How to get the most out of working with me

I wrote this for all of my new practice members to read so that they would understand better what I have to offer and how to get the most out of us working together.

Even if you’re not a member of my practice in San Diego, I think it’s still a valuable read so that you too understand what I’m about as a doctor and what kind of role I want to play in your healing journey.

I love getting feedback so send me an email to tell me your thoughts when you’re done reading this.

How To Get the Most Out of Your Care Here
by Dr. Jay Warren

In case you haven’t noticed already, this is NOT your typical doctor’s office. No sterile white walls with generic posters hanging on them. No long waits in the reception area for your appointments. No distracting phones ringing off the hook. No confrontations about insurance coverage problems.

I’ve set up this office with the intent of delivering to you the most exceptional experience you’ve ever had in healthcare.

Everything from the beautiful artwork on the walls, the pleasant smell of the burning candles, the peaceful sounds of the water fountains and the soothing music playing in the background – all helping to create this place for you to come to relax, to rejuvenate and to heal.

This place is for you. It’s a place where you can be well taken care of. It’s a place of healing. It’s a place of comfort.

It’s a place where you can forget about your hectic day when you walk in the door and it’s a place where you can leave your stress behind you when you get off the table.

I want this place to be a sanctuary that you get excited to come to. I want our time together here to be one of your favorite times of your week.

A lot has gone into creating the experience provided here at the Warren Family Wellness Center. So don’t be surprised when you hear a contented “ahhhhhhh….” slipping out of your mouth while you’re here…

What a difference an Adjustment makes…

Another thing you may have noticed that’s different is that the adjustments I provide are NOT your typical adjustments either.

The adjustments I give are gentle and low force. They’re different because they’re not the typical “cracking and popping” adjustments that most people think of when they think of chiropractic.

The light contacts I make along your spine help you release the tension that gets stored up in your body. That tension builds up on a day-to-day basis and stresses your Nervous System. Stressed nerves tighten your muscles. Tight muscles pull your bones out of alignment, which further irritates your Nervous System. It’s a vicious cycle that ravages your body and steals your health away from you.

But if I were to just whack your bones back into place, the tight muscles would just pull them back out again. And if I were to just soften your muscles with massage or ultrasound or e-stim machines or whatever, then the unresolved nerve tension would just tighten them back up again. After a few days you’d be right back were you started.

These adjustments work with the cause, not the effects.

The light force adjustments you receive here release the underlying stress that gets stored in your Nervous System. That allows the muscles to relax and that allows the bones to realign themselves.

Then that vicious cycle is broken and this allows your brain and your whole Nervous System to work more efficiently.

And since your Nervous System controls every function of your body – your eyes, ears, stomach, pancreas, liver, kidneys, bladder, immune system, heart, lungs, etc., etc., etc. – then your whole health improves.

You live your life through your Nervous System, so when your brain functions better, you function better.

To break it down into its simplest explanation:
1) Your brain sends signals down through your spinal cord and nerves all of the parts of your body.
2) Unresolved stress interferes with these signals so your body can’t function properly.
3) The adjustment removes this interference (called a “Subluxation”).
4) Then your body is able to heal itself and function optimally.

Your pain melts away and you feel better. You feel more relaxed and your energy comes back. You think more clearly and you become more productive. You feel more alive because nothing’s getting in your way.

What would you like to create for yourself today…

But, there’s something else as well that’s different here: the conversations we have while you’re getting adjusted. You might be surprised at what comes up and what comes out of you when you’re lying on the table.

You might wonder why you’re talking with me about the weather or the latest movie you saw or any number of seemingly “random” things. Or you might find yourself talking about how crazy busy things have been at work lately. Or you might find yourself “venting” about how frustrated you are with your kids.

But these things are NOT random and you’re not just venting. These things are important because they are what are on your mind.

And what’s on your mind is in your body.

I hear this comment all the time: “So Dr. Jay, do I owe you something extra for the therapy today?” It’s usually said as a joke at the end of a visit because we’ve spent most of our time talking about things that are seemingly “irrelevant” to your adjustment.

Let me tell you: It’s NOT irrelevant. It’s what’s really troubling you.

Remember what I told you before: it’s your unresolved stress that causes interference in your Nervous System. It’s your stress that breaks your body down, whether it’s physical stress, chemical stress or emotional stress.

You’ll tell me if you’ve tweaked yourself in your last workout or how you’ve been sitting at your computer unusually long hours lately – those are your physical stresses.

You’ll tell me if you’re not drinking enough water or if you’ve fallen off your healthy eating wagon – those are your chemical stresses.

And you’ll also tell me about your frustrations, your worries and your concerns – those are your emotional stresses.

All of these things affect your overall health. And all of those things are important for us to address for your overall health to improve.

By sharing your frustrations, worries and concerns, you’re helping to manage the stress in your life because:

- It “takes the edge off” of things, literally by softening the stress around it.

- It “clears the air”, by dissipating the negative energy around you and inside of you.

- It helps to “take the load off your shoulders” literally that stress and tension that’s stored in the muscles of your neck and shoulders and lower back gets processed, and then it’s released.

- And it helps you “get things off your chest” literally by getting that stress off of your heart. Elevated heart rate and high blood pressure is alleviated when you release your bottled up negative feelings.

So by all means, let that stuff go!

That’s what this place is for and this is why you come here right? To let go of your stress and tension?

So don’t feel guilty or embarrassed if you feel that you’ve just shared “too much”. It’s normal. It’s part of the healing process. It’s going to move you and your health forward and I’m happy to be a part of it.

Almost everyone – at some point, in some way or fashion – express how surprised they are at how their experience in working with me evolves over time. And that’s why I’m writing this for you right now – to explain what’s going on so you can better understand how we can best work together.

You might have come in originally just to get your body “fixed” only to realize later that there is so much more offered here.

First of all, you’re not broken. You don’t need to be fixed.

You just need some help in shedding the layers of stress and tension that have built up over the years. You need some help in repairing the damage that’s been done from living the way you have lived.

Then I provide you with some instruction on how you can live differently. That way, those layers don’t get put back on again and then years on down the road, you start experiencing the same problems again.

You see, there’s a snowball effect to stress and that’s how tension build up over time. But we can peel the layers off, much like peeling the layers of an onion, and that’s how the bodywork you get here works for you.

When you turn the direction of your health around, you get a taste of what it feels like to be healthy again. Then, at your very core, you start craving even more health.

Healthier people make healthier choices and that’s how the stress management tools and the lifestyle balancing tips work for you.

One of my gifts is being able to “connect the dots” for people in ways that they haven’t been able to do themselves. I’m able to take a bird’s eye view of your situation and see what the one next best step for you to take is.

As your care here progresses, I get to know you better and better. I learn how your body stores tension. I learn what stresses you out. I learn what brings you down and what lifts you up. I learn about what matters to you.

The more I know about what makes you tick, the better I am able to help you.

That help may come in the form of “homework” that I give you after your adjustment.

Sometimes I’ll show you a specific stretch I want you to do. Sometimes I’ll remind you to drink more water in the next few days. Sometimes I’ll recommend a certain book or a movie that I think will speak to you given what we’ve just talked about in our appointment time together.

I’ll even write it down for you on my “Prescription Pad” so you remember to do it. Your homework assignment is unique to you. That recommendation is your next best step to get your health to the next level. It’s not some generic, “one size fits all” recommendation. It’s what’s best for you.

Remember: as your chiropractor, I take care of your spine and Nervous System.

As your doctor, I take care of YOU. I take care of the whole you, the YOU that is mind and body and spirit.

The word “doctor” comes from the Latin word meaning “to teach” and I take the part of my job as a teacher very seriously.

You see, if I were to only adjust your spine, clearing the stress in your body but then just send you back out into your stressful world, then I’m not really going to help you long-term.

I’m not really going to help you in the long run because it’s your lifestyle stress that causes your health problems in the first place.

If you leave the office and go bang your head against the wall of your stressful lifestyle again, then you’re just going to come back with the same headache again…and again…and again…

You only see me for 15 minutes in your week. And those 15 minutes are tremendously impactful on not only your body, but your whole life!

But the reality is, the other 10,065 minutes of your week have an even bigger impact on your health.

So teaching you how to live a healthier and more balanced lifestyle, will allow you to enjoy all the health, energy, relaxation and happiness you want to enjoy in your life.

As you learn how interconnected everything in your life is, then you realize how everything in your life affects your health.

How burning the candle at both ends so you can “get more done” and “get ahead” not only depletes your energy, but affects your mood as well.

How your skipping breakfast and pigging out at dinner wrecks your metabolism.

How your bickering with your spouse contributes to your indigestion as well as your frustration.

How your lack of exercise adds to your lethargy as well as your waistline.

Everything affects everything. There’s no escaping it. That’s what I mean when I say it’s the stress in your lifestyle that causes your health problems.

Those are the dots that I can help connect for you. So you can see things in a different way. So then you can choose to live in a different way. So that you don’t keep experiencing the same problems and the same stresses over and over again.

I am 100% committed to YOU! As your doctor, I want to help guide you into new realms of health possibilities that are open to you. You might not see them yourself right now. But I can see them for you and I can lead you there.

It all depends on how far down the rabbit hole you want to go.

So to answer the question, “How you can get the most out of your care here”, here are some suggestions for you:

1) Prepare yourself for the adjustment. When you come into the office, take off your shoes, use the bathroom if you need to, grab some water, make yourself a cup of tea…whatever you need to do to make yourself comfortable.

2) Tell me how I can help you. Let me know what the major stress is that you’re experiencing at the moment and let me know what you would like to shift in yourself.

Getting an update about what is going on with you is important to me. But there’s a difference between you reporting to me what IS, and you stressing and complaining about what is happening to you.

I have to admit that this is one of the most difficult things for me to explain to people, but it’s a distinction that I think is really important to your healing.

If I cut you off trying to turn the conversation back to something that is working for you, rather than all that’s not working for you, it’s not because I don’t care about you.

Bringing our conversation back to something that is positive and to something that is constructive for us to work on is the best way that I can care for you.

The Law of Attraction says, “Whatever you focus on and fuel with emotion, is what you get more of in life.”

So if we focus on your pain, or your symptoms or your stresses, then we’re just going to fuel that and perpetuate it.

By concentrating on what you want – feeling relief, feeling less stressed, being able to get back to walking or back to bending over to pick up your kids – then we’re focusing the power of our intent into your healing.

Sounds pretty “woo-woo” or “out there”, but I whole-heartedly believe it’s the best way to support the healing changes you want to see. Medical science and quantum physics backs this up and it’s a field of research that I spend a lot of my time and energy studying, learning and teaching. I encourage you to learn as much as you can about it as well.

3) Bring your questions. I have found that the more interested and engaged a patient is in their care, the better the results they get. This time is your time to get your Nervous System cleared of interference and for you body to release it’s stress. But it’s also time for you to get your questions answered.

Whether it’s a question about what stretches to do at home, or what foods to eat, or some other inquiry you’ve had on your mind that you think I might be able to shed some light on, bring it to me.

If I don’t know the answer, I’ll find out. And if I can’t find it, I’ll find you the person or resource that will get your answer for you.

4) Search for answers. There is a ton of health information out there and I realize it’s tough to know which sources to trust. I post regular content via various channels for you to keep on the latest, most relevant, most reliable health information to date (pick the ones that are the best for you to get this information):

a) Blog postings on my website www.BeingWellLifestyles.com – There you’ll also find an extensive “Resources Section” with hundreds of link to the best sites, books, audios, etc. I’ve come across.

b) Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/BeingWellLifestyles) – I post regularly about health topics and resources not included on the website just for my Facebook Fans.

c) Twitter (@DrJayWarren – www.twitter.com/drjaywarren) – If you’re more of a Tweeter than a Facebooker, I tweet health info as well as some personal stuff here as well.

d) YouTube – I video blog on the Being Well Lifestyles website, but if you missed any of the videos I did in years past covering everything from guided visualization, ergonomics to my quest to ride to the top of the French Alps on my bike, you can check out my YouTube channel.

e) Newsletter – I send out a regular newsletter to my subscribers as another way to keep you informed on the latest and greatest going’s on in the health care world. You can sign up on either of my websites: www.WarrenFamilyWellness.com or www.BeingWellLifestyles.com.

f) Ask Dr. Jay Teleseminar – I hold a live teleseminar each month when I answer questions that have either been submitted to me via the website. Details on times and call in numbers can be found at www.BeingWellLifestyles.com.

g) Healthy Living Workshops – on the first Wednesday night of the month, I teach a class in my office that you can attend to learn healthy lifestyle tips and tools. A new topic is chosen each month and often guest speakers are brought in to share their area of expertise with you. Check the Facebook Fan Page for details.

All of the resources I’ve listed here are free and available to you any time you choose. I do all of this as a means of keeping my 100% commitment to your health and wellbeing.

My Vision
to see a world full of people living free of health concerns.

Notice that I said “free of health concerns”. I didn’t say “free of health conditions”.

There will always be sickness and disease in our world. It’s part of life. It’s part of how we grow and become stronger. It’s part of our learning.

But you don’t have to live with the worry and the stress around the health challenge you’re experiencing. And that’s what I want to help you with.

If you’re worried because you don’t know anything about what’s going on with you, I’ll help you with information.

If you’re worried that your condition is never going to change, then I’ll show you options.

If you’re worried that you’re not getting the best care possible, then I’ll give you a referral.

Your worry only causes your problem to get worse, or at the very least, stay the same. If we can lower the level of worry and concern around it, then the door to healing has been opened.

Stress is the #1 contributor to ALL sickness and disease. It robs you of your health then it starts stealing the rest of your life away too.

I believe that your ability to adapt to the stress in your life is the #1 factor that determines the level of health and happiness you enjoy in your life.

So then I believe that as a healthcare provider, the most important thing I can do for you is to teach you how to handle your stress better.

So I challenge you to take one item from the list above and take one action that you haven’t taken yet – go “Like” the Facebook Fan page, jump on a teleseminar call, learn something new.

Since you’ve read to the end of this long letter, I know you’re the type of person that’s willing to go the extra mile. You’re striving to make the most of your care here and you want to squeeze every last drop out of what you signed up for.

It’s no accident that our paths have crossed. You’re in my practice for a reason.

I’m in your life and you’re in mine for a reason.

I’m happy you’re here and I hope you’re happy being here.

There’s an exciting road ahead of you and in this moment, our roads lead in the same direction for a time.

You’re standing on this healing path right now. It’s laid out in front of you and you’re looking off into the distance…

You know that it will have many twists and turns, it might even be a long journey. But I assure you, it’s journey that leads to more health and happiness than you can even imagine.

So the question is: Wanna go for a walk?

Hope so.

Be Well,

Dr. Jay