» Dr. McKinley

7 Health Secrets - Your Genes Don’t Control Your Destiny

This is the first clip in our 7 Health Secrets podcast series, available on ITunes - simply search for McKinley Chiropractic!

Dr. McKinley discuss epigenetics and the fact that your genetic code doesn’t determine your life.

Enjoy!

I want to extend the most heartfelt THANK YOU to all of you whom have trusted our knowledge, care, and service at our Wellness Center for the last (7!) years.  Today is our official anniversary since opening our doors in 2002.  Without all of your referrals of friends and love ones it just would not have been possible.  You have understood our message that the chiropractic lifestyle is essential for wellness, and is not just about fixing bad backs.  It is all about restoring function and improving neurological efficiency so the body can self heal at more optimum levels. 

In closing, I want to forward a link about the healthiest people on the planet.  It clearly proves that genes are not the biggest factor!  As we always teach, lifestyle is the answer.

Heath McKinley, D.C.

For those of you who remember the name, Willie Gault, the wide receiver on our beloved ‘85 Bears Team, you may find this link amazing regarding his continued success in keeping his body at top conditioning level.  At 48 years old, he is competing with 20 year old Olympic track stars and beating them!  I know you’ll love the story, but what I hope some of you think of like I did is what are we doing each day to improve our mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual dimensions of our health.  What possibilities lie ahead if we just choose to do even one thing better consistently.  Most people truly think health automatically deteriorates with age, yet we see people everyday in our office doing things they couldn’t do 20 years ago.

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/sports/rss/nfl/SIG=12cmegoav/*http3A/sports.yahoo.com/nfl/newsslug=ligault050109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

I’m certainly not saying we should all attempt to be the fastest man at 50 years of age, but maybe we want to be able to keep up with our kids on bike rides, have the energy to get out of bed early and be excited to tackle each day as if it were Christmas morning, reduce our need for anxiety and pain meds due to our bodies inability to adapt to our stress, enjoy a cup of coffee rather than be adicted to 5 cups just for survival, or even just simple things like smiling more, loving more, and being thankful more.  All of these things are possible with a little consistent action each day.  I suggest starting today rather than waiting for problems, pain, and anxiety to show up in the form of symptoms. 

Be proactive because you want to!

Much Respect,
Dr.M

ps….Due to overwhelming demand during our Patient Appreciation Week last week, we have
extended the Free friends and family referrals until the end of the Month.  We are so
grateful to have so many practice members who truly want everyone they know to experience
wellness. Keep spreading the word!

I have been trying to tell my patients, friends, and family for years that germs and  viruses don’t cause disease in and of themselves; its the strength of the host organism that is the determining factor.  I could go on and on about the science of this, but I’m going to refer to a link from a colleague and mentor of mine who puts it brilliantly.  I hope those of you who have been a member of our practice are not buying into this HYPE of another outbreak that is going to destroy the world. In fact, I’m sure some people are actually canceling their trips to Mexico because they are scared.  How sad that manipulation of science, drug company and media info actually has the western hemisphere in fear yet again!

What will it be next year? If not swine flu, bird flu, or cow flu…..maybe rabbit flu or even for us Chicagoans, we’ll have the Cubs flu (I do know some people who have Cubs fever)?    People, make sure your body is as well as it can be naturally and you need not worry about these little organisms that for the most part peacefully co-exist.  Maybe I should buy a ticket to Vacation in Mexico for Memorial day? It would be cheap and I guarantee you I wouldn’t be afraid of getting swine flu!!!

Here’s the link to a commentary from one of my colleagues and mentors, Dr. Dennis Perman.

C’est Le Terrain - April 27, 2009

Enjoy!

Dr. McKinley

Dr. McKinley demonstrates the safe and gentle adjusting techniques used with his son, Nico.

For those of you who couldn’t make it, you missed an incredible night at Mrs. Murphy’s Irish Bistro on Linclon Ave.  We had about 50 people turn out for the presentation of, “7 Health Secrets Even You MD Doesn’t Know.”

I had so many of you come up to me afterwards during dinner to thank us for sharing my passion about the many truths that YOU, the consumer, are unaware of regarding so many over-the-counter and prescription meds that are literally destroying the health of this great nation.  One woman in particular was from Estonia in Eastern Europe, and she mentioned how she had never heard of a doctor’s office give such an educational yet entertaining event for their community.  I tried to explain to her that this isn’t common in the United States, which is why we do it.  We feel obligated to get the message out that so-called modern medicine is not the answer to health.  While it may be helpful in some circumstances, most people are being bamboozled into think they need a pill for
everything.

Another woman asked a question during the lecture about her father in law, whom is in his 60’s and taking Blood Pressure and Cholesterol meds.  She stated how concerned she was that he thinks he is “OK” because now his numbers look good on paper, yet his lifestyle of no exercise and nightly ice cream scoops, with a beer belly to boot haven’t changed a bit!  She was frustrated that his doctors haven’t tried to address this.  She wanted to know what she could do to help him understand that just because he is taking medication,
it doesn’t mean he is functioning better.  This is such a difficult situation in so many, many ways. But I’ll try to answer this frustration dilemma the best I can in this email, for those of you with similar concerns.

The first problem is that people are being told they are healthier when their blood pressure, cholesterol, or even bone density scores, measure better on paper after taking the prescription medication to help “thier numbers.”  The fact is that a guy who is still 50 pounds overweight with a terrible diet and no exercise is not somehow “Miraculously” ok after popping a pill!!!!  The reason why is that his body is not actually functioning better, which prevents his body from making the necessary changes to fix the problem.
Don’t even get me started on the potential side effects, which that alone should be reason enough to not take these “Preventative Drugs,” which how can you call something preventative when it causing something else?  Just read the label on the drugs they want people to take?  It is scary.  You see, the medications are only addressing the symptom that is the result of the problem.

The second problem is more psychological.  People generally think they are ok if they feel fine.  This is very similar to not having your car tuned up or having the oil changed until you hear a bad noise coming from the engine.  We are taught since childhood that if you feel fine you are healthy?  Then maybe you are smart enough to have a physical exam, such as a prostate exam, mammagram, colonoscopy, or stress test, which all only tell you if you have disease, but don’t tell you how close you are to getting it. So you see, someone can walk out of an exam for their heart in which they pass the ridiculously easy treadmill test, which compares their ability to other sick people not to really healthy people, and feel good because the doctor says, “You passed, in which he really means, “You didn’t fail”…..There is a really big difference you know.  Just ask any parent….”Do you want your kids to pass with flying colors or JUST NOT FAIL?”  I guess it depends on if you care or not too!

I hope everyone is getting the point here.  Health is more about how you function not just how you feel.  The current medical model is failing this country and the average American over 55 years of age is taking 8-10 prescription drugs a day!  Preventative Health measure through better chemistry isn’t working…just look at the numbers. Lipitor for example made 25 BILLION with a “B” in profits last year, yet all peer reviewed studies show better exercise and diet is much more effective, with no side effects.  They are now trying to get Lipitor approved for children, to prevent them from having heart disease as adults…..ARE THEY SERIOUS?  They are because it would help them extend their patent rights on the drug.  If you actually think it is not about money you are living under a pretty BIG rock.  Wake up and save your family from this destructive and damaging way of thinking that is rotting our nation to the core! My own father even woke up just in time.  He had a heart attack two years ago at age 59. He was one of the 25% who don’t die the first time they have one.  He finally decided then to start listening to me.  He is now 62 and functioning great.  He takes ZERO
prescription medications, walks a mile everyday, eats a ton of fruits and vegetables, and visits a wellness practitioner every other week such as his doctor of chiropractic to help balance his nervous system and body structure and function.  He still sees his medical doctor, but once a year because that is just an appointment to tell him if any disease is present.  He sees his chiropractor twice a month minimum to help maintain
health and function by addressing the cause naturally!  He decided to be healthy by choice and by being pro-active not re-active.  I hope for you the reader, you won’t need a heart attack to wake you up like it took for my very lucky Dad.

Much Respect,

Dr. McKinley

Earlier this week, I had a patient in her 90’s who wanted to know if she should continue taking Fosamax, which is an osteoporosis drug.  It is the only medication she is on, which is probably why she is still alive.  According to the CDC, most Americans are on 8 prescription drugs per day.  Studies show that anyone on eight prescription meds per day will most likely not live past 75.  Anyway, she was noticing stomach cramping, which she had noticed was listed as a common side effect for the drug Fosamax.  I told her I don’t think any of the osteoporosis drugs are very safe, including Fosamax and Actonel.  I told her to report this side effect to her doctor or get a second opinion.  She then told me that she decided to stop taking it a
few weeks ago anyway, and now she isn’t having nearly as much stomach cramping!

For anyone to live to 98 years old, they probably understand that the body generaly knows what to do, and medications should be used sparingly.  This particular patient obviously knew that her body is intelligent, and the side effects from the “Preventative Drug” were a warning that it was not right for her body.

On that note, anyone interested in knowing more about the dangers of Fosamax, Actonel, and other osteoporosis medications should read “Fight for Your Health,” by Byron Richards, PhD.  He is a nutritionist, and he clearly explains how Big Pharma has everyone bamboozled on this crap.  I tell everyone in my family to get off of this harmful drug, and you would do well to look into it for anyone in your family being told to take this stuff.

Much Respect,

Dr. McKinley

Many of you may have heard me say that health is expressed above, down, inside, out.  I frequently re-visit this philosophical statement in the office as we educate our patients about wellness.  You see, so many well educated people still actually think that health comes in a bottle, and why, yes sometimes a vitamin or pill may help the body, you can’t actually buy health buy putting more things in our body as the primary framework.  You see, the body doesn’t really need any help, it just need no interference.  For example, a cast doesn’t really heal a broken leg, it just helps to straighten it out, while the body does the healing from within.  Another example can be the flu, where grandmas chicken soup doesn’t buy health, but it does allow the body some nutrition and mental comfort while the body produces its own battle from within through the immune system.  In our office, its not that the adjustment cured a patients lifelong battle with migranes or sciatica, but it did remove the pressure of the nerve so the body can now transmit a better neurological message from the brain, down the spinal cord, to the injured area of the body to heal.   For anyone not really getting this and who actually thinks a cast does the healing and not the body itself, try putting  a cast on the body of a dead person with a broken leg…..I guarantee you the leg will not heal no matter how well the doctor places the cast.

You see, everyday we are blessed in our office with the ability to see people with restored confidence in their body’s ability to heal itself.  For too many of our friends and family needlessly suffer from chronic conditions because they are not removing the interference blocking their respective bodies ability to heal.  For example, for the patient with chronic acid reflux, irritablle bowel, and low back pain with a degenerated disk.  The are told to take Prevacid, Ibuprofen, and consider a cortisone injection for each pain.  None of the medical treatments treat the PROBLEM  (only the symptoms), and in fact, only make it more difficult for the body to restore its ability to self heal.  For instance, the prevacid will not address the harmful affects of an acidic diet, the ibuprofen might reduce inflammation, but will irritate an already irritated bowel, and the cortisone my reduce pain from the bulging disc, but it will not correct the problem and will cause secondary weight gain from the steroid.  To restore natural healing, the interference must be removed.  In order to remove interference to the disk, the L5 vertebrae needs to be adjusted from its arthritic position, the diet needs to be more basic in nature, and the ibuprofen should be eliminated as it is useless in the overall process for correction.  Even though this method will not give immediated pain relief, it will allow restoration of health, so that when the pain goes away in less than month it will stay away without the addiction to unnecessary medication and with the empowerment of the patient knowing that their body did the healing, not us, we just removed the road block!!