by Dr. Meggie Smith

When getting any sort of medical procedure, including vaccinations, starting a new medication or having dental work, there are two suggestions I make. The first is to get adjusted as soon as possible after you start the medication or receive the treatment. Getting adjusted immediately following any sort of medical or dental procedure will help your body heal better and integrate the treatment and process through the chemical and physical stress.

The other, possibly equally important part, is to be grateful for the amazing advances in medicine that have allowed you to be able to receive the treatment. Didn’t really think I was going to say that, did you? So often parents struggle with vaccinating their children. People who receive chiropractic care are often hesitant to get vaccinated, take medication or undergo medical procedures. And I support those hesitations. The pros and cons need to be weighed carefully. But once you have decided to do avail yourself of medical treatment, do it with gratitude.

Dr. Will and my mentor talks about the different way that American’s bodies process alcohol versus European’s. When she teaches in America she asks that we do not drink during the weekend long seminar. If we have a lot of chemical toxins in our bodies from a night of drinking, our bodies are less able to do the complex work they need to do in the teaching environment. In Europe she does not have to make the same request. European chiropractors can share a bottle of wine over lunch and return for the afternoon session without the same chemical toxicity that Americans would have. The reason is that, in general, European cultures allow for a simple enjoyment alcohol. They don’t feel guilty. They just appreciate it. And so their bodies do not treat it as a toxin to the same degree that Americans do. Of course, alcoholism is a very real problem around the world. And this is not to minimize the risks of excessive alcohol consumption.

But the way we perceive things impacts the way we interact with them. Like a child who falls and only cries once he sees the fear on his parent’s face, your body takes cues from your brain.  So if you are going to put medication in your body, if you are going to vaccinate your children, or undergo medical treatments, do what you can to be grateful for the treatment. Your body will heal and integrate the treatment faster if you do.