When he needed the first knee replacement, the orthopedist again explained the need to lose weight to ease the burden on the knees, so he did lose some weight before surgery.  As  he struggled to keep the weight off, the second knee went bad and needed replacing.   After that surgery, he lost more weight for the sake of his knees, but still needed to lose more.  When edema persisted for 6 months after the second knee surgery, and physical therapy was not successful in reducing it, he decided to see Dr. Tim for help.  In only two treatments, the edema was GONE and stayed gone!!  Wow!  Impressive, he thought…  I had just started my nutrition program with Dr. Tim, and within 2 weeks, my husband decided to try it too. 

Poor Dr. Tim…my husband questioned almost every item on the plan and was constantly pummeling Dr. Tim with innovative recipe ideas to try and make it more interesting and varied.  Dr. Tim was always patient with him and listened to each and every recipe, even trying a few, while explaining the logic behind the food choices on the plan.  Sure enough, the weight began to come off and he began a fitness regime with Dr. Tim to get his body physically healthy and strong while working on his internal health.

Gradually, his lab reports began changing and his doctors were amazed!  His numbers were all coming down and the doctor started reducing his meds for the diabetes and blood pressure.  One year later, he is down to one minor diabetic medication, which his doctor feels confident will be stopped by December, 2009!  The BP meds have also been cut dramatically and may be stopped as well and the cholesterol (lipids) numbers are now normal.  He has lost ~60 lbs, a weight he hasn’t seen since junior high school, lowered his body fat to 17, and is beyond thrilled.  He asked Dr. Tim for “guns” and guns he now has as well as a very healthy, fit body.  Everybody teases him because he always takes off his shirt to walk–very proud of his new look.

We love to travel and are now able to so much more comfortably and life is easier on many levels for both of us.  It is a daily process to make this kind of lifestyle change and we are determined to keep it off forever.  Dr. Tim has gently guided us every step of the way, which he loves to do if you are truly committed, and continues to help us understand healthy nutrition and fitness strategies.  You must do the work, however, and be consistent in order for you to achieve success.

Many people question our wisdom spending money on all of this.  Our response is that we would much rather spend the money for Dr. Tim’s help than caregivers, convalescent homes and medications (which are now a fraction of what they were)!  Life is good, thanks to Dr. Tim, who truly is the “Wellness Master!!”

2 Charisma: First impressions are an opportunity to be nice

3 Commitment: It separates Doers from excuse makers

4 Communication: Without it you travel ALONE in silence

5 Competence: If you BUILD IT they will come

6 Courage: One person with Courage is a Majority

7 Discernment: Put an END to Unsolved Mysteries

8 Focus: The Sharper IT Is, the Sharper YOU are

9 Generosity: YOUR candle losses nothing when it lights another

10 Initiative: Don’t leave home without it

11 Listening: To connect with people use you eyes and ears

12 Passion: Take this life and Love IT all day every day

13 Positive Attitude: If you believe you can - YOU CAN

14 Problem Solving: You can’t let your problems BE a problem

15 Relationships: If you get Along, They’ll GO along

16 Responsibility: If you won’t pick up a broom… You CAN’T sweep adversity

17 Security: Competence NEVER compensates for Insecurity

18 Self Discipline: The first person you teach to lead is YOU

19 Servanthood: To get ahead, put OTHERS first

20 Teachability: To keep succeeding, KEEP Learning

21 VISION: YOU CAN ONLY SEIZE WHAT YOU SEE

Do I stray from the straight and narrow path on occasion? I’ll admit that I do; but I’ve learned that this is a journey so I’m more concerned with my overall behaviors. “All day, every day” allows me to begin anew each morning. There is something quite comforting in those four short words, almost like unconditional love and acceptance. There’s hope and optimism, too. If I’ve indulged today, that doesn’t mean that I’ve negated all the efforts that I’ve expended thus far. It helps to motivate me for tomorrow. It reminds me that better health and well-being are not reached or maintained solely through the time spent in the gym. Do you agree? If so, great. If not, perhaps better because you can attach your own special meanings to this Dr. Tim-ism all day, every day.

My back had been hurting for a long time.  I had been to a chiropractor, tried acupuncture, and even saw an orthopedic surgeon but nothing seemed to help.  A friend recommended Dr. Tim Ramirez; since my first appointment my back has not hurt me.  But that is not the amazing part: At age sixty-five, I am getting stronger and healthier.

My first appointment with Dr. Tim was a regular treatment: stretching, massage, heat.  At my second appointment I was doing crunches and lifting weights.  “Oh no,” I thought, “I always hurt myself when I lift weights.”  But Dr. Tim watched me closely and knew exactly what exercises I should do, how many repetitions, and with what weight.  I didn’t hurt after my work out.

I went home to my husband bragging about how strong and healthy I was becoming.   (Actually, I kept showing off the muscles in my arms and my legs of steel.)  My husband (aged sixty-seven) has always been athletic but he has had to limit some activities because of aches, pains, bad knees (five knee operations), and a sore back.

We now see Dr. Tim together.  After eight months my husband is muscular and strong; he has lost weight and increased muscle tone.  His shoulders, chest, and arms look better than they did when he was thirty years old.  He has increased knee stability that allows him to do more with less pain.  His back feels so much better that he is considering playing golf again.  I cannot believe what my husband can do at training sessions; he balances on half-circles as he lifts weights.  Who has weak knees?

Dr. Tim treats the whole person both mentally and physically.  He watches everyone very carefully, analyzing how they walk, how they move.  He knows exactly what to do to treat each individual.  The workouts are never the same but are designed for our bodies at that particular time.  He doesn’t just treat injuries; he looks at what is causing the weakness.  How well do you eat?  What is your attitude?  Is your back problem caused by an injury, a sedentary lifestyle, or weakness in supporting muscles?

For example, my husband complained about pain in his hip.  Dr. Tim said the pain was from Steve was twisting his back to compensate for weakness in his knee.  Huh?  Dr. Tim then stood with his weight on one leg demonstrating how my husband stands and twists his back.  Instantly we recognized the posture (neither of us realized that Steve stood that way).   After my husband learned to stand with his weight evenly distributed and strengthened the muscles supporting his knees, the pain in his hip went away.

More than just a physical treatment, Dr. Tim adjusts my attitude.  I have some medical problems that have kept me from being as active as I would like.  Because of Dr. Tim’s medical knowledge, he understands how all of the body’s systems work together.  I was feeling down because I just didn’t have the energy or strength to do what I wanted to do.   Dr. Tim looked me in the eyes and said, “You have some physical restrictions but they aren’t going to be restrictions because we are going to work through them.”  That was a special moment in my life; here was someone offering hope and a plan.  And Dr. Tim is keeping his promise as we work through my restrictions together.  My thinking has shifted from “Oh, I am so old and weak” to “This is great, look at what I can do.”

My husband and I are continuing to see Dr. Tim because we are choosing strength and health over “old age decrepitude.”  I didn’t realize I had a choice; I thought that at sixty-five I had to accept a restricted lifestyle.  Dr. Tim is showing us a happier, healthier world.  Every time we leave Dr. Tim’s office we feel younger, walking taller both literally and figuratively.  My shoulders pull back, I stand straighter, and I breathe deeply.  Dr. Tim has convinced me that strength and health are just a few good meals and a few good workouts away.  I told Dr. Tim that I was going to have the body I never had at forty…

We have learned, inadvertently, that Dr. Tim treats some very famous people.  During a workout I once remarked, “Gee, you have some really important clients.”  Dr. Tim turned to me and said, “You are all important.”  And I know that he means that.  His level of care and concern demonstrate that my being healthy is as important to him as it is to me.

And there is something else about Dr. Tim that is hard to describe.  There is an innate goodness, a spiritual calm, a reservoir of love that is available to all of us.  He really cares about you whether you are a professional athlete or a grandmother with health problems.  After seeing Dr. Tim, I not only feel better physically, I am mentally and spiritually renewed. Thank you Dr. Tim.

Fast forward to 2006.  Two hours after completing my yearly physical and blood work, my doctor was calling me on the phone in a complete panic.  Apparently, my triglycerides were 2800 and my cholesterol was something over 800 (an accurate measurement cannot be made when your triglycerides are that high!) with a very low HDL and a very high LDL.  She then tells me to stop taking all supplements and meds until we can establish the cause.  She also says to NOT exercise and that if I walked, to walk slowly…YIKES!!!!!!!!!!  Apparently, my blood was like fat-pudding…amazing I was still alive!  She then increased my Lipitor dosage and added another strong statin to try and get the numbers down while she consulted with an Endocrinologist friend for further direction. 

To say I was scared to death would be an understatement.  I didn’t know what to eat and I had just read the book, “The China Study,” where they felt vegetarianism was the way to go, so I started on a no meat diet and prayed a lot.  I was 50-60 lbs overweight, so I hoped losing weight would help, and I lost about 25 lbs over the next several months.  The lab numbers came down to an acceptable range, but we never really knew the cause, other than the obvious genetic predisposition for hyperlipidemia. 

Fast forward to March 2008 when I first met Dr. Tim for a hip problem (see previous blog posts).  For 3 months, while he worked on my hip, I nagged him about losing weight and was sure my metabolism had ‘taken a powder.’  He kept saying, “Not yet,” but I continued to nag.  Finally, in July 2008, when my hip was better and I could walk/exercise, he said it was OK to start his nutrition program, which I did.  I also switched from a therapy mode to a therapeutic workout mode to keep my hip and arthritic body moving while improving fitness. 

Fast forward to May, 2009.  I went to my annual cardiology appointment (they like to follow us folks with bad genetics) and my doctor almost fell out of her chair when she saw me, 53 pounds lighter and significantly more fit.  She immediately wanted to know what I was doing and I told her all about Dr. Tim’s program and I also told her that my internist was already referring patients to him because of my progress.  I then told her that I was no longer taking any statins or blood pressure meds, which made her very happy as she looked at my low numbers from the last blood work (triglycerides were 56!).  She then said I was due for another stress-echo test and it was scheduled.  I told Dr. Tim I planned to ‘blow them out of the water’ on that test! 

Two weeks later, I went for the test and what I would give to have had a tape recorder in the room that day!  The doctor and technician were talking back and forth throughout the test, mostly about the fact that no matter how much she increased the treadmill speed, my heart rate and blood pressure were staying the same or going even lower!!  The amazement in their voices was music to my ears!  She then said she needed to really elevate more and speed it up, asking if I could run to get my heart rate up to a clinical rate needed for the test, and I said, “Sure!”  The treadmill was so steep I had to hang on for dear life while running, but we finally got the numbers for which she was waiting.  I blew them out of the water!!!!  She then asked me again about Dr. Tim and I gave her another card while she muttered, “I really want to talk to him—I think I will call him!” 

I left the Cardiologist’s office and immediately drove to Dr. Tim’s office, threw my arms around him and thanked him for saving my life!  I felt like I had achieved the most important goal of my life, to beat cardiovascular disease, even with my terrible genetic footprint.  I had truly been given a second chance at life and I have made lifestyle changes, under Dr. Tim’s guidance, which will be with me for the rest of my life. 

So, when people ask me about Dr. Tim, I hesitate to start with, “He’s a Chiropractor” because he is so much more than that.  His wellness program is unlike any other due to his uncanny intuitive skills superimposed on unique treatment styles and knowledge of nutrition.  If you ask him, he will tell you he is ‘just a surfer,’ and to that I would add, a compassionate surfer with an insatiable desire to promote wellness and help people feel better.  Trust me, he is so much more… 

Until a couple of weeks ago, I had some clothes in my closet that I was keeping in case I put on weight. When I first started working with Dr. Tim, my goal was to exercise as a form of stress relief. I needed to lose some weight, but I did not focus on that. However, there were days that I just couldn’t feel comfortable in my clothes. I put off buying things in a larger size until my discomfort outweighed my need to lose weight; then a strange thing happened: I couldn’t stand the thought of wearing the larger size. I talked to Dr. Tim about “moving to the next level.” It took several months, but I lost the weight; then the new clothes didn’t fit me any longer. In fact, I needed to pin the waists so that they wouldn’t fall off. I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I wore some things with pins for a while because it felt so good mentally to be wearing my “fat clothes.” Each time I put on something that was too big, it was validation of the effort that it took to lose the weight. No one was the wiser since I hid the pins with tops, jackets, etc. The novelty has since worn off, and I started thinking about buying things in a smaller size. The plan was to keep the big clothes in case I needed them some day. Then I decided that this “in case” was not a good and positive decision. I don’t want to get to a point where I need those clothes again—ever. Instead, I took them to the tailor to be altered. This allowed me to accomplish a few things: I removed the safety net of having an alternate wardrobe; I was being fiscally responsible because it felt like I got a whole new wardrobe for a fraction of what new things would cost; I was being environmentally conscious by reusing items that I already had on hand.

Now, in case I need a reminder of the past, I can wear one of the altered items and look forward to a healthier, happier me.

As we get to know Dr. Tim, we realize that he’s got his special sayings and mottos. Some are obvious, others are more subtle.

 One day during a conversation, he made the statement to me that “if you come, I can help you.” Seven simple words that on the surface seem innocuous; but when you think about them, there’s so much more.  This is really a two-way street. On the one hand, what a relief it is to know that there is someone whose belief in helping is so strong that all you need to do is “come.” On the other hand, the statement carries with it some responsibility on our part. After all, how can he help us if we’re not there?

 Very often we’re our own worst enemy when it comes to fitness and health. It’s easy to say we wish to lose weight, get in shape, improve our health, etc. It’s another thing altogether to do something about it. When you make the decision to work with Dr. Tim, the hardest part is truly over. When you walk through the door, you’re telling Dr. Tim most of what he needs to know: you’ve made a commitment to improve your life. When you walk through the door, you will have Dr. Tim’s full attention, whether you’re the only one there, or one of several. He has the uncanny capacity to know what you need when you need it. You may be doing the same exercise as someone else, but he’s tweaked it to fit your level of expertise without your realizing it.

 A couple of months ago, I had trouble with my back. I was barely able to move. In fact, I was only able to shuffle along with the aid of a cane. It was frightening. I knew I would not be able to work that day. Instead, I called Dr. Tim. When I arrived at PW, I must have looked terrible. People who knew me commented on my appearance because I was pale and bent over. However, forty-five minutes later, I was able to walk almost upright. Plus, I was able to do a couple of exercises to increase my flexibility. When I returned the next day, everyone who saw me was amazed at the difference. I came, and he helped me.

Dr. Tim and I have been working on another issue of mine. I was nearly at the end of my rope but he made a suggestion that’s changed my life. I came, and he helped me.

After a long, hard day at the office, I go to PW instead of going home. I enter feeling tired, depressed and defeated. I leave feeling rejuvenated. I come, and he helps me.

 Seven small words that can have a huge impact. I hope you’ll come so he can help you, too.

Now, in all honesty, I could see for myself in the mirror that as a result of losing weight, I had too much loose skin and it bothered me a lot, so I started using Dr. Tim’s lemon cleanse to supplement my diet.  After about a month, I started noticing subtle changes in my skin integrity, all the while working out with him 2-3 times a week.  Slowly but surely, things started tightening up and I am feeling better about all of it.  I also stopped responding to all my friends’ comments and concerns, simply stating I feel great and am healthier than ever.  This strategy has worked better and now there is more acceptance and support from them.  Many have even asked for Dr. Tim’s number…perhaps some of the comments were based on their own personal frustrations with health and wellness?  Maybe I was able to give something back from what I learned?  I hope so…

So, the ‘wicked witch’ defied gravity, flew away, and so shall I.  “Everyone deserves a chance to fly!!!”   Glinda, the ‘good’ witch in “Wicked” sings, “I’ve heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, bringing something we must learn;  and we are led to those who help us most to grow, if we let them, and we help them in return.”  Dr. Tim came into my life for a reason, to increase my awareness of limitations keeping me from ‘defying gravity’ and living a healthy, happy life.   As he would say, “It’s all good!”

I have learned that there is no “magic pill” you can take to lose weight or get fit.  It is simply dedication, perseverence, commitment, focus, and you have to want it enough to make the sacrifices and changes necessary in your lifestyle to achieve your goals.  Dr. Tim can only guide us, the rest is up to us!  I have also learned that when mind, body and spirit come together in harmony, life is easier on many levels and stress becomes more manageable.

Dr. Tim is now at the helm of both my husband’s well being and mine.  We are looking forward to many more years of travel because of our good health, nutrition and fitness, and for that, we are eternally grateful.  I will continue to talk about Dr. Tim to anyone who will listen, because I want everyone to have a chance to feel better and in control of their lives.  Add to the mix the beautiful Rose, who is just as supportive and capable, and you have an unbeatable team.

Thank you, Dr. Tim, for this exciting  journey and for the dedication in your mission to help others.  You truly are the best!!!

“Lord, Thou knowest I am growing older.

Keep me from becoming to talkative, and particularly keep me from falling into the tiresome habit of expressing an opinion on every subject.

Release me from the craving to straighten out everybody’s affairs.  Keep my mind free from the recital of endless details.  Give me wings to get to the point.

Give me grace, dear Lord, to listen to others describe their aches and pains.  Help me endure the boredom with patience and to keep my lips sealed, for my own aches and pains are increasing in number and intensity and the pleasure of discussing them is becoming sweeter as the years go by.

Teach me the glorious lesson that, occasionally, I might be mistaken.  Keep me reasonably sweet.  I do not wish to be a saint (saints are so hard to live with) but a sour old person is the work of the devil. 

Make me thoughtful, but not moody; helpful, but not pushy; independent, yet able to accept with graciousness favors that others wish to bestow on me.

Free me of the notion that simply because I have lived a long time I am wiser than those who have not lived so long.

If I do not approve of some of the changes that have taken place in recent years, give me the wisdom to keep my mouth shut.

Lord know that when the end comes I would like to have a friend or two left.”

I hope you like this as much as I do and that it inspires new thoughts about life and the aging process, from which no one is immune…