This word has obvious negative connotations about it, but handling it quickly rather than avoiding it, is one of the best things you can do to ensure good health and wellness in your life.  I’ll be honest, I am naturally not one to confront.  I am a pretty easy going guy outside of the office, but I have learned over the years as a business owner and a doctor that confronting issues as soon as possible avoids accumulating stress in your body.  Like a cup filling up with water, eventually, you won’t have room for more and the cup “runneth” over!  In life this could lead to a multitude of health issues such as loss of sleep, headaches, irritability, neck and back pain, etc, not to mention the actual issue itself that is unresolved, sure to be getting worse and to come back again for you to run away from.

Just this past week, I had to call a practice member’s Medical doctor to explain to them their negligence on a very important issue.  Our phone conversation was not pleasant, especially as the other doctor had to listen to my assertive display of the facts, but in the end, they knew my position and I knew theirs, and the patient was able to decide for themselves what they wanted to do.  I was, in turn, able to focus on the next adjustment without my mind wondering on the issue. I could fall asleep easier at night.

Too often I think we as a culture are prone to take the easy way out of sticky circumstances.  Ask yourself today: “what issue is bothering me that, if I actually confront it, will, while causing a temporary uncomfortable feeling or situation, actually create a sense of abundance and freedom in your life.    The answer could be related to explaining to a superior at work your TRUE feelings, or disciplining your child the way you know you should but the pain of crying or fighting stops you. And of course we could also be talking about confronting yourself on your wellness routine….the way you eat, sleep, or exercise.

My challenge to you is to try to confront at least one issue a day.  That means in one year you will have addressed 365 different issues in your life that are negatively affecting you!  How different would your life be? This exercise is like an emotional detox….the first few days may be rough, but then you start feeling more energy by the freedom you have given back to your life, trading short term pain for long term gain.

Let’s confront the truth together in 2012!!!!!

Much love,

Dr. McKinley

 Many of you, since being members of our practice, and experiencing health in a completely new perspective, may have been looked at or called CRAZY when discussing your experience with friends and family, mainly because they are defending their own lack of knowledge or due to surprise, when finding out the truth, but still too new to accept philosophically.  You see, when you say to someone, “Hey Joe, are migranes the result of a lack of Tylenol or Aspirin in your blood?”  Joe (the typical American Mindset) would say “What do you mean?”  Well, Joe, you take either Tylenol or prescription strength IMITREX for your migrane headaches, which your M.D. prescribed you, so since the solution is to take these drugs, then the cause must be a lack of those chemicals in your body.  You could say the same thing for a child with recurrent otitis media (ear infections).  Since the answer from the M.D. is generally going to be ANOTHER round of anti-biotics, then the problem must have been a lack of anti-biotics in the bloodstream.  Now of course, with good logic, most people would read this and start to see how CRAZY that sounds, but the funny thing is THAT is what most people do for their healthcare, or should I say SICKcare.  It is simply a matter of perspective to see truth come out of a previously CRAZY or STRANGE idea.

 In the USA, we are not a healthy nation by any stretch of the imagination.  In fact we currently rank 37^th amoung industrialized nations ranked by the World Health Organization’s quality of health report.  37^th You ask?  Is it really that surprising?  We live in increasingly stressful times, where we barely have time to get home from work to have dinner with the family, in which the dinner probably doesn’t have any vegetables, and if it does they have been sprayed with pesticides and genetically modified.  (Is it any wonder cancer is the second leading cause of death?)  Who has time for exercise, unless they have had a heart attack, and were lucky enough to live, then they May make time.  Then there is the toxicity from drugs: it starts with Tylenol, antibiotics, and if you’re an American, twice as many vaccines as any other kid on the planet (did I forget to say we rank 37^th) , then birth control drugs, Ritalin, Aderol, well-butin and others as tweens and teens, then recreational drugs, then paxil for life stress, Ambien to help sleep, then estrogen replacement therapy….whoops I guess they already figured out that was a bad idea, then Lipitor, BP meds, meds for your bones, and all the other over the counter Dayquill, Nyquills, Afternoonquills, allergy meds, inhalers… should I stop?

Look, when the 3^rd leading cause of death is the side effects to medications, you may start to see that trying to live without medication is NOT such a CRAZY idea afterall.  But how do you do that you may ask?  Well, its not as easy as popping a pill, but it can be done, and a few Americans are doing it, by learning to understand the innate healing ability of the human body, and facilitation its function, rather that taking the batteries out of the alarm with drugs when something is producing a SYMPTOM.  This is why Dr. Arthur and I come to work everyday; to teach how to facilitate healing as well as to remove interference to healing with chiropractic adjustments that restore normal nerve connection.  If you don’t have a good nerve connection, the light bulb doesn’t shine as bright and you are less likely to adapt to stress in a healthy manner. In a society where most are sick, I want to be considered CRAZY in my view;  if I don’t then that means I’m in the norm, which means I’m probably sick too.  They say insanity is doing the same thing over and over again expecting a DIFFERENT result.  I’d rather be CRAZY than insane!

 Much Love,

Dr. McKinley 

 PS – please forward this to loved ones you know need to hear it, without your voice, NOTHING will CHANGE!

That being said, I do want to spend a little time examining the following question:  “What symptom is bad for you?”  I generally ask this question at some point in all of our lectures, and I get great dialogue and creative answers.  You see, while headaches, fever, insomnia, depression, muscle aches, anxiety, and other symptoms may all “FEEL” bad, they are ALL very SMART alarms and/ or actions the body is innately making as part of a healing process.  Some of you may say, but how is depression good for you?  Well, I would counter, if I found out today a close family member died suddenly, and I felt no despair or depression but instead happiness, then THAT would be bad.  I didn’t say I like depression or sadness, but there are moments in one’s life, where that is the healthy response for the body.  This is the same with a runny nose and fever.  Sure, it feels bad, but it is a process the body must go through to achieve wellness. 

 For too often, we are our own worst enemy, because many of the teachings of our parents, and of western medicine, has taught us that SYMPTOMS are bad, and we should mask them as soon as possible with a chemical to FEEL better.  We see this in kids too!  Before trying natural processes like chiropractic care, parents are accepting diagnosis like asthma and ADHD as inherent problems with their kids , and are resigned to the fact that  their child must be on side effect ridden medications for life!  As babies, we overmedicate young immune systems with more vaccines than any other country in the world, and give a million rounds of antibiotics for ear infections.  All the while, the body was simply doing what it was designed or evolved to do.   

Anyone who exercises will tell you there is a “passage of pain.”  At some point during the exercise in order to grow, to improve, to get better, our bodies hit a point where we become very uncomfortable, to the point where you don’t know if you can go on.  It is at and beyond that point where our greatest growth takes place.  The body is going through the exact same thing when we have symptoms.  It doesn’t mean you are sick, it means your body is healing and getting stronger.  But, unfortunately, the majority of us don’t look these symptoms as a good thing.  We are trained from the time we are kids to avoid discomfort, to avoid symptoms.  So as adults, when we can’t handle life’s stresses, so we pump up with Paxil or Ambien to sleep, or Vicodin for pain, or Xanax for anxiety, or any of the other common presciptions out there.  And then we wonder why the average adult takes 8 prescription meds by the age of 55 (yes, true statistic), and that our health care system is causing us to go broke.   

Ok, now let me make myself clear one more time.  I ALSO do not like to GET symptoms, but I appreciate their purpose and like to listen and respond naturally to their meaning.  This is why I love getting regular adjustments for my family and I, so we have a clear communication pathway to our cells, tissues, and organs through our healthy nervous system.  This provides for a stronger adaptation to the stressors of life and when we do have symptoms our response is always faster than those bodies who don’t have a fine tuning, allowing us to have a better, more appropriate response to life’s stresses – whether that is a virus, an accident, etc.  (And I know that many of you get this as well because every single days we hear stories of children and adults getting sick, or having pain, and their bodies fighting it off much much easier than in the past before they started getting adjusted.  It’s why we come to work each day!  So keep those stories coming!)

Much respect

Dr. M

As silly as it is to hear at O’Hare, “security level Orange,” it is even more silly to assume that everyone is born defenseless against the flu.  You see, nobody can actually influence the true strength of your immunity except you.  Only you can decide what nutrients you will put in your body on a regular basis for your body to break down an use as energy for the next battle that comes your way.  Only you can decide to move your body to charge your metabolism or to sit in a lazy boy and veg out 4 hours a day into total catharsis.  Only you can decide to have natural, regular chiropractic care for your family to have an improved nervous system function, or to rely soley on symptom suppressants such a Tylenol, Zyrtec, Aderol, inhalers for asthma, NyQill, Well-butrin, Prozac, and think you are healthy because you feel fine.  So you see, there are different types of immune systems.  Those that are practiced and ready for battle, and those that are kind of ready, and those that absolutely are waiting to be pummeled by the next opponent.

We live in a culture with a lot of immune systems that suck, and so because it takes work to fix it, we rely on faulty chemistry, like the flu shot to get our quick, cheap fix (kind of like a McDonald’s drive through), and sadly believe this will be the answer to keep us feeling fine while we continue to live a mediocre or terrible lifestyle.  Even the CDC’s own statistics tell the truth about the ineffectiveness of the flu shot, yet they continue to recommend it, with little to no long term study on the known side effects of the neurotoxins contained within the vaccine.  Countries like Australia pulled the H1N1 last year because of the significant number of seizures it caused in children.  Um, yes, that was documented in the U.S. too, but I guess it was at “OK” levels here to keep recommending it to pregnant moms, kids, and our elderly first.  By the way, why is it ok to get a flu shot, but you can’t eat sushi if you are pregnant, when there is 10 times more neurotoxins, like Mercury, in the flu shot as compared to sushi?

It all comes down to fear.  People are actually afraid of something they shouldn’t be.  Our bodies have been fighting the flu for centuries with great success naturally, but we have been sold a bad, fear based bill of health that basically teach us and sadly our kids, that we are born flawed, and we need special chemicals put in ALL of us, or we will get really sick and maybe DIE.  My mission is not to battle this fear but to promote truth and empowerment.  For anyone that knows me, my family and I will not get this shot, so do any of you feel scared or sorry for my family because of my ignorance?  Of course you don’t, because you know, as well as I do, that our own, natural immunity, and what we choose to do naturally on a regular basis to boost it, holds a lot more weight than any concoction they can inject into your bloodstream. At the end of the “Flu season,” come and have a conversation with me if you don’t understand or agree with this, or better yet, register for our Nov. 10^th class on the science behind the myth of the flu shot with Dr. A and I.  If you do agree, register your neighbor and come with them.  The only way we can share this sense of true freedom is to open our mouths.  People are sick and tired of being sick and tired.  Lets help our community together!

Much Respect….,

Dr. M

Ok, first off, of all primary care physicians, chiropractors have the lowest malpractice premiums (malpractice rates are based on the chance of something bad happening).  I personally pay about $100 a month for mine; ask your MD what they pay. Second, chiropractic has been a profession for over 100 years.  During that time there have been approximately 10 cases of serious adverse advents possibly attributed to the chiropractic care.  This is out of billions of adjustments.  Does that mean I should scare all the members of our practice by discussing every possible negative outcome, regardless of how miniscule the chance of it happening might be?  I might as well warn them that they might get struck by lightning or get robbed during their adjustment too.  In fact, our office has been robbed twice during the last eight years (outside of office hours), so this is your fair warning.  We have never been struck by lightning though.  I’m sure you are getting my point in this sarcastic commentary, but let me put another nail or two in this.  SINCE SIDE EFFECT to PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS ARE NOW ONE OF THE LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH, CAUSING 100,000 DEATHS A YEAR IN THE U.S., does your M.D. inform you of this VERY REAL statistic before handing you the scrip?

There is still an incredible amount of faith being put into our antiquated medical system and its primary medicinal/surgical approach to remove symptoms and not problems.  For example, why did we have to wait until 2007 to put black box warnings on Zoloft and Paxil acknowledging that they cause suicide in 4 out of 100 kids who are prescribed to take them?  They’ve known about it since 1990!  Remember VIOXX? That powerful pain reliever killed more people than the Vietnam war before they pulled it.  Does your pediatrician inform you that your child has a 50% greater chance of developing asthma each time an antibiotic is prescribed?  Lipitor is the King of the prescription drugs, the amount of profit it earns makes Columbian drug lords look like corner hustlers.  Lipitor is supposed to help lower the risk of Cardiovascular disease, instead, it’s just causing a lot of muscle ache and a lot more VIAGRA, since another side effect is lowered testosterone production.  Oh, and by the way, mercury is a neurotoxin, but please take the next HINI or R2D2 flu vaccine because, even though we haven’t tested its safety, kids and old people need it?  Is it just a fluke that now 1 in 100 kids are autistic?

We just keep buying into this crap, and I’m wondering when it will end.  Well, I know it’s closer, because people aren’t laughing anymore, they generally get angry.  That is how new thoughts conquer old paradigms.  First those new ideas are seen as laughable, then anger, ridicule, and opposition forms, and finally acceptance is achieved.

While I by no means want to live in a society without medicine, I do want to live in a society that uses medicine appropriately.  We are not tapping into the natural healing ability of the human body enough.  This is what the chiropractic lifestyle is all about.  Remove the interference and let the body do its thing.

Much respect,

Dr. M

We have experience this turn of events as adults no doubt, such as our first flight in an airplane, 4G cell phones, or maybe even the idea of the internet itself.  At other times it might not be so obvious.  For example, for me to watch a patient/member of our practice see the this truth with the principle of chiropractic care and the adjustment for the achievement of optimal health through improving the efficiency of the nerves that feed info back to the brain and communicate to all cells of the body.

Someone might not know how they gained control of a paralyzed leg by just getting adjustments, or they might not know how they stopped having years of migranes or asthma through seemingly simple chiropractic care.  Once it happened though, at that point, they Believe it to be true because of the results they see and feel.

You see, you don’t need to know exactly how chiropractic adjustments improve these things anymore than you need to know how Tylenol can cause kidney failure.  Once you see it happen, you believe it to be true.  You may even also go on to study exactly how it happens, but most will be satisfied with just seeing and feeling it, like Nico was with the remote contol.  Once you see it happen, you believe it, and that phenomenon is what then forever changes your actions because of a new belief system.

This country and our world in general need a much better belief system when it comes to health and wellness.  Like many of you reading this, we have seen the truth, and we feel a passionate need to keep spreading it.  Please help us do the same.  Without your voice, enough beliefs won’t change and people will continue to treat their health ills with more pain relievers, antibiotics, anti-depressants, drugs for cholesterol, asthma, acid reflux, allergies, asthma and more.  Better health through better chemistry isn’t working, but because most belief systems are the same, we continue to look for answers in the wrong places.

Keep Spreading the TRUTH,

Much respect,

Dr. McKinley

This year’s theme is “Challenge Yourself to Accomplish Something BIG this Summer!”

We’ve designed this bootcamp to help you do just that.  It will start August 9th and run through Sept 3rd.  Each week we will challenge you with three workouts (2 strength, 1 cardio) designed by McKinley Chiropractic and Windy City Crossfit to kick your butt!  In addition you’ll be able to choose up to 4 Yoga sessions provided by Om on the Range Yoga Studio to help you stretch out and recover.  We also add a little healthy fun with a kayaking excursion on the Chicago River.  Finally, for those of you who want to take it up even another level, we’re doing a second round of “Detox with Dr. Arthur” and giving all bootcamp participants $75 off a detox program.

This will be an unbelievable experience, but we do have to limit it to 30 participants. So please ask yourself if you want to accomplish something BIG this summer, and if the answer is yes – sign-up today!

The cost is only $40 (detox is seperate) and all proceeds  benefit the Non-Profit Chiropractic Organization who raises money to build wellness clinics in impoverished countries.

Reserve your spot today by clicking here!

We have such a surplus of the H1N1 vaccine, that government ads are popping up on bus billboards and bus stops, and on tv commercials, in order to get rid of it. Myself or my family didn’t get that untested, unproven vaccine, and now after new news coming out of Australia, I’m really glad we didn’t! Australia is calling for a ban on the flu vaccine as it has caused many convulsions in children under five. What’s really scary is that children and pregnant women are who they market it towards the most! It makes me sick!  At least Australia is willing to admit when danger exists, and is working to take steps to see if there is a better way.  We had the same vaccine here in the US.  Does any think that they same things weren’t happening to our children?  My wife, Monica, works in the ER at Mt. Sinai here in Chicago, and I KNOW she saw convulsions in children who took the vaccine hours before!  Yet, our own government is conducting a huge market campaign to get rid of the unused vaccine (for which we, the American people, paid pharmaceutical companies millions of dollars for) before it expires.  Why are we in a situation where the US government is acting like a drug dealer on the street corner?

Educate before you vaccinate….there is a better way!

Our annual vaccine seminar is coming in August, so keep a look out. Lots of people want to know more about the truth, and it’s my absolute pleasure to reduce fear by teaching TRUTH!

Be Well,

Dr. Heath McKinley