Happy Holidays!

Calm down, refresh, get set!  A new year is about to start.  Let's do it right!

Watch the clip:

Blessings from Dr. Jean-Marc

Holiday Pitfalls

Happy Holidays!

Click to watch my latest Near Perfect Minute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7v5NJmc3lNU&list=UUK6WZLIW4WrzaKd5PYACe3w&feature=plcp

What other pitfalls and strategies to survive the Holidays do you have?

JM

Death by Tylenol.

Here is my Near Perfect Minute #73!

I review this article published in November 2011 in the British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.

The video is here:    http://www.youtube.com/user/jmslak?feature=mhee

Happy cyber week!

Dr. Jean-Marc

www.drslak.com
www.facebook.com/drslak

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are very grateful to have you as our patients.  All of us hold the opportunity to help you live a healthier, more comfortable life as an honor.   As we contemplate the past year, you will be coming first on our list of who and what we are thankful for.

Enjoy the quiet and family time this wonderful Holiday can provide!

http://www.youtube.com/user/jmslak?feature=mhee


Dr. Jean-Marc
www.drslak.com

My Amazing Girl!

My amazing girl!

Click here to see the video

This is why she heals so well!

Update:  The surgery went well and Caroline is recovering wonderfully well.  Thank you for all the well wishes!

Here we go again... another study showing that adjustments improve immune function.  This stuff really works! (sounds better than "I told you so" doesn't it?)

Stay healthy, get adjusted today!

Here is the source.
http://www.jaoa.org/content/111/3/143.abstract?sid=95365181-a634-447f-8ef4-b54bf739359c

Career Night 9/27/11

Dr. Linda and I are hosting a career night on Tuesday September 27 @7pm in our office.  If you,or someone you know has ever considered a career in chiropractic, this is the perfect opportunity to come and find out more about what it takes and how to proceed.

Please RSVP so we can have food for everyone!

See you Tuesday!

Dr. Jean-Marc

Hockey star back on ice thanks to chiropractic

Happy Birthday Chiropractic!

To celebrate, here is a really cool story I caught in the news.

Youtube clip of Sidney Crosby press conference

And here is my Near Perfect Minute!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atPGDXIRoKU

Have a tremendous week!

Dr. Jean-Marc

Happy Birthday Chiropractic!

Come celebrate with us on Friday September 16, 2011

Cake, candles, fun...

See you then!

Drugged Out Nation

What happened to "Say No to Drugs"?

Watch the video here:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JD133FiPUQc

http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=268&cat=5&sort=a&gsa=2

These numbers are appalling.  The average 65+ American gobbles over 31 prescriptions per year.  I see two options: let's get healthier, because if you were not sick to start out, 31 prescriptions will make you sick.  Or let's just forget about everyone and buy stocks of pharmacy chains.

Obviously option 2 means you and your loved ones will die sooner and suffer. But really, that's the choice we have made implicitly already.  Buy drugs, make Big Pharma rich, suffer.

I choose to be healthy instead.  And that starts right here with a chiropractic adjustment.

Dr. Jean-Marc

Chiropractic in Action #1

Play the video!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1DxryoVZ-E

Chiropractic for migraine

"Migraine occurs in 15% of the general population".  So starts this article.  The authors investigated how different manual therapies worked for migraine headaches when pitched against typical migraine drugs such as Topamax and Inderal.  Well, with no side effects, they all worked at least as well.  But chiropractic adjustments worked even better.

http://www.youtube.com/user/jmslak?feature=mhee#p/a/u/2/roH1_DMYi7M

Here is the link to source:

http://www.springerlink.com/content/a41rw34473125167/

So here is the choice: less effective dangerous drugs or more effective safe chiropractic adjustments.

Who do you know who is suffering with migraines?  Isn't it time to explore the gentle, safe and better option?

Dr. Jean-Marc

Travel Tips

Happy Fourth!

http://www.youtube.com/user/jmslak?feature=mhee#p/a/u/0/9o2QVLOgRlw

Here are a few travel tips to help make your Holiday even better!

• Drink more water.  That will make your body run more smoothly and create pit stop opportunities.
• When driving long distances; stop at least every 2 hours (see above).  Not only will your bladder thank you, but your spine too.  Take time to unfold yourself and walk around for a couple of minutes.  Plus, you'll wake up and become more alert for safer driving.
• When flying, the above recommendations apply.  Drink lots of water and take frequent walk breaks.
• Avoid the security scanners, opt for pat downs.
• Some additional supplements are beneficial when flying.  I take NAC and astaxanthin for a few days before, during and a few days following a flight.  The goal here is to process all the extra free radicals that I am exposed to when flying, breathing recycled air, enduring travel stress...

Safe travels!!!

Dr. Jean-Marc

Head Rest

Cars and chiropractic, two of my favorite things, intersect at car safety and car accident injuries.  So I read about it a lot and I am always curious to find ways to get the most out of the build-in safety devices our cars come (or should come) loaded with.

One of them is your headrest.  When positioned properly, they can reduce the severity of whiplash injuries.  The National Highway Safety Institute says that your head must be closer than two inches for them to work.  Where is yours?

This brand new study says that most people drive with their head too far forward therefore greatly worsening the severity of whiplash injuries.

http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a935983015~frm=titlelink

Another study done on an older population sample a few years ago found even worse positions.  That's a problem.

Bottom line:  You can hugely reduce injuries from rear-end collisions if you sit with your head within 2 inches of the headrest and even more if you have a car equipped with "active head restraints".  That's an option worth buying.

Dr. Jean-Marc

One of the secrets to fantastic energy!

Here is my Near Perfect Minute to encourage you to exercise daily.  And rev up your metabolism to feel great and have dynamite energy... all day long!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150215025812830

For beginners, Joel Harper has this very simple and quick workout:

http://www.oprah.com/health/The-3-Minute-Workout-with-Joel-Harper-Video

I highly recommend the blog of my friend Dr. Peter Gratale.  He is nothing short of a genius.  I subscribe to his blog and I always learn something... or get a good laugh.  His routine go from basic to advanced, all well explained and delivered in short bites.

http://powercentering.com/blog/

For the avid/advanced exercisers I recommend Mark Verstegen.  Lots of clips here:

http://www.coreperformance.com/daily/the-performance-life/

Have more fun now that you have more energy!

Dr. Jean-Marc

Maintenance care is essential

Near Perfect Minute #44

Study says: If you have had low back pain, the ONLY thing that will help in the medium term (few months) is chiro care.  (Many, many studies say that actually).

Study also says:  If you like that "I feel better and I can do the stuff I want to do without paying the price in pain and disability" feeling; you can, by getting checked by your chiropractor at a frequency of every other week.

Dr. Jean-Marc says:  Get adjusted, follow your recommendations, have a great life!





Here is a fun link to the blog of a St Louis colleague.  Enjoy:

http://drtanase.com/2010/11/18/8-reasons-not-to-visit-a-chiropractor/

Near Perfect Minute #38

Study says: Antibiotics for babies lead to asthma.

My advice: save the drugs for truly life-threatening situations, see you chiropractor for everything else.  I promise you that if I can't help you, you'll be the first to know.  But experience shows, we can keep your child healthy, vibrant and drug-free!

Near Perfect Minute #36

Copper in your vitamins, copper in the water... all bad.

Near Perfect Minute #35

Happy Anniversary to us!

Special hours this week: Normal hours until Wed 2-16-11, noon.  Then closed until Wed 2-23-11 at 8AM!

The numbers:  Lost 12 lbs total.  117.5 inches.  Remember, I started at 130.75.

Check out our Slak Chiro Facebook page and look for the post by Susan.  Love it :-)

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Slak-Chiropractic-Group/202089032827?sk=wall&filter=12

Dr. Jean-Marc

Near Perfect Minute #34

Yes, the sun is shining on me!  Today, I hammer high fructose corn syrup.  And I hope that Spring is coming soon because that sweater is starting to look really big on me ;-)




I find it ironic that you will pay almost 3 times more for the imported Coke.  Pictures from Costco this week.

Coke Made in USA: $ 0.29 per can

Coke Made in Mexico: $ 0.79 per bottle

Why is that?  Simple: your taxes are used to subsidize farmers into growing corn.  Then something has to be done with that artificially low priced corn.  Enter high fructose corn syrup!  Because your tax dollars already paid the farmer for the corn, it can be sold really cheap to the chemical plants.  In turn that makes it much cheaper for Coca-Cola to make Coke syrup.

So here is the cost/benefit outcome of this insane use of your tax dollars:

• Cost: obesity in epidemic proportions, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, trillions in health care costs...
• Benefits: cheap Coke!

If you're like me, you'll have a problem with that.  The most immediate way to act on this is to refuse to buy anything that contains high fructose corn syrup.  Costco is smelling a profit opportunity.  Smart people.

Dr. Jean-Marc

PS: No, this does not mean that you should drink ANY Coke.

Near Perfect Minute #33

Happy Valenspine!

Refer your loved ones for a New Patient check-up and I will enter you in our raffle for an Apple iPad!  Plus, their entire first visit will be only $14!!!

They win, you have the best chance anywhere to win (how many referrals can we fit in a month?)  Get one entry for each person who comes in.

Today's measurement: 119!

Dr. Jean-Marc

Near Perfect Minute #32

Today's Near Perfect Minute covers a key aspect of a weight loss program that targets fat deposits.  I want to lose fat, not muscle or water.  So I am very particular about how I lose weight and I perform simple body measurements to track my progress.  This week, I lost another 2lbs.  No big deal.  But at the same time, I also shrank 2.5 inches.

For all of you who are tracking, I am down 10lbs and I have gone from 130.75 inches to 122.  By contrasting the relatively modest weight loss with the significant size loss, I know that my body composition is shifting.  I have less space-filling fat and more muscles.  I like that!

By the way, even with the super cold weather and all the snow storms, I still made it to the gym 6 times this week.  How are you doing with your exercise regimen?

Options:  Other numbers would be good to track also.  If you have access to a high end body fat analyzer, that is great.  Some blood tests would be neat also.  I am particularly interested in triglycerides level.

Thanks for the feedback and keep sending me news of your progress!  It's fun to do it together!

Dr. Jean-Marc

Near Perfect Minute #31

Yoohoo!  Another pound gone and my number went from 125, 4 days ago to 124.5 inches today!  And I have been snowed in away from the gym several times and less than strict on the food side.

Thanks to those of you who are playing and sending me your numbers.  Very impressive!

More next week!

Near Perfect Minute #30

Here are some important nuances that illustrate the reason why measurements are an essential tracking tool.

Since last week: lost 2 lbs despite being less than strict on the food side.  But I have been trying fun new exercises at the gym and having a blast.  So the mensuration dropped from 130.75 to 125 inches.  This means that I lost fat and put on muscles at a good clip.  I like that!

How are you doing?

Near Perfect Minute #29

Happy New Year!

This marks the start of my series of Near Perfect Minutes that revolve around making the right food choices.

Over the years, I have presented several Nutrition Workshops.  I changed them profoundly as the information evolved.  But I always focused on what's good to eat and what you should absolutely avoid.  Never talked about weight loss.  Actually, I did, 1 slide stating that ideal weight is a good idea; good luck with that.

Well, all the requests and suggestions I got regarding these workshops revolved around one thing and one thing only.  For over 10 years, you have kept asking this one question... I want to lose weight, how do I do it?

Well... better late than never, here it is.  But to add to the fun, I will lose weight with you.  I realized, with a few pointed comments from Linda, that I would benefit from dropping 20 lbs.  I know how and I will share the step by step with you.  Please feel free to share your exploits and successes along the way!

First, let me tell you what I will measure.  I will track 2 numbers.  My weight, obviously.  And I will also measure the size of my waist+hips+right thigh+left thigh.  I use this measurement because I know that tweaks to my diet, combined with exercise, will result in changes in my shape as well as my weight.  And I want to know that if my weight is dropping at the expense of fat, not muscles.

My number?  130.75

What's yours?