Get on your butt... and the Team Member of the Month!

I hate formal exercise.  And it's not just sweaty men in tuxedos that bother me, I also dislike informal exercise.  But, I also dislike ill-fitting clothing, and you know, dying early... so I decided it was time to move a little more.  It is getting harder to attribute those extra pounds to 'baby weight' since the baby turned two.

So I found a place I could go - the YMCA.  Sure enough, I found many ways to have a good time.  Aside from inexpensive daycare... fine, they had me at inexpensive daycare.  But also, I discovered gravity.

Gravity classes are amazing.  We lie down on a moving plank, and push or pull things and the result is a workout that works your muscles and your heart, and involves just enough sweat to be dewy but not icky.  Exercise, lying down.  And inexpensive day care.  Sold!

I also discovered pilates.  Or rediscovered, and like some long lost love, I wonder why we ever parted?  Tone and stretch, most of while lying down.  How could I have forgotten?  And pilates is (pilates are?) so effective - strengthing the core to stabilize the body.  Long and lean, strong and steady.

Mia Quint-Rapoport leads the pilates-esque workout here, in our cozy downstairs studio.  Her class is pilates-inspired, but with more push-ups and lunges, a little yoga, and a lot more giggling added in.  But don't let the tittering fool you, for this Dr. (yah, she's also a Ph.D.) is intense, and there is no whining under her tutelage.  We tone and laugh.  And sweat, just enough.

But we lie down most of the time, which appeals to me.  And that's why I'm pleased to name Mia Quint-Rapoport the March 'Team Member of the Month'.

Thanks for doing what you do, Mia!

And remember everyone: you don't have to get up to get fit!

miss me?

The secret to being a successful chiroblogger is to post, post, post!  But I have neglected to do so; last year I abandoned entire months, giving the impression that I had nothing to say when I've got LOTS to say.  I'm constantly composing posts in my head, but all too often, my thought-blogs vanish before they begin, and I'm left blogless, giving you the impression that I don't care.  So I realized I best be posting promptly or surely my loyal reader will abscond, and then what?  What is the writer without her reader?

And suddenly it is 2011.  And while the technology I need has not yet been invented (some sort of brain-computer wire to download my thoughts to my computer),  I am starting this year off write!  For example, I have already written next year's New Year post, thanks to last year's procrastination.  And how better to actually start this year off than by posting in February?  So here I write, I chirotype and chirobabble... and as an apology for my inexcusable absence, please accept:

Dr Fagen's winter-spinal-survival guide

1) GO SOUTH!  And go far, too. Because apparently it snows everywhere now!  Is this creeping anyone else out?  I get the sense we are entering some sort of ice age and I can't tell but maybe this has something to do with global warming?  It's freaky and freaking cold.  So go.  And take me with you.  Normally I'd suggest you take an ice pack for the long, long drive, to address any joint inflammation or injuries that can happen on such a long journey, but sticking your hand out the window and collecting a ball of snow will work too.  Apply to newly sore joints for 10 minutes at a time, say 3 times daily.  Once you've reached your sunny destination, just use the ice from your mojito.  

2) Snow shovelling is for the spineless.  Really, there is no delicate way to say this.  The best way to shovel snow is to GET SOMEONE ELSE TO DO IT.  Now this, readers, is news you can use.  Sure, you can lift with your knees and keep your back straight and push rather than lift the snow, but you know what?  SNOW IS HEAVY and HEAVY CAN HURT YOUR BACK.  Especially when it doesn't. stop. snowing.   So ignore my advice if you will, go ahead and follow other chiropractor's suggestions, but explain me this: how are you supposed to both "shovel regularly during a snowfall before it accumulates" and also "take frequent breaks", and of course, "stretch before and after"... don't you people have THINGS to do?  And don't even get me started on electric snow blowers, see global warming above.  

3) Rush slowly.  News flash: ice is slippery, and gravity is relentless.  The lessons here are obvious: a) keep your walkway clear  b) wear appropriate footwear with lots of traction c) walk slowly and with caution!   oh and d) slips happen.   Lets all be grateful for the little slips and falls, for they remind us that we are vulnerable and that this time, we avoided a big one.  And also, see your chiropractor!  A well adjusted spine can better handle the stress of a fall, and if it has been a while since your last adjustment, well, we are great at fixing things too. 

4) Footwear deserves a whole post, nay, a whole blog of its own... but for the sake of WINTER SURVIVAL let me get the basics down.  Your footwear should be, in no particular order: warm, waterproof, traction-y, attractive, lightweight.  This is not possible, no footwear has ever in the history of the universe been all these things - practical and cute are the dichotomies of the boot-world, mutually exclusive and ever-elusive.  The answer to this, of course, is to purchase many many pairs of boots, each fulfilling a particular function.  

5) Stay active!  To best enjoy the winter season, be sure to get out and enjoy the few daylight hours that we are afforded.  They say that winter activities like skiing, snowshoeing and luging are wonderful for the body and mind, but 'they' also said that leggings couldn't be worn as pants, so I'm hedging my bets and staying indoors.  I did join a gym, mind you, so remember that you can be active and warm.  Don't be a luger.  Get off your butt!

6) Hang out with a kid.  If this doesn't warm your frozen heart, nothing will.

You like me! You really like me!

Chiropractors often get a bum rap (which is, incidentally, different than a bum wrap, which I perform a few gross times a day on my toddler).  But I digress, and the first sentence is far too soon for digression.

We're not universally well-liked, us chiropractors. Sure, many of you love us.  Some of you know people who love us.  More than a few of you have told me that your friend swears by us.  And being sworn by is a hell of a lot nicer than being sworn at, which unfortunately is what a choice few of you do... perhaps under your breath, or on your blog, or directly to my face after three too many drinks.

I make it a point to take very little personally.  Don't like my shirt?  Big whup. Don't like me?  Meh, plenty of other people do.  Don't like chiropractic?  So don't come running to me when your foot hurts (free tip: don't run if your foot hurts!).  Seriously - I understand that Chiropractic may not be everyone's first choice for therapy.  If it works for you, great.  If it doesn't, something or someone else will.  I'll even help you find it!  Acupuncture!  Swimming!  Meditation!  Massage!  Physiotherapy!  Ayurvedic medicine!   The world is your clinic!

Background: Growing up, I played the 'peace keeper' role in my family.  (My parents ultimately divorced.  I never said I was good at my role, just that I played it).  As such, I have an innate desire to make us all get along... and when I'm faced with an unliker... I just want to know... WHY!??!

Perhaps you had a less than stellar past experience with a chiropractor.  Maybe she didn't explain what she was going to do before she did it (Hi, I'm Dr. Sheila - 'CRACK'), or maybe your chiropractor rubbed you the wrong way (get it?).  Perhaps you just didn't enjoy the experience.  But before you break it off with chiropractic, I urge you to remember that chiropractic is personal ("it's not you... it's me, doc").  Each doctor's hands are different, not to mention their approach, demeanor, practice style and philosophies.  We are an eclectic bunch, and the chiropractor of your dreams could be just around the next corner!

Maybe you had a few treatments and didn't see the results you hoped for.  It is of course possible that your injury didn't respond to chiropractic treatment, but check your expectations too; believe me, nothing is more rewarding when a patient rebounds off the table all 'hallelulah' and 'i'm cured!', but long standing problems can take a while to unravel!  Be a patient patient, and make sure you are holding up your end of the treatment 'deal' (are you really doing your stretches every night?). 

Sometimes people tell me they are scared of chiropractors.  This always seems odd to me, because the chiropractors I know are among the most gentle, caring people I've ever met.  And yet, there is this fear...  To the chirophobes, I say this: communicate.  Tell me what makes you nervous.  The cracking sound?  Just gases escaping from the joint.  Worried that it will hurt?  People usually report relief, and your doctor will work within your comfort level and tolerance.  Uneasy about neck adjustments??  Remember, cyber-friends, it is your body.  I'm not going to do anything to you that you don't agree to - it is called 'consent', and it is taken very seriously.  If you are hesitant but open-minded, talk to me, I've got a lot of tricks up my sleeve, and one of them is bound to do you some good.  Give it a chance, all you have to lose is your pain!  Besides, feeling better has a funny way of putting you at ease.

But what to say to the people who have closed their minds to chiropractors?  Those who've declared that no adjustment shall cross their spines, who choose to remain unadjusted over becoming well-adjusted?  I say... your body, your decision.  I'm no chiro-evangalist, and I'm not interested in trying to convert a non-believer.  If you should have a change of heart (as often happens when you can't turn your neck) I will welcome you with open arms.  People are usually very good judges of what they need and when they need it.  If and when the time is right for us to meet, you'll know it.

Unsure where you stand on this issue?  Take advice from this pillow I found - when has a pillow ever led you astray?

This Post Won't Heal Your Back

This post is about music, and it will heal your soul, as the Backstreet Boys do teach.  And as a healer who is open to all therapies, who am I to argue?

Therefore, consider this NOT a shameless plug, but sound (get it?) health advice that you all should heed.  Come see my husband, Robbie Roth, and my good friend, Gavin Creel, perform on Sunday November 28th, at 7:30 pm, at the Factory Theatre in Toronto.  

Velvet vocals, acoustic guitar, good times and good health for all.

Get your tickets here.

Because I care!

Why Not?

I'm often asked why I became a chiropractor, and I'm working on the perfect blog to answer this - a post so witty and insightful, and I can just picture you trembling at your computer in antici-pation.

But maybe a better question is why do I continue to do it?  Why do I get up most mornings and decide to still be a chiropractor?  I suppose the first answer that comes to mind is that I like to help people - it feels good to be helpful, to be needed.  But there are lots of way to be beneficent.  I mean, I could feel good rescuing bunnies, or volunteering to wash old people's hair.  I thought about this, and came up with a few reasons why I do what I do.

- I like using my hands, and building i.kea furniture wasn't paying the bills.

- I'm addicted to the crack.  I love that noise.

- I can't imagine doing anything else, and I certainly can't imagine doing nothing else.  I'm not a good at lunching with ladies 'cause I always spill something on my shirt, and I can't imagine going back to school.  Except maybe circus school - I was once a promising trapeze artist, and I also knew how to climb and swing from a rope in a surprisingly graceful fashion. 

- I'm a bit of a nerd, and the science courses really appealed to me.  Seriously, I've been known to get more than a little excited describing shoulder joint mechanics. 

- I'm a tiny bit lazy, and a tiny bit bossy.  I'm a better delegator than executrix, so I enjoy telling other people (person... thanks for everything Hayley) what to do, and witnessing things actually getting done!

- I'm a people person with an attention disorder.  Fine, I don't really have an attention prob- what was I blogging about?  I kid.  It's just that I like seeing a bunch of different people throughout the day and having lots of different bodies to work on, each one a puzzle in and of itself.

- Etc and misc.  Sometimes it is hard to put into words why you do the things you do, you know?  You just... do.  You have your reasons and that's good enough.

- Chiropractic works!  It really, really does.

Friends with Benefits

There are perks to working here, in addition to being located between a chocolate shop and a nail salon.  Great patients, warm atmosphere, the wonder of witnessing human bodies heal.  But best of all?  Being surrounded by excellent therapists, and getting treated by them.

Why, just recently, I found myself with an afternoon of cancellations.  "Perfect!" said the successful businesswoman that I am, "now I can get an acupuncture treatment!"  And so I lay down in the cozy downstairs treatment room, and let Lisa Quaning lovingly stab me with needles as chimey music played in the background.  I lay in the dark, silently retreating into my mind and back out again, resting.  When Lisa returned about an hour/a lifetime later, and proceeded to... I don't know, massage and move and do nice things, well put a fork in me, I was done.  Done.  I find her acupuncture treatments to be draining and rejuvenating at the same time - does that make sense?  Redrainevating, perhaps.  Balancing, for sure.

And so, I am happy to announce that this month's RHCC therapist of the month is.... Lisa Quaning!

Lisa is Zen.  She embodies warmth and calmth, and you feel better for being in her presence.  She studies Buddhism and practices Qi Gong, but isn't too enlightened to pore over a celebrity gossip magazine.  She eats very healthy most of the time, but wonderfully unhealthy now and then.

Lisa heals.  Her acupuncture treatments are gentle and pain-free.  Her advice is do-able.  Her approach is non-judgmental and open-minded.  She's got a great sense of humour, a funky fashion sense, and always rocks an awesome hair-do.  Those last few things may not seem to have much to do with healing... but who are we to say what heals and what does not?  For a while Lisa had green hair, and my back felt great.  Coincidence?  I think not. 

I'm hard pressed to name anyone who practices what she preaches more thoroughly and honestly than Lisa Quaning.  Awakening before dawn, consulting with her mentors and emailing with her monk (i know, that seems funny, huh?), exercising and meditating... Lisa will never suggest you do something she herself doesn't do or hasn't done.  She herself walks the same path of self-improvement, and she never forgets this.  No arrogance; Lisa heals with you.

When I think of acupuncture, I think of balance.  I often recommend acupuncture for problems that affect body systems, especially where perhaps western medicine cannot pinpoint or easily fix the problem.  You know, where nothing's wrong... but something's wrong!.   Things like irritable bowel syndrome, infertility, headaches.  Something is out of balance.  And acupuncture is often just what the... uh, acupuncturist ordered - non-invasive, no side effects, safe, effective.

When I think of Lisa, I also think of balance.  She brings balance to my body and balance to my clinic.  I am honoured to work with her, pleased to refer my patients to her, and so very glad I know her.

Absquatulate

When you gotta go, you gotta go!

I'm going.  And because I care (I do!) and I don't want you to have any chiropractic regrets, consider this fair warning: if you need me, act now!  It is far easier to treat you when I'm in the clinic, and not, say, elsewhere.

I'm taking a wee vacay, and I'll be out of the office from August 28 until September 10.
If you need me, you'll have to go for a long swim.  Of course, Dr. Bain will be here Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to handle any spinal emergencies. 

In the event that you find yourself hurting in my absence - remember: when in doubt, ICE.  Really, if you pull something, tweak your whatchamacallit or feel a twinge in your thingamabob, the first thing to do is apply ice for about 20 minutes.  Find a comfortable place to lie, bend your knees and relax, and apply ice.  This generic virtual message cannot of course substitute for a live, face to face treatment, but these measures should help minimize any acute injury.

Be well!  Enjoy the rest of summer!