Dr Lal's healthy advice

By Marlon Skyers  »  There are only two things I’ve always wanted in life: one is perfect health, the second an indoor swimming pool full of money. I figure if I had those everything else would fall into place. Since I still sleep on a lumpy futon in my mother’s basement I don’t see my second wish coming true anytime soon, so I’ve set my focus on the first: perfect health. I sought the counsel of community leader and all around great guy Dr Himmat Lal and flat-out asked him “What is the secret to perfect health?” Dr Lal, who runs the Total Body Health Centre in Mississauga, replied: “I don’t know if there is such a thing as ‘perfect health’. But what we try to teach our patients is to optimize their health to the fullest potential. “To optimize one’s health is to strengthen one’s immune system, thus allowing your body to fight off any illness. To strengthen your immune system we teach our patients to lead a healthy and natural lifestyle by reducing their stress, increasing their activity levels, altering their diets, eliminating any chemicals such as prescription pain killers, and getting regular chiropractic treatment to maintain their wellness. “We teach our patients that we must not just treat the pain with chemicals which only mask the pain but treat the body to remove the cause of pain.” Dr Lal, whose clinic’s services include massage therapy, physical therapy, chiropractic therapy and healthcare products, says what he loves most about his job is being able to get a patient back to a normal, pain free life.  “It is the smile when they leave the clinic that is so satisfying to me. It is like we have the ability to change the way a person looks at the world,” he said. As with most successful people, Dr Lal experienced bumps along the way, notably in 1999 when he lost his biggest supporter and guiding light. “I was in chiropractic school and my dad suddenly died of a heart attack. My dad was a friend and a great man to get advice from. I learned a lot about the business aspect of running this clinic from him,” revealed Dr Lal. However his father’s teachings continued to drive him. “In life there will be many ups and downs, but always stay focused to your goals,” says Dr Lal. “In the big picture of life, the downs should not outweigh your ups.” When asked what career path he would have chosen if his dream of becoming a doctor failed, Dr Lal said he never even entertained thoughts of an alternative. However his job does allow him to stay involved in another childhood passion. “I love everything about practicing chiropractic health care. But as a kid I had a passion to be a professional soccer player. I was captain of my club and school teams. Ironically an injury stopped me from playing soccer but now in my career I treat a lot of sports injuries. I am also the doctor for a soccer team in Mississauga.” What advice would he give to someone who is trying pursue a career in physiotherapy? “Spend time with someone in the same field and then visualize if you can see yourself in 10–15 years from now being of help in the that line,” says Dr Lal. What if I visualize myself doing the backstroke in my pool of money, I asked. “Money will never guarantee happiness but the satisfaction that one gets in one’s daily activities will give you the happiness needed to reduce your stress levels and therefore optimize your health and well-being,” said Dr Lal. • Dr. Himmat Lal can be reached at The Total Body Health Centre on 3899 Trelawny Circle # 7, Mississauga, or on tel 905.824.2007.