Tip 235: Chiropractic can create life

Chiropractic, known for its spinal manipulative theraphy would usually stand for sustaining life, but in our case, it did contribute towards creation of life. I have never been a believer of spending money when there is no need for it. Yet, we were trying for our second child for more than 4 months. Tomomi suggested chiropractic may help since there could be an amazing amount of change to her body since her last pregnancy. There is certainly no harm to adjust any misalignments, so we tried for just 2 separate treatments by 2 different chiropractor. After a month, the conception of our second child was successful.

Chiropractic in recent days have gained recognition as an alternative medicine and even are approved by insurers for claims by its insured. There are more chiropractic regulatory boards set up in advanced countries such as USA, Canada and Australia and more patients who believe in its preventive treatment powers.

We are still early believers. I just spent SGD100 for one treatment and had another free trial treatment. Could it be coincidence or proof that just after 2 treatments on my wife, the educated hand technique can make right any misalignment that is causing interference to the nervous system. The idea behind it, is that the flow of our nervous system can be constricted by bones that are out of alighnment which can put pressure on the nerves that go to every organ and system in our body. Most of us have terrible posture, or slouching on a couch can aggravate our spine. This bad positioning pinches nerves, squeezes our internal organs, and creates tension. Adding to that are injuries, like falls or sporting injuries. Our reproductive organs among others, may be in a less than optimal position to function smoothly. With chiropractic care, the misaligned pelvis may be addressed or can even be prevented, making it possible for the woman to achieve a healthy conception. Receiving chiropractic care prior to conception promotes a more regular menstrual cycle (improving the chance of conception) and optimal uterine function. A Doctor of Chiropractic aligns the vertebrae and pelvis through gentle adjustments to the spine without any drug interventions, relieving the pressure on the nerves and allowing one hundred percent of the nerve energy to reach the tissues it serves.

This doesn't mean that women who are not in perfect alignment cannot get pregnant! They do every day, but if you're having problems with conception, consulting a chiropractor may help you. Many of us carry our tension in our shoulders, for example and this translates throughout our bodies. Stress, in general, is not helpful for conception because, as stress leads to increased release of cortisol. A study was published in the Journal of Vertebral Subluxation Research by Dr. Madeline Behrendt that examined 15 women who were attempting to become pregnant. Fourteen of the women became pregnant spontaneously following the start of chiropractic adjustments.

There is a chiropractic technique called the "Webster technique" that specifically addresses the position of the baby in the pelvis and optimizing that position for a successful vaginal delivery. Chiropractors do not adjust the baby, per se, but rather by adjusting the mother's alignment and working on relaxing the pelvis, babies can move into the correct position on their own. With the high caesarean rate in the United States, helping women and their babies to be ideally positioned for delivery is important. Equally important is post natal chiropractic care that helps the mother to relieve the stresses put on the body by the rapid growth of the baby. As her belly gets bigger, the woman's center of gravity changes. The growth is so quick that it is often difficult for the low back and pelvis to adjust to this change. As her baby grows, her musculoskeletal system must adjust accordingly to accommodate the growing uterus and prepare for delivery. Many pregnant women experience low back pain, hip pain, and pubic symphysis. I hope this short blogpost gives you a glimpse of the possibilities of chiropractice.














(Photos show Haruka playing lantern with her neighbour during the Mid-Autumn festival and with her church friends in water play at the Science Centre Singapore).

Tip 234: Never pay credit card fees

The credit card market in countries like Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore is getting competitive. New foreign banks entering the market is putting intense pressure to incumbent established banks to participate in various incentive giving, contests and constantly motivating their customers to spend.

I had always requested for my credit card annual fees or late fees to be waived and been successful. I have realized there is no exception. No matter what reasons the officers give when they persuade me to pay the charges, they would willingly waive it when they know that I would not accept the fees whatsoever. If I have a good track record of spending, the credit company would relent to absorb any fees if I say I would cancel the cards.

For my Malaysian credit cards, upon knowing that the government is imposing an annual service tax of RM50 in 2010, I cancelled most of my cards and only maintained my Citibank credit card. I told the bank that I would cancel it if they would not absorb the fee. Initially, they would give excuses that the fee is charged by the government and they could not absorb it. When they knew they would lose a customer, RM50 seems like a reasonable amount to pay to keep the customer. So I continued using the card since there is no fee involved, but only rewards gained from using it.

In Singapore, the government does not impose any fees and I have more than a dozen cards with various shopping outlets. AMEX Krisflyer told me that they would be able to waive my annual fees, but not the SGD60 administration fee for converting my points to air mileage every month. The eloquent officer explained that the fees are imposed by the airline company and that this card was the only card that allows me to earn mileage instantly upon spending and that the fees are justified. I spoke with her for 20 minutes but did not want to accept her reasoning and maintained that I would cancel the card considering it is more expensive to maintain this card compared to my other cards. The officer did not want to agree to offer me the waiver either. I told her it has taken too much time and I had to hang up the phone. Later, I checked my statement and the fee was waived. I am probably the only customer in Singapore who did not pay my administration fee and still get to use its benefits.

It may seem unreasonable to ask for so much. Yet, by knowing that you have the bargaining power, then it is pointless to be paying fees when you can avoid it. The opposite can be true in Japan. Rules and law cannot be bend for the customer. When I was beginning to complain about my annual fees, the bank was quick to cancel my card when I was late to pay even once. This would not have happened in any of the other countries above.

(Photos show Haruka acting as a sheep for the nativity play. She was so bold that she was playing with the baby doll in front of everyone on stage).

Tip 233: Learn new languages, be global

The call to be global is starting to be stronger. Companies need to expand profits to different markets and not depend on their existing strong markets due to increased risk of volatility in markets. Even countries with strong cultural and language traditions are going to change. Can they? Yes! Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten Japan is one of them. The mandate is clear. Employees not proficient in English in 2 years will be fired.

This trend will certainly be followed by other courageous and ambitious CEOs, as well as forward looking world leaders. First, the need to master English, then Chinese, then a third language if not more. Rakuten CEO's reason is simple. In 10 years, the market will be very different and we need to be prepared.

The CEO walks the talk. In a press conference to Japanese reporters, instead of using Japanese, he used English even when its unnecessary. It takes a leader to courageously own up to his shortcomings and be ridiculed for falling short of perfection, so that those under his care will be willing to follow. Same goes for daddies. Are we walking the talk?

I am starting to see the need to learn as many languages as possible. One does not require to be proficient in all languages, but to be brave to utter the first few words confidently and clearly. Only fear need to be conquered. Imperfect pronounciation and poor vocabulary can be corrected through practice and love of the culture and language.

Parents often discuss about whether to send their children to study in a schools that use another language as its medium of instruction. For instance, for Malaysian parents, should they send their children to a Chinese school when the parents themselves are not proficient in the language.

By walking the talk, parents need to make efforts to learn languages together with their children. It can be fun when we show interest in a new language and tackle the difficulties together. It does not matter if our kids are much smarter than us in learning the new language. It is fine if they could master the vocabulary faster. What matters is that we maintain the global outlook like Hiroshi Mikitani and hopefully set tough goals for ourselves to improve. It is fine to falter and look silly in our newly acquired accent, but we should try and work hard at improving ourselves as global citizens of this world.

(Photos show Haruka at her first Christmas stage show singing a few Christmas carols in Japanese and English at the International Japanese Church of Singapore IJCS. The day before she sang at Orchard Road, Singapore in front of the Mandarin Gallery for 30 minutes from 7pm).