This past autumn when I (Dr. Dave) got back from a trip, I found that Dr. Corey had posted a sign that the ceiling fan in the office bathroom was out of order. It was, in fact, making a horrific noise when used and sounded like it had reached the end of its’ good life. I was in the process of searching for an electrician to replace it (this seemed outside the scope of my handyman skills) when I thought I would see if there was anything I could do to repair the situation. After I vacuumed out all the dust from the vent, I had a brainstorm and blew air from my electric leaf blower through the fan to clear the area completely and make the fan blades move. After doing this, the ceiling fan worked like a charm! I immediately did this with all the other ceiling fans in the house as “maintenance”. I didn’t need to buy a new fan!!!
Why do I share this in a “wellness article”? Sometimes we can be quick to give up on a body part that starts to give us trouble. We blame our age or a diagnosis we received at some point (well, it’s just my arthritis acting up...) when in fact it has nothing to do with your age or your arthritis. It may be because there is an imbalance in your muscles- a weak muscle or a chronically tight muscle can impact how a joint functions, and this CAN be remedied! A few years ago I was getting x-rays and MRIs for a knee problem and investigating some signs of osteoarthritis. When I started backwards walking for 10 minutes on the treadmill a few times a week, my knee problem cleared up! (for more information on backwards walking, see our article “Walk Back into Summer” from July, 2022)
Yes, medical science has advanced to the point that one can replace certain joints and body parts. That doesn’t necessarily mean that we should, or we have to, any more than I had to replace my ceiling fan. Make sure you get evaluated to see what you can do. Network chiropractic works to help you identify where and how you are carrying stress and tension in your body so that your body can do the work of releasing it. This allows your body to be in balance and to function more efficiently.
I know I’ve told this story before, but it bears repeating here. My mother was once complaining to her doctor about her right knee and he said to her, “What do you expect? It’s 65 years old!” She pointed to her left knee and said, “Well, this knee is also 65 years old, and it’s just fine, thank you.” Don’t accept age as an automatic reason for decline and search for ways to optimize your body function. You are worth it!