Welcome to the Dynamic Chiropractic Blog! As the very first post of many in this weekly blog, I'd like to share with you a favorite poem of mine called "Ambulance Down in the Valley."

T'was a dangerous cliff as they freely confessed
though to walk near its edge was so pleasant.
But over its edge had slipped a Duke,
and it fooled many a peasant.

The people said something would have to be done
but their projects did not at all tally.
Some said, "put a fence around the edge of the cliff,"
others, "an ambulance down in the valley."

The lament of the crowd was profound and loud
as their hearts overflowed with pity.
But the ambulance carried the cry of the day
as it spread to the neighboring cities.

So a collection was made to accumulate aid
and dwellers in highway and alley,
gave dollars and cents not to furnish a fence,
but an ambulance down in the valley.

For the cliff is alright if you're careful they said,
and if folks ever slip and are falling;
it's not the slipping and falling that hurts them
so much as the shock down below when they're stopping.

And so for years as these mishaps occurred
quick forth would the rescuers sally,
to pick up the victims who fell from the cliff
with the ambulance down in the valley.

Said one in his plea, it's a marvel to me
that you'd give so much greater attention
to repairing results than to curing the cause, why
you'd much better aim at prevention.

For the mischief of course should be stopped at its source;
come friends and neighbors let us rally.
It makes far better sense to rely on a fence
than an ambulance down in the valley.

He's wrong in his head the majority said.
He would end all our earnest endeavors.
He's the kind of a man that would shirk his responsible work,
but we will support it forever.

Aren't we picking up all just as fast as they fall,
and giving them care liberally.
Why a superfluous fence is of no consequence,
if the ambulance works in the valley.

Now this story seems queer as I've given it here,
but things oft occur which are stranger.
More humane we assert to repair the hurt,
than the plan of removing the danger.

The best possible course would be to safeguard the source,
come friends and neighbors let us rally.
It makes far better sense to rely on a fence
than an ambulance down in the valley.

 I first heard that poem from the "then" president of Palmer College of Chiropractic Dr. Guy Riekeman as I was preparing to enter my first year of chiropractic college. It was a poem that effected me on a deep level, because even though all my life it had been happening all around me, I hadn't yet seen what was so obvious, yet so flawed.  Nearly every part of our current day healthcare system is focused on fighting disease, rather than promoting health.  If you don't see the distinction between those two, let me illustrate it for you.  Is it wiser to replace the parts in your car engine after it starts on fire or seizes up, or change the oil regularly and perform maintenance to ensure it is always running at peak performance?  Is it wiser to have your teeth pulled and replace when they hurt and are rotting, or floss and brush them regularly to maintain their health.  Is it wiser to mop up water on the floor every time it rains, or to fix the leaky roof?

In our current medical disease care system, we are excellent at fixing the body once it is broken. Unfortunately, if we wait that long there is often already permanent damage that has taken place, and we can never get the body back to the level of health it enjoyed before hand.  This is why you may have noticed, the word "wellness" starting to gain popularity in the past 5-10 years.  America finally got sick and tire of being sick and tired.  There had to be a better way!  The answer was "wellness."  There are many ways to define wellness, but mainly it is adopting healthy habits and attitudes that promote optimum health in the body.

This is what chiropractors like Dr. Jewett and myself were taught on the the first day of chiropractic school.  If we want our patients to be healthy and happy, we have to teach them habits and techniques for maintaining and improving health to it's optimum level.  And that is what we strive to do at Dynamic Chiropractic.  We teach that "it makes far better sense to rely on a fence, than an ambulance down in a valley."

Yours in Health,
Brandon Linker D.C.