Thank you to everyone who donated to the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry during our fundraising drive!  With your help, we were able to raise $261 for the food pantry.  Don't forget that for every $100 the food pantry receives, they're able to purchase $1100 worth of food.  Your donations will really make a difference in the lives of a family in need this winter!

Now to the moment you've all been waiting for - who will win the photography package from our friends at Ebert Studio?  Drum roll please... the winner is...

Vanessa Woodworth!

Now I know what you're thinking, but this was NOT an inside job!  Because Kristine had been taking the raffle entries, Dr. Manning drew the name since he had no idea who was in the box.  He took the box, shook it until a name fell out, and well... you really can't get more objective than a piece of paper falling out of a box.  So congratulations, Vanessa, and thank you all again for supporting the OPRF Food Pantry!

If you've been out shopping recently, you've no doubt heard the bells ringing to remind us that this is the time of year to be thankful for what we have, and share with those that have less.  In this spirit of giving, Well Adjusted World is excited to announce that we've  partnered with Ebert Studios to raise funds for the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry!

Did you know that for every $100 they recieve in donations, the OPRF Food Pantry can purchase $1100 worth of food?  It's this amazing amount of buying power that motivates us to ask you to donate not canned goods, but a monetary contribution.  And as a thank you for your generosity, every $20 you donate will enter you in a raffle to win a photograpy package from Ebert Studios, the premier photography studio of Oak Park!  This package includes a sitting session and one 8x10" portrait (valued at $315).  Naturally, the more you donate, the greater your chances to win! 

Donations are being collected at our office at 715 Lake Street, Suite 271, and can be cash or checks made directly to the OPRF Food Pantry.  This is not exclusive to members to our office, so please tell your friends and family to donate as well - forward this email, post it on Facebook, tweet it on Twitter - let's get the word out and help the less fortunate members of our community this holiday season! 

Raffle Details:  For every $20 donated, the donor will recieve one raffle entry.  Donations will be accepted through December 16, 2011, and the winner will be announced December 21st.  Donations may be in the form of cash or checks made to the Oak Park River Forest Food Pantry.  The raffle prize will be a $315 gift certificate from Ebert Studios, which may be applied to any combination of services.  Any questions may be directed to Kristine at 708-848-4940 or kristine@welladjustedworld.com.        

 The holidays are approaching, and before we know it our schedules will be filled with family events, travel, and other joys of the season.  Please help us accommodate your holiday plans by scheduling appointments in advance.  Our Holiday 2011 hours are as follows:

 Friday, December 23^rd: 9am-11am only

 We will have regular business hours December 27^th and 28^th, and will resume a regular schedule Tuesday, January 3^rd, 2012.  If you have recurring appointments affected by the holiday hours please ask at the front desk about finding a different day for your visit.

 AND COMING SOON…

 Would you like to lose weight quickly and easily?  Do you want to improve your quality of sleep, or make your own custom energy bars or shakes?  In the next month we’ll roll out a brand-new website that will provide the tools you need to re-invent your health.  Keep your eyes on Facebook and Twitter for updates on this exciting new project!  If you’re not already a fan or follower, go to facebook.com/healingthebrain, or  twitter.com/drseanmanning.  And if you aren’t receiving our monthly newsletter and office notices via email, make sure you go to our office website – www.welladjustedworld.com - and sign up today!    

 Thanks from all of us at Well Adjusted World!

 P.S.  Did you know that we  can send appointment reminders to your phone?  Call Kristine or email her at kristine@welladjustedworld.com to sign up for this free service!

Are you on a gluten-free diet?  Do you or someone in your family have nut allergies?  Maybe you're just interested in a healthier way of eating, and you want to know exactly what goes into your food. 

Your only choices before were to stand in the grocery store and read every nutritional label, looking for allergy warnings and trying to find hidden ingredients, OR you had to buy raw ingredients that cost a fortune and spend a day in the kitchen actually making your own energy bars.  UNTIL NOW...

Through our new affiliate relationship with YouBar, you can now create custom energy bars, shakes, cereal, trail mix, and even cookies!  Choose from high-quality ingredients like almond butter, gluten free flour,  organic dates, flaxseed, pecans, shredded coconut... even tasty little additions like chocolate covered raisins!  For those looking for less sugar in your diet, you can choose from natural sweeteners like agave nectar or brown rice syrup.  Slip in some extra protein powder, vitamin infusions, and fiber to up the health factor without sacrificing taste.  You control everything that goes into your creations, including the proportions, and nutrition information is updated as you go.  And if that wasn't cool enough, you get to have the wrapper printed with your own custom label!  Oh, and did we mention you can get vegan options, too? 

Order them for yourself, or buy them as gifts for anyone in your life that has a hard time finding energy bars and snacks to match their dietary needs.  As a YouBar affiliate, we are pleased to offer you an exclusive coupon for 5% off your entire order (excluding shipping).  Go to  www.youbars.com, follow the easy directions to customize your own energy bar, shake, trail mix, cereal, or cookie, and enter the coupon code bdyhckr during checkout.  Custom nutrition at the click of a mouse - what could be easier!   

Think about your perfect doctor…what aspect of your care is most important to you when considering your healthcare provider options?

This was the question I posed to my patients and Facebook fans. The responses were both enlightening and validating.

People overwhelmingly said that being given attention and consideration was the most important thing to them. Over 80% of all responses indicated that the thoughtfulness, politeness and courteousness of the doctor and staff is of the utmost importance when choosing a provider. I think another way of saying this is communication. The strength of relationships, be them personal or professional, hinge on how well the people in those relationship can communicate with one another. It is important as a patient that you can express your concerns, your fears, and your doubts and feel confident that they will be taken seriously and addressed. 

This is one of the reasons that I make it a point to set aside a separate appointment to review and explain the results of the exam. Often as I discuss a patients care with them questions that did not even realize they have come up. Taking the extra time allows me to answer those questions and explain concepts until I and the patient are sure she understands them.

Nearly 60% of the participants indicated that the next most important thing was that there were care options available beyond pain and/or symptom management.  This supports a growing trend that I have been observing among my patients who want to take a more proactive and involved approach in their own health.

Nearly two years ago I started to incorporate “Prehab” into my practice.  In contrast to the more commonly known term “rehab” which is done to restore someone back to previous state of function, Prehab exercises are simple daily practices that will continually stimulate us to improve our level of function and resiliency.     

The third most important factor was education. People want to understand what is wrong with them and how they can improve and recover. This dovetails with the previous point about having care options beyond acute care. Having a clear understanding about your own health allows you to make better decisions and lifestyle choices.  Most people find it surprisingly simple to make massive improvements in their health with a few strategic changes to their lifestyle.

Over the next few months I am going to be rolling out new innovative strategies and material designed to improve your office experience as well the health of you and your family.

Be sure to subscribe to my monthly newsletter by signing up at my office website www.welladjustedworld.com and be the first to know about the exciting changes by becoming a fan at www.facebook.com/healingthebrain

Yours in health,

Dr. Sean