On February 27, 2010, the devastating earthquake in Chile promoted tsunami warnings issued for the Hawaiian Islands.  My brother called me at 5:00 am on the morning of the 27th to inform me of the tsunami that was to arrive at 11:07 am.  At the time of the phone call I was in the kitchen making breakfast in preparation to go to a workout that I lead for my patients every Saturday morning.  As I turned the radio on, advice was given to fill up water for drinking, buy food and fill up gas tanks in cars, for a 3-5 day time period.  Not having personally experienced a tsunami before my mind began to race and speculate what it would be like in a matter of 6 hours with the arrival of the tsunami. 

The first thing I did was to wake my wife up and tell her about the earthquake and tsunami news.  The second thing my wife and I did was to pray together.  We prayed for the people of Chile, anyone who was affected by this tragedy and of course protection for what was to come.  As we listened to the news updates, we started to call friends who lived on the coast or low lying areas to invite them up to our house.  We live on a hill overlooking the ocean so we were not only safe but had a good view of the coming tsunami to boot. 

I left the house to get water, food, and gas.  I only had 45 minutes before the civil defense warning sirens were to sound off a disaster warning at 6:00 am to give the people of Oahu ample warning to prepare for the impending disaster.  Gas lines were already crazy but, thank God, I found a station I didn't have to wait too long at.  Getting food was an entirely different story, however, so I left the over-crowded market parking lot and headed to my office which was nearby.  Going to a non-health food market at 6:00 am to get canned foods was not on my A-list.  In fact it is not on any of my lists, ever. 

After leaving the market parking lot, my brother gave me another phone call and a piece of his mind because his brother (me) had not waited in line like he had done for a cart full of canned foods.  What I failed to explain to him was that I was headed to my office where there were eight 5 gallons jugs of purified drinking water and a large refrigerator of food.  One of the beautiful benefits of a healthy lifestyle is having a large refrigerator at work where you can sustain proper nutritional habits.  As God always provides for me, I received a large quantity of grass fed organic beef just the day before. 

After raiding my office of food and water, I headed home knowing we would have house guests for the day or perhaps next several days.  When I arrived, my house was alive with friends.  Breakfast for everyone including the children was the first priority. Organic fresh papaya, frozen blueberries, apples with coconut oil gave us a quick nutritional boost.

Following breakfast, a workout with the parents was next on the agenda.  Since my friends were all patients of our wellness clinic, they had already bought into the concept of exercising every day.   Both women and men together shared a great functional training workout.  We did a timed workout with stations that represented different exercises.  20 minutes later we were sweating and panting, a good sign after any workout. 

We fired up the free range, grass fed, organic, no drugs-whatsoever heavenly beef I received form the day before.  I always seem to notice that there is a special hunger and desire for MEAT after a great workout.   The meal did not disappoint any cell of our bodies as we all made insatiable groans while we feasted. 

I wish the end of my story was more exciting than an uneventful tsunami, but it was just another healthy day in the life of being a wellness fanatic.  I would like to close with a word of encouragement.  If Dr. Bruce and friends can preserve their wellness beliefs, in the midst of a predicted impending disaster,  you too can surely maintain your beliefs without one!

God Bless,

Dr. Bruce

I grew up in central Oahu on the top of a mountain called Saint Louis Heights.  We were surrounded by a public park on one side and a 'wild' forest on the other.  We lived on an acre of property where my grandparents, mom and dad, and two uncles and aunts had adjacent homes - four in total.  As for the children, there were nine cousins including my siblings and myself all within a 10 year age span. 

Back when we grew up in the 60's to early 70's, we children did not have a single worry with regards to our personal safety.  Back in the good old days, no one worried about strangers abducting children so we played from dawn to dusk without parental supervision or a care in the world.  Our accountability to checking-in with our parents was simply to show up at meal-times.  I always knew that my mother would have a great warm meal for me.  In addition to warm food in my stomach I was showered with lots of love, from both parents.

As I look back upon my upbringing, I am filled with fond memories of a fairy-tale childhood.  My parents did their very best to raise me morally and physically as healthfully as any parents lovingly could have.  I use healthfully, however, in very loose terms because of the following revelations I now have as a mature health care professional...

1. My parents + the school system (teachers and peers) influenced me morally and socially

2. School lunches / snacks + my mother (the cook of the house) was responsible for my nutrition or 'lack' of nutrition.

3. My fitness was influenced by both aforementioned parties and any outside sports, leagues or activities.  (Thank God I was extremely active)

Let's first look at how the influences of my childhood molded me and discuss the ramifications of what it produced back in my childhood days and then fast forward to today's upbringing and the fruit it is bearing in the children of today.

I grew up in a very strict private high school where discipline for wrong or inappropriate moral behavior was enforced.  We got picked up by our ears, did pushups, detention (pulling weeds) or sitting doing homework instead of play-time for misbehaving.  Swearing, profanity, or disrespect was not allowed in my home or at school.  My moral character was sharply and definitively molded from these two powerful influential factors from my upbringing. 

The major lesson I learned; a humble respect for others especially those in authority over me, and not to mention...good manners as a bonus.

In comparison to the children of the modern technological world, there is an extremely distinct difference in the way children are being raised compared to yesteryear.  As a result of our modern culture being paralyzed by perilous legal consequences, teachers are cautious at best as to what they say and do to discipline children in schools today.  Modern culture, for the majority of parents have predicated the lack of parental influence.  In order to form strong loving bonds with children, TIME spent with them is the first order of priority.  Children need to learn difficult lessons that only a parent can teach through loving discipline to mold their moral character.  Lessons like restraint, values, honesty, generosity, respect, honor, the value of money, etc.  However, an observation that I see is in fact, parents shying away from loving discipline in order to avoid being tagged the "Bad Guy" with what little time is spent with their children.

So where are our children learning lessons like respecting others especially those in authority and all the above mentioned ones and more?  TV and all available media, the web, ipods, facebook, etc...

Proverbs 13:24 says, "He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly.

The reason for the above scripture or blog is not a cry for today's culture to bring back spanking by any means, however, it is a very loud cry and deep concern for those privileged to be called parents to lovingly teach our kids all of life's important lessons  As a parent of two incredible kids, I count it an honor to discipline my children.  I have the sold out belief that discipline through love is what will make my children grow up to have an others first attitude and at the very least they'll respect others. 

A wonderful suggestion that was given to me regarding the upbringing of my children is one that I would like to pass on to those who have KIDS...  Imagine your child as a 30 year old adult with all the traits and qualities you wish them to have (mannerisms, values, demeanor, attitude, etc.)  In addition to the traits and qualities, how do you see them living and who you see them living with?  In as much detail as possible, visioneer your ideal son or daughter and write it down.  After you write it down, create an action plan as to how you will create the ideal son or daughter you see from the child you currently have.  Oh and by the way, it always helps when you pray and ask GOD to help mold your kids for you too!

God Bless You,

Dr. Bruce Wong

Genetically Congruent Priorities and Values  

Furlough Fridays - A Blessing or a Curse:

Furlough Fridays were initiated in Hawaii on October 20^th 2009.  Teachers and students are not permitted on school campuses 17 Fridays a year.   The board of education and Teacher’s Union made a decision, based on “misallocated state funds”, to reduce school year days.  This was their politically correct answer.  Many parents now have to either take their child to work with them, stay at home with their children, provide day care or God forbid leave them alone by themselves on Furlough Fridays. 

Could furlough Fridays be an opportunity to raise our children better in the state of Hawaii and be a wake up call to aligning our priorities back in the right place?   

A friend once made a comment in which I whole heartedly agree to.  He said, “If you can’t raise your own children, you shouldn’t have them.”  Although I agree with this comment, I am not disregarding the financially difficult time our nation is currently going through.  In fact rather, may I be bold to say, we are experiencing this financially difficult time because of our priorities as a nation.  Friends, the purpose of this blog post is about doing the right thing and placing the right priorities back into every one of our lives.  God created us to live with right priorities.  He refers to it as righteousness (living right).  This type of living, by the way, leads to optimal health.

Family is more important than work.  Today, most Americans work to pay off their mortgage and material items to keep up with the Jones’s or to get ahead in life.  I am not discounting the fact that it is good to make lots of money and to possess nice things.  What I do have an issue with is when we have too much ‘stuff’ and paying for it costs us our values instead. 

We each have 168 hour in a week.  Are our lives more fulfilling; are we happier, do our children and spouses feel more loved, are we healthier, are we closer to God because of how we spent our time during the week?  These important questions should determine how much ‘stuff’ we have or have not.  Frankly, these important questions are our priorities and if we aren’t fulfilling them we should get rid of some ‘stuff’.  We are living genetically incongruent lives when our lifestyle choices are influenced by our ‘stuff’.  It is nice to have material things but if it costs us our family and our values, our priorities are upside down in my opinion. 

My wife and I chose to home school our daughter because of one reason.  To bond with her and teach her biblical values that she wouldn’t be able to receive anywhere else.   Our chiropractic and wellness practice days of operation have been Monday through Thursdays since 1996.  Not to be boastful but to make the point very clear, although we work less hours than 99% of corporate America, our practice is in the top 1% of the busiest and most successful wellness chiropractic practices in the world today.  

Working longer doesn’t always lead us to a more productive outcome especially when measuring the cost of your most valuable commodity – time!

Maybe God’s way of implementing Furlough Fridays in our state and others soon to follow is to get back to the things that are truly important to us…our family and our values.  We must remember, this great nation of ours was built on them and because our priorities have not been the same we are forecasted not to remain a great nation.

God Bless you,

Dr. Bruce

Being Grateful for God's Beauty
Last week I traveled to the beautiful Island of Molokai with a group of friends from a business men’s church group that I belong to.  I wish you could have been there…but since you weren’t, let me introduce you to one of the most beautiful places on earth and to a place where I learned a valuable life lesson. 

Fifteen of us went to Molokai for a few days to rest, relax and to get to know each other on a different level.  One of the days we spent taking a guided tour of Kalapaupa, famous for isolating people with Hansen’s disease, also known as Leprosy.  Hansen’s disease, which horribly disfigured its victims, was looked upon as a curse back in the mid 1800s.  Thus, the people who acquired the disease were exiled to the North side of Molokai, where high sea cliffs became its prison walls on one side, and ocean on the other.   

At 1,600 feet, Kalapaupa is known for having the highest sea cliffs in the world.  Its sheer beauty with pristine waters surrounding untouched tropical paradise made me feel as if I was experiencing heaven on earth.  I have been to many beautiful places on this awesome planet of ours and even grew up and live on the Island of Oahu in paradise, but this place is arguably the most amazing place I have ever been to.  As we hiked down the 3 mile long sea cliffs, signs were obvious regarding the respect of the land in regards to littering.  The local saying in Hawaii is to “have respect for the aina” (land).  It was humbling to experience a place that was highly visited yet at the same time still naturally pure, untouched, undeveloped and highly respected.

The irony of Kalaupapa is that it was more famous for suffering, heart ache, pain, and sacrifice more than its beauty.  Starting in 1866 with nine men and three women who were allegedly tossed overboard and told to swim for shore, the colony eventually housed more than 8000 people. Father Damien, who came to Kalapaupa when he was 33 years old, gave his life to serve and love the unlovable.  Coming down with the disease himself, he could then relate to the suffering with the kind of compassion only exceptionally rare people in history can make claim to.  Kalpapaupa was a place known for the ultimate form of love and compassion by those who gave their lives to serve the people with this communicable disease. 

Before we hiked back up the sea cliffs, some of us spent a half an hour body surfing in the crystal clear blue waters with no one in sight for miles.  It was another fabulous addition to this unforgettable journey I will always remember.  As we hiked back up the 1,600 foot sea cliffs after the cool swim my heart was grateful to God for everything I have in life and the future anticipation of appreciating God’s beauty.  The tour to Kalaupapa certainly grew my heart to a new level of gratitude that now has a new platform to grow from. I believe it was Pastor James MacDonald who said 'It's the attitude of gratitude that sets the altitude for your life.'

 God bless, Dr. Bruce

Words can’t describe how excited I am to finally be on the doorstep of launching our Bonfire Health wellness program, a vision that started over two years ago. I couldn’t have asked God to write up a better calling in life in regards to this wellness venture with two of the most incredible business partners to boot. Dr. Stephen and Dr. Paul are awesome in all respects and I am truly blessed to call them friends. Sharing the same beliefs in life has really been the bond that brought us together as well as the one that keeps us together. The three of us being fanatical surfers, has also been a commonality that links us together. There is a saying in the surfing community that sums it all up; “Only a surfer knows the feeling.”

Bonfire Health Program…how could I ask God for a more compelling vision? Helping people better themselves in body, soul and spirit to me is the ultimate expression of giving and caring. Being in the wellness business for twenty years has certainly taught me one thing. The incredible rewards of helping others help themselves!

After being in active private chiropractic practice since 1989, the whirlwind of life directional change started in a hotel room the morning after an incredible spiritual seminar late in 2007. That particular Sunday morning, God clearly gave me a vision of what I would be doing with the rest of my life. At first I couldn’t believe what He was asking me to do - help the world with their health and life outside of my practice? “Are you sure I am the one you want”, I responded in an unworthy tone of voice? Then I was literally humbled to tears when He kept speaking and showing me my future, clearer and clearer as that unforgettable morning went on and on.

Getting back to real life after the most amazing Sunday morning of my life and going to work the very first next Monday morning was very surreal for me. As a stubborn mule I told God that He would have to take the passion of adjusting all of my 1,000 plus patients a week out of me so I could move on to what He was calling me to do in the future. As promised God was faithful, He began to grow a more compelling vision in me so I could take the passion of all the years of adjusting and taking care of so many families outside the confines of four walls. Welcome 'WORLD' to our compelling vision…welcome to Bonfire Health!

God bless, Dr. Bruce