Nature (Including You) Rejuvenates

One hundred years ago this week, the great fire of 1910 roared through North Idaho, Western Montana and Eastern Washington, scorching over 5 million acres of lush forest. During one 36 hour period on August 20 - 21 a firestorm now known as The Big Blowup burned 3 million acres of National Forest. At least 85 people, mostly firefighters, died in the blaze and 8 billion board feet of timber were destroyed. Evidence of the fire is still visible today. But to see it, you have to look pretty close. Although the fire damage was total in many locations, the forest immediately began to come back to life. For many years now, the forests of the Inland Northwest have thrived.

The photo at the top is the forest today, north of Sandpoint, Idaho. That's the Pack River.

Below is a photo of a huge tree that was burned but survived the fire. Several years ago, it died and toppled over. Burn marks are still visible. And the "dead" tree has become a home for new life.



Below are a couple photos of stumps of old cedar trees near the Pack River that probably died in the fire. Note how new growth has taken root inside of the stumps.




The next photo is of a gigantic ponderosa pine on Canfield Mountain near Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. It is known to local hikers and horseback riders as The Big Tree. I'm pretty sure that this tree is well over 100 years old. What you can't see in this picture is that the top of the tree looks dead. Bare wood. Below it, a long expanse of massive living, green branches. Although it seems evident that The Big Tree was severly damaged in the fire, it continues to thrive today.



The rejuvenating power of Nature -- of life -- is amazing.

That power is in you!

Until next time,
Dr. Mark William Cochran
Chiropractor, lightworker, energy healer, writer, speaker
Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

PS: This week's update on the Oby Phenomenon:



This week's highlight: Tune in this Friday, August 20, 10 AM Pacific time to hear me interiewed on The Hollis Chapman Show on Blog Talk Radio.



You can now purchase or order Oby's Wisdom! A Caveman's Simple Gude to Health and Well-being at your favorite local bookstore. Here in the Inland Northwest, Oby is on the shelves at these locations:
Spokane: Auntie's Bookstore, downtown
Coeur d'Alene: Hastings and Borders
Sandpoint: Inquire Within, Winter Ridge Natural Foods Market, Zero Point and Vanderford's Books & Office Products


You can also visit the official Oby's Wisdom website to purchase a copy. www.ObysWisdom.com

Read reviews (all of which are 5 star) and buy Oby's Wisdom on Amazon.

Buy Oby's Wisdom at the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association's Amazon Book Store.

Buy Oby's Wisdom at BarnesAndNoble.com

In India and other locations in Asia, Oby's Wisdom is available at Infibeam.com and FriendsOfBooks.com
(Free shipping in India.)

If you would prefer to read the book digitally, you can find Oby's Wisdom in various digital formats at:

Barnes and Noble's Nook

Sony e-reader

Other digital formats at Smashwords.com

Oby's Wisdom is now available in Apple's iPad store.

Coming any day now(I hope) to Amazon's Kindle store.
(If you have a Kindle reader of have the Kindle program on your computer or samrt phone, you can buy the Kindle version of Oby's Wisdom at Smashwords.com

"Life isn't about how to survive the storm....but how to dance in the rain." ~Judy Irving

A view from Sea Cliff State Park (near Encinitas) looking south toward La Jolla





I'm ba-a-a-ack! (Sort of.)

I didn't post a blog the last two weeks becaues I was vacationing in San Diego. You might say I was "dancing in the rain."

Enjoy this week's post - photos.


Yosemite Valley from the airplane.






Cricket and I at her daughter, Janelle's wedding






Wildflowers in San Diego






A desert mountain range south of Las Vegas






A picture of Cricket taking a picture from the airplane.




Until next time,
Dr. Mark William Cochran
Chiropractor, lightworker, energy healer, writer, speaker
Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

PS: This week's update on the Oby Phenomenon:

This week's highlight: Oby is now available on another website in India!

You can now purchase or order Oby's Wisdom! A Caveman's Simple Gude to Health and Well-being at your favorite local bookstore. Here in the Inland Northwest, Oby is on the shelves at these locations:
Spokane: Auntie's Bookstore, downtown
Coeur d'Alene: Hastings and Borders
Sandpoint: Inquire Within, Winter Ridge Natural Foods Market, Zero Point and Vanderford's Books & Office Products


You can also visit the official Oby's Wisdom website to purchase a copy. www.ObysWisdom.com

Read reviews (all of which are 5 star) and buy Oby's Wisdom on Amazon.

Buy Oby's Wisdom at the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association's Amazon Book Store.

Buy Oby's Wisdom at BarnesAndNoble.com

In India and other locations in Asia, Oby's Wisdom is available at Infibeam.com and FriendsOfBooks.com
(Free shipping in India.)

If you would prefer to read the book digitally, you can find Oby's Wisdom in various digital formats at:

Barnes and Noble's Nook

Sony e-reader

Other digital formats at Smashwords.com

Oby's Wisdom is now available in Apple's iPad store.

Coming within a couple of weeks (I'm told) to Kindle.

The best diet: Don't go on a diet!

A couple of days ago, one of my Facebook friends posted a note on my profile page asking what diet I could recommend for losing weight and keeping it off. Here's how I responded:
"Don't go on a diet! Just eat as Nature intended - a balance of fresh, whole, natural, organic, local foods. Focus on a healthy lifestyle rather than the number on the scale or comparing yourself to magazine cover models. I devote an entire chapter to this in Oby's Wisdom. Remember this always: You are Beautiful and Perfect!"

With nutrition as with everything else health related, Nature has the answer. Nature has provided all we need. And when Nature designed our food supply, She didn't include junk like preservatives, food dye, artificial flavorings...



Ponder this: have you ever seen an obese wild animal?

Until next time,
Dr. Mark William Cochran
Chiropractor, lightworker, energy healer, writer, speaker
Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

PS: The Oby Phenomenon has begun!
My new book, Oby's Wisdom! A Caveman's Simple Gude to Health and Well-being is now available in print!For those readers here in the Inland Northwest, you can pick up a copy at these locations:
Spokane: Auntie's Bookstore, downtown
Coeur d'Alene: Hastings
Sandpoint: Inquire Within, Winter Ridge Natural Foods Market, Zero Point and Vanderford's Books & Office Products
If you live elsewhere, you can visit the official Oby's Wisdom website to purchase a copy. www.ObysWisdom.com

Oby is also available through Amazon and your favorite local bookstore.

Your immune system does not fight anything. Health is not about fighting; health is harmony!

Pause for a moment to contemplate the peaceful beauty in this photo. It's a photo I took several years ago from atop Maiden Rock overlooking Lake Pend Oreille in North Idaho. The scene is tranquil. Everything you see exists in harmony and synergy with everything else.

If you wanted to, you could look at all of this as a product of an endless succession of fights. Wind and rain have "lashed" the rocks, the forests have "succumbed" to fire, glaciers "gouged" the landscape and created the lake.

Of course there have been forces in opposition with each other. But opposition does not automatically mean combat. Opposition of forces also exists when a child (or an adult) swings on a swingset. No one would ever think of swinging on a swingset as a fight. Swinging is a state of harmony that brings joy!

It's the same with immune functioning and all other processes inherent in life. We exist in a dynamic state of balance and harmony.

Take a look at the photo below. This photo is one I took about a year and a half ago, looking up at Maiden Rock from the beach. Notice how the wind and rain have revealed magnificent rock formations, how the plant life is flourishing because of how fires have cleansed the land and enriched the soil, and how masterfully the glaciers sculpted beautiful Lake Pend Oreille.



Until next time,
Dr. Mark William Cochran
Chiropractor, energy healer, lightworker
Sandpoint and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

The Key to Vibrant Health: Let Heaven and Nature Sing!

Happy holidays, everyone!

Chiropractic facilitates ALL healing.

Chiropractic has never healed anybody of anything.

Healing is a deep, complex process that includes your physical body, your emotions, your mind and your human spirit. All healing always includes all of these dimensions to some degree. Healing arts and practitioners can facilitate healing, but, ultimately, your healing is driven by the innate wisdom of your being. Chiropractic works with this wisdom at every level -- body, mind, emotions and spirit.

The people I serve in my practice fall across a broad spectrum of health. Most are perfectly healthy, many are in pain, some are on a journey with some sort of chronic disease. All are beautiful and perfect. And for each person, Chiropractic is integral to their healing and growth.

Life is a roller coaster. Have fun!

Last Sunday I got to do something I've been waiting to do for 38 years!

When I was 12 years old, my family went on a vacation that included a drive up the coast of California. One stop was in Santa Cruz where we got to frolic on the beach. Santa Cruz has a great boardwalk with a classic old roller coaster. Unfortunately, even as close as we were, we didn't get a chance to go on it.

Well, last weekend, Cricket and I visited her family in the San Jose area for the Thanksgiving holiday and we spent a day on the coast. Late in the afternoon, as the sun was sinking low over the ocean, we made it to the boardwalk and went on the roller coaster -- The Giant Dipper.


Cricket and Me in Front of The Giant Dipper
(Isn't she beautiful?)

Needless to say, I was thrilled!

The Giant Dipper is relatively small compared to the mega roller coasters at newer amusement parks. Small, maybe, but WAY exciting! The ride starts out by twisting and turning through a surprisingly long, completely dark tunnel. Then, after emerging into the light, you have the thrilling ups and downs that are the reason for going on a roller coaster in the first place. We had a blast!

The Giant Dipper is a perfect metaphor for life and health. You start out in the darkness, twist and turn through a tunnel, then emerge into the light. Once outside, the roller coaster is a thrilling succession of ups and downs. And we do it on purpose. It's not an accident. We anxiously and happily climb into the car because we know it's going to be FUN!

Today, I happen to be diggin' life. Totally! Other days can be more challenging. But I'm living on purpose, relishing all of the ups and downs. Every one of them!

As I've written before, life is a roller coaster. Enjoy the ride!!!

Here's a video of the Giant Dipper that I found on YouTube.
(I've never met Aaron.)

Reduce Consumption -- Improve Your Health.

Reduce, reuse and recycle -- great advice for taking care of our Mother Earth. It's also great for your health!

Last Thursday at my yoga class, my teacher, Chris, asked us each to make a personal commitment to helping the planet by reducing our consumption of something. She asked us to think of at least one specific thing we could reduce in our lives. As we meditated and reflected on her request, nothing came to me. I'm already pretty conscientious a about conserving. Still, I knew that there are ways that even the most scrupulous conserver can improve, so I left myself open to discoverig new ways I can reduce my own consumption. I knew something would come up, and it didn't take long. After my yoga class and a great trail run, I ran some errands on the way home. One errand was to a music store to buy a CD I've been wanting. At the checkout stand, I spied some delicious-looking dark chocolate bars, and--on impulse--I bought one. Not the healthiest thing in the world, but after all, I rationalized, I had already burned a lot of calories that morning.

Impulse consumption. Something I've found myself doing a lot of lately, and not something that I need to do at all. Eliminating this impulse buying is a small but effective way for me to reduce my consumption and improve my health at the same time.

Symptoms are your body's way of telling you to make a change.

This time of year is many people's favorite, including mine. The fall colors here in North Idaho are resplendent!



Autumn is a season of important -- and beautiful -- transition. As the days grow shorter and the temperatures drop, Mother Earth prepares for her winter slumber. As we observe the most visibile of these changes -- the changing leaves -- we marvel at their beauty. Year in and year out, although we have seen it happen many times, we always treasure the fall for its vibrant colors. This is a change we are familiar with, and one whose beauty we recognize.



Soon the leaves will fall and the trees will appear to be lifeless. But we all know that they are still vibrant and alive; we just can't see it. Great potential lies latent in each tree...waiting. Come springtime, new leaves will bloom and we will marvel at their beauty just as we did six months earlier. With these changes comes new growth.



Our bodies go through cycles as well. They aren't as predictable as the seasons, but they always offer us the opportunity to rest, reflect and -- if we're willing -- change. In this change is where our lives expand and our breathtaking human potential unfolds.



Your symptoms are every bit as beautiful and perfect as the colorful leaves on the autumn trees. A new season is at hand -- an opportunity for breathtaking potential to be revealed.

Nature will tell us all we need to know. We just need to listen.

Last weekend, I was reminded of this by a rather unlikely teacher. I got chased by a moose!

I was hiking up Scotchman Peak just north of Clark Fork, Idaho when I happened upon a moose family; a bull, a cow and -- although I didn't see it at first -- a young calf. I was climbing the steep trail when I saw the bull and the cow about 75 yards ahead, right on the trail I wanted to take. I have great respect for moose. In general, they're not too concerned about humans, but you always want to honor their space.


View of Scotchman Peak from the valley floor


The trail up...

As soon as I saw them, I stopped. The bull had already seen me and was scoping me out. I spoke to him in a level voice and asked if I could proceed on the trail. I had gotten a couple of glimpses of the cow as she moved about, but I hadn't seen the calf yet. The bull wasn't too concerned by my presence so, as I spoke, I would take a few steps at a time toward him, continuing to ask if it was OK, and promising to respect and honor his mountain. Before I got too far, Mama Moose decided that I had come close enough and she started heading down the trail toward me with bull and baby right behind. She wasn't attacking or charging me, but the message was clear: "Turn back, Mark."
Yes, Mrs. Moose!


Good morning, Mr. Moose!

I'm not one to argue with a moose, so I turned around and headed back the way I came.

Before I go any further, let me explain that I spend a lot of time in the back country and I make it a point to be in tune with my surroundings. I listen...I sense...I feel...and Nature always lets me know what to do. A cow moose with a calf is potentially as dangerous as a mama bear with a cub, but a moose will only become aggressive if she feels she or her offspring are threatened. I have encountered cow moose with calves on three previous occasions. Each time, the mama moose let me know whether or not it was OK for me to hang around.

The first time was about 6 years ago. I came upon a cow with twin calves and, after asking permission, started shooting pictures. The cow was OK with it for awhile, then she turned and told me to go. So, of course, I did.


Moose mom nursing twin calves, September 2002

A couple of years after that, I was jaccuzing in a wilderness hot spring when a cow and calf came out of the woods and started munching ferns right at the edge of the pool I was soaking in -- only 15 feet away. They were very aware of my presence and didn't mind my being there at all.

Just this last April, my partner, Cricket, and I encountered a cow with a very young, wobbly-legged calf. We sat down on a log and took quite a few photos, speaking softly and reassuringly to Mama moose the whole time. She was very obliging and let us hang around as long as we wanted.



Mama and baby moose, April 2008

Now, back to last weekend on Scotchman Peak. Mama Moose had told me to turn back, so I was moving at a relaxed jog back down the trail. Not only was I giving the moose their space, I also took it as a message from the mountain that today was not the day for me to climb Scotchman Peak. I had traveled down the trail a ways when I encountered two hikers coming up the trail. I stopped and told them about the approaching moose. Within less than a minute, we heard the moose mooving through the brush very close by, traveling parallel to the trail we were on. Now, the best way to avoid them, was to head back up the trail. So...back up the three of us went. I'll admit that I was wondering if that was the right thing for me to do, because I thought I had gotten the message just a few minutes earlier not to take the trail that day.

A few minutes later, just as we got to the place where I had first seen the moose, I noticed that I had missed a switchback earlier, and I had been starting to take a bad trail. I hadn't seen the switchback because it was obscurred by a fallen tree, and I had been totally focused on the moose. When I returned, the picture became clear -- Mama Moose was there to keep me from taking the wrong trail. Then, after I had backtracked, she had me turn around again so I could make it to the top of the mountain.


Breathtaking view from the trail


Almost (huff...puff...) to the top!

Nature is a sophisticated, intricate web -- a web you and I are a part of. We're constantly receiving messages that can guide us along the path we need to travel. This applies to our health and well-being as well as to wilderness trails. You need only listen and you'll find your way to the top of your mountain.

View of Lake Pend Oreille from the Summit of Scotchman Peak


Another view from the top