18th September, 2006

Dr NICK HODGSON

I can still remember one of my first health education workshops that I ran in my practice, way back in 1990. I made up some hand-written, colour posters that I posted all around town (I didn’t have a computer or colour printer back then). The title was Health and Wellness into the 21st Century! This was also back in the days of milk bars which were one of the best spots to put up a public notice. As I handed the poster to the owner, she read the poster and said to me, “Wellness! Is there such a word? I’ve never heard of it. What is it?”

THE HIT PARADE OF WELLNESS SONGS? While songs like Doing Your Way To Wellness languish in  the 90s, Dr Hodgson says his top 10 songs to navigate the pathway to wellness would include songs like Being and Wellness Is A Journey. PICTURE: Karen Winton(www.sxc.hu)

If wellness wasn’t in the dictionary at the time, I wish that I had patented it because it’s now being used, overused and abused by many people wanting to find a more effective path towards better health; and also by a massive number of entrepreneurs wishing to make money from those on this path. To give you an idea of how trendy this term is, I just “googled” the term “wellness” and was offered 220 million potential links.

One seventh, $US1.5 trillion, of the US economy today is devoted to the healthcare business, what Paul Zane Pilzer, author of the Wellness Revolution, refers to as the "sickness industry." By the year 2010, this best-selling economist predicts an additional $US1 trillion of the economy will be devoted to products and services that keep us healthy, make us look or feel better, slow down the effects of ageing, and prevent diseases from developing altogether. The implications of the shift to proactive wellness are far reaching from health to beauty to food to medicine.

So what is “wellness”? According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, wellness is: "The quality or state of being in good health especially as an actively sought goal." The National Wellness Institute, in the US, defines wellness as an “active process of becoming aware of and making choices toward a more successful existence” while Arizona State University states that "wellness is an active, lifelong process of becoming aware of choices and making decisions toward a more balanced and fulfilling life” which involves “choices about our lives and our priorities that determine our lifestyles”.

To me, the best way to describe wellness is that it is the combination of attitude and strategy that we use to achieve and maintain good health: it is the vehicle by which an individual can actively strive towards good health. With this in mind I would like to share with you the highlights and the lowlights of my Top 100 Hit Parade of the paths to navigate the way of wellness, and perhaps avoid being taken on a joy-ride...

#100: Sitting on the bottom of the chart at #100 is the Need to make friends (over and above the need to do what is right). This is like some of those syrupy 60’s serenading tunes, attempting to coerce, convince, attract and even manipulate you to feel attractive emotions, and buy into whatever gimmick that is being sold this month. So much of the marketing that we are bombarded with nowadays, in every possible medium, preys on our inbuilt need to feel liked. We see images of happy people, doing the things that we would like to do, and being ‘oh, so happy’ at the same time, while carrying the product that you obviously need to possess to be able to feel and look like them. But, if you actually maintain your objectivity it is often very easy to discern that the experiences these people are having, have nothing to do with the paraphernalia. Buyer-beware, when the sizzle is better than the sale. There is nothing wrong with desiring friendship, enjoyment, and vitality; but most of these come from genuine relationship, not from having the right stuff.

#9: Climbing the chart at #9 is the Drive to initiate change. This is like a power ballad by some of the greatest “artists” of our history books, with an inspiring message of love, passion, truth and integrity. You might think this tune will make you more enemies than friends, but when you play this number just wait and see how everyone wants to join you on the wellness dance floor. Many of us seem to be uncomfortable with change, and resist or even avoid making change in our lives. But rest assured; if you want to get into the wellness game, and work towards being in better health, then change will be necessary. After all, I have been told that the definition of stupidity is to keep doing the same things while expecting a different result. The great majority of people who feel the need to embark on a wellness trip do so due to a lack of health, and a desire to re-find lost vigour. And, if you keep doing what you have been doing, then you will keep getting what you have been getting - more bad health. So embrace change fondly, become an agent of change in your own life, and the lives of those around you.

#97-99: These positions on the chart are taken up by some pop-like ballads slipping out of contention: Sell What You Haven’t Paid For, Give Away What You Don’t Own, and Take Someone Where You Haven’t Been. These are all guaranteed to clear the wellness dance floor: all from the same producer who gave us “Oh yes I’m the great pretender, woo, woo”. In short, beware of providers of wellness products and services who obviously don’t use what they sell, and appear to you to be poor examples of wellness themselves. You go to your doctor, and he’s trying to give you the latest flu shot, which he himself hasn’t received (ask them next time they try). You meet a pushy-sales-type at a health display and he’s selling you on the life-saving benefits of some “Yucci-juice” squeezed from Yak Breast Milk, and during a break you see him in the foyer sucking on a cigarette. You get invited to an amazing miracle-cure product meeting, where more time is spent on explaining the ground floor business opportunity available to you if you sign up right away, than is spent on explaining the product, how it works, and what research has been done to measure the benefits. Be critical, without becoming sceptical, and please never become cynical.

#96: And at #96 is the heavy metal-like noise called Doing Your Way To Wellness. That’s right folks, this anthem drones about the need to try lots of different and new things and therapies while avoiding making any real internal changes to yourself: The idea that one of these events is going to bring about instant, dramatic and permanent health responses. You see a lot of this at the ever-more popular wellness expos, where you can wander around and have a bit of a try of any number of services, healings, encounters or products. And the whole pitch is on that instantaneous rush or feeling that you get during or following the cut-price demo. Health is a state of optimal physical, mental, social and spiritual wellbeing. This is a sustainable commodity and not just a brief twinkle-in-the-eye. Whenever you embark on a new wellness course of action, it pays to have some objective measures with which you can monitor how you are changing through time. I would recommend avoiding any interventions that involve a single dose, but look for programs of change that you can follow for a period of time, with means for review.

#8: Meanwhile sitting at the other end of the success spectrum at #8 is the love song called Being. To learn this song will help you to fall in love with yourself and the world around you leading to revelation and acceptance, and will guide you towards your ideal life, and will also place you in the ideal position to take others with you. As a health care professional who has cared for hundreds of people over a 17-year period in the one practice, I’ve had the privilege of observing and mentoring numerous people through a wonderful health blossoming. People moving from tragic tales of pain and suffering, illness and disease, hardship and even abuse, to becoming inspiring healthful, excited and interesting examples of breakthrough. At the same time hundreds have probably passed through my doors intermittently, each time with the same or even worsening conditions, and I have felt like a frustrated teacher whose student just won’t listen, but you have to have the patience to watch passively while bad choice after bad choice is being made.

#95: Struggling down at #95 is a rap number Wellness Is A Destination with the repetitive lyrics of “I’ll know I’m well when I get there, but in the meantime I’m gonna’ be in pain!” This is motivated by the mistaken belief that when things change, you will change. What are the most obvious differences between the two extremes of health experiences that I described above? Openness and attitude! The second group most often arrives wanting me to fix them, and if I haven’t fixed them within three to four visits then I have failed them. While the first group has a willingness to get involved, participate, take responsibility, and persist while we help them to “set things straight”, the second group always looks for external causes of their problems, and expects external solutions, while the first saints of wellness receive the revelation that they have had something to do with their current state, and that when they discern the internal changes that are necessary - magic happens.

#7: In contrast to #95, #7 is the biggest cinematic soundtrack around Wellness Is A Journey. This operatic masterpiece takes those who purchase it on an exhilarating journey from suffering, to inspiration and unfoldment, and towards the heights and lengths of human potential: The joy that comes from each step on the journey, whether painful or enjoyable. Guess what? If you actually make some mistakes or bad choices on the path to wellness, it usually doesn’t matter in the bigger scheme of things. Because you can always make a new decision, take a new path, and start working towards a new set of experiences and results.

14th November, 2006

NICK HODGSON

And now for part II of the countdown...

#94: And so to the track sitting way down at #94 (some think it will be the next big selling gimmick but in truth, it will no doubt to be a one-hit wonder): Buy This Wellness Product And We Guarantee That It Will Make Us A Trillion. Brought to you by companies more interested in the bottom line than the highest potential. There are numerous fantastic products out there which can assist you towards becoming healthier. But wellness is not a product. It is especially not a single bottle of one or two ingredients that can be purchased in a capsule, taken once a day for 30 days. I have a fairly simple set of yardsticks when I choose products that I am willing to endorse to my clients - get it in a form that is as close to the way God made it as possible. I’ll take a probiotic 'green' superfood over and above a jar of vitamins and minerals made in a laboratory any day. Check out the evidence: I actually don’t read testimonials for products - I avoid that section of the website or promotional material. I always look to see if there has been any research to back up the claims for the ingredients of the product, the type of product being offered, or even better the product itself. Follow your knowledge and intuition in regards to the “salesmen”: Enough said.

#6: While achieving highly despite many critical reviews, high at #6 is the Beatles-like ballad Wellness Is A Process. A rich melody, with deep harmonies, a catchy back-beat, and a tune that you still love to listen to years later. A process is different to a journey. 'Journey' conjures up imagery of a meandering, somewhat spontaneous, adventurous and even alternative path of discovery whereas, 'process' feels like a more planned and purposeful set of actions and decisions. I like to have a balanced combination of both in all areas of my life. Your wellness journey should consist of you following your intuitions, imaginations and daily responses in an attempt to explore the universe around you, and how different aspects of that universe helps you to become a better person. Your wellness process should include time where you sit down and write down some clear plans and action steps with regular opportunities to sit down and review your understanding of how things are going.

#93:Down at #93 is a punk-like thrash song called Sit There Quietly And I’ll Give You All The Answers, Don’t Ask Questions And Do As You're Told. The practitioner-centred approach that neatly fits all clients into the same mould, system, procedure and precise timeline. I’m an absolute believer in the value of setting a 'program' for my clients and there can be similarities between one person’s program and another’s. But I also attempt to respect the individuality and expectations of each person. The mix of these two things leads to every process being an individualised journey.

#5: In stark contrast at #5 is the country anthem Once I Ask The Right Questions, I’ll Be Able To Make Better Choices. A true-life story of how each individual has their own set of questions to be asked, and choices to be made, if only they can find the wise mentor to guide them. We are all making choices, all the time, that can each have short term and, unfortunately, long term consequences. Most chronic addicts can still recall their first encounter with their substance of abuse, and may even harbour desires that their ongoing abuse could offer the same rush. Imagine if they had made different choices in those early days of travelling from use to abuse and onto addiction? How much more different would their life story be? I love clients who ask questions, and don’t mind being asked questions themselves. I recommend looking for this type of relationship with all your health care and wellness providers.

#92: And sliding away at #92 is the Pink Floyd re-mix Money, It’s A Hit, I’m alright Jack, Keep Your Hands Off My Stack; I’m In A High PVA, Flying Seven, High Overhead World, And I think I Need A Lear-Jet. The satirical expose of how business markers tell us nothing about wellness markers. I’m a healthcare professional. My profession also produces the finance that feeds my family, and I deserve to be rewarded for the results that I provide. I’m like you; I wouldn’t mind having more money so I could have more holidays, send my kids to the schools that impress me and so on. This could lead me to make some choices in my 'business' that are more about increasing my profits than improving my outcomes. I hope I never cross that line! I hope that you also make decisions based on principle and not principal. Wellness takes investment: injections of energy, time, commitment, and money. You get what you pay for. I guarantee that the government or the private health insurance industry will never compensate you enough to achieve total health and wellness. They are too busy trying to find ways to spend less money on propping up the 'sickness' industry to have surplus to invest into prevention and wellness. You are going to have to produce the required resources yourself.

#4: The multi-award winning, longest standing member in the hit parade, is the rock song still sitting at #4 - QUALITY! And this classic proves that Quality can be measured and rewarded, and that the consumer is always willing to pay for class, again and again! Demand quality. Especially since you are paying for it! Can you see observable signs of research and development occurring beneath the products and services that you are utilising? Do they offer you objective means of monitoring and measuring your progress and success?

Now we come to the serious end of the success charts, let’s review the top three ways to become "wellness directed":

#3: At #3 is PROVE IT! We are being told that we are in the “evidence-based healthcare era”. My own definition of “evidence-based” healthcare is that I have the evidence to demonstrate to myself, to my practice members and, if necessary, to a third party that I change what I claim to change. The means to demonstrate the changes in quantity resulting from my quality. Whenever you embark in any new wellness direction, ask this question: “How can I monitor and quantify the changes that this new product, service or behaviour is initiating?”

#2: And yet this track cannot chart or be understood without being played in unison with the #2 hit by the same artist, called See The Quality In The Quantity. When you become 'wellness oriented' you must see beyond the measurements, and see the benefits of the improvements that have been initiated. Monitor your 'quality of life'. How are you sleeping? What are your energy levels like during the day? How do you feel about your significant relationships? How well are you contributing to those relationships? What are your optimism and hope levels like? How would you rate your level of life enjoyment? Take time to reflect and smell the roses. Remember what you were like six and twelve and even 100 months ago.

#1: And…at #1 is what we chiropractors call The Big Idea. This is an overriding concept that it is the nervous system that controls and regulates every other human function. That the spinal column is intimately protective and interactive with the central nervous system and the belief that the power of the chiropractic adjustment surpasses any other health product or service that could be offered to humanity - short of a miraculous healing intervention by the creator of the universe him/herself. You can contribute to the effective function of your nervous system by taking control of your thoughts, emotions and responses to events around you. Improve your mind function and you can change the function of your own body. Conversely, improve your body function, and you can change the function of your mind - this is the goal of chiropractic care. I have had a number of serendipitous experiences over the last few years that have given me the recurring reminder that when my practice members enter my practice; there is not a single thing I can do for them that will offer them more quality and quantity of change in their health and wellbeing than to deliver a spinal adjustment.

LET WELLNESS BE (Adapted from Paul McCartney’s Let It Be)

When I find myself in times of trouble, DD Palmer comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And in my quest for wellness he is standing right in front of me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeh’ let it be.
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

And when the healthy-hearted people living in the world agree,
there will be an answer, let it be.

For when they are adjusted there is still a chance that they will see,
there will be an answer, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, wo’ let it be.
there will be an answer, let it be.

And when my spine is healthy, there is still a light that shines on me,
shine until tomorrow, let it be.

I wake up to the sound of music, BJ Palmer comes to me,
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

Let it be, let it be, let it be, yeh’ let it be.
speaking words of wisdom, let it be.

The information contained in this article is of a general nature only. For advice on your specific situation, please consult your medical professional.

Dr Nick Hodgson is a chiropractor working in Victoria. Recognised by both the Chiropractors Association of Australia (Vic) for his service to the chiropractic profession, Dr Hodgson has been responsible for introducing the torque release technique (www.torquerelease.com.au), auriculotherapy and addictionology training to the Australian chiropractic profession. Nick is a Fellow of the Holder Research Institute (F.H.R.I.), has completed five of the ten modules of the Certified Addictionologist (CAd) program, and is the Australasian provider of Torque Release training. He is a member of the Chiropractors’ Association of Australia (CAA) and the World Chiropractic Alliance (WCA), and sits on the WCA’s International Board of Governors. Visit Nick online at www.healthetalk.com.au.

© Dr Nick Hodgson 2006.

FOR MORE OF HEALTH INSIGHT CLICK HERE...