Back Pain in Marion Ohio? I say “Bah Humbug!” Most people know that the phrase ‘Bah Humbug’ is from Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge. Just the other day I was looking up some information online and came across an interesting fact. On December 19th, 169 years ago Charles Dickens published “A Christmas Carol.” Don’t you love that book?
English: Cartoon of George C. Scott as ‘Scrooge’, starring in the 1984 television film ‘A Christmas Carol’. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I found it interesting that there have been 21 movies made of this book! I was wondering, who is your favorite scrooge?
- Alastair Sim (1951 Version)
- George C Scott
- Patrick Stewart
- Michael Caine (The Muppet Christmas Carol)
- Bill Murray (Scrooged)
- Scrooge McDuck (Mickey’s Christmas Carol)
- Jim Carey
- Other…
Personally I like the George C Scott version of the movie the best. I get good feelings just thinking about the movie because it takes me back to my childhood and I think about Christmas with my family. Its funny how just thinking about a movie can do that, right?
I have thought a lot about this story as I’ve grown older. It used to be a fun movie to watch, but has started to have much more meaning to me as I learn and grow in life.
This movie is now a gut check for me at the end of every year. As I watch the movie I am reminded of how easy it is to focus on being successful and creating a comfortable life. We get caught up in “The American Dream” and lose sight of what is important.
We see an example of losing sight of what is important as Scrooge goes through his life focused only on growing his business and not paying any attention to the needs around him. A favorite line of mine in the movie is when Jacob Marley is talking to Scrooge and he tells Scrooge (very sternly), “Mankind is our business!” I think that is really the heart of the movie.
But Scrooge didn’t want to change from how he was living. He was comfortable living the way he had been and Marley hadn’t convinced him. It took some unpleasant visitors interrupting him in the middle of the night…and taking him through some painful experiences to get him to change.
These visitors did not just tell him that he needed to change. They took him through experiences that caused him great pain. They linked this pain to the way he was currently living his life. They linked pain to the decisions he was making every day in life.
They made him experience all of the pain in his past, in the present and they made him even experience future pain, including the death of Bob Cratchet’s son, Tiny Tim. They made him experience ultimate pain that would continue unless he changed.
After that night, he would do anything to change! He couldn’t go on living the way he was after experiencing the pain and seeing how it affected others so negatively.
When you link enough pain to a certain type of behavior, you can make some serious changes! Isn’t that true?
As a chiropractor here in Marion, Ohio I see this in my office all the time. I see people put off their pain for months and months until it becomes serious. Once they have the pain, they decide to finally do something about their back pain. Not a good idea.
I’m here to tell you that there is a much easier way. You don’t have to wait until you are in pain. Don’t wait to get as bad as Scrooge. Don’t wait for the pain to come and wake you up in the middle of the night! Do something about it before you have unpleasant visitors come at night!
This is the Scrooge Technique to take care of your back and neck (make sure you apply this!):
- First, you have to link pain, just as the ghost’s did with Scrooge, to not doing anything at all. Understand that not taking care of your back can have devastating results down the road. This is not pleasant, but you have to realize that the #1 cause of disability in people over 50 are spinal disorders! If you plan on living past 50 (which I hope you do), you need to take care of your back, before it “goes out.” Think about all of the things that you won’t be able to do if you have a bad back (work, play with kids/grandkids, hobbies, golf, etc…). Once you do this, you will be motivated to make a change!!
- You need to close your eyes…seriously, close your eyes (after you read what to do). Take a few deep breaths and think about what is holding you back from taking care of your back and your health. Think about what are the consequences going to be if you neglect the health of your back? Feel the WEIGHT of this on you. By having these beliefs, what are you losing out on in the past, present and future? Feel what that feels like to lose that love of someone close to you, that hobby, that fun. Does this affect your ability to work and make money…is it costing you money from missing work? What kind of role model are you for your kids if you don’t take care of yourself? What goals do you have now that back pain would steal from you? Make yourself feel it like Scrooge experienced it!
- If you’re committed to being healthy make sure you make that FEEL THE PAIN of neglecting your spine and health. This should motivate you to change your beliefs about how you take care of yourself.
I try to apply this formula to everything in life where I know I need to make a change…but…just might be a little stubborn and don’t want to change! I have to link more pain to staying the same than changing.
If you want to have a healthy back and be healthy for years to come…make sure you give us a call and take care of your back today!! Don’t put this off. Link enough pain to letting your health go that you make a change today!
(740) 386-6580
Remember, “I’ve Got Your Back!”
Dr Scot Gray
