When Dr. Jordan Leasure started her Wellness Wednesday Facebook Live chats several months ago, the idea was to promote holistic health in a casual, unrehearsed manner — creating a community among existing and potential future clients along the way.
Topics the chiropractor has discussed run the gamut from gut health to stress management, meal choices and more. But when she took on the subject of rising rates of suicide in the U.S., Leasure’s talk caught the attention of Facebook moderators.
The rate of suicide across the U.S. climbed 25.4 percent between 1996 and 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The National Institute of Mental Health places the rise at closer to 28 percent for the same time period, counting 13.4 suicide deaths per 100,000 people in 2016.
In the video, now posted here, Leasure offers her premise that suicide should be addressed as a chronic condition rather than an acute decision. She discusses societal health — the benefits of joining an activity, bowling league, church group or book club, for example. With occasional tearful emotion, she talks about her own battles with depression, her longevity concerns as an older mom (Leasure is 40; her son is 19 months), and the relatively recent loss of her father.
When he died at 69, he missed out by mere months on being a grandfather, something he long had looked forward to experiencing. But his many years of poor eating habits, inactivity and avoidance of social group bonding proved fatal, she said — and in Leasure’s view was in fact a form of slow suicide, a chronic condition that she believes affects many Americans.
The Facebook Live chat had organically achieved 4,000 views, and numerous people still were sharing it, when it vanished from the North Shore Pro-Active Health Facebook page late last month. Leasure scoured Facebook’s Community Standards and made multiple attempts to reach a moderator, but to date has not received an explanation as to why the 13.5-minute video ran afoul of their rules.
“Facebook specifically says it is OK to ‘share information about self-injury and suicide to draw attention to the issue and allow for discussion so long as (videos) do not promote or encourage self-injury or suicide,'” Leasure said. “This video talks about keeping a gratitude journal, it offers a breathing exercise, it talks about the importance of long-term self-care so that we can be there for our loved ones as long and as healthily as possible. It certainly in no way encourages self-harm.”
While Leasure found the disappearance of the depression talk video from her Facebook business page frustrating, she does not intend to shy away from serious topics going forward. North Shore Pro-Active Health has a YouTube channel and Leasure will continue to re-post her Wellness Wednesday Facebook Live chats there, she said.
The Facebook Live chats continue at roughly 7 p.m. each Wednesday at facebook.com/drleasure, with topics often arising from trending health news reports.
“Many of us like to blame serious health issues on heredity,” Leasure said. “Generally speaking, though, health problems are not due to bad luck or bad genes. The choices we make on a daily basis play a far greater role. It’s my goal as a chiropractor who focuses on functional and sports injuries to help guide people to optimal health.
“The losses I’ve endured and the mental and physical health challenges I’ve overcome have compelled me to make this my life’s work.”
Along with Drs. Jordan Leasure and Jade Dellinger, North Shore Pro-Active Health employs three massage therapists, two athletic trainers and an office manager. The doctors receive roughly 400 patient visits a month. In addition to chiropractic and functional rehabilitation, services include pre- and post-natal care, pediatric chiropractic, integrative health care, body contouring laser therapy, and blood chemistry analysis with supplementation and nutrition counseling. For other information, visit drleasure.com or call 847-362-4476.
