By Dr. Winn Sams
Dr. Winn Sams
When I was in chiropractic school, I had no spare time. I was a single mother with three little girls under the age of 10. My days were filled to the hilt with getting them to school on time, getting me to my classes, studying in any down time I might have, picking them up from after school care, grabbing dinner, herding everyone together for baths and then tucking everyone into bed. I would then study some before I would get some needed sleep and then start over again the next day. When clinic started, I was at school even later. During one of my 4 years at chiropractic college, my change oil light came on. I ignored it because I fully believed that I didn’t have time! The reality was that I did. But, because I had invested so much energy into the FEELING that I had no time, my belief became my reality! Well, there are consequences for everything, so subsequently my engine seized. I paid attention then and learned a valuable lesson. The valuable time I didn’t have in the beginning turned into MORE time and expense needed to address the issue later. Moral of the story: you can’t ignore the warnings your body sends without major consequences.
I try to relay this message countless times per day to my patients. Some get it but many don’t. It’s not uncommon for people to come to me for help because they are in extreme discomfort and/or pain. They are wanting me to “fix” them and magically make everything go away. When they start feeling better, they stop coming. How many warning signs are missed and for how many years? Plus, healing isn’t only physical. To truly heal, we must include all of who we are: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Most of us just experience the symptoms and will do anything to make them go away!
There’s a great story of a lady who took her car (yes, another car example) to her mechanic because the check engine light was on. No matter how many times she took it to be fixed, it kept coming back on. Finally, she took her car to a different mechanic and the check engine light message was gone! She asked the mechanic what he did because the other people who worked on it could not remedy the issue. He replied that he just cut the wire that went to the check engine light! Does that really solve the issue? What if there is something really needing to be addressed? I think this is the approach that many prefer, even though the costs are more and could potentially cause more damage.
I’m a huge proponent of personal responsibility and empowerment. I have learned the hard way through many personal experiences that it’s so much easier to work with what we have. Take care of your body and it will return the investment. We have different ways that we define that, however. Most do many physical things like eating healthily, taking supplements/vitamins and exercising but if you remember, the physical is only one part of the whole. Some also invest in the emotional, mental and spiritual sides as well. But I have found very few people who include keeping healthy the most important asset we have. Our nervous system. Electrical energy travels through nerve pathways to every cell in your body, communicating back and forth with the brain, vital information that we take for granted. Don’t you think taking care of this amazing network is important? If we ignore it, blocks start to happen within the system and can alter the ease and efficiency of information being able to flow. Guess how your body communicates this to you? Symptoms. Yet, all most want is to cut the wires and in essence shoot the messenger.
There are many choices available that address helping stuck energy (blocks) move with ease again, such as chiropractic, acupuncture, massage, reiki and osteopathic manipulation. Have you ever noticed that these approaches are sidelined as inferior? How can this be if these invaluable modalities are working with how we are all wired? It should be a first line choice that we continue because we care about ourselves and desire to honor/treat with respect how we are all designed! BUT don’t expect a quick fix. It is a journey to come back to who you really are. This requires trust, patience and a huge desire to listen to what your body is saying. In my experience, the message is never mean or hurtful but quite beautiful.
Each approach to health is needed and important. One modality doesn’t trump another, as all of them contribute a valuable part of the pie. Unfortunately, many people wait until they are in extreme pain or discomfort and more invasive measures need to be taken. This does not mean there aren’t times that more aggressive approaches aren’t needed. But I maintain that this result might not need to happen if we took better care of ourselves in how we are wired. So many people are suffering from inflammation right now. Do you think that putting out the internal electrical fires we stoke would be helpful? I love having a trusted group of professionals to help me with needs for my home. Redefine your relationship with your internal abode and find a good body electrician!
Dr. Winn Sams owns Beaufort Chiropractic, LLC on Lady’s Island. A native of Charlotte, NC with a B.A. in Economics from the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill (1981), Dr. Sams graduated from Sherman College of Chiropractic in 2002 summa cum laude and valedictorian of her class. She has written legislation addressing health concerns, helping the bills pass in many states. Hoping to rebuild our healthcare system and bring governing back to the people, in 2020 she ran for Congress to represent western NC, where she was living before moving to Beaufort. Dr. Sams’ vision was to provide a healing center where people could choose different modalities to assist with their healing. She practices with her oldest daughter who is also a chiropractor. In addition, Dr. Sams offers Thermography scans and ionic foot detox baths to support the healing process. She can be reached at 843-522-1115 or beaufortchiropractic@gmail.com
