Ah, the sun returns to Canada for the happy time of the year, when we
can simply just step outside without first putting on additional
clothing items.
Ah, the sun returns to Canada for the happy time of the year, when we can simply just step outside without first putting on additional clothing items. We get into summer vacation mode. I suspect we treat each other better.
During the warm months, the best spot around these parts in which to enjoy lunch is, of all places, the nearby wooded municipal cemetery. The distinguishing feature about this setting, apart from the light breeze that blows across green grass into the shade, is that the residents are so blissfully quiet.
In parts of Asia, notably Japan, folks like to get out into parks or onto nature trails for what they call “forest bathing.” Most people just feel better when they are surrounded by natural beauty, far from the madding crowd. It probably makes good physiological sense: in the process of photosynthesis, trees take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. And a walk in the woods is cheaper than flying off to the oxygen-enriched casinos of Las Vegas, an act in and of itself that is going to increase your personal carbon footprint on the planet, through the combustion of fossil fuel (i.e., gasoline) by the airplane.
Other than planting trees, some of the behaviours that offset an individual’s carbon footprint include going on foot instead of by car to the gym, and buying products made closer to home, such as local fruit and vegetables.
Global warming brings our interconnectedness into focus, just as the functional trauma cycle and the kinetic chain concept illustrate that what occurs in one part of the human body will have an effect upon related anatomical structures.
In this issue, sport is revealed to be a fertile field in which the value of chiropractic can be demonstrated to athletes, trainers, coaches, and other health professionals. Chiropractor authors write about how their involvement with a favourite sport grew into membership on an interdisciplinary health-care team and, in some cases, into supervisory positions.
In the pay-it-forward spirit, Dr. David Peeace, past president of the Chiropractors’ Association of Saskatchewan, notes that the privileges and blessings resulting from his choice of profession compel him to give back to his community, sometimes by speaking at aboriginal youth symposia. What goes around comes around.
In the context of the global village, we examine, through the lens of the television sitcom, how North American society views its chiropractors.
For example, surprised that his family physician had referred him for chiropractic treatment, Homer Simpson said he thought that “real doctors hated chiropractors.” Dr. Hibbard replied that while that might be the medical profession’s “official stance,” in his opinion they are “miracle workers.”
It’s often helpful to learn how others view us, at least as much as we can stand to hear. Sometimes it’s also edifying to be able to bear the brunt of humour. But even more important is the willingness to laugh at ourselves. It can be therapeutic, like forest bathing.•
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