"Health exists on a continuum; on one end is disease, at the opposite end is optimal health, and there is a lot of space in-between." -Dr. Gregory Berkoff
Wellness Care at the La Jolla/UTC Office of Dr. Gregory Berkoff
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What is Wellness Care? For the last century the goal of Western Medicine has been to cure or manage disease to prolong life. Wellness Care addresses not just the quantity but the quality of our lives. While traditional medicine focuses on fighting disease, Wellness Care focuses on creating the Habits of Health which lead to improved energy, enhanced immune function, balanced mood, and the spontaneous joyful appreciation of the greatest gift of all: our lives.
Wellness Care is Prevention Care: Central to Dr. Berkoff's model of health is the concept that prevention is the best tool we have against disease. Encouraging wellness through the establishment of healthy habits is the key. Antibiotics work against most bacterial infections but employing the habits of clean food handling and preparation has done more to prolong human life than any medicine. Most patients with diabetes can control their disease with medicines, but elimination of belly fat through a healthy diet and exercise cures or prevents the development of diabetes in most people. By becoming robustly healthy we are better able to weather exposure to pathogens, stressors, and physical traumas, and in some cases avoid illness altogether. |
Strategic Wellness: Dr. Berkoff has created a conceptual framework in which optimal wellness is supported by what he calls the Five Pillars of Health. A healthy diet, regular exercise, restorative sleep, a handful of powerful natural supplements, and stress management form the Five PIllars, and small efforts in each area combine to balance and improve mood, strengthen immune function, increase energy, and move us along the Health Continuum in the direction of optimal wellness. Health is more than the mere absence of a full blown disease state, it is the achievement of a position along the Continuum which approaches optimal wellness and the maintenance of that position through strategic development of healthy habits.
Wellness Care in Chiropractic: Chiropractic doctors are seen primarily as musculoskeletal specialists. We are known best for helping patients with back or neck pain by employing the powerful tool of chiropractic manipulation. But did you know that most chronic back and neck problems are the result of bad habits and that improving these habits can not only help eliminate back and neck pain, but to keep it away? Strengthening key muscles in the abdomen, waist, and lower back (the 'core') is often all that is truly needed to resolve chronic back problems. Dr. Berkoff is the inventor of the Kore Power Trainer, a simple device which can be attached to your bed and used for 4 minutes each day to train the core to a level sufficient for overcoming and preventing most chronic back pain.
Wellness Care in Chiropractic: Chiropractic doctors are seen primarily as musculoskeletal specialists. We are known best for helping patients with back or neck pain by employing the powerful tool of chiropractic manipulation. But did you know that most chronic back and neck problems are the result of bad habits and that improving these habits can not only help eliminate back and neck pain, but to keep it away? Strengthening key muscles in the abdomen, waist, and lower back (the 'core') is often all that is truly needed to resolve chronic back problems. Dr. Berkoff is the inventor of the Kore Power Trainer, a simple device which can be attached to your bed and used for 4 minutes each day to train the core to a level sufficient for overcoming and preventing most chronic back pain.
"The more we do to decrease inflammation and increase circulation, the healthier we become."- Dr. Berkoff