Message from Dr Lau: Book Update

Clarity, clarity, clarity….

“Writing is something one can learn,” declared Ayn Rand in The Art of Nonfiction. “There is no mystery about it.”

She should know. She, like me was never formally trained in the art.

In 1969, over 16 evenings, the novelist-philosopher demystified writing in a series of informal lectures given to small group of colleagues. Her lectures were taped, and, 19 years after her death in 1982, edited and published as The Art of Nonfiction.
It came as a surprise to me then, when I learnt that for all her cult status, Rand was not a born writer. At least not in English. She spoke the language only haltingly and did not write a line until the age of 20, soon after she fled Communist Russia to settle in the United States in 1926. It took her years to master her craft, which she eventually did with great aplomb.

My experiences with my book, Health in Your Hands, are somewhat similar. An early lesson that I picked from experts is that effective writing must have three essential components. Clarity, clarity, and clarity.

I also realized that clarity is impossible to achieve with any measure of authenticity without in-depth research, which is why before setting out to pen my thoughts on the nutritional requirement of scoliosis patients, I virtually pored over every written word on the subject. I must have literally read and consulted dozens of books (both print and online), scientific journals, research papers etc., to find out the latest, credible thoughts on nutrition for scoliosis patients with an open, objective, unbiased mind.

I was clear that I didn’t want to go with any position. I was willing to be convinced by any solid, documentary proof. It’s another matter altogether, that my research later revealed more evidence in favor of non-surgical treatment of scoliosis.

Regards,
Dr Kevin Lau

Message from Dr Lau: Book Update

An outline is drawn…
Right from my college days, I have been mastering the art of testing the completeness of my premises with in-depth research and a clear outline.

One test that I routinely employ is what I call the essence test. In my view, an outline is complete only when I, as a reader of my own work, can understand my concepts as a unified whole.

If a thought is so abstract that it is not clear even in my own mind, how can I expect my reader to comprehend it? That’s when I reject the thought out rightly, no matter how elegant it may appear in the beginning. I instinctively know that it doesn’t belong in my writing.

Nonetheless, problems, or rather ideas that are counterproductive to my ultimate project plan, do arise. I, just make sure that they don’t arise once too often, to derail my train of thought altogether; or that when they do arise, they are immediately detected and weeded out completely from my draft plan. That’s what I did during the writing of this book too.

The second test of validity that I use for my ideas; one which I probably borrowed from the Aristonian philosophy is that of casualty. This principle dictates that my outline establish a logical chain of cause-and-effect before it can lead to some definite conclusion.

I therefore make sure that the outline that I draw follows this core principle and that there is logic and cohesiveness in the plan outline.

Message from Dr Lau: My book

Sometime ago, I read somewhere that the birth of a book is no different from the birth of a baby. The author necessarily goes through the same trials, tribulations and birth pangs, as a woman in labor; or perhaps worse, as was experiences with my first book on Curing Scoliosis Naturally.

Since it was my first "pregnancy" the doubts and apprehensions of being able to put my ideas to paper as succinctly as I wanted, weighed heavy on my mind, even as I struggled to brush aside those nagging thoughts and gamely strove to clear all the cobwebs, before rolling up my sleeves to get down to the more serious business of actual writing.

At the outset, since I had no clear agenda or plan in my head, except for my intense desire to help my patients by sharing with them every bit of information that I had painstakingly gathered in my head and through my practical experiences of working with virtually hundreds of scoliosis patients, besides what I randomly picked from medical journals, I decided to begin with an outline, a more formal content plan.
At this point, I decided that I wanted to write not one, but two books, one devoted exclusively to nutritional research --- essentially detailing the good and bad that we derive from food, while dispelling the prevailing myth that there could be a uniform, one-size-fits-all diet for every person on this planet.

In my view, and here I am speak on authority, one of the biggest myth amidst us is that there could be one, “healthy” diet plan for all; a “fix-all” for all health-related problems. On the contrary, as I have explained in my book there is now enough research (I have meticulously marshaled and presented these scientific evidences in my book) to establish that since each one of us is significantly different from the other in terms of genetic make-up and our cultural practices and environmental exposure; our nutritional needs and requirements are also vastly different. Indeed as different as chalk from cheese.

Therefore, if your doctor, dietitian or chiropractor is unable to help you figure out what your exact nutritional requirements are --- in terms of the exact proportion of proteins, fats and carbohydrates that you should be consuming every day --- he/she is doing a disservice to you. Your doctor is in fact also holding back one of the best-kept secrets of the medical world, and that is that diet plans can not be mass marketed and work on everyone.
In my considered vie (and I have strong evidence in support of it) diet plans have to be customized to individual patients in order to be of any use to them. This is as true for patients of scoliosis, as anybody else.

I for all my patients starting a program with me I often struggle to disclose and share all the information I have with these hapless girls and their parents and wish I had some sort of ready literature to thrust into their hands, explaining why bracing or surgery is not effective; and that there could be a much more simpler, easier and a painless way of straightening a curved spine, such as the choice of the right food and a few corrective exercises.

All this marked the first stirrings of an idea in my head.

And that’s how this book, “The Scoliosis Cure” was born. Title needs a bit of work but that will do for now.

Message from Dr Lau

For the patients and readers of this blog, I hope you enjoy the health news that I source from the web to keep you informed and empowered. I love doing it because of the opportunity to educate others, most I don't even know and to keep myself on the latest on health issues.

Something lacking in this blog is more personal blogs, hence 2008 I am determined to find more time to leave my own personal interpretations on certain research I find as well as my trials and tribulations as a Chiropractor and Nutritionist in Singapore.

I'm excited to report that I am currently in the process of writing a book on nutrition, which will form the the basis of Dr Lau's Optimal Health Program which I personally do with all my private patients. I hope to enrich and educated others to a better level of health. This is a quarter of the way finished and I will start blogging on here about some of the concepts I am writing on as well as the books progress.

Thanks for taking the time to go my blog.

Back to School: Tips for you child's school bag

I have written an small piece in Januarys issue of Young Parents which is a leading publication in Singapore on child rearing. We need to start teaching our children on the importance of back care early to prevent problems that they may face in demanding working situations later in life.
Enjoy the read:
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Young children are suffering from back pain much earlier than previous generations, and the improper use of backpacks is a contributing factor. For example, a heavy bag that’s slung over one shoulder can, over the course of schooling cause chronic back problems that linger into adulthood. Risks include muscle strain, distortion of the natural curve of the spine and rounding of the shoulders.

By following a few simple tips, Parents can reduce the risk in many ways:
• Plan ahead. Don’t let kids carry lots of equipment at the same time, like sports gear, musical instruments or art materials.
• The proper maximum weight for loaded backpacks should not exceed 10% of the child’s body weight. In cases where loads greater than this, a trolley maybe used.
• Check the position of the school bag. It should be positioned with its bottom just along the hip level and the top of the bag should be slightly above the shoulders.
• It maybe 'cool' for kids to have a bag positioned too low on the child's back or sling over one shoulder, but teaching them the consequence of back pain is not.
• Teach the child to adjust the shoulder straps to get the bag in the correct position. Do this by bending forward and pulling the lower straps.
• The bag must always be carried on both shoulders. This distributes the load of the bag evenly, to protect the child's back and spine.

With these simple steps your child’s spinal health will be protected for not only their schooling years but also in future careers.

Dr Kevin Lau is a Chiropractor and Nutritionist who educates children about the importance of spinal health and posture through a “Straighten Up Program’ specially designed for kids using exercises, postural retraining and physical therapy. Young Parents readers get a free spinal check till the end of March 2008. For more information call 68844123 or check out www.scoliosis.com.sg.

Vitamin D: one of the most potent antioxidants in the world.

A very good topic on Vitamin D, one of the most important nutrient that I stress for my patients with scoliosis and most conditions. Unfortunately due to propoganda mainly from sunscreen producers and cancer fears the general public has been taught to fear this essential nutrient. Sunlight actually prevents cancer! The key to safe exposure is to avoid sun burns as each person has different sensitivity to the sun.

Enjoy the video,
Dr Kevin Lau

One persons journey though healing scoliosis

Today I have an email that I received from one of my patients Jacqualine Tan who actually took it out of her own free time to help others with scoliosis. She had recently attended a talk held by a Singapore scoliosis support group where a professor proclaimed that the only treatment available for sufferers was bracing a surgery. Obviously this left the group feeling quite hopeless.... even more so when previous surgical patients gave testimonials of how they regretted doing the surgery due to the pain and disability it caused. Unfortunately patients are not given sufficient information to be able to make their own informed decision. Many times I have heard parents say that their doctor told them that "there is nothing that can be done and that they must go for surgery". Yet ask any orthopaedic surgeon whether or not they would opt for surgery if one of their own family members had a severe curve, a majority would say no. If professors and doctors don't believe in surgery then why do they promote it? I guess they have to make a living too. Harsh I know but this is the reality, I quickly learned this while doing the medical round doing from Doctor to doctor while going thru chronic fatigue. How can an industry built upon sickness deliver health? While Modern Medicine is great for emergency critical care and I would go to no one else if I was in a car accident, it is hopeless for chronic conditions such as scoliosis and fatigue. Fortunately the tides are changing and their is a new breed of medical doctors calling themselves integrative and anti aging who I would trust with chronic conditions. Optimal health comes from following the basics: good food, clean air, adequate sunshine and exercise.
So heres Jacquelines story.
In health,
Dr Kevin Lau
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Dear Yin Hoe,

I like to join the Scoliosis Support Group as a member so I'll have opportunities to share what I've discovered in my journey to wellness. I prefer to give my response here as I find online forms rather restrictive.

I first learnt my spine has a sideway curve 8 years ago when I went for a full body massage. The masseuse traced the curvature with her finger . I dismissed it as an abnormality I was probably born with and thought no more of it as I had no pains nor aches anywhere, not even the usual backache ladies usually complain of when they have their periods and the number of times I've had a headache can be counted on one hand.However in the past few years, I suffered from tense shoulders and low energy .

A few months ago, I began to wonder whether my spinal curvature is what 's called "Scoliosis" . Hence, when Contour Health Chiropractic, Raffles City, advertised a workshop on Scoliosis, I attended. The chiropractor confirmed I have scoliosis after a visual assessment . A spinal X-ray confirmed I had right thoracic "C" shaped scoliosis of 36 degrees from the neck to T6.

I signed up for a 80 sessions package with Contour Health.
Twice each week, I do a one-hour therapy session at Contour Health . I do exercises to stretch and strengthen muscles and the bones in the upper part of my body and the neck , including traction and inversion. Then I adjoun to the doctor's room where he adjusts my spinal and cervical vertebrae .The electrodes , which I find most relaxing , comes last.

Contour Health send their patients for an assessment x-ray when they have completed 72 sessions.. X-rays of the earliest patients ( Contour Health established their first clinic in Singapore in Aug 2005) have been very encouraging. All the patients have had their curvatures reduced ; the patient with the least improvement registerd a 7 degree correction. There was a 15 year old who improved from 45 degrees to 28 and a 70 year old from 16 to 4 (hope I've recalled correctly).

I don't know how much my spine has shifted as my X-ray is not due till Aug but I certainly feel much more relaxed. Dr Kevin Lau has a passion for getting his patients well . Besides the exercises and spinal manipulations, Kevin emphasises the importance of providing our muscles and bones with the necessary minerals and vitamins to get better. He urges us to go GREEN - eat fresh green vegs (uncooked where possible or lightly steamed) and drink green juices (juices from fresh green veg like brocolli, spinach, kai lan, cucumber ). He also encourages us to detox to rid our bodies of unwanted organisms and to make our own probiotics to improve our digestive systems. With more enzymes in our digestive systems, our cells will be able to assimilate more of the nutrition we're sending their way.

Dr Kevin's latest is Magnsium Taurate - he believes Magnsium may reduce tension in muscles and increase energy level. I started Magnsium Taurate only last Sat and Dr Kevin was right indeed! I can actually feel my shoulders and neck getting looser! On Sunday, after lunch, I climbed up 200 stories to prepare for a trek in India/China come Oct but I wasn't tired as I normally would have been !

Besides doing therapy at Contour Health, I go to Nan Wah Pai at Geylang for taiji twice each week.Nan Wah Pai Taiji places emphasis on qi circulation and body postures so my taiji practise has also contributed significantly to my becoming a more relaxed person physically and mentally.

Once a week, I go to Nan Wah Pai Orthopaedic Centre at Yishun for "tui na." The Orthopaedic physician who's China trained is very experienced and skilful at breaking the qi blockages in my upper back, shoulders and neck.

And I mustn't forget to mention my Magnetic pillow and Magnetic mattress - they promote blood circuation while i slumber and I awake feeling refreshed each morning.

Chiropractic,taiji, tui na, green veg and juices, energy healing meditaions and magnet therapy - they have all made me much healthier and more relaxed than before I discovered I have Scoliosis.

Regards,
Jacqueline

My Mission

This blog will be used to document the insights and research gained from helping those with scoliosis and other musculoskeletal problems. Current methods of helping those with scoliosis is useless and dangerous, offering bracing to slow curve progression or surgery that leads to lifelong scar.

"It is my vision to transform the existing medical paradigm from one addicted to pharmaceuticals, surgeries and other methods that only mask symptoms to one focused on finding and treating the underlying causes."

In the medical perspective a scoliosis is purely seen and an abnormal curvature of the spine a syndrome or disease state. My personal views is that scolisois is merely a superficial symptom for something else happening on a deeper level, for scoliosis to exist certain deficiencies or imbalances must be present for an abnormal curvature to occur. These imbalances could be in the form of nutritional, digestive bacterial, hormonal and structural for a scoliosis to present. As such I have expanded my knowledge base from merely treating the structural component of scoliosis to incorporate nutritional, lifestyle management and life extension concepts into my practice. Spending a majority of my free time I have dedicated to helping my patients archive a higher level of health rather than merely eliminating there symptoms.

The conventional medical paradigm has been a destructive influence in our culture, promoting disease by pinning all focus on mere treatments that patch over existing illness while virtually ignoring both prevention and real cure. By far the key contributor to this dangerous misperception of what "healthcare" means is the pharmaceutical industry. The drug companies thrive in a state where people remain sick and more are getting sick, as that means both repeat customers and a growing base for their overpriced treatments.

It is no surprise, then, that the drug companies have traditionally been one of the most profitable industries on the planet, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in profit annually.

Current health care methods rely on disempowering patients by making them reliant on dangerous pharmaceutical drugs that merely mask symptoms or undergoing aggressive surgeries... In essence always being reliant on others for our own good health. If you are suffering from a chronic disease I challenge you to educate yourself about your own problem. With an abundance of information at easy access from the internet it is important to always be critical of everything that you read. Utilizing trusted sites such as:

Mercola.com
News Target

While they are an excellent starting point for reliable and truthful information it is always important to work with a practitioner who takes the time to listen to you and understand your situation. For if your health challenge is to change for the better, you must first change yourself.

In health,
Dr Kevin Lau