of explaining what they did. (more…)

Wellness: Asking the Right Question

November 29, 2013

640px-Iceberg_with_hole_edit[originally published in KCN, May 2012]

Imagine for a moment that you are sitting on an iceberg.  Now imagine that you are oblivious to this fact.  As you sit there you begin to notice something:  Your body is shaking and your hands and feet are turning blue.  For good reason you become very concerned, “What’s wrong with me?” you ask.

As you pursue a diagnosis for your condition, you are evaluated and prescribed medications to improve your circulation and calm your jittery nerves.  The medications seem to work at first, but you soon find that you must continue taking them for ongoing relief of your disturbing ailment.

Sound silly?  Perhaps.  But I think many of us are unknowingly sitting on “icebergs.” (more…)

Robbing Banks to Steal Pens

September 27, 2013

Robbing Banks to Steal Pens[originally published in KCN, November 2012 / cartoon provided by TomLamarCartoon.com]

Imagine a bank robber wearing the stereotypical burglar garb.  The safe stands open with bags of money piled high as he, in runner’s pose, is making a getaway.  In his hand is clutched, not a sack of cash, but a bunch of pens.  That’s right, pens. (more…)

Top 100

September 13, 2013

Top 100[originally published in KCN, September 2012]

The other day I had the chance to be interviewed on an Internet radio show designed to introduce youth to the various professions that have been ranked by the Jobs Rated Almanac as the Top 100 Careers for the next decade. “Chiropractor” ranked number 19.

(more…)

Lessons from the Twinkie

July 26, 2013

[originally published in KCN, August 2013]

Hostess_twinkies_tweakedTwinkies are now back on supermarket shelves, and their new owner (who also owns Pabst Blue Ribbon beer) is banking that you’ll come flocking back to stock up on the iconic snack food.  And while I’m sure the new company will reap a return on their investment, my vantage point as a chiropractor is not convinced they’ll see the return they’re hoping for.

Lately we’ve been witnessing a slow, groundswell “shift” in how our country views —and does — health, and the story of the Twinkie illustrates the point beautifully. (more…)

No, Dr. Hoffman, I Salute You!

December 31, 2010

[originally published in KCN, January 2011]

Having just celebrated the first anniversary of my internet radio show, Spinal Column Radio, I have a heightened awareness and interest in other health radio programs — especially when another professional makes a positive reference to chiropractic.  So you’ll understand when I tuned my ear to Dr. Ronald Hoffman’s long-standing, nationally-syndicated, medical broadcast, “Health Talk,” as he “saluted his chiropractic colleagues” in a recent live show. (more…)

Government Health Care for Everyone: Buyer Beware

January 29, 2010

[originally published in KCN, February 2010]

As our nation waits on pins and needles for our elected officials to craft a “health-insurance- plan-for-everyone,”  those who are super-excited by this proposition need to understand that it will not be “free.”  We will all directly and indirectly pay for it.  You can be sure of that.  And the scary thing is, we are looking to the federal government to craft this utopian health insurance plan… when their track record in the insurance business is down right lousy.  Can  you say “Medicare?”
(more…)

My Health Care Reform Proposal: “The Goldilocks Plan”

January 22, 2010

[originally published in Kitsap News Group’s 2010 Balance Sound Fitness and Health Guide, January 29, 2010 / cartoons provided by TomLamarCartoon.com]

As we look to our elected offiicals in D.C. to come up with a health care plan we all can agree on, something tells me that the 2000-plus page storybook they are pushing needn’t be so long.  At the risk of oversimplifying the matter, there is much wisdom to be gained from a childhood story we are all familiar with — and one that is considerably shorter:  “Goldilocks and The Three Bears.”

(more…)


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