Dr Lewis Connor DC

Welcome and thank you for selecting me as your pain relief and health care solution. Before I get a chance to learn more about what brings you in, I’d like to share with you a little about myself.

I’ve been practicing here in Menlo Park since 1983, and am a graduate of Palmer Chiropractic College – West. I treat a wide range of patients: children, families, performers, and athletes. Here are a few of the performers, and athletes I have treated when they appear locally: Bon Jovi, Pink Floyd, Dwight Yokum, Rick Zumwalt (World Champion Arm Wrestler), and for six years was the treating Chiropractor for Cirque du Soleil.

My real love is treating families, and children. That’s it in a nutshell. My office, is currently the only chiropractic office on the peninsula that treats patients on a walk-in basis (no appointments are necessary), which patients love because of the convenience. My office hours are:

• Monday          7:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Wednesday   7:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Friday             7:30 AM to 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM
• Saturday (when available) 8:30AM to 10:30AM

Thank you for choosing my practice for your health care. I look forward to providing you with immediate pain relief, and an active pain free future.

Sincerely,

Dr. Lewis E. Connor, D.C.

Do you love hot chili peppers? Eat more!

Peppers are chock full of antioxidants. One tablespoon contains one-third of the required daily vitamin C and 10% of vitamin A.

Munching down on chili peppers helps suppress your appetite. Capsaicin is what makes peppers taste “hot.” Capsaicin acts on the pain receptors, not the taste buds, in your mouth. Capsaicin predominates in the white membrane of peppers imparting “heat” to the seeds as well.

All peppers have been shown to reduce oxidative stress in the body but red peppers contain more vitamin A, vitamin C and those valuable carotenoids called lycopene. Another carotenoid, called beta-cryptoxanthin, is showing promise for helping to prevent lung cancer related to smoking and second-hand smoke.

In China, peppers are recognized to tackle pulmonary and respiratory illnesses. Hot peppers have always played an important role in Chinese medicine and cuisine. For good reason, no?

Hot peppers have been known to aid in the treatment of ulcers. Surprise! They may help kill the bacteria in the stomach that lead to an ulcer.

Just how can you work hot peppers into your everyday diet? Crush, mince or chop them. Toast the peppers, eat them raw or put the peppers in hamburgers, casseroles or salads. Don’t just think of them as separate foods to prepare as specialties.

Here is a really punchy example to start off your day.

A Zesty Blueberry Smoothie! (Adapted from Chile Pepper/Cooking Zesty magazine)

1 cup non-fat yogurt
1 banana
2 cups apple juice
2 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1 cup ice
1 tsp toasted chipotle peppers

Puree in a blender and send yourself off for the day well fortified.

Have a Happy Fourth of July!

Lewis Connor, D.C.
Chiropractor
California’s Leading Headache Expert as seen on NBC’s “Wellness Secrets TV” show
View Free Videos on Health

Earlier in May we re-emphasized how to recognize the symptoms of stroke. If the person has difficulty doing any of these, call emergency paramedics immediately:

S for smile,
T for talk, and
R for raising the arms

As in the case of stroke, recognizing that something unusual is happening is essential to minimizing the effects of a heart attack. Acting quickly is more problematic in the case of women because the symptoms are less dramatic and less well known than in men.
Here are three common signs of a heart attack in women.

I Indigestion sensations, as if you have swallowed a golf ball and it is going down in slow motion. In the case of an impending heart attack, you may not have eaten in hours.

S Sternum: squeezing sensation railing up under your breast bone, an increasing feeling of pressure under the center of your chest.

J Jaws: pressure rising through your throat and radiating out into the sides of both jaws.

A woman’s first instinct often is to not to call for help. Too many may just take a glass of water to help the swallowing feeling, take an antacid thinking it is heart burn and go to bed hoping to feel better in the morning. You may have only one chance to be aware.

Take action, quickly:

• Call the paramedics at 9-l-l if you are experiencing ANYTHING unpleasant happening that you have not felt before. Be aware.
• DO NOT SIT and THINK about it.
• DO NOT CALL your doctor; he doesn’t know where you live and does not have oxygen in his car
• DO NOT DRIVE yourself or let your distraught husband drive you. You will just endanger yourselves and other drivers.

Time is of the essence, as in strokes. The faster blood flow can be re-established and heart function restored, the less overall damage to the body. Quick action can give a better chance of surviving the heart attack.

Lewis Connor, D.C.
Chiropractor
California’s Leading Headache Expert as seen on NBC’s “Wellness Secrets TV” show
View Free Videos on Health

Two weeks ago I wrote about farm-raised salmon lacking nutrition. Let’s flip that fish over and look at some really good sides of salmon.

Each May Pacific Northwest restaurants and markets herald the news – “Copper River salmon is here!” Copper River salmon? What is it? Why is everyone making such a fuss over it? One taste of this firm red fish, with its rich and nutty flavor, and you will understand why food lovers relish the three to four weeks that fresh Copper River salmon is available each year.

Copper River Salmon are high in Omega-3 Oils
Copper River salmon are strong, robust creatures with a healthy store of natural oils and body fat. The Copper River flows in the state of Alaska. Almost 300 miles in length, this wild rushing river empties into Prince William Sound at the town of Cordova. Salmon that originate in these pristine waters are challenged by its length and its strong, chill rapids.

These qualities make the salmon among the richest, tastiest fish in the world. Fortunately, fatty Copper River salmon is good for you, as it is loaded with Omega-3 oils, which are recommended by the American Heart Association. Your heart is not the only part of your body that benefits from salmon consumption: studies have found that fish oil can help combat such ailments as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, breast cancer and migraines.

The Annual Arrival of Copper River Salmon
Northwest seafood lovers have turned the mid-May to mid-June Copper River salmon season into an annual celebration. Seattle restaurateurs and markets compete to be the first to get an ice-packed shipment of the fresh salmon. Area newspapers fill with advertisements announcing availability at fine dining establishments. Local residents pay top dollar for chef-prepared creations that feature the Copper River delicacy.

Copper River salmon is a big deal in Seattle and around the Pacific Northwest. Here are two resources to help you find out for yourself.

Copper River salmon is available right now for a limited time at Costco stores or online at Fresh Copper River Sockeye Salmon from SeaBear Smokehouse

As we grow older, we have to exercise differently than we did when we were younger. Here are some guidelines to follow for each age group.

Each age group would be wise to include chiropractic adjustments about twice per month to maintain the proper functioning of the nervous, glandular and muscular systems.

In your 20s & 30s: Strive for 30 minutes to 60 minutes of cardiovascular exercise per day, along with strength-training sessions 2 to 3 days per week.

Making your bones denser at this age lessens your risk of osteoporosis later. You can accomplish this through weight training and weight-bearing aerobic activities such as running and stair climbing.

In your 40s: After age 40, most women lose a quarter pound of muscle (and gain the same amount of fat) each succeeding year. Fight back with weight training, and continue your aerobic workout. You can break up a 30-minute routine into 10-minute mini-workouts. Take a yoga or Pilates class to keep your body limber and toned.

In your 50s and beyond: Keep up your 30 minutes to 60 minutes of aerobic exercise. You can include more moderate activities such as walking. Stick with the strength training 2 to 3 times per week.

It’s not too late to start an exercise program. According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, women age 65 or older who increased their physical activity levels cut their risk in half of premature death from any disease.

—adapted from O, The Oprah Magazine

Lewis Connor, D.C.
Chiropractor
California’s Leading Headache Expert as seen on NBC’s “Wellness Secrets TV” show
View Free Videos on Health

A long-time friend of mine, Dr. Susan Lark, MD recently made a disturbing discovery about farm-raised salmon, the kind you find at most grocery stores and restaurants. We’ve all heard that salmon is one of nature’s super foods. Salmon is full of wonderful omega-3 fatty acids that keep our hearts, brains, joints, and skin supple and youthful. I eat salmon at least twice a week–my personal favorite is wild-caught sockeye salmon from Alaska.

But almost all of the salmon sold today is farm-raised. Farm-raised salmon contains about the same amount of omega-3 fats as wild-caught salmon. Farm-raised salmon also contains extremely high levels of a highly inflammatory compound called arachidonic acid. In fact, the inflammatory effect of the arachidonic acid in farm-raised salmon more than cancels out the anti-inflammatory benefits of the omega-3 fats it contains. That’s right: unless you are eating wild-caught salmon, you are better off not eating salmon at all.

This discovery about farm-raised salmon is one of the many revelations in an important new book The Inflammation Free Diet Plan (click here to go to Amazon.com) by Monica Reinagel. The book introduces a truly helpful new tool called the IF Rating system. The IF Rating System is a scientific method of determining the inflammatory or anti-inflammatory effects of the foods you eat.

Dr. Lark has written numerous women’s health books and has a newsletter devoted to women’s health issues. You can find her at www.drlark.com.

Lewis Connor, D.C.
Chiropractor
California’s Leading Headache Expert as seen on NBC’s “Wellness Secrets TV” show
View Free Videos on Health

Quick identification of a stroke can avoid helpless, hopeless conditions, even death. Medical treatment within three hours of a stroke may reverse the effects of a stroke.

The difficulty is to be able to recognize when a stroke has happened.

There are three questions to ask if you suspect a stroke. You can remember the questions shown below as “STR”:

S – SMILE: Ask the person to smile

T – TALK: Ask the person to talk and speak. Have the person say a simple sentence such as: “It is sunny out today.”

R – RAISE: Ask the person to raise both arms.

If the person has trouble with any ONE of the three above questions, call emergency immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

[Note: The above has not yet been endorsed by the American Stroke Association.]

Another indication of a stroke can be the tongue. Ask the person to stick out his or her tongue. If the tongue goes to one side or the other, that can be another indication of a stroke.

If someone gets an instant headache that is worse than any headache they ever had, sometimes with vomiting, then they may have a burst aneurysm (blood vessel) in the head. Then the three-hour rule also applies. Get the person to emergency immediately.

More symptoms of a stroke are:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arms, or legs, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no obvious known cause.

Lewis Connor, D.C.
Chiropractor
California’s Leading Headache Expert as seen on NBC’s “Wellness Secrets TV” show
View Free Videos on Health

P.S. For those of you that are interested in increasing your public speaking skills my friend Milan Botica is teaching a seminar locally on May 30-31. He is a great teacher with phenomenal material. I highly recommend taking his seminar. Go to 2-Day Power Program Skills Mastery Intensive for more information!!!

Symptoms: Moving slower (laziness-depression feelings), decreased energy, weight gain, difficulty digesting food, muscle/joint aches, feeling cold, reoccurring infections, hair loss, brittle nails, dry skin, menstrual problems, and high cholesterol, iodine deficiency, stress, insomnia to name a few.

When basal body temperature is low with the above symptoms get a blood test. If it is negative, a saliva or urine test is recommended.

Natural Remedies: Essential fatty acids found in flaxseeds, walnuts, and fish. Thyroid and Pituitary Glandular products (stimulates thyroid function), L-tyrosine 500mg twice per day, Bladderwrack (Fucus vesiculosus) 100 mg once per day,

Homeopathic thyroiodinum 3x or 6x – 3 pellets three times per day. All the above stimulates thyroid activity.

The above is information only. Check with your doctor before you begin a recommended treatment plan.

Lewis Connor, D.C.
Chiropractor
California’s Leading Headache Expert as seen on NBC’s “Wellness Secrets TV” show
View Free Videos on Health

P.S. For those of you that are interested in increasing your public speaking skills my friend Milan Botica is teaching a seminar locally on May 30-31. He is a great teacher with phenomenal material. I highly recommend taking his seminar. Go to 2-Day Power Program Skills Mastery Intensive for more information!!!

I have been using this regimen and my cholesterol level went down to between 165 and 170 from 232 at its highest. It works!

A recent study of 60 people with type 2 diabetes has shown that adding a little as
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon daily lowers total cholesterol levels, triglycerides, and LDL (bad cholesterol)– as well as glucose levels.

A Red Yeast Rice extract (monascus purpureus) dosage of 1,200mg/twice a day has been shown to reduce cholesterol levels and increase HDL (good cholesterol).

A daily dose of 100 mg of CoQ10 acts synergistically with Red Yeast Rice to help keep the cholesterol low.

Lewis Connor, D.C.
Chiropractor
California’s Leading Headache Expert as seen on NBC’s “Wellness Secrets TV” show
Free Health Videos

P.S.: I mentioned in the last ‘Healthy Tips’ about the Honor, Integrity and Mastery seminar for men presented by my friend Gregory. I forgot to mention it is next weekend (May 15-17). There is a special offer for my friends. Click here to see the offer.

P.P.S.: For those of you that are interested in increasing your public speaking skills my friend Milan Botica is teaching a seminar locally on May 30-31. Milan is a great teacher with phenomenal material. I highly recommend taking his seminar. Go to 2 DAY POWER PROGRAM SKILLS MASTERY INTENSIVE for more information!!!

This is one of my series called “Healthy Tips from Dr. Lew”. I do my best to make the Healthy Tips something you could read in 30 seconds or less. Occasionally, like now, it will be longer.

This story is about attitude, which is, in my opinion, one of the most important facets of health. I do not personally know this John. Fortunately I have had many of this kind of ‘Johns’ in my life to learn from and one of them is named Gregory. When you complete reading “Attitude Matters” come back and follow this link to learn about the Honor, Integrity and Mastery seminar for men that he does. I attended the last one and recommend it highly. Enjoy.

Attitude Matters

John is the kind of guy you love to hate or love. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, “If I were any better, I would be twins!”

He is a natural motivator.

If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, “I don’t get it! You can’t be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”

He replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or…you can choose to be in a bad mood.

“I choose to be in a good mood.”

“Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or…I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.

“Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or….I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.”

“Yeah, right, it’s not that easy,” I protested.

“Yes, it is,” he said. “Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood…

“You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It’s your choice how you live your life.”

I reflected on what he said. Soon thereafter, I left the communications tower industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.

Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, he was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back.

I saw him about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Want to see my scars?”

I declined to see his wounds, but I did ask him what had gone through his mind as the accident took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was the well-being of my soon-to-be born daughter,” he replied. “Then, as I lay on the ground, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or…I could choose to die. I chose to live.”

“Weren’t you scared? Did you lose consciousness?” I asked.

He continued, “The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine. But when they wheeled me into the ER and I saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared. In their eyes, I read ‘he’s a dead man’. I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big burly nurse shouting questions at me,” said John. “She asked if I was allergic to anything? ‘Yes’, I replied.

“The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply. I took a deep breath and yelled, ‘Gravity.’ ”

Over their laughter, I told them, “I am choosing to live. Operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”

He lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude. I learned from him that every day we have the choice to live fully.

Attitude, after all, is everything.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.