What Thrive Chiropractic is About

Hi. My name is Molly, and I'm your friend.

I heard Dr. John Maxwell open up a talk to about 5,000 people with that line. "Hi, my name is John, and I'm your friend."

John has published over 36 books, and he is the number one authority on leadership development in the world. Though he has storehouses of information in his brain that Presidents, Generals, and CEOs pay big bucks to hear, he keeps it simple. He's passionate about keeping it simple...because it IS simple. And why not take on the ego out?

I am passionate about communicating the complexities of the human frame and how the body works (diet, movement, sleep, etc.) simply, and re-educating my friends (because most of us have been miseducated...much like the miseducation that Lauren Hill sings about).

So, I'm about simplicity and education.

I'm also about treating your body with respect, and only doing what it can handle at a given time. The body needs to be listened to. You need to be listened to. Not everyone listens. Are you listening? Healing happens in layers. That may sound out there, but come in, and I'll show you what I mean. It's a beautiful thing, and it promotes healing. I work with the body, not against. This yields great results.

And I'm about minimalism. I don't like charging for things people don't need. If you need your arches raises rather than an adjustment every week. Then we'll work to raise your arches. I see it as my job to see my patients as little as possible.

I'm about working you out of my office. Maintenance care is often necessary. But you are the best person to care for your body. The problem is that most of us have habits that are killing us, we work in environments (that could be the ergonomics of your workstation) that are killing, us and we eat food that is killing us. It's my job to reverse these things and get you stable, so that you don't come to see me:)

Lastly, I'm passionate about your spine. My professional certification (beyond my post-graduate degree from Life Chiropractic College) is in chiropractic biophysics - basically an engineer's look at the spine. Corrective care chiropractic (what I practice) is very unique because it works to remold the ideal curves of your spine, rather than just adjust. What if you looked at a person's spine and all the curves were reversed - there'd be a problem, right? That patient would probably be in pain, right? It's like a knee bending forward...it's not supposed to that, it's not made to do that. We'll that's why a lot of people have back and neck pain. Their curves have molded improperly due to injury, sitting, car accidents, whiplash, traumatic birth, whatever. I fix that.

So, that's it. That's what we are about. We work with individualized chiropractic adjustments, molding techniques, diet, specific exercises, cleanses and lifestyle rehabilitation to help friends Thrive.

The Danger in our Food

Wet your appetite on this movie trailer. We will be airing this film in the near future. The website is at wwww.foodmatters.tv. Job well done...

Desk Ergonomics - Boring but HUGELY important

Desk work isn't the coolest thing to talk about. We all probably resent the amount of hours we spend staring at a computer screen, so talking about how to best stare at a computer screen just sounds terrible, doesn't it?

The problem is that we spend 8-12 hours a day sitting in front of some sort of screen, and for some people, it's more like 16 hours.

Sitting is one of the worst positions you can put your body into. Ever notice, when you are watching National Geographic or the History Channel or something, that all the wild men and women, blessed - in a certain way - to not be slaves to the desk and modern civilization, squat rather than sit. Squatting pushes your chest out, and rounds the lower back. But sitting forces the natural curves of your body to reverse. Sitting over time improperly remolds the spine, due to the spines plasticity.

Think about it, the next time you sit down. Your low back collapses, your neck straightens and leans forward, your shoulders sag. No wonder chiropractors are so busy these days!

If you are going to spend 6-8 hours of your day in one spot, shouldn't that spot function with your body rather than against it?

Make sure your monitor is eye level and that you aren't looking down - the top of the monitor should be 2-3" above your eyes. Buy an ergonomic key board so that you can feel your hands again. Make sure your chair can elevate and descend if necessary so that your legs are bent at approximately a 90-degree angle - if you are sitting lower than that you are shortening your hip flexors. By a chair with a head wrist and tilt your chair so that your elbows are at a 100-degree angle, so that your upper body is more relaxed. Use wrist rests. Take breaks every 20-30 minutes, stand and stretch, moan if you need to:) If you can buy a standing desk, do it.

You were made for motion. Energy begets energy, remember? If you sit all day long, do you feel rested at the end of the day or tired. Tired, right? You were made to move.

We must conform to the modern era, but don't be tricked into thinking you were made for it. Make your environment (your work station) mold to you, not you to it.

How Nerves Impact Your Organs...

We had a prospective patient call in the other day, and it just broke my heart. He was very concerned about his son who couldn't control his bladder throughout the day. His best friend told him he should take his son to a chiropractor. He'd never been to a chiropractor and the idea that a chiropractor could help his son control his bladder just didn't add up. Our office manager tried to explain how we could possibly help by telling him this story...

We have a patient at Thrive who first stepped into a chiropractor's office because he took a nasty fall off a ladder...classic Chevy Chase scene. Not only was the fall painful and debilitating, but this man began losing bladder control...at the age of 42.

How?

Your spine encompasses your spinal chord. The nerves that leave the spinal chord and connect to organs throughout your body carry communications from the brain to these organs. If you put pressure on these nerves and cut off nerve flow, you lose that vital communication. Without that communication you actually begin to lose function of that organ. We call this pressure on nerves subluxation. Chiropractic corrects subluxation using simple adjustments. In this man's case, chiropractic helped him regain control of his body.

Sometimes you'll see someone's hand shriveling up...atrophying...because of this phenomenon. The nerve flow is cut off to the hand, and because their is numbness, they use the hand less, and the muscles begin to atrophy.

Healthy nerve flow is not talked about very much in the medical community, but it is vital to your health. Because it is not talked about, most people don't think of it.

In the prospective patient's case, we never heard from him again. I don't know if subluxation was the cause of his son's bladder control problem, but it was tough to not hear from him again, because often people use surgery and drugs to fix problems that can be handled in a much less invasive and costly manner.

Check out our latest video! This is a great story...

Mother of two, wife to an M.D., and nurse practitioner, Chris Starkey, tells her story of thinking I was "Loony Tunes" to having her life radically changed by chiropractic. I met Chris just after she broke her back falling down stairs. I had to first see her at her home because the pain was too intense for her to leave the house! Thankfully, she is walking, and once again she is an active mother and wife. This is a must see...

Click here to view the video

We've finally gotten our act in gear, and asked patients for some testimonials. Here's what people are saying about Thrive. It's so great to hear people getting well. Thank you to those who have taken the time to provides these words...

"I was having lower back pain, and it was a chronic problem I had for many years. I had tried traditonal chiropractic, massage, and I'm a yoga instructor. I was so surprised that after having gone to chiropractors my whole life, no one told me I can regain my lower back curve, chaning the shape of my spine, and finding relief from constant pain.

I experienced changes right away after I began seeing Dr. Molly, and in the first couple weeks I was pain free!

I can now live a more active lifestyle, and I want to do more in my daily life because I feel better.

Dr. Molly is invested in helping you find relief and health. Her compassionate approach to whole-body health is very effective. Thank you Dr. Molly!"

- Sarah Hogan


"I first came to Dr. Molly because of long term back and neck pain and trauma. Before seeing Dr. Molly, I was medicating my pain and I saw another chiropractor. After seeing Dr. Molly, I've been surprised by her extensive knowledge of how to work with my body to bring healing; not just weekly adjustments. I feel hopeful again that I will be pain free and healthy!

My advice to someone new is, relax and enjoy being taken care of. Your in good hands. Dr. Molly has a sweet spirit and a gift to find the root of the problem."

- Kimberly Borst



"I first came to Dr. Molly because I was having a lot of back pain and headaches from the back pain. I was using Tylenol to ride out the pain. I started seeing changes within a few weeks, and now I'm surprised with how few headaches I get now. I barely notice pain from my back whereas before I barely new what it was like to be without pain. In the past, I would get daily headaches, and now after only weeks of care, I get them maybe once a week.

My advice to someone on their first visit to Thrive is, don't think about the cost. I stayed away from chiropractors for so long because of the cost and I thought it wasn't that important. Your back can effect your body in so many different ways and it is very important to take care of it.

My only other comment is, Dr. Molly is great!"

- Laura Anderson


A Runners Story

Rebecca is a runner who was having pain while running and first came to Dr. Molly for pain in the knees, the back, neck and shoulders. "In 6 weeks time, my pain has severely decreased. Feel like a different person. And I can run again, pain free!" Her advice to future patients is, "Be willing to stick with the program and you will see change in time, it's worth the time and money."

Is Your Deodorant Your Best Friend? It Shouldn't Be.

There are few things in life, like deodorant, that you apply at least once a day, maybe twice, and - if you are a teenage boy – three to four times a day. If you are applying deodorant this much, you want to be sure that it is not toxic, or else that means that you are ritualistically dumping toxins into your body, which may lead to disease.

You’ve probably heard of the research linking aluminum, parabens, and preservatives in deodorants and antiperspirants to diseases like breast cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Your body uses your armpit as a key detoxification spot on your body. Your armpit, and neck region contain a large population of lymphatic drainage nodules that are trying to flush toxins in the body. Deodorant and antiperspirants are clogging this detox spot as well pushing toxins directly into your lymphatic system and skin.

Have you ever wondered why you use deodorant or antiperspirant? You weren’t born with a deodorant stick in your hand, so why do we “have” to you use it. I’m here to let you know that artificial deodorants or weak “natural” deodorants that leave you smelly are not your only option.

Before I tell you your other option, let me first tell you why you smell. It’s not actually you or your sweat that smells; it’s the decaying bacteria that live on you. Their decomposition smells. Is that a relief?

Deodorants attempt to mask the smell of these dying bacteria by using artificial scents. But they only work temporarily at best, because the deodorant itself creates an environment for the bacteria to grow, much like agar in a petri dish. Anti-persperants are blocking your body's ability to sweat altogether. Sort of like if you had a cold and blocked the snot from forming to get it out. Does this mean the virus is gone? Overall this increases the toxic load, and your body has to figure out another way to flush toxins because it's main exit route is blocked. In fact the skin is one of the largest detoxification systems you have in your body.

My family and I recently changed to using a salt block, which uses the natural alkalinity of salt to kill and defend against these bacteria that live on your skin. These smelly bacteria cannot live in a highly alkaline environment and salt’s natural PH is around 8.5 on a PH scale. Bleach is 12 on a PH scale.

It is said that your immune system is your body’s first line of defense. That is not true. Your PH level is your first line of defense – your natural acidity or alkalinity. Have you ever heard someone recommend that you gargle saltwater to defend against “colds?” This is why. The PH of salt kills many forms of harmful bacteria.

The salt block that we offer at the front desk lasts up to 3 years (4-6 times longer than regular deodorants), there is no white or sticky smear, and you don’t even know it is on. I highly recommend you consider using a non-toxic, salt-based deodorant. We sell this option for $12. Just ask Susie about it.

You Are What You Eat, So What Does That Make You?

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You are what you eat??” Of course you have. Maybe a better question is, do you live by it? Does that truth drive your decision making?

Even when you are trying to, it’s tough, because food companies have made it tough. Anymore, you don’t really know what you are eating, because you’ve probably had no part in growing it, making it, preserving it, or distributing it.

Anymore, an apple is not an apple is not an apple. Three apples, on a table, they all look the same, but they aren’t nutritionally the same. If you really want to see this truth in action, watch the documentary, Food, Inc.

Due to the fast food industry, our foods have changed dramatically over the past 50 years, because fast food chains purchase the lion’s share of the food being produced in our country. This is true even for apples. Because of this, we’ve learned to produce 10 times the amount of produce per acre, but the quality of our food has plummeted, due to the use of artificial ripening agents, pesticides, global distribution, etc.

Innate man would wander the earth, find his food, and eat it directly from its source. As you know, this is not the case today. My Uncle-in-law’s company, a large multi-national agricultural company, was sued by Japanese consumers for selling them genetically modified rice. How ironic. We get our corn from Mexico, our bananas from Brazil, and on and on. We have no idea what has been done to our food.

Well, when it comes to vegetable selection, I’d like to recommend Door-to-Door Organics. This company distributes certified organic fruits and vegetables to your front door. There goal is to provide local, in-season vegetables as well. You pick the frequency, the amount, and whether it is just fruit, just veggies, or a mix.

We’ve been using it for a year now, and as a chiropractor, mother, and wife, I’ve been very pleased. And I’ve found that the price is very competitive, even with non-organics fruits and vegetables at the grocery stores. Plus, it can decrease your drive time and help your gas budget.

I’m telling you this because I feel it is my job to inform you of ways that you can responsibly redeem your body, heal, and feel like a million bucks. An organic broccoli head, just tastes better than a non-organic…and it is better.

You can order Door-to-Door Organics at www.doortodoororganics.com.

Welcome to my thoughts...

Just wanted to say hello, my name is Dr. Molly, and I'm glad you're here. The majority of Americans have grown up with an allopathic mindset on health care. The fact is that an allopathic mindset on health care, is actually disease care - focusing on symptoms rather than causes and killing disease rather than preventing it. This way of looking at the world is both expensive (it's always more expensive to catch problems on the backend) and it is a dangerous philosophy. Thrive is committed to being a voice for another way of looking at the world. Chiropractic philosophy differs with allopathy (traditional American medicine) in a myriad of ways, and I hope this blog can be a voice for those differences.

We've all grown up with the idea that we were born difficient, prone to disease, and therefore, from birth, we require anti-biotics, vaccinations, surgeries, and the like. While I disagree with that mindset, I disagree stronger with the focus that we have placed on the drugs and surgery, rather than the environment we are creating on a daily basis by the food we eat, the movement we perform (or lack of movement), our sleep patterns, the toxins we allow around us and in us, etc.

We are more concerned these days with our children having dirt on their hands, than being exposed to bleach or drinking beverages that are packed with sugar and excitotoxins..

Wellness is about caring for your frame, your mind, and your environment that YOU are creating each and every day, with each of the thousands of choices you make in a day.

I'd like to say upfront in this blog, that allopathic medicine has performed many miracles in prolonging life and handling emergency health care. There are brillant people that work in the medical field, who have designed brillant tools to help them in their trade.

But as Dr. James Chestnut (an physiologist and chiropractor) illustrates, if the fish in Lake Michigan where dying by the truck load with sores and cancers, and all things gross, we would not think, "We need to dump drugs into the lake, and we need more fish hospitals with more fishy medical equipment to perform more fish surgeries." We'd be crazy if we thought that. We would instead ask, "What is in these fishes' environment that is killing them?"

Why don't we ask the same question about our own state of health? Maybe it is not for lack of drugs that kids have ADHD, or that people ache with rheumatoid arthritis, or that cancer rates continue to climb. Maybe it is the environment we have created for ourselves, and maybe if we change that, we can solve 90% of our problems - not all, but a chunk.