Rocky Mountain Family Chiropractic

It’s that time of year again…

The weather is changing…

The roads are getting icy…

People are driving faster than they should…

You get rear-ended.

It’s a classic tale:  You’re at a stop light and didn’t see it coming.  Someone hits your car.  They weren’t going fast…  You feel ok… no need to go to the doctor, right?

WRONG!!!

The fact-of-the-matter is that regardless of how hard the impact is, many different factors go into your being injured or not.  That includes:  impact direction, location of impact, attentiveness of the occupant, posture of the occupant (looking forward, to the side, up or down, twisted, etc.), restraints (including position and tension), other safety features (including airbags, head restraints, shoulder straps, Dynamic seats, changes of velocity, bumper ratings, brakes depressed or not, etc.

Notice we didn’t mention how fast the vehicles are going.  Research has shown that actual speed isn’t an indication of injury or not.  We’ve heard the tales of people getting up and walking away from a roll-over wreck.  I’ve personally seen patients with serious injuries in 10 mph bumper kisses! I’ll say it again:

THE SPEED OF THE CAR IS NOT AN INDICATOR OF INJURY SEVERITY!

What’s more, many car accident victims don’t have ANY symptoms at all for up to 2 weeks after the accident!

Here’s the thing.  Regardless of the severity of the crash, you need to be evaluated.  You need someone who is competent and trained to screen for injuries.  This would be above and beyond the emergency room.  They do a great job looking for broken bones, lacerations, dislocations, and severe strains, but they DON’T do a good enough job assessing more subtle injuries.  You may experience:

• pain
• stiffness
• numbness
• dizziness
• headaches
• radiating pain
• weakness in the limbs
• electrical pain
• vision changes
• mental/mood changes
• inability to concentrate
• difficulty swallowing
• jaw pain/clicking
• etc.

Dr. Arthur Croft has literally written the textbook on how to assess and manage these cases.  His website lists doctors who have become certified and advanced certified in managing whiplash, motor vehicle collision, and brain traumatology victims.  I am one of those physicians.  You can go here to search for my listing.  This certification involved a year of study, hundreds of post-graduate class hours, and a rigorous exam.  One of my greatest joys is to have a patient in terrible pain and be involved in helping them get their lives back.

Here is some important information on car accidents:

Reporting traffic crashes

In nearly all states the law requires that all traffic collisions be reported to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), regardless of whether it was your fault or the fault of another driver. If there are any questions on how to report a traffic collision, please contact your insurance agent, and they will be happy to help you.

What to do after the collision

 Many crash victims feel shaken, but other-wise uninjured at the time of the crash. However, 24-72 hours later, they may become symptomatic, experiencing head-aches, neck pain, or other symptoms. It is best to follow the advice of the emergency workers after a traffic collision. If you do not go directly to the hospital it is best to seek attention from a chiropractic physician or physical therapist, as they are best trained in dealing with musculoskeletal injuries, and aiding in a quicker recovery.

Make sure the personal information from the other driver/drivers is collected even if the police come to the scene. If there is any question with your insurance, the type of injuries, and who was at fault, your insurance agent along with your chiropractic physician can help you.

Information to collect

•  Date
• Time
• Location
• Your direction of travel
• Lane #
• Describe your injuries
• Name, Phone, Address of other motorists involved
• Driver’s License and state of other motorists
• Date of birth of other motorists
• Vehicle (make, year, plate#)
• Insurance Company (with policy # and agent name)
• Describe their injuries
• Other applicable notes

Seat belts

Always wear your seat belt and shoulder harness when riding in a vehicle, even if your car has airbags. Airbags are designed to work in conjunction with seat belts, and not to be used alone, as they can cause serious injury by themselves. The safest place for you in a crash is sitting securely in your seat. Many fatal crashes occur at relatively low speeds, and you can double your chances of surviving a crash by wearing your seat belt.

Many people mistakenly believe that they can brace against the steering wheel and avoid serious injury, however even at 25 mph an unrestrained driver can strike the steering wheel with the same force as falling from a 3^rd floor balcony.

• Car Speed prior to impact = 25 mph
• Driver Speed prior to impact = 25 mph

• Car Speed after impact = 0 mph
• Driver Speed after impact = 25 mph

25 mph is the same speed as falling from a 3rd floor balcony!

Child restraint system (CRS)

Tragically, more than 40% of children who die in car crashes are unbelted. Always be sure children are properly protected when riding in a moving vehicle under your control.

It’s the LAW! Please check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) website at www.nhtsa.gov for questions about CRS.

• Children should remain rear-facing for a minimum of 1 year.
• Children over 1 year and weighing 20 to 40 lbs may ride in a forward-facing CRS.
• Kids too big for a 5-poing harness, generally between 4-8 yrs old should ride in a high back booster seat until at least 57” tall.
• Children under 12 years old should ride in the back seat when possible.

Head restraints

Each year nearly 3 million people suffer a whiplash injury. About half are left with some chronic problems and about 10% become permanently disabled. Only 20% of drivers correctly adjust their head restraints. Proper head restraint position is the single most important method to prevent whiplash related injuries.

Poor Geometry           

Good Geometry

 Position the head restraint as close to the head as possible. It should be level with the top of the head.

Treatment for whiplash

Proper treatment for whiplash is important in order to avoid serious chronic problems and complications. Proper treatment consists of restoring the mobility of the joints in the spine, decreasing inflammation, breaking up scar tissue, and returning strength and proper range of motion back to the surrounding musculature. Medicines will only cover up the symptoms, it does not correct the potentially harmful damage whiplash has on the body.  Correction of this damage can only be achieved by quality treatment from a chiropractic physician.

If you’re involved in a motor vehicle collision, it is very important that you seek the advice of one certified in handling these cases.  Dr. William Green is advanced certified in managing trauma and injuries sustained in a motor vehicle collision.  Delay will not only cause more damage (including scar tissue) to occur which potentially leads to chronic problems, but it will also hurt your attempts to receive compensation from your insurance company.  Your insurance company CAN NOT use your personal injury claims to increase your premiums, so you don’t have to worry about that.

We have same day appointment times blocked off specifically for car accident patients.  We know how important it is for you to get seen and begin care asap.  CALL US TODAY!!!

Your thyroid gland is one of the most complicated glands in the entire body.  Its responsibilities can be generally broken down into two main areas: Blood Calcium (in concert with the parathyroid gland) and your body’s Metabolism.

It is the latter of these responsibilities that creates this convolution of job functions.  Speaking in general terms, your body’s metabolism is responsible for creating and using energy.  More specifically, it is involved in the processes of digestion, absorption, cellular respiration, internal temperature, proper functioning of ALL the body’s internal organs, chemical balances in the brain, body growth rate (in children), and the rate of which the body can produce energy in order to complete these tasks.  That’s a tall order, and one that allows for opportunity for disruption.  For this reason, many of the symptoms of a thyroid disorder may look like other disease processes.  These symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Cold hands and feet
• Weight gain
• Constipation
• Hair loss (including outer 1/3rd of your eyebrows)
• Depression
• Mental sluggishness
• Morning headaches

Traditional treatments for thyroid dysfunction involve synthetic thyroid hormone medications (made or altered by a laboratory), glandular thyroid hormone medications, and/or surgeries (in the case of hyperthyroid patients).  Many times, after being on these medicines, a patient will return to the doctor without any changes in the symptoms, in spite of their blood work values returning to “normal”.  This situation is one of great frustration for the patient and physician alike.

One of the reasons for the normalization of blood work without changes to how the patient feels is that the primary cause of the symptoms may not be directly related to a hypo-functioning thyroid gland (for which Synthroid, Armour Thyroid, or Levothyroxine treat).  These medicines override your body’s natural physiology and may actually be doing more harm than good.

As stated above, the thyroid is responsible for a lot of functions in the body.  The treatments above are only effective against one of the six possible causes of actual hypothyroidism.  Because of this, if you are experiencing thyroid symptoms you need to make sure your doctor is fully investigating the exact cause of your thyroid condition.  Your thyroid works based on influence from the brain (hypothalamus and pituitary gland).  If one or both of these two areas are not properly communicating to the thyroid, you will end up with a dysfunctional thyroid and the medications will have little to no effect.  Your thyroid secretes two main hormones: T4 (93%) and T3 (7%).  T4 is the inactive form and must be converted to T3 to have an effect on the body.  If this conversion does not take place (60% happens in the liver, 20% in the gut, 20% elsewhere), then you will end up with hypothyroid type symptoms for which the medications will be ineffective.  If you have Hashimoto’s disease (which is estimated as 80% of hypothyroid patients in America), then your body is mounting an immune attack against your thyroid.  Medications will have minimal effect, and will not calm the autoimmune system underlying the disorder.  Many patients and/or physicians supplement treatments with iodine.  With an autoimmune condition, however, using iodine would simply be adding fuel to the fire.  It will make things worse! Additionally, when your body attacks one tissue there is a high likelihood that it will attack another.  It is not uncommon to find a Hashimoto’s patient with antibodies against their own brain (cerebellum).

To truly treat a thyroid you must understand where the dysfunction is taking place.  This can be easily done with blood tests.  Additionally, there are natural medicines designed to treat where the dysfunction is occurring.  These medicines can effectively help in ALL six of the possible thyroid dysfunction conditions! Everyone deserves to know what is going on in his or her body.  Everyone deserves to live a life free of thyroid symptoms.  Why not start now?

Dr. William Green and Rocky Mountain Family Chiropractic are currently accepting thyroid patients.  If you mention this blog article, you will receive a no charge, no obligation case review of your thyroid (a $250.00 value!).  This will give Dr. Green an opportunity to review your case and give you recommendations.  It’s time to take your life back!  Why not start the journey with someone who knows how to guide you along the path?  Call today at 801-683-9553!

I’m amazed at the responses I’ve gotten for my previous article.   The information coming out about Vitamin D is almost overwhelming.  I am still surprised, however, when a cohort refutes the research presented.  When you choose a physician you must be picky.  You must find one who is keeping up.  I read a statistic the other day that stated that the majority of Endocrinologists practice based on research performed in the 1960′s!  That astounded me!  Especially when considering the incredible things that have been discovered lately.

With all that aside, however, I found an article the other day that spoke more about Vitamin D.   The article, written by Dan Murphy, D.C., was a review of a research paper published in the Acta Paeditrica in August 2010 entitled: On the Aeteology of Autism and written by John J. Cannell.   In the article, Dr. Murphy culled out the following points (I’ve added a few comments of my own in red):

1. “The primary environmental trigger for autism is not vaccinations, toxins or infections, but gestational and early childhood vitamin D deficiency.”
2. An article in Scientific American (2009) and two articles in Acta Paediatrica (2010) support evidence that “vitamin D deficiency – either during pregnancy or early childhood – may be an environmental trigger for the genetic disease of autism.”  This comment is earth shattering for many practitioners, particularly pediatricians and obstetricians.  An experience of my own – my sister is pregnant and I suggested she begin supplementing with vitamin D for various reasons, not the least of which is due to what I’ve found in this article.  She told her obstetrician what I recommended and he LAUGHED IN HER FACE and told her that I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT!  I kept my cool and mailed him a couple of interesting vitamin D articles and have not heard back from him.
3. Currently, there is an epidemic of gestational vitamin D deficiency.  Prenatal supplementation with 400 IU of vitamin D3/day “is virtually irrelevant in preventing” this gestational deficiency.  ”The Canadian Paediatric Society cautioned pregnant women that they may require not 400 IU/day but 2000 IU/day, or more, to prevent gestational vitamin D deficiency.  If you read my original Vitamin D article below, you know already that the vast majority of the population is vitamin D deficient.  The statistic above should not be a shock.  A patient asked me yesterday if I have any medicines/supplements that I feel ALL patients should be on.  I quickly told him of my “Big 3″ – A good quality fish oil (containing at least 720 mg of EPA/DHA), Glutathione with Super Oxide Dismutase (your body’s natural antioxidents), and Vitamin D (5,000 IU/day).  These three will do more to stave off disease and boost your inherent immune system and defenses than anything else out there.
4. The increased incidence of autism in children of richer college-educated, wealthy parents might be explained by noting that such parents are more likely to “practice sun avoidance and use of sun block.”
5. The melanin found darker skin is an effective sun block.  Consequently, dark skinned people have a higher incidence of autism.  There’s always a balancing act that has to be performed when being exposed to the sun.  Ultraviolet B rays are good for the body (see below) and are important in producing vitamin D.  Ultraviolet A rays are harmful and can cause genetic mutations that may lead to skin cancers.  One must be aware of his/her familial histories of skin cancers and weigh their options accordingly.
6. Environmental toxins are more likely to damage the genome of those who are deficient in vitamin D.  Vitamin D “protects the genome from damage by toxins.”  Toxin exposure can lead to mutations in your DNA, which then have the chance of developing into a tumor and potentially a cancer.  This is how cancers develop and with cancers, tumors, and genetic mutations on the rise, we can’t afford to expose our genes to toxins.   Chalk one more benefit to vitamin D!
7. A 2008 study (Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders) found that boys with autism have reductions in metacarpal thickness; this is consistent with a deficiency of vitamin D during a stage of development.
8. A 2008 study (Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine) indicated that autism rates are higher in regions with more rainy/cloudy days.  ”Clouds and rain retard vitamin D-producing ultraviolet B light from penetrating the atmosphere.”
9. Autism is more prevalent in cities than in rural settings.  ”City life affords less vitamin D because of tall buildings, indoor occupations and increased air pollution, all of which block ultraviolett B light from penetrating the atmosphere.”  Here in the Salt Lake Valley it was estimated that you need to have 15-30 minutes of continuous sun exposure while the sun is at its daytime peak and when Utah is closest to the sun (about April through August) to get adequate amounts of vitamin D.  This was based on the old recommended vitamin D levels (see the previous article).  It is nearly impossible to get the vitamin D levels you need from sun exposure alone.  A quality supplement will be instrumental in keeping you in the right range.
10. Studies published in the journal Neurology (2008 and 2009) indicate increased autism in the children of mothers who took antiepileptic drugs.  ”Antiepileptic drugs are one of the few classes of drugs that consistently and significantly interfere with vitamin D metabolism, lowering vitamin D3 levels.”  This is particularly startling to me.  I see a lot of patients who have fibromyalgia, peripheral neuropathy, chronic pain, etc.  Many times, these patients are given anti-seizure medications (Lyrica, Neurontin, Gapapentin, etc.) to help with the pain.  It is not uncommon for the patient (like one told me yesterday) to experience decreased pain levels, but only temporarily.  One, two, or more months later the pain has returned to pre-medicated levels.  This is due to a lot of reasons, but suffice it to say that now we have a patient still in pain and now vitamin D deficient and neuro-degenerated.
11. Autism rates are higher in children born in the winter, when vitamin D from sun exposure is low.
12. Autism has a genetic contribution.  The current epidemic maternal and early childhood deficiency of vitamin D may “allow the genetic tendency for autism to express itself.”  Many people don’t understand that your genes are not the “end all, be all”.  You are not necessarily predestined to have autism (in this case).  You have millions of gene sequences in your DNA.  Some are expressed now, some are expressed later in life.  The fact of the matter is, your genes are not expressed UNTIL ACTIVATED.  That activation may be due to environmental input (toxin, lifestyle, exposures, etc.).  Once activated a gene cannot, however, be shut off.
13. Theoretically, prevention and perhaps treatment of autism with physiological doses of vitamin D3 “is so simple, so safe, so inexpensive, so readily available and so easy, that it defies imagination.”  It amazes me when I tell a patient what we are going to do for a treatment and they seem surprised.  They expected something extravagant, invasive, or otherwise extraordinary.  Again, the fact of the matter is your body is well equipped to take care of most disease situations.  But in a case where your body is lacking critical components (read: vitamin D) it is unable to work properly.  You have a perpetuation of symptoms and a downward spiral of the disease process.
14. “Children with chronic illnesses such as autism, diabetes and/or frequent infections should be supplemented with higher doses of sunshine or vitamin D3, doses adequate to maintain their 23 (OH) D levels in the mid-normal of the reference range (65 ng/mL{USA} or 162 nmol/L {global}) – and should be so supplemented year round.”
15. “To some real but unknown extent, autism is an iatrogentic disease, caused by governments, organizations, committees, newspapers and physicians who promulgate the current warnings about sun exposure for pregnant women and young children without any understanding of the tragedy they engendered.”  This statement by Mr. Cannell is going to shake some foundations.  Could it be that we are shooting ourselves in the foot?  Could it be that we’ve gotten so paranoid that we are actually now more vulnerable to disease than if we hadn’t been so careful?  Something to think about.

I thought the article was of incredible importance and I was pleased to read it.  Dr. Murphy reviews many research articles, and more can be found on his website at: www.danmurphydc.com.

Stay tuned to this blog.  I’ve got a lot of interesting things coming up.  I’ve got a fibromyalgia article I’ve written as well as a Thyroid article.  ONWARD AND UPWARD!

Vitamin D has had a bad rap.  For a very long time, physicians have discouraged supplementation of vitamin D for anything other than bone loss related issues (osteoporosis, osteomalacia, and rickets primarily) believing that higher doses of vitamin D (25-hydroxycholecalciferol) are potentially toxic to the body.  That is true, since vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin it does have the potential to be toxic.  Being fat-soluble means that it doesn’t need any help getting into our cells; it just passes right through the membrane, virtually unchecked.  Non-fat-soluble vitamins have to have permission to pass through by the membrane proteins that guard the entrance into a cell.  Being fat-soluble also means that it has the potential to accumulate in the body; clogging up your liver, depositing in your arteries, and damaging your kidneys.  So do vitamin A, E, and K all of which are fat-soluble vitamins.

Could it be that we were wrong?

Perhaps not about vitamin D and the implications of being fat-soluble, but perhaps about our emphasis (or lack thereof) on vitamin D in healthcare in general.  Science has taken plenty of slaps in the face in its history.  We had proof that Pluto was a planet.  We were convinced that bloodletting relieved infections.  We’ve had countless drug recalls (most of which had proven the drug’s safety, efficacy, and quality with bulletproof double blind research trials).  But these bungles are part of the scientific process.  It is all in the name of progress.  We can’t grow if we don’t fall down a few times, right?

In spite of D’s bad reputation it has been getting a lot of press lately.  Recent research is indicating that vitamin D might have more to do for our bodies than merely Calcium absorption. In fact, laboratories are now significantly changing the reference ranges of “normal” vitamin D levels in an average adult.  Previously, those ranges were about 8-46 ng/ml.  Now, with all the evidence of vitamin D’s important role in brain health, immunity, pain levels, blood sugar, etc. those levels have been raised to: 40-100 ng/ml.  A significant change!  Recommended daily allowance (RDA) levels are at 400 I.U. of vitamin D per day.  This seems drudgingly low given the amount of research occurring.  We have to remember, however, that RDA is based on staving off blatant pathologies.  For example, the RDA for vitamin C (recently bumped up to 90 mg/day from 60 mg) was established as a baseline for people to avoid scurvy.  We now know, and it is well accepted, that significantly more (1000 – 2000 mg/day) vitamin C is needed to aid in repairing collagen, decreasing inflammation, and immune system support.  You might not have scurvy, but at 90 mg/day you will definitely not be getting these added benefits of vitamin C.  Vitamin D is the same, it seems.  Adhering to the RDA will definitely help in being free of bone density related ailments, but is there something more that D could be doing for us?  Beyond the known bone density conditions we’ve known about for years, I’ve compiled a summary of what the research is telling us below.

The Bad:

• Most Americans may have an insufficiency (levels at 5-20 ng/ml) in vitamin D.  According to a study conducted in Florida (remember that sunshine is a key element for the body to manufacture vitamin D – if someone should have enough D, it would be those in Florida) showed that men and women had vitamin D levels well below the new established reference ranges.  The sun might not be cutting it for us now days.  A secondary source of vitamin D is important for those with insufficient amounts.
• Vitamin D deficiency (levels at 0-5 ng/ml) may be linked to an increased risk of type-1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosis, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers!
• Those with lower vitamin D status are at an increased risk of developing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome (insulin loses its effectiveness at opening cells for glucose to flow in to).  Also, in diabetics, low D levels decrease the efficiency of beta cell function in the pancreas (cells that produce insulin).
• Some people may need to have as much as 4000 I.U. of vitamin D a day to bring their serum levels up to an acceptable level.
• A study showed that over 90% of chronic pain patients have a hypovitaminosis D.  Chronic pain patients are now being screened for their vitamin D levels at the Mayo Clinic.
• Hypovitaminosis D is associated with increased risk for hypertension.
• Hypovitaminosis D may be a factor in Congestive Heart Failure
• There is still evidence that too much vitamin D can harm the body and could contribute to: Crohn’s Disease, other autoimmune disorders, and even some other cancers.  Before you supplement, consult your physician.

The Good:

• Increased supplementation during an acute viral infection has shown a dramatic effect in getting rid of the virus, and keeping more viruses as bay.
• Chronic pain patients see significant improvement in their pain levels after vitamin D supplementation
• Vitamin D therapy reduces blood pressure.
• Vitamin D has been shown to inhibit development of autoimmune diseases including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), multiple sclerosis (MS), and type-1 diabetes.
• Vitamin D may be used to combat cancers!  Cancer patients with D supplementation could have decreased angiogenesis (new blood vessels formed for the tumors), metastatic potential and tumor cell proliferation, and increased apoptosis (a kind of self destruct mechanism inside of cells).  Edward Giovannucci, D. Sc., M.D., a Harvard University Professor, said, “I would challenge anyone to find an area or nutrient or any factor that has such consistent anti-cancer benefits as vitamin D…. the data are really quite remarkable.”

Vitamin D

Those interested in learning more about this vitamin can go to the following sources:

• http://www.sunarc.org
• http://www.vitamindcouncil.com
• http://www.sunlight.as.ro/sungazing/htm

Why, then are we all lacking this all-important vitamin?  Where does it come from?  Your body is designed to manufacture vitamin D, and it can do so quite effectively when it has the proper constituents and when the body is working optimally.  Here are some ways we can get this vitamin

• Diet – Most dietary D is included in fortified milks and cereals.  This is a poor source of the vitamin because it is included with refined carbohydrates, preservatives, and artificial colors/flavors.  These keep the body from working optimally, which will decrease your effectiveness in using the vitamin D.
  • Dairy
    • Cheese
    • Butter
    • Cream
    • Fortified Milk (though milk is fortified with vitamin D₂, the weaker form of vitamin D when compared to D₃)
  • Fish
  • Oysters
  • Fortified cereals (usually laden with refined carbohydrates)
  • Margarine (not a good source, and horrible for the diet anyway)
• Sun
  • UV-B rays enter the skin and help in one of the steps in the body’s vitamin D manufacturing process.
  • Research has suggested that one should start with 3-5 minutes of sun exposure, especially if you’re fair-skinned.  15 – 20 minutes of sun without sun block will generate about 10,000 I.U. with optimal conditions (mid-summer, sun at peak, maximum skin exposed).
  • Be careful if skin cancers run in your family.  Take precautions to not get burned, but remember that most sunscreens are going to block the precious UV-B rays.
• Supplementation
  • Dr. Michael F. Holick, one of the world’s foremost experts on vitamin D, of Boston University Medical Center recommends 1,000 I.U. daily for everyone through a combination of safe sun exposure and supplements.

Surely, we have underestimated the physiological importance of this vitamin.  As always, consult with your physician before beginning any supplementation program.  As we look into this deeper, there is bound to be some buzz among the medical community.  Vitamin D is emerging from an often-overlooked element to an unavoidable health and wellness powerhouse!

-William Green, D.C.

Sources:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2004 May 79(5):820-5 (link)

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2004 Dec;80 (6):1678S-88S

Autoimmunity Review. 2006 Feb;5(2):114-7

GUT. 2004 Aug;53(8):1129-36 (link)

European Journal of Epidemiology. 2001:17(6):567-71

Heart Fail Review. 2006 Mar;11(1):25-33

Journal of the American College of Nutrition. 2003 Apr;22(2):142-6 (link)

Journal of Rheumatology. 2005 Sep;76:11-20 (link)

Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 1994 Feb; 40(1):58

Journal of Women’s Health 2003 Feb;12(2):151-6

Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 2003 Dec; 78(12):1463-70 (link)

Minnesota Medical Association. 2003 Jan;86

Nutrition Journal. 2004 Jul 19; 3:8  (link)

Spine. 2003 Jan 15;28(2):177-9

A colleague of mine shared this video with me. I think it is a beautiful portrayal of the potential inside all of us.

Indeed, it shows that the very presence of potential, inherent in all of us, spawns the seedlings of hope. Which seedlings can be nourished and encouraged to grow within us until we begin to realize our (or others’) worth.

It is 20 minutes long. I hope you’ll take the time to watch it.