My alternative well care journey. A better way to shed the weight and live healthier. About two months ago, a coleague of mine called to ask if I could help him with a problem with his foot and ankle. He was recommended to me through the state chiropractic society. While this was someone whom I did not previously know, I helped him out and resolved most of his pain during our visit. During our visit, I found out that he was a chiropractor however, he has spent the last 30 years doing primarily nutrition rather than manual chiropractic medicine. A couple of weeks late, he called me to ask if he could return the favor. He stated that he felt that a nutritional and blood workup would reveal how healthy I am and perhaps, he can improve my energy level as well as my overall sense of wellbeing. He explained that in order to do this, I needed to have a blood test, a saliva test and a urine sample taken and from this, he could determine if I had any food sensitivities, how my body extracted nutrition from the foods I eat and any cardiac as well as any cancer risk factors. Since I work physically and many hours, I took him up on his offer and had the tests done. This differs from many of the standard blood tests that your regular physician or insurance company would order. To my surprise, as the results came in, I had a number of concerns that needed to be addressed. Through the use of initially a fast, then supplementation and through the use of protein shakes, I was able to immediately drop about 8 pounds and my energy level has improved markedly. I also found out about things such as leaky gut, elevated male estrogen and other things my regular physician has no knowledge of. On the other hand, I gave up (not permanently, but for the sake of this program) certain foods including coffee, dairy, many wheat products and my wife has commented about how healthy I have been cooking lately. The process of detox that I am undergoing which includes restricting inflammatory foods, and other foods I am currently sensitive to is not an easy one, however, if you are in your 50’s like I am, and you need to keep the machine working in top form, a short term inconvenience will yield a long term gain in the quality of life and can likely add years as well. As part of the program, I have also begun to exercise three times per week to build up my aerobic capacity again and to get myself in better shape than I have in years. When we compare this to the typical doctor patient relationship, the guidance through Dr. Bilas, the chiropractor who placed me on this program is more about improvement of lifestyle and eating style vs. fear and which medication I should be on and when. The beauty of doing a program like this is that while it may be somewhat costly in the short run, in the long run, it is much less expensive than taking medications that can potentially create a host of other problems. For those who are considering going on the typical calorie restriction diet, or working with a company that gives you prepackaged meals, a program like the one I am on will improve your energy, fitness and overall health. A diet like Jenny Craig will also cost you but the only benefit will be weight loss while you restrict yourself anyway. Maybe a well care diet makes more sense, especially when you are in your later years. To find out more, as me about Dr. Bilas. You can call him at (609) 204-2092. What you don’t know about your health can affect your quality of life. Find out how to improve the quality of your life nutritionally.