THE REPORT CARD

By Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is for educational purposes only. It is not for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

This is a fairly easy physical examination that can be done anywhere by anyone with a little training. It will take an hour or so to do completely. However, with practice the time can be cut down.

No equipment is required for the basics. A stethoscope is good, however, for the lungs, heart and abdomen exam. A small penlight or flashlight is also good to look in the eyes and elsewhere. Other equipment is more optional.

The physical exam includes a basic chiropractic exam. This is very important and often ignored. It also includes some tests for the oxidation rate and Na/K ratio, which are important and usually ignored. For these reasons, this exam reveals more information about the body than many other physical examinations.

It is called the report card because people should be graded. Give the patient the score card. Grade each test from A to F, as follows: A = amazing, B = beautiful, C = cute but not healthy, D = degenerating, F = fix it.

Have fun with this, because most problems can be improved a lot with a nutritional balancing program. Be sure the person knows this.

Every parent can do this test on each of their children once a year. Physicians can do this with patients, at least once a year. A nurse can do most of it easily. This would help prevent diseases from developing in children, and even in adults.

A nutritional balancing program will turn most of these indicators around, often within a few weeks or months, although some will take longer.

RULES FOR THE PHYSICAL EXAMINATION

1. Always respect privacy and modesty. Women should examine women, for example, unless a woman specifically agrees to a male examiner. Teenage boys may need a male examiner for the same reason.

In all cases in which a person undresses, another person of the same sex as the patient or client must be present.

2. Cleanliness. Always wash the hands before and after examining another person, even if the person seems perfectly healthy.

3. Warmth. The room needs to be 85 degrees F. or higher, or use a red heat lamp to warm the person.

4. Give feedback. No secrecy! If the person gets a D or an F, it just means they need a nutritional balancing program or something else, and there is no shame in this. In fact, helping people understand the need for a healing program is one of the main goals of the examination.

5. This is not a substitute for regular medical care, for example during pregnancy or if one is ill. The idea is not to compete with doctors, but to round out their exams and do it frequently enough to keep on top of any developing problems. Doctors miss too many problems, in my experience.

Here are the tests in the physical examination. (The dotted lines within each section are because the first tests are the easiest, and the ones later on are more involved.):

1. BASIC TESTS

Pulse. Sometimes it is too high, too low or uneven.

Weight. It should be within normal limits.

Temperature. Use a standard thermometer. Many people have a low body temperature.

Blood pressure. Use a cuff or other device. Many people have low blood pressure.

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Rogoff’s sign. Shine a bright light in the eye from the side. The pupil should contract, and stay contracted. Often, it will contract, and then expands again, indicating weak adrenals or an autonomic nervous system imbalance.

Sargent’s white line test. Stroke the inside of the forearm with a the tines of a fork or similar object. The area should turn red quickly. If it does not, it is an indicator of a slow oxidation rate.

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Iodine skin test. Paint standard iodine on skin and watch for absorption. This requires 24 hours. In many people, it is absorbed too quickly, indicating a need for iodine supplementation.

Zinc taste test. One buys a liquid zinc solution. Drop a few drops on the tongue. It should taste horrible. However, many people are so zinc deficient it tastes good or neutral.

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Standard blood, urine and hair tests. Use dipsticks for blood and urine. The hair test is confusing, and gives so much information that it must be interpreted properly only by a nutritional balancing consultant to be valuable. Otherwise, it is usually interpreted incorrectly.

2. GENERAL APPEARANCE

Body shape. Often obvious. Be sure check girls and women for wide enough hips to bear a child safely.

Posture. Ears, shoulders and hips should be in a straight line. Look for sway back, twisted hips, adhesions

Yin disease. Check for flat feet, hammer toe, fatty or gas-filled appearance, expanded look, big lips, hips turn out, sway back, some slouch.

Skin. Look for tags, moles, dark spots, infections, rashes, tattoos, piercings, varicose veins, spider veins, stretch marks, arm sag, pasty, water-logged, dry or rough, bad color, flaking.

Look for anemia. Pale nail beds and pale lower eyelids.

Smell skin – mouth, under arms, vagina, penis or pelvis.

Dehydration test – pull skin of arm above wrist and let go. It should spring back fast. If not, dehydration is present.

3. THE HEAD

General. Look at size and shape. If dented or uneven, think cranial bone problems or head trauma, birth trauma, or other trauma.

Neurological. Try to move finger to nose with eyes closed, and stand on one foot with eyes closed.

Hair. Hair should be thick and have some body, with no split ends and ideally no bald spots.

Eyebrows. Should be long, slender on girls, thicker on boys. Look for absent or short eyebrows, which are a sign of weak health.

Eyes. Sparkle, redness, veins, follow finger, look for bags under eyes, dark circles under eyes, anemia (pale lower lids), ptosis or dropped upper lid. Also look for dryness.

If possible, get an eye chart and place it at the right distance away from the person and test the vision in each eye.

Ears. Basic hearing test with tuning fork, pull ears to see if painful, possible infections on outer ears.

Nose. Discharges, not bulbous or too red, able to breathe through both nostrils.

Cheeks – good color, not too red or dark color, not grey or scratched looking or veiny.

Lips. Moist, small or tight, no cracks at sides of mouth, do the tongue twister test. (have person say a difficult sentence).

Tongue. Should be reddish, clean, not white or cracked or geographical.

Tonsils. Should be clean, not swollen or filled with puss.

Teeth and gums. No black teeth, well-aligned teeth, good-looking fillings, gums should be pink, not dark, no bleeding of gums if you touch them firmly.

This is a good time to ask the person about his or her diet and lifestyle.

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Brain. The knowledge test. Ask the person to name the planets, the president, vice-president, who was Adam Smith, who was the first president of the USA, name 20 states, who was Einstein and what did he do, where are your organs, or other fairly simple questions?

4. THE NECK

General. Rashes (these are common on men due to shaving).

Lymph glands. Look for swollen, hard, painful or tender.

Thyroid. Look for displaced, swelling or tenderness on touch.

Back of neck. Important! – tension, hard knots in neck indicates adhesions and postural problems. Often related to posture and shoulders. Vertebrae should be even and in place. Some people can feel this.

Carotid pulse (older people) – often weak due to arteriosclerosis.

Flexibility. Should be able to rotate easily, listen for sounds, go up and down and around in a circle easily. Look for restrictions, pain.

Veins. Some okay. Too many is not a good sign – may indicate lymph or blood circulation problems.

5. THE CHEST

(need the shirt off. Women can wear a bra only.)

General. Look for pigeon breast, collapsed chest, barrel chest, left-right evenness.

Breathing. All parts of chest and abdomen should move when one breathes deeply. Do the three-part breath.

Hold breath for 1 minute. Some people cannot do this. Indicates shallow breathing or lung problems.

Cough test. Cough should be clear and strong.

(If you have a stethoscope, you can listen to the lungs and heart.)

BREASTS

For women only. If one does a good breast exam, in most cases mammograms and even thermograms or other tests will not be needed.

Women should ask for the best breast exam, which will take at least half and hour and maybe longer. Plan to uncover the breasts for the whole exam, and don’t be squeamish about this if you value your health.

The doctor or nurse should first ask about discharges, pain, tenderness, burning sensation, heat, swelling or any other symptoms related to the breast.

Physical exam – visual. First look at both breasts and compare them. Then look at each breast in more detail. You will need a good source of light in the room, and perhaps a pen light or small flashlight, as well.

Positions. Ideally, look at the breasts with the woman in four positions:

1. Lying flat on her back.

2. Sitting with her back straight up and down.

3. The doggie position – on her hands and knees.

4. With her shoulders pulled back and elbows pointing straight back.

This is necessary if you want a thorough breast exam. If you doctor doesn’t do this, educate her or him.

Comparison. Breasts should be about the same size, shape, color, consistency and the same location on the chest. Any differences usually indicate problems.

Infections such as mastitis cause swelling and redness. Tumors anywhere in the breasts tend to deform the shape and maybe the size of one of the breasts. Check them in all three positions, ideally.

Each breast. Each one should have good color with no red or white spots. They each should be fairly rounded, even-looking and not lumpy visually. They should be full-looking and not empty-looking.

Cancers. Look for moles or other signs of skin cancer. Use black salve to remove them, or recommend surgery if they prefer. Anything unusual can be a sign of internal cancer such as discharges, misshapen breasts, lumps, or inverted nipples.

Unfortunately, breast cancer is very common today. At times, it is near the surface and causes an ulcer or sore that won’t heal. Often, however, they are deep inside.

Adhesions. Many women have adhered breasts due to fascial adhesion that compresses the breasts to the chest. They look plastered to the chest. They may also look very small, when really they are just compressed. At times, one is more compressed than the other.

This is not ideal because it cuts off the circulation to the breasts. It is also unsightly. It can be fixed with some bodywork if the woman wants it. Some do not want it because the breasts will stick out much more.

Rashes. These are common, especially under the breasts if they are large. These are usually fungal and due to a diet containing sugar. Underarm rashes may be due to dietary sugar or due to a reaction to a deodorant product. Please let the woman know this if it is present.

Sun damage. Young women, particularly, often damage the skin of the breasts with excessive sun bathing or tanning beds. Warn them about skin cancers and longer-term skin damage. It is not worth it.

Palpating the breasts. Palpate each breast starting at the edges and up in the armpits, and move slowly in circles toward the nipples. Don’t’ skip any areas to save time or for any other reason. Doing this on large or lumpy breasts is challenging, so take your time and practice.

Lymph nodes. In the armpits, palpate the lymph nodes, which also extend down the side of the breast and the side of the chest. Swollen lymph nodes in this area come from infections in the breast on that side or from above – the head, teeth, ears, sinuses, or neck. These are common, but should be dealt with.

Some mildly swollen lymph nodes are not a problem, especially if they are soft. If one is hard, it is more likely a cancer situation.

Ideally, the breasts should feel somewhat firm, even and somewhat full-feeling, not empty or hollow-feeling. An empty or hollow feeling usually means low female hormone levels.

Lumps. Some lumps are normal. Lumpy breasts are often due to fibrocystic breast disease due to copper toxicity and low iodine. However, they can also be due to tumors, especially in older women.

Lumps that move around freely under your fingers tend to be fibrocystic and benign. Those that seem fixed and won’t move under your fingers are more likely tumors. If there is bleeding into the nipple when you palpate, it is a sign of a cancer.

Ribs. Should look even and all should move nicely when breathing. Some have chest wall pain (costochondritis). This is not a significant health factor. To see all the ribs, this test is better done without wearing a bra, if possible.

Heart and lungs. If you have a stethoscope, listen carefully for rhythm, strength, and murmurs. Lungs should be clear and strong-sounding.

Spine. Have person bend forward and to the sides (not backwards!). Then do the spinal twist, lying down on back and lifting one leg and moving it across the other leg and down to the floor or table. Spine should be flexible, look good, and not too much popping or pain or restrictions. (The spine is not in good shape in many girls and women who experience rape, for example).

6. THE ARMS, HANDS AND FINGERS

Arms. Look at muscles, and skin texture (often problems here). Do a strength test by having the person push against you with the biceps and with the triceps. In older people, take radial pulse to check for arteriosclerosis.

Hands. The palms should be reddish, and not too orange. Girls and women often have orangy-colored palms. This indicates some copper and liver toxicity. Carrot juice will also make them a little orange, however. Boys and men usually have better coloring of the palms, though not always.

Skin texture should be good. Manual laborers will have rough hands – okay, but should not be cracked.

Nails. Look for moons, and no nail fungus, white spots, splitting, cracking, ridges, weakness, or evidence of nail biting. Tell women to stop using regular nail polish, which is very, very toxic!

7. THE ABDOMEN

(One must be without a shirt for this exam. Women can wear a bra.)

General. The abdomen should be flat, with clean skin, and some muscles showing. Abdomen should not be bloated, uneven, protruding, gassy or fat.

When deep breathing in, the abdomen should move upwards or outwards. (Girls and women often breathe incorrectly, and do not move the abdomen.) Please correct abdominal breathing for best health. Put a book on the abdomen and teach how to breathe into the book.

Bowel sounds. If have stethoscope, there should be bowel sounds at all times. If not, think of constipation or other disorders.

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Feel organ areas. Liver, spleen, stomach, diaphragm, colon, intestine, uterus, ovaries, tubes, appendix, rib area. All should be soft, not protruding, painful or tender, and skin and color over organs good.

8. THE GENITALS AND ANAL AREA

Vagina. Visual exam. The entire area should be of normal color, shape and size, which varies somewhat. Virgins tend to have a smaller vagina. Look for lumps, ulcers, bumps, discharges, redness, white spots or other abnormalities.

Odors. All women have some vaginal odor. It should not be offensive or too foul. If it is, it usually indicates an infection.

Internal visual exam. You will need a speculum, a pen light, and a tongue depressor is helpful (flat stick, usually made of wood or plastic. Without these, an internal exam is difficult.

If you have the equipment, position the woman comfortably with legs bent and apart, and proceed slowly to check around the entire vagina - cervix, back of the vagina, top and bottom.

Note any red spots, white spots, plaques, ulcers or anything else abnormal. Biopsies may be needed to determine the nature of some of the infections.

Palpation. Put a glove on one hand. Place the ungloved hand over the lower abdomen. Slide the other hand gently into the vagina.

Feel for the pubic bone to orient yourself. Then try to feel the cervix, uterus, tubes, ovaries and maybe other structures such as the colon. This is more difficult on a heavier woman. Also, at times the structures are displaced to one side, or dropped (prolapsed).

Ask if any of it hurts when palpated, or at any time. Also, ask about any other symptoms related to this area, including the bladder and urination.

Pap tests. These are good. They are very over-rated, however. This means that women think that if the test is normal, they are healthy. This is not true. This test does not reveal too much. If abnormal cells are detected, immediately follow a nutritional balancing program and that should fix the problem.

Penis, testicles and inguinal area on boys and men. Check for inguinal hernia. (Push above each testicle and have boy or man turn head in same direction and cough. Should not feel the cough in the finger holding above each testicle.) Men may also have pain or other symptoms of inguinal hernias. Repair is helpful, especially if a man is physically active and might tear it more.

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Ask women about their menstrual periods. They should be regular, not too heavy, and not painful.

Anal area. Should be clean, rounded, soft, no diseases or rashes, no hemorrhoids.

Prostate exam on older men only – gloved finger in rectum, above anal area. The prostate should be small and firm, but not rock-like, off-center or unusual such as tumorous. Some prostate cancer is common in older men. Treatment is not always helpful, however.

Buttocks. They should be fairly tight, muscular, even and small. May see vaccine marks, cellulite, or flab.

Hips. These should be even, small but wide in women and girls, good skin, no rashes, sensitive in girls but not in boys.

9. THE LEGS, FEET AND TOES

Legs. Check to see if legs are same length by having the person lie on his or her back. Pull gently on both legs at the same time, and then compare leg length. If uneven, one needs chiropractic or other help to avoid scoliosis and many other problems later in life.

Knees should be straight, even, not swollen or twisted. May need chiropractic or other therapy if knees are not straight. If you have a reflex hammer, you can test the knee reflex by tapping just below the kneecap, in the front. The leg should jerk straight – not too much and not too little.

Strength test. Have person push against you with a leg extended, and with a knee.

Edema point. Push hard with your thumb on the inside of the leg just above the ankle bone. Then release. The area should not remain indented much. If it does, or if it indents a lot, it indicates some edema or swelling. The cause can be weak kidneys, a weak heart, or just poor health and thyroid weakness, in some cases.

Feet. Feet should be even in size and shape, not twisted. Have person stand up and look carefully at ankles. Many are lopsided or twisted. Fix this as it impairs walking and standing, and can cause pain. Check for pain or tenderness all over the feet.

The arches should be correct – not too high, not too low. Look for hammer toes, fungus on nails, cracked or misshapen nails, other infections, and take care of these. Feet are very important!

In adults, check for plantar fascia pain and in older people, check the pulses on the top of the feet for impaired circulation.

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Do a quick foot reflexology session, looking for tender spots. The spine area, for example, is tender on most people and needs rubbing daily.

10. FOR OLDER PEOPLE ONLY

1. Feel pulses. Do this in the neck, wrist, and leg, ideally.

2. Do an oxygen pressure test. This requires a special meter.

3. Perhaps more extensive eye exams, although this requires special equipment and special training.

You are done! The point is not to see how unhealthy a person is, but to help a person see the need for a healing program. In most cases, a nutritional balancing program can change a person who “flunks” these tests into an A student! Have fun with this, if possible. Do not be overly serious. Most people will not score too well the first time, and it is okay. This should be a family ritual, if possible. Do not depend only on doctors.

Doctors – please start doing this. Do not just write a prescription. It is helpful, at least annually, and it does not take hours. The whole thing should take 30 to 45 minutes or less. It works. It is old-fashioned, but people like it and it is much better than just running a blood test and asking a few questions.

Ask about diet, lifestyle, sleep and exercise habits briefly. This is often all you need to know to figure out how a person lives and how conscious he or she is of the body and how to care for it. This could also be done with a simple intake form.

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