It does seem, doesn’t it, that it doesn’t matter where we turn nowadays, there are news stories and advertisements, alike, touting the stunning research on innumerable exotic supplements, not to mention the newest health proclamations of coffee and red wine that, indubitably, guarantee to decrease or eliminate all causes of mortality? It would almost seem, in fact, that a quest for immortality has replaced our search for longevity!

Let me clarify, first of all, that I am a believer in taking supplements and take them, myself. Secondly, I would like to be candid and say that I am one who appreciates a glass of red wine. Therefore, the suggestion that it might truly be beneficial to my health, particularly my heart, simply adds to my enjoyment. And, if an stimulant like caffeine could demonstrably prevent the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, then I’d be tempted to give up my practice and open a Starbucks.

Let’s take a deep breath and reflect on a couple of facts, however, prior to your deciding to add more caffeine to your morning grind, increase the red wine you may drink in the evening, or before you consider selling the family heirlooms in order to pay for high-priced minerals and herbs that promise to extend your life indefinitely.

For example, let us think about the human condition. We are dynamic, biological beings, free to enthusiastically participate in life. We have not been cooped up in a cage all our life, and we have not been bred to “unnaturally” incur the age-related afflictions that lab animals do, disease and debilitation that is then “eliminated” by resveratrol, caffeine, or some “amazing” supplement.

In addition, our being dynamic and biological means that we are not “robots,” and that we are more than the sum total of our parts. We are each biologically unique in certain ways, which is to say, we respond differently to internal stimulating factors and external instigating influences. For example, though generally, smoking cigarettes is harmful, there is a small minority of people who appear to be able to smoke and live to be ninety years old without any obvious ill effects.

The outcomes upon which scientific research and testing are rely upon the isolation of a particular variable. It is this method that gives scientific inquiry its legitimacy. However, because tests related to human health issues occur through this very method, and are most often done on lab animals, when it comes to human beings, the effects are very likely to be quite different. In fact, to paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, what might benefit some of the people all of the time, most likely won’t work for all of the people all of the time (and sometimes won’t work at all!).

You make choices each day, some that are intentional and others that may be indifferent, that will affect your physical health, now and in the future. You decide what (and how much) you’ll eat and drink, and the amount of physical activity and rest you’ll get. Even though you can “sense” what is healthy for you, by the way your body responds, sometimes, perhaps too often, you may override the feedback. Clearly, when you don’t consciously make healthy choices, you jeopardize your health and longevity.

Then you, like many others, may enthusiastically jump on the bandwagon of the latest report that announces that researchers have uncovered THE VERY THING that has the potency to reverse all of the excessive and unhealthy things you have been doing to your body on a routine basis! Talk about wishful thinking!

The elegantly balanced system of your body (homeostasis) is highly responsive and intricate. This delicate system becomes “off balance” when you live an unhealthy lifestyle. Eventually, the imbalances nurtured through poor health choices, result in diseases.

As a chiropractor who supplements daily, I suggest that you supplement, too, if they help you to feel vigorously healthy. I agree, as well, that if it feels like the thing to do, an extra cup of coffee might actually be personally beneficial for you. And, if it truly feels healthy, have a little more red wine. Just keep in mind, however, that the only authentic way that you can prevent or reverse age-related health problems is by changing an unhealthy lifestyle. You won’t become healthier or live longer by waiting for the discovery of a “magic potion.”

Dr. Jamie Phillips, a Santa Barbara Chiropractor, has been in private chiropractic practice for 24 years. She is also a consultant for Bloczone Marketing, a chiropractic internet marketing company specializing in chiropractic websites that attract new patients. She can be reached at (805) 882-1956.

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