Every new years many of us follow the cultural norm of setting a set of goals we call our New Years Resolutions. We make them with great intentions and often a little doubt. Its the doubt that is our biggest enemy. Here are a few tips on how to stay on track for 2012: 

Type: Make sure that your resolution is reasonable and attainable. In order to do this you may have to break it down and set smaller goals. For example if you want to be a better parent this year: be more patient with my kids and serve healthier snacks. Or if you want to shed some extra weight: make healthy food choices and exercise more.  

Goals: Every resolution has a reason. What's yours? Get very clear on why you are making a change. 

Preparation: Have physical reminders of what your doing and why. This includes reminders or encouraging words. Examples inched: a note you keep in your pocket/wallet, post-it notes on the refrigerator or bathroom mirror, etc. Also, images or items that remind you of what you are doing and help you stay on track like the dress you want to fit into or a picture of that amazing vacation home. 

Action: Take baby steps so that you stay on track and don't get overwhelmed. Some examples: If you want to Nurture yourself by trying to avoid the stressful part of your resolution. If you are quitting smoking avoid hanging out with people or in places that make you want to smoke or if you are getting into mountain biking start with an easier trail for a while so that you can avoid the stress. 

Outlook: The purpose of resolutions is for us to become better versions of ourselves. You want the positive outcome or you wouldn't even go there! So focus on the fact that you are making a major accomplishment. The change, whatever it is (find love, be a more involved father, take up rock climbing etc.), is significant to the person who is making the change, so don't compare yourself to others. In the same line: don't judge or criticize those set by others. 

Congratulations: Congratulate yourself regularity and surround yourself with people who acknowledge your hard work. Plan out rewards for your accomplishment that are appropriate and feel like a real treat. 


  To your continued health and happiness in 2012!
      Dr. Birchann 

Birchann Paffenbarger, D.C.
Infinite Potential Chiropractic
www.infinitepotentialchiropractic.com 

There are some easy ways to keep the holidays fun but slightly more healthy than the traditional approach. Try some of the following:

• Chose your sugars wisely. Try replacing your traditional refined sugars with unrefined or fruit based sugars.  
• Eat a small healthy meal before going to that holiday party that you know will have a bounty of tempting, sugary and fatty foods. That way you will be less likely to fill up on junk but have a little room in your belly to sample some of the tastier items. 
  
• Don't be hard on yourself. If you over do it, let it go. Just make a mental note that you had a good time, but you'll be more careful in the next situation, or tomorrow. 
• Be selective. Rather than take one of every cookie or treat, take only one of the things that look the best to you. Just by having your less favorite treats on your plate you will be more compelled to eat them, so just skip them all together and go for your favorites. 
• Serve fruit and nuts with sweets. When your going to indulge or when giving your kids a treat, be sure that you are giving an equal amount of fruit and/or nuts with the sweets.
• Substitute oils in your baking. Try cutting the amount of oil in half and replacing it with applesauce. 
• Put less on your plate. Often our eyes are bigger than our stomachs and with a yummy speed in front of us we are likely to go hog wild and fill our plate to the brim. Take only a small amount of food. Don't panic! Allow your self to go back for seconds of a small portion of only the foods that are especially appealing to you. 
• Most of all: Cut yourself a break. Its the holidays. Be happy, not guilty. 

To your good health!
 -Dr. Birchann 

Birchann Paffenbarger, D.C.
 
Infinite Potential Chiropractic & Family Wellness
www.infinitepotentialchiropractic.com

   Its going to be “flu season” very soon and if the routine childhood vaccination schedule didn’t get you really thinking then maybe the huge ad campaign to get everyone vaccinated this flu season has. These are hard decisions. Lets take a look at the decision we make with every shot.
 
How do vaccinations work?
   Vaccines attempt to fool the body into thinking that it is getting a real exposure to an antigen (a particle that causes a specific illness) and our body creates antibodies (particles that fight invaders that potentially create illness). Antibody production is the natural way that we fight of disease. Antibodies are made for the imitation illness in the vaccine and when you are exposed to the real one you already have antibodies to it that will fight and you wont get sick.
   The way that the vaccine is introduced to the body bypasses the normal and natural methods of exposure. Antibodies are produced but they are inherently different from the ones that we produce from a natural exposure. There are those that believe that this stunts the natural progression of a child’s maturing immune system and that we should be waiting until children are older and have developed their own immune system before vaccinating: that we are in effect, stunting the nations immune system and creating more and more chronic disease.
    Many vaccines wear off. For example: the chickenpox vaccine protects many young children from getting the irritating and inconvenient symptoms of chickenpox while many of their peers are passing it around in school. However, we are now finding that the chickenpox vaccine is wearing off in adulthood and that there is a rise in adult chickenpox as a result. In adults chickenpox is much more dangerous. A perk of the old fashioned way: once you are naturally exposed and contract the chickenpox or any other virus you are virtually assured life long immunity. Have you ever heard of a child dying from chickenpox? This is why many parents are choosing to have "Chickenpox Parties" so that the exposure happens to groups of children who are in frequent contact all at once and normalcy can be resumed sooner into play groups, homes and schools.

Whats so great about vaccinations?
    There is real value to vaccinating some populations: for example many elderly are susceptible to devastating effects with even a little cold or flu may really benefit. We no longer have to vaccinate our children for polio thanks to the vaccine (however, this is not true of many developing nations without the vaccine). The idea is that if every one could be vaccinated than we can eradicate disease. And, when there are many people who are vaccinated they insulate those who are not vaccinated from getting the illness (un-vaccinated people do not pose any risk to those who are vaccinated).

Whats so bad about vaccinations?
    Vaccines ether have a dead virus or a live virus, and other additives. Adjuvants are vaccine additives that boost antibody production. The most common ones include: aluminum and squalene, both are potentially harmful to humans. Some fear that this is what triggers the autoimmune reaction that has been attributed to vaccine side effects (autoimmune reactions are when antibodies attack the person rather than the antigen causing the illness). Around 75% of the flu vaccines that are recommended for children as young as 6 months old contain small amounts of thimerosal (mercury): a poison.1 There is also fear that taking some vaccines (particularly the flu vaccine and Tamiflu) allows for mutation of the illness and greater resistance to treatments as evidenced by how ineffective Tamiflu has increasingly become.
     It is also important to be aware that the huge advertising campaigns that we see about the need for vaccinations are often funded by the vaccine manufacturers. These companies stand to make a huge profit off of “flu season” vaccines as it is a multibillion dollar industry.

What should I watch for after vaccinating?
      As with any medical procedure there are potential side effects. A commonly reported side effect after the flu shot is “flu like symptoms” and even after getting the flu shot many people still get the flu.2 In part because the vaccine only protects from a set number of the flu virus and there are many different strains that cycle through every season.  
     Adverse reactions are reported occasionally. Reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) include: hoarseness, sore or itchy eyes, cough, fever, aches, unresponsiveness, neurological problems, long-term seizures, coma, lowered consciousness or permanent brain damage. There is a huge ongoing debate about autism associated with routine vaccinations. See what the CDC has to say about side effects:http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm#flu
     Since the mid 1980’s physicians are legally required to report any adverse effects thanks to the passing of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is sponsored by the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is a place for doctors, parents and patients to formally report adverse reactions. Found at: http://vaers.hhs.gov/index  
     You may be advised to wait or not vaccinate if: there has been any previous vaccine reaction, avoid some vaccines if there is a sensitivity to eggs or yeast, a lowered immune system, a presence of auto-immune disease, etc

How much is too much?
     More and more vaccinations are added to the schedule of our nations children starting at birth. Many babies are given the hepatitis B vaccine at birth even though the only newborns at risk for contracting it are those born to infected mothers. "In 1998, France became the first country to stop requiring hepatitis B vaccination for schoolchildren. This followed reports that many French children were developing chronic arthritis and symptoms resembling multiple sclerosis following administration of the vaccine." 3 
    According to the 1999-2003 National Immunization Survey data: a tenth of children age 19-35 months have had accidental repeat and unessisary vaccinations, meaning shots in addition to the 48 doses of 14 vaccines recommended for our average 6 yr old. By the time they can vote the goal is for them to have received about 69 doses of 16 vaccines.4

What do you do?
     You, as a parent, have the right to chose an alternative vaccination schedule: to delay any vaccinations indefinitely or until you feel that it is in the best interest of your child. Perhaps when they have robust immune system, will be around many other children or before international travel. Ultimately, it is your choice as a parent and the responsibility falls on your shoulders, not your doctor or any pharmaceutical company. However, some monetary compensation for adverse reactions may be acquired from the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.5 
    Many of the childhood disease that children are routinely vaccinated for are not life threatening in the healthy child. There are some exceptions: unfortunately most of these deaths related to preventable childhood illnesses occur in over crowded, undeserved and uneducated groups of children. The reality is that with a strong immune system we are often able to fight off may illnesses naturally. Lots of water, sleep, exercise, low stress, a good diet  and getting regular spinal adjustments are often all you need to have a thriving immune system at any age.
     Your doctor or pediatrician is a great resource for vaccine information. However, it is best to enter a conversation with your health care professional already informed so that you can make an educated decision about whether you are getting unbiased information. If you feel threatened, belittled or are told that he/she will refuse to treat you or your family if you choose not to vaccinate or to use an alternative vaccination schedule I urge you to seek a more supportive physician.
     As with any medication or medical treatment, keep accurate records of all vaccinations that are given to your child to be sure that there is no unnecessary repetition of shots. Get a copy of the vaccination documentation from your doctor so that you have identifiers such as the vaccine batch number in case of a reaction. Monitor your child closely after any vaccination. Report any unusual behavior right way to your doctor.
     In the end ask yourself: Am I more afraid of the adverse effects of the vaccination or am I more afraid of the illness I am attempting to prevent? Either way, be sure that you are making a decision that you feel good about.

To your infinite health!

Dr. Birchann Paffenbarger of Infinite Potential Chiropractic & Family Wellness
http://www.infinitepotentialchiropractic.com

Other great links:
The National Vaccine Information Center: http://www.nvic.org/
Mothering magazine has been a resourse for years: http://www.mothering.com/vaccines
Dr. Mercola: www.mercola.com

1. http://www.fda.gov/cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm#intro
2. http://www.nvic.org/Downloads/3770Reaction.aspx
3. http://www.mothering.com/vaccinations-why-all-the-fuss
4. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/09/27/vaccines-are-dangerous-says-the-government.aspx
5. http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/index.html