Health is a lifestyle. True health is not reached by any single action. There is no cleanse, 30-day workout challenge, diet or pill that give us eternal health. It is our philosophy at Lake State Chiropractic that in order to achieve optimal health it requires living healthy. Our bodies are self-regulating and self-healing but like anything has its limits. This is where the 3 T’s (Thoughts, Trauma and toxins) of Dis-ease come in. Our causes of dis-ease in the body can be classified as one of these three causes so thinking in these terms can help us modify our daily life in order to help us live a healthier life.

• Trauma: Trauma is a easier to understand issue for people when it is a major trauma. If we get in a car accident or fall from a roof and break our bones we can clearly see how that causes disease as if clearly breaks our limitation of mater and has a immediately recognizable negative impact on our health and for this reason must obviously be avoided. We also experience microtraumas which also has a major effect on us but is harder to identify. We experience microtraumas such as sitting at our desk 8 hours a day or sleeping that when done in poor posture we may not notice issues for months or years but when allowed to build up can be devastating to our health.
• Toxins: This refers to what we put into our bodies including the food and beverages we consume, the air we breathe and the substances that interact with our skin. This is all critical to our health because without proper nutrients our body cannot properly perform all of its necessary functions. We simply cannot function optimally on Sugary foods or breathing in toxins like mold.
• Thoughts: The most commonly ignored branch of the 3 T’s our thoughts have a very powerful effect on our body. If we are stressed we stay in a sympathetic state in which the body is prepared for a fight or flight response. This state alters our hormones and alters our digestion. This is beneficial for emergencies but when we are in this state for to long can cause our body to deteriorate.

What can we do to help live a balanced and healthy life?

First and foremost there is no quick fix. Healing takes time. It is true that there are some pills and cleanses that can make you quickly feel better but it is not a lasting life positive lifestyle changes. The idea of being healthy is not complicated. You need to eat well, move often and think good thoughts. Simple in principal more difficult in application. It is important to focus on small sustainable changes to keep them manageable.

• Try to add in healthy foods that you enjoy rather than forcing foods you don’t like on yourself.
• Increasing your motion in life does not have to mean going to the gym. Changes such as getting up once an hour at work and finding hobbies that keep you moving are both beneficial and maintainable.
• Managing our thoughts can be challenging especially with a culture that minimizes mental health concerns. Finding ways to destress are critical to our health. Thankfully eating better and moving can help our mental health. It is also beneficial to spend time outside, meditating, doing breathing exercises or seeing a therapist.

By being mindful of the three T’s we can help guide ourselves to a healthier life by recognizing areas that we need to improve on and avoiding unsustainable health fads.