Happy Thanksgiving!

We received this email yesterday and it could not have come at a better time. It seems like life get so busy that I sometime lose focus of what matters most. Letters that we get like this remind me of why I do what I do. All the hours of study, practice, and prayer come together to create a miracle like this. MM thank you for reminding me of the power of a TEAM that includes all of the staff here and you!

Thank you!!
Dr. Brett Brimhall

Dear Brimhall Wellness Team,

It is Thanksgiving time and I just had to send you all an email to express how thankful I am for everyone there. I don't know if you guys get told enough how wonderful you are and how much impact you have on people's lives.

Had my mom not been inspired to call and get me an appointment there almost 4 years ago, I really don't think I would be here today. It brings tears of gratitude to my eyes as I type this to think how much effort was put into my wellness by the crew there. From the front desk, to the CA, to the doctors (Mike you are included in this group because as far as I'm concerned you are as good or better than any doctor I've ever seen) I felt a genuine concern for my well being that you cannot get just anywhere.

I am also very thankful for the help that my family and friends have received from the care of the Brimhall Team. You guys are awesome and I am so thankful to have the honor of calling you guys my friends. Wish I could give you all a big hug! Many blessings and have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Keep up the great work! Miss you guys!!!

Sincerely,
MM

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving! We'd love to hear what you are grateful for!

Stressed?

Stress? Yes, please!

I once met a psychotherapist who said she didn’t believe in stress. I thought that was a very interesting thing to say. I didn’t get the opportunity, but I wanted to ask her if she believed in gravity.

A strange question, but I wanted to know, because gravity is stress.

In reality, everything that puts pressure on us, our bodies, our minds or hearts, is stress. Gravity puts a kind of pressure on our bodies. Welcome to earth, humanoid! It pulls downward on us relentlessly making our walking and standing upright as bi-pedal human beings on this planet a constant challenge! This is especially apparent over time as we age. Hamstrings tighten, the pelvis locks up, the shoulders roll forward, and it becomes increasingly difficult to hold the head up. Pain and discomfort start to set in, and so on, spiraling downward.

So is gravity our enemy? I think not earthling. The problem of course is mal-alignment. If we are correctly aligned, the pull of gravity actually works to our advantage! Maintaining structural integrity enables us to weight-train, build lean muscle mass, and strengthen our joints and bones. When we carry gravity well, it makes us stronger.

This same principle applies to other aspects of our being as well. Mental, emotional and spiritual “gravity” pull on us all to varying degrees at various times. Demand on our time, schedules, and relationships are things we can’t always get away from. Nor should we! The things and people we have responsibility and accountability for are appropriate stresses to carry. Assuming we are appropriately “aligned”, we can manage these demands and it can make us stronger.

There is very good research that points to chronic stress being a contributing factor in everything from wrinkles to cancer. This information should be taken into account in our discussion, but I recently became aware of another study recently published in the journal Cell which has some surprising results.

Researchers injected lab mice beforehand with melanoma and allowed some skin tumors to grow. They then put some of the mice in a large cage and filled it with lots of toys, plenty of space and many more mice than usual, while leaving the other mice in ordinary lab cages. I noted that the “enriched” cage was not always a friendly environment! It was very exciting and stressful for the mice, and they would fight sometimes. After some time they measured the progress of the tumors and found that they had actually shrunk sometimes by 50% on the mice under increased stress!

So the point is not to eliminate stress completely, just like we don’t eliminate gravity completely. We find ways to make distinctions between what is important to carry and what we can set aside. Then shift our perspective to re-align with our core values so the pressure we experience as stress can have a positive, strengthening effect on our lives.

-Michael Sanders

Staying positive in stressful situations!

One of the most difficult things to do when you are under a lot of stress is to stay positive. In many cases, situations do not cause all of the stress that we experience. Sometimes, our reaction to circumstances (and what we say to ourselves about them) contributes to the stress we experience.Sometimes we are right in what we say to ourselves. Often, however, we are overly harsh and unjust in a way that we would never be with friends or co-workers. This, along with other negative thinking, can cause intense stress and unhappiness and can severely damage your self-confidence.

Negative thinking damages your performance by undermining your self-confidence. It also occupies attention at times when you need to focus your entire mind on what you are doing. This section shows you how to counter negative thinking effectively so that you can perform at your best.

Stress Diary:

One of the benefits of using the Stress Diary is that you log all of the unpleasant things in your life that cause you stress for one or two weeks. This will include negative thoughts and anxieties, and can also include difficult or unpleasant memories and situations that you perceive as negative.

By logging your negative thoughts for a reasonable period of time, you will quickly see patterns in your negative thinking. When you analyze your diary at the end of the period, you should be able to see the most common and the most damaging thoughts. Tackle these as a priority. Now that you have something specific to work on this is a great time to make an appointment with Michael!

Physical Stress response:

Remember a time when you had a VERY stressful day. At the end of the day I'm sure you were exhausted even if you did not have a physically strenuous day. This is because stress can change our biochemistry and our physical structure. We all have what I call our “favorite spots”. Meaning those areas that seem to hurt when we are under more stress. Sometimes it's the shoulders/neck or between the shoulder blades or even indigestion. A chiropractic adjustment can be used as a type of “pattern interrupt” to that stress response. This helps get your body out of “dis-eased” and back to “ease”.

- Dr. Martinsen

Keep moving forward

This past weekend I was invited by a friend and client to participate in her walk to “Defeat ALS”. ALS is a diagnosis where there is progressive loss in motor strength due to nerve problems.

The walk began at Scottsdale stadium and coursed around for 2 miles then returned back to the stadium. Her family had an electric scooter for her due to their concern and mine that she would be able to have the strength to walk the complete 2 miles. She would have nothing to do with that scooter. I think the scooter looked more fatigued than her. I thought maybe her husband would need to ride in it.

She walked the whole way, hand in hand with her husband, family, and friends. We were there to supposedly to "support her". But as it turns out, I think we felt more supported by her than her by us! I feel she is all ready DEFEATING ALS by doing things that people and doctors think she cannot or should not.

Vanessa, thank you for helping me and others defeat our own ALS. All because of your courage, smile, strength, and strong spirit, I feel stronger and more able to excel through any challenge in my path.

Thank you!!
Dr. Brett Brimhall

Walk to Defeat ALS

My son, Eric, and I met with some co-workers to walk with one of our dear patients who was diagnosed with ALS in her "Walk to Defeat ALS" in Scottsdale, AZ. The walk was 2 miles, which may not be a big deal to you and I, but it is a great deal to Vanessa.I loved seeing all of her friends and family there to support her. I am continually inspired by Vanessa's strength and determination and overwhelmed by the love of her family and friends. I was honored to participate in this with her. I speak in behalf of everyone here at Brimhall Wellness when I say that we are so proud of you Vanessa and will continue to stand behind you every step of your way!

- Andrea S.
Nutrition Specialist

Boost your Vitamin D

As Dr. Brimhall said in his last post, "Sugar Season" is upon us! And yes, “coincidentally” it just so happens that cold and flu season is approaching. In addition to all of the wonderful suggestions from previous posts, I would absolutely incorporate vitamin D into your supplement routine.

Even here in the Valley of the Sun, we do not get enough vitamin D. I regularly test levels on my patients and I rarely find people have sufficient vitamin D levels. A 2009 study of Japanese children showed that kids taking vitamin D supplements were 58% LESS likely to get the flu. A 2010 study of 198 adults indicated that of the adults with adequate vitamin D levels cut their flu risk by 50%.

Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin and will be absorbed better when taken with food. Ideally take it when you take your daily fish oil supplement, and make sure that the supplement is D3 Balance. It is the more active form of vitamin D and your body will able to utilize it better. In addition to strengthening your immune system, vitamin D helps fight osteoporosis and has been known to help lower blood pressure. Talk to your doctor about vitamin D and make sure you’re ready for cold and flu season.

Be well,
Dr. Ann Lovick

"Flu Season"

I always wondered why the “FLU SEASON” hits us the same time of the year. It must be dormant during the summer or just on “vacation” like the rest of us. There are several factors that might play into why it occurs at the same time of the year. Many kids are back in school in close proximity to each other so the transfer of the infection is easy to occur. However, why are we more susceptible at this time of the year? What occurs now?

Well in the month of October we have that blessed holiday/sugar fest Halloween. Next we have Thanksgiving and then Christmas and New Years. We start the sugar feast in early October and it doesn’t slow down much until we hit the New Year with our New Years “Resolutions!” I think the increased consumption of sugar, the change in our climate and the stress of the holiday helps us “earn” those colds and make us a perfect host for the infections to take hold.

So, off my soap box…

What are we to do? We can only control some of the above parameters. What we put in our mouths, how much sleep we get, and how much we choose to stress. So this is our opportunity. To reduce you risk of “Catching or Earning” the flu here are some suggestions:

1. Get adequate sleep
2. Dress appropriately for your activity and weather
3. Simplify to reduce your stress
4. Choose your food wisely
5. Take your vitamins
6. Spend time with those you love and that love you
7. Exercise
8. Get a massage or adjusted or both

If you do start getting sick or are sick the following can be very helpful:

1. Take a detox bath with bath salts
2. Get a massage and get adjusted
3. Get extra sleep
4. Take Total Virx (1 every hour to 2 hours that you are awake for 3-5 days, then as you feel better reduce the dose to 1 3 x a day.)
5. Increase you DSF from 1 tablet 2 x a day to 2 tablets 2 x a day.
6. Take probiotics and enzymes
7. For children increase there vitamin C (like Chewable C 500) Give them probiotics and enzymes. Place them in a detox bath.

These steps will increase the odds you have of not “earning” a cold or flu. But, if you do start getting sick refer back to the above list and shorten the duration of the illness significantly.

May your Holidays be healthy and happy!

Best of health,
Dr. Brett Brimhall