What Hope?

37--Percentage of people who say they are very confident they will keep their New Year's Resolutions

82--Percentage of people who resolve to lose weight and haven't by June

20--Percentage of doctors who think hospitals should have smoking areas

1 --Rank of smoking in causes of preventable deaths among U.S. woman

5 million--Number of deaths worldwide from smoking related causes in 2000

50--Percentage of adults who think being physically fit is a sign of success

36--Percentage of adults who exercise less than once a month or never

27--Percentage of women who eat the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables every day

15--Percentage of women who eat chocolate every day

34--Percentage of American women who are obese

23--Americans who believe fast food is good for them

With numbers like these, what hope does a chiropractor have?

I mean if people (apparently including doctors) don't know that smoking, lack of exercise and fast food aren't good for them how will chiropractors ever teach them that vertebral subluxations are a detriment to their fullest expression of life and that they should have their spines checked regularly for the rest of their lives?

Look, most of us know what's good for us (with the possible exception of the 23% who think McDonald's is good food - maybe they're ordering the salads!?!). People don't continue to smoke because they think it's good for them. They smoke because it's really hard to quit. It's challenging and uncomfortable to change our habits even when we know they're not good for us.

Similarly, any 5th grader knows that the nerve system runs the body and it just makes sense that the clearer your nerve system the better your body will function. So why don't people of all ages and all walks of life have their nerve systems checked for clarity on a regular basis? Simple, they are not in the habit.

What can you do to develop the habit for yourself and your entire family? (Most of you already do this, so pass it along to your family and friends that may not.)

Pick a day and time, just like you do for piano lessons, soccer practice and church services. You can write it into your calendar just like you do for dentist appointments, lunch dates, and birthdays. And then you can just do it, whether you feel like it or not - just like you do for exercise or eating your vegetables!

For those of you that already do this, you can also brag about all the wonderful benefits you receive from being under care.