Still Recovering

Yeah, it's been a long time since I posted. The auto accident took more out of me than I first realized. Walt and I have both been seeing the chiropractor three times a week, plus having a weekly hour long session of Muscle Activation Technique (MAT). Recovery has been weird. I would string two or three or maybe even four days together when I felt good, and then wake up the next morning feeling like I was back at square one, the day after the accident, the proverbial "hit by a Mac truck" feeling. For my husband it was even worse, with almost constant pain and fatigue. I didn't want to even go there, but we finally had to consider the possibility of Fibromyalgia, which is often triggered by auto accidents and other body trauma. The good news is, we are both feeling quite a bit better, and have "graduated" to a once weekly chiropractic visit, plus the ongoing MAT. A friend gave us a packet of diclofenac epolamine topical patches, and I was researching those (it turns out this is an NSAID) and I came across this little slide show, which I thought was kind of cool: Fibromyalgia Slideshow: Fibro-friendly Exercises on RxList.com

For us, exercise lately has consisted of a group of gentle stretches prescribed by the Dr. John Gentner at Gentner Chiropractic. What I really like is that Walt & I did not get the same stretches. We each got an individual treatment plan, tailored for how we were injured, and we're recovering with the treatment that we are getting. Even though the stretches are super-gentle, I hurt afterward, which was a total surprise and more evidence that the accident was more severe than I thought.

And the knucklehead that hit us? Seems he's pleading innocent to the criminal charges so a court appearance may be in my future. Watch out Judge Judy.

Crash

We had a little too much excitement over the weekend. In keeping with our "Let's be healthy" theme, Walt and I went for a walk in the park, which is absolutely gorgeous with fall color. On the way home, we were hit head on by a drunk driver, who promptly shook it off, threw it into reverse, and ran. A chase ensued, in which I am informed that I was spewing a string of curse words that rivaled the dad in "Christmas Story" when he tangled with the furnace. We were able to get his license number and the make and model of the car which I called in to the Lakewood PD. While we sat in a parking lot and tried to metabolize all of the adrenaline we had generated, they went to his house (he went home) and arrested him for DUI and fleeing the scene of an accident.

It's funny, the car has minimal damage. My bumper did exactly what it is designed to do - absorb the brunt of the impact. It really falls into the "fender bender" category, if not for the added excitement of the Dirty Harry car chase that followed. When the adrenaline wore off, we both discovered how sore we were, and we were even more sore, stiff and achy the next day. I think it would have been even worse if not for icing and massive doses of MonaVie active...antioxidants and plant based glucosamine. We're always looking for an excuse to drink more of it because it tastes so good, and this seemed like a good reason to polish off a bottle in a couple of days.

Still, Walt is really feeling it in his neck and shoulders, so it's off to the chiropractor today for an evaluation and treatment. It made me think about what I know about soft tissue injuries, and how important it is to treat them. If we are this tender from such a small bump - no air bags deployed - then how much trauma occurs in a really big crash? In my years in practice as a massage therapist, I've seen a number of people who did not treat their injuries following an accident only to have them return later, sometimes, years later.

The body does all kinds of things to adjust. Trigger points -small areas of muscular dysfunction - form, and can be active or latent. The active ones will cause pain, often referring it to some place other than the actual location of the trigger point. Those are the ones that are likely to make you seek treatment now. It's the latent ones, the sleepers, that can be activated at some future date due to additional stress on the body. Trigger Point Therapy is very effective in treating post-accident muscle pain, whether it's done immediately after the accident or later on.



The other thing that often happens is that the neuro-muscular connections of one or more muscles become compromised. Those muscles don't function as well as they should, and other muscles have to pick up the slack... this causes a sort of chain reaction of dysfunction that can continue to grow over time, involving more and more muscles as the body keeps on trying to compensate and keep on truckin'. The only way I know to fix this is be treated by someone like my friend Kim, who is a Muscle Activation Specialist. She practices Muscle Activation Technique which was developed by Greg Roskopf to treat athletes. Fortunately it works equally well on the athletically challenged.

What's best is to get treated right away and avoid needless suffering, and all of the additional compensations that the body creates when muscles are not able to function the way they are supposed to. The good news is that it's never too late to seek treatment. Even if it's been years since the damage occurred, you can get better and feel better.

The Neti Pot

Ah, wellness. Sometimes it's not pretty, as in using the neti pot to irrigate your nasal cavity. But before you say "eeeww", consider this: moist, clean mucus membranes are much more resistant to invasion, plus you can actually wash out pathogens before they have a chance to get in there and do their dirty work. I have friends who use the neti pot daily, as part of their personal hygiene routine, along with brushing and flossing their teeth. I don't use mine that frequently, but when my nose feels dry, or I start to feel congested or sniffly, out it comes. If you haven't ever used one, this might be hard to believe, but it really does feel very soothing. It used to be difficult to find a neti pot but now that we're all into prevention, and so many folks need low tech (read low cost) solutions to stay well, they are everywhere. I got mine at Walgreen's (there were three models to pick from) and it even has the Walgreen's logo on it. How much more mainstream can you get? The downside is that the first time you use it, deciphering the directions can be a bit challenging. That's why I have included this neti pot demonstration. It's got a bit of a commercial in it but it's really clear. Even if the girl does look like a robot.

Echinacea - it's not all the same stuff

In my last post I talked briefly about enhancing wellness during the changing and changeable autumn. One of my personal faves for preventing colds and flu is echinacea. It's funny but there are a lot of misconceptions about echinacea, the most common one being that it loses its efficacy after you take it for a few days. I used to believe that too, until Dr. Michael Dobbins, an extremely bright and funny guy from the San Francisco Bay area (Oakland, I think) set me straight.
That fallacy is based on a mistranslation of a German study. The subjects in the study took echinacea for five days and it proved to be helpful, but when it got translated, it was interpreted that it was only effective for five days. Not so! You can take it for as long as you like, and you can take it prophylactically, that is, as a preventative, before you ever even feel sick. (If you want more details, or want to check out the studies that have been done on echinacea, an herbalist named Robyn Klein has written an excellent, easily understood article  that you can find on echinacea myths.)

I've taken echinacea for years at the first sign of a sniffle, or even without a sniffle if I've been exposed to someone with a cold, and had great results. But there is trick to getting good results, and that is by buying echinacea that has been processed in a country that has pharmaceutical standards for herbs. In the US, you can pretty much put anything in a bottle, label it echinacea (this goes for any herb) and sell it. The European Economic Community has established standardized guidelines for herbs, and herbal products from Germany are typically high quality, but mine come from Medi-Herb in Australia. I like the stuff that is in liquid form, in an alcohol base, because it goes right to work. Well, I don't actually like it, as it's about the nastiest tasting stuff you can imagine, but it works. It's worth the extra effort and slightly higher cost to hunt down herbs that have been produced with pharmaceutical standards - and really easy to do on line.

Seasons change and so do I...

Just spent a couple of hours working on my business Facebook page. I can't quite figure out how to  add a like box to this blog, so if anyone knows, I'd appreciate the input. I keep getting this big honking thing that does not fit in the column. I'll go back and try again when I feel fresh. Right now I am stiff and achy from sitting at the computer and watching the cold gray rain come down. I love the change of seasons but my body is not so sure. Time to get up and move around! I'm going to exercise as soon as I finish this entry and I know that will help.

Did you know that spring and fall, with all of their temperature fluctuations are challenging times for the body? I learned that when I was studying shiatsu (acupressure). It's especially important to do the basics, like getting enough rest and exercise, eating healthfully, and washing your hands frequently. It's also a good time to do a bit more, to practice prevention aka Wellness practices. Massage, using a neti pot, certain herbs like Echinacea and Astragalus, and MonaVie (m)Mun, which contains Wellmune, are all beneficial right now. I will be exploring some of these in more detail in the days ahead.

Check out my new space!

I saw a few clients this week in my new space in Westshore Skin & Health Center, which is amazing. I never even imagined a setting so lovely. Check it out.

These first two photos are from the garden. After you park your car, you enter this magical, quiet place under a long green awning. On most days, you will find dappled sunlight, wind chimes and chipmunks (who apparently are very busy this time of year).

There are even a couple of small benches in case you decide to stay for a while, which is very tempting in such a beautiful peaceful place. The thing that is so amazing is that this building fronts on a very busy street. Just across the road are Robeck's, Starbucks and Five Guys. Burgers in the front, chipmunks in the back.

The waiting room looks out into the garden and has a glass ceiling as well. If you get tired of watching the birds, there are lots of magazines, and a selection of teas to relax with. It's a space I enjoy just hanging out in for a while.

This is the reception area, more interesting shapes, soothing colors, sparkly glass, and friendly people to welcome you. That's Rob answering the phone. 

This is my room - still needs a bit of decorating but it's a peaceful retreat and a wonderful to place to get or give a massage. That glass block wall lets in just enough soft light to make it easy to rest. I have my soft cushy foam topper and fuzzy blanket for CranioSacral therapy. I've seen a few loyal clients this week, and they are in unanimous agreement that this is an exceptionally nice environment; spacious, inviting, and serene. It feels like home.

Road Trip

Two of my favorite words in the English language: "Road Trip!" We will soon be gobbling up the miles in Dave's seven series Beamer. It is fabulous when running properly, which isn't often. Prayers for an uneventful trip that does not involve finding a mechanic are most appreciated.

I'm packing for our TEAM MonaVie National Convention in Milwaukee. Having been there before, I know we are in for three days of Stadium Food - or in this case, Cellular Arena Food. Six dollar bottles of water, five dollar hot dogs, nachos and cheese... you get the picture. So, what's a girl to do when she wants to eat as healthfully as possible? This is the solution I've come up with: Organic Gala apples, hard boiled eggs, home made cherry oatmeal muffins, dry roasted unsalted almonds, and those little packages of tuna and chicken salad that come prepackaged with a few crackers. If they have little boxes of granola at hotel's complimentary continental breakfast, then some of those too. And of course, MonaVie back at the hotel, and as much Emv as I can smuggle into the arena. I think my menu is a reasonable compromise - nutritious and no refrigeration required during the day. What do you pack when you're going to an event like this?