I have always been amused by this term that people use regarding the professionals they see for their healthcare. One of the goals we have for people in our practice is to DO DIFFERENT. What we mean by that is, compared to most people, you should hope that your strategy for being healthy is drastically different than your neighbor or co-worker. This should almost be to the point that they make fun of you or think you are weird.

Why would I say that? Well, if you do the same things as others you will end up getting the same results. In our country, when is comes to health, you surely would not want the same result as most as we continually rank near #40 in the world when it comes to how healthy we are as a nation.

Please don’t get me wrong, we have excellent emergency care in our nation. We are good at keeping people from dying but that is sick care, not health care. You need both. My wife works in the emergency room here in Chicago. I completely respect her work and don’t want to live anywhere where my family does not have access to great emergency care. That being said, I also want to live a lifestyle that allows my family of 5 to live at their peak potential not only to avoid degenerative lifestyle conditions like heart disease and cancer but also, and more importantly, so we can live energetic and abundant lives.

Think about some of the statistics:

• 1 in 3 kids in the U.S. has a learning disorder
• 40% of all births in the U.S. are now ceserean c-section, while world average is 8%
• 33% of kids have asthma by the time they are in kindergarten
• More than 50% of teenage girls take birth control pill to control acne or to help severe cramping pain
• Heart disease (primarily lifestyle, not genetic) is still leading cause of death, despite our nation consuming more drugs that any other nation on earth for heart disease
• Metabolism and thyroid conditions (mostly lifestyle, not genetic) are the fasting growing prescription drug for women over 30 years of age

The U.S. is the only country in the world, other than New Zealand, where it is legal for drug companies to advertise their drugs on television. Why do you think that is?

I could continue to go on but I think you get the point. I want to make sure you have the tools necessary for keeping your family healthy. If these tools cause your neighbor to raise an eyebrow then so be it! I know that my neighbors are shocked when I tell them that our 3 kids, ages 6,4, and 1, have never had medication in their life, not even a drop of pain reliever for fever. When they hear this they also immediately want to know what we do differently. Well, we get a chiropractic adjustment to boost immunity, and we use some essential oils, and remove dairy and sugar from the diet….none of which are solutions offered by the pediatrician.

That is my example of different or weird. BTW, even the American Academy of Pediatrics states that 70% of the time antibiotics are prescribed for ear infections; they only cause more side effects.

You want your doctor of medicine to be your IRREGULAR doctor, not your REGULAR doctor. If not, then you will be getting a lot of medicine and/or surgery. If your REGULAR doctor (i.e…the one you see most) is a natural doctor, then you will be getting more NATURAL or non-drug remedies, such as good simple advice to avoid medicine, to receive natural adjustments, eat natural foods and take supplement remedies, receive recommendations for proper exercise, acupuncture, etc.

Have a philosophy of health for your family and check in once in a while. Are most of your regular appointments with doctors of medicine or natural doctors? Which do you want to be your REGULAR doctor? If you don’t like your answer, then talk to a friend or neighbor who is WEIRD and ask them for a referral to their REGULAR, natural, doctor :) …otherwise, you may be working against your philosophy of wellness and doing nothing to change the course of becoming another American statistic.