DREAM Wellness Response to COVID-19

To our valued practice members,

At DREAM Wellness, we take the health and well-being of all families we serve very seriously! As such, we want to make sure that we are taking all necessary steps and precautions to ensure that not only are your visits at DREAM Wellness safe, but they will also add to your overall health. The purpose of this message is not to alarm you, but to put you more at ease in knowing that we are taking steps to keep you safe and healthy during this time of uncertainty. The virus is likely to cause only mild symptoms in most of us, but it is crucial that we all do our part in preventing its spread; especially to more vulnerable populations. Please try and read through this entire message (we know it is lengthy) as it will provide you with great tips and inspiration to safely navigate through this current situation.

What we are doing: There are some measures we have in place to minimize risk to those we serve. Because we serve people of all ages and levels of immunity, we are choosing to use the utmost precaution to make sure you are not exposed when you visit DREAM Wellness.
• Chiropractic and massage tables will be wiped down with (organic) disinfectants between each visit.
• All providers will be washing and/or sanitizing their hands between each visit
• Office furniture, doorknobs and other surfaces that are frequently touched by our members will be wiped down with disinfectants much more frequently.
• Providers and staff will be checking themselves for fever or symptoms and will take time away from the office as warranted.
• We are doing our best to widen appointment times between adjustments to prevent too much close contact with strangers while waiting to get adjusted. Most of the people we serve are well aware of the benefits of chiropractic, especially how it helps keep the immune system strong, so they are joyfully keeping their appointments and even bringing in other family members.
• Until April 15, 2020, we will waive our cancellation fee for all cancelled or modified chiropractic appointments within 24-hours, but we ask you to be respectful and notify us of any changes as soon as possible.

What you can do: There are many measures you can take to help us keep DREAM Wellness safe for all of those that we serve. If you have an appointment scheduled (or plan to schedule a visit), please follow the below steps:
• Please wash your hands with warm soapy water upon arrival of your appointment
• If you have a dry cough, shortness of breath or have had a fever in the past 21 days; or if you were exposed to anyone who has a confirmed case of COVID-19, please call our office so we can discuss what we believe to be the most appropriate action for you regarding whether or not you should visit DREAM Wellness in person or during normal business hours. (Also, self-quarantine may be in order). Some people with those symptoms may need medical care, but that does not mean they wouldn’t also benefit from an adjustment… we just want to keep everyone safe and prevent avoidable spreading of the virus.
• For anyone over 60 AND suffering from immunocompromised states such as diabetes, lung issues (COPD/asthma) or other chronic medical issues that may require medications like prednisone which affect one’s immune system, we ask that for your health and safety that you inform us when scheduling your appointment. To minimize your risk, we will schedule your appointment time for when no other clients will be in the office. Additionally, we are willing to extend our hours as necessary to ensure that we can take care of everyone that wants to be seen by us. Even home visits may be an option, so please don’t hesitate to ask!
• Now more than ever, make sure you’re living your DREAM… everyday! (See below)

Lifestyle Tips to Keep your Immune System Strong… Live YOUR D.R.E.A.M.
As most of you know, DREAM is an acronym for the 5 Facets of the wellness lifestyle. Your immune system (and every other body system including respiratory, digestive and cardiovascular to name a few) is controlled by your nervous system (the brain, spinal cord and nerves that extend from the spinal cord and exit between each individual vertebra). When a person endures a chemical, physical or emotional stress he/she does not adapt to, the body can go “out of adjustment” and weaken your immune system. These are great tips to consider every day of your life, but especially when wanting to avoid contracting a highly contagious virus.

• Diet: We define your diet as everything you eat, drink, touch, taste, smell, feel and hear. To maintain a healthful diet, consider:
—Avoid excessive alcohol and caffeine as they can decrease immune function, as well as sugar and processed foods.
—Nourish your body with healthy organic whole foods; drink plenty of fluids (mostly water); lots of vegetables and berries; nuts and seeds; and maintain a diet rich in vitamins, minerals and anti-oxidants. Heck, throw in some bone broth too (unless you’re a vegetarian/vegan) as chicken soup is good for more than the soul.
—-Supplement your diet as needed, especially with lots of Vitamin C, Vitamin D3 and K1; and keep colloidal silver on hand as a natural anti-viral.
—-Read or watch something inspiring and avoid as much negativity as possible… especially fear-based media! Remember the old computer term, GIGO (garbage in, garbage out)? Just like food you consume, if you put garbage into your body through your eyes and ears, you get garbage out. It is extremely important to keep up on the latest information, especially pertaining to the virus, but be mindful of the sources of that information. Try to avoid listening to most “pundits” who are paid to sensationalize the “news” and spread panic and anger. This is a time for us to come together and focus on love and faith as opposed to hatred and fear.

• Relaxation: Relaxation is giving your body a chance to call time-out; to reset, repair and regenerate.
—Take time to get plenty of sleep, meditate and if you’re a person of faith, this is a great time to stay in prayer.
—Take a bubble bath with some soft music… yes this is relaxing for men too.
—Avoid emotional stressors as much as possible; and stay off social media! Beware of the fear factor; Scientific evidence validates that fear, and the stress that develops as a result, sets the body’s fight or flight response. Stress has a detrimental effect on the body’s immune defenses. Our 24×7 media infused world and the constant focus on COVID-19 is creating a lot of unnecessary fear. In short, living in fear and being stressed out by that fear increases the odds of becoming a good host of the virus!

• Exercise: Any activity that requires physical or mental exertion can be considered exercise. While some may be concerned about going to a health club right now, there are tons of physical and mental exercises you can do at your home!
—Stretch… get yourself into all those crazy positions that create flexibility and increase range of motion. Remember to hold those stretched positions for at least 30 seconds. Find a good yoga video to enhance your stretch experience.
—Calisthenics… if you don’t want to go to the gym, do some old-fashioned push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups (if you have a chin-up bar). Throw in some squats against the wall and add in some planks while you’re at it!
—Go for a long walk or easy jog… unless you’re in self-quarantine, you don’t need to lock yourself indoors. Get outside, get some sun and smell the roses while you’re at it. The earth is rather large, and you can easily find a place to be outdoors without being in close contact with other people.
—Start working on that old jigsaw puzzle that you never got to finish. Puzzles, mind-games, trivia and other forms of brain stimulating activities will enhance your brain function and keep your mind sharp.

• Mental Wellness (Skipping “A” for Adjustment for now): Researchers are finally recognizing what many “non-traditional” practitioners have been saying all along, “Thoughts are things”. Your thoughts have the power to create a state of health or dis-ease; produce success or failure; and lead a life of happiness and fulfillment or sadness and despair. Mental Wellness includes the broad spectrum of choices and actions which lead to a person’s self-esteem, self-concept and self-worth. How you “show up” on a day to day basis determines how you view yourself and how others view you. Mental Wellness is the connection of your inner purpose and passion to your outer goals and tasks in all phases of life!
—Create a list of 10 things you are grateful for and do this every day for a week. Then read this list daily and add to it as more come to your mind.
—Call a friend or family member that you haven’t spoken to in a long time and reconnect.
—Work on your relationships… especially if you’re “stuck at home” with them!

• Adjustment (actually, it’s “being in adjustment”): When a person is conscious of his/her lifestyle and has a well-balanced diet, gets adequate relaxation, exercises, and focuses on mental wellness, then he/she should stay “In-adjustment”. To be in adjustment essentially means to be in balance mentally, physically, spiritually and emotionally; and having optimal communication between the brain and the body. While chiropractic adjustments help get you into adjustment when you’re “out”, preventing subluxations through a proactive wellness lifestyle is far superior. That said, make sure you’re keeping up on your adjustment schedule to make sure everything is exactly where it needs to be… especially during this trying time in life!

The developer of Chiropractic, Dr. B.J. Palmer stated, “Medicine is the study of disease and what causes man to die. Chiropractic is the study of health and what causes man to live.” In that vein, DREAM Wellness is seeking to share information that supports another quote from Dr. Palmer, “While other professions are concerned with changing the environment to suit the weakened body, chiropractic is concerned with strengthening the body to suit the environment.”
The purpose of the DREAM lifestyle is to help neutralize and avoid chemical, physical and emotional stresses… which in turn will keep your immune system strong. While “germs” may be a contributory factor to health issues, it is a susceptible host that allows germs to thrive and wreak havoc on the body. Living a DREAM lifestyle will increase your body’s ability to be an “inhospitable host” for that pesky COVID-19 virus (and others of course) and give you the best possible opportunity to not let them “take you down”!

Please call us with any questions or concerns and know that we are here for your at all times as we strive to help you live your DREAM… everyday!

In wellness,
The DREAM Team