I have seen a tremendous amount of neurological interferrence recently, temporalmandibular dysfunction (TBD, jaw problems) has been extremely prevalent, and people are emotionally and physiologically down.

I talked to a dentist friend of mine and he agreed with the amount of TBD he has seen recently, and says every year around Christmas, he sees an increase in jaw cases due to people grinding their teeth.

People are worried about their jobs, the economy, disease care reform in Washington, and in the midst of all the turmoil, they’re adding fuel to the fire by trying to ‘keep up’ with their normal Christmases.

One of my birthdays was a big event.  A lot of planning and stress went into it, and it was not even that great of a birthday party.  The event itself was fantastic, but the experience wasn’t that special.  Then, on another birthday, it was a very simple, low-key trip to a local restaurant and family was there.  It was nothing overly special, but it was one of my favorite birthdays ever.  Part of what made it great was the fact that nobody stressed themselves out on my behalf.

As we celebrate Jesus’ birth, keep this in mind.  He doesn’t want us to be stressed out, either.  It’s not about the gifts or Santa or shopping or returns or debt or stress.  It’s about things that matter: faith, hope, and love.  It’s about being with people we love and taking a minute to rest.

Please do this over the next two days.  Finish 2009 out the right way.  Scale back.  Give back.  Keep smiling.  And whether you accept His love or not, Jesus loves you just the way you are.

Thank you for being a part of my life.  I am truly grateful for you.

As always, many, many blessings,

Dr. Jonathan Lazar