I Don’t Live on a Ranch by Lori Harlan

I am really looking forward to watching the Biggest Loser tonight and it started me thinking about the many obstacles faced during my own 12 week Challenge. Would I have been more successful if I was given the opportunity to go away to the ranch, instead of working the Challenge into my everyday life ?

The first thing I thought of is the poor planning of the timeframe of the Challenge. Who in their right mind would start a challenge that would include Halloween, a six day vacation to Disney World, Thanksgiving and then culminate the week of Christmas?!!! Somebody was not paying attention during that meeting! The reality of it is, life happens 24/7 and there is never a “perfect” time to start life changing habits. Or is there? We can pick out any time of the year and say it’s not a good time for us because of work, stress, vacations, holidays, ect . Actually, anytime to change your life and make it healthier and more vital is a perfect time! Yet , how I wish I just had a break to go to the ranch…

On the Biggest Loser, the contestants are given the opportunity to leave all the challenges of the “real” world and focus just on themselves, probably for the first time in their lives. They get a personal trainer, personal chef, therapist and support of other people going through the exact same challenges as them. What a gift. What an opportunity. We all know that is not what we have to deal with. I have to work my 2 training sessions in during my lunch break of a 10 hour day and then figure out how to get 4 twenty minute cardio sessions in a week. Sorry Ian, one or two is about all I’ve been able to muster. There are endless invites to join friends at Chili’s for a drink and some nachos and I’ve indulged in a few of those. We won’t even discuss my hormonal cravings and chocolate addiction that forces my daughter to hide her Halloween stash in a different place every few days after I’ve tracked it down with the keenness of a bloodhound on a fresh trail.

After much reflection, I have decided I have been given a great gift and opportunity too with this Challenge. Personal training has helped in many more ways than I could have imagined. Aside from becoming a stronger, healthier and more competitive person, it has made me realize this is a permanent change. Not for just 12 weeks, not just to fit in the dress for my sister’s wedding (which I had to have taken in 3 times!), not just till next swim suit season. Ian and his team of awesome trainers at Facts Fitness have made me realize this is something I can and want to do for me all the time. That I can see small gradual changes that will make a huge impact on my health and the quality of my life in my future. That every workout is a new opportunity to improve myself. That I didn’t have to go to the ranch after all.

~Lori

October 10, 2008 – “If you didn’t kill it or pull it out of the ground, don’t eat it!”

 I am 35.  Up until this year – I could spring back from anything.  Today, I learned that just wasn’t so…..

On location in Conshy, just 10 minutes from King of Prussia – the gorgeous Facts Fitness location, sits next to the river in an amazing corporate space.  It is actually 3500 square feet, and it is well-laid out and appointed with a gorgeous locker room.  Tawny met us at the front desk and gave us our marching orders from Ian.

We all hopped on the ellipticals.  Easy.  I never really sweated on an elliptical.  As usual, I’m joking but quickly, it turned to just bad.  I became short of breath, my chest got tight.  I felt horrible.

Meanwhile, Ms. Lori and Dr. Arthur were truckin’ it  -  competing to see who could go faster.  

I had to ask Tawny to get off the machine.  I was embarrassed!!!

I began to think – I feel healthy.  I look healthy.  But dangit! I can’t even go 4 minutes on a level 6 on an elliptical???

So often, we resist exercise.  (and not I see why )  I see this as a major mistake and am amazed that I can’t do this.

The last time I worked out was when I was 3 months pregnant with Nat.  I was in good shape.  

Fast forward to 2008 – just two years – 33 years old to 35 years old, is not a lot of time.

Let me tell you what was different – I couldn’t breathe.  I had chest pain.  I weigh more than 20 lbs. less than the last time I worked out.  From the outside, I APPEAR healthier.

Cardiovascularly – I am not, let me assure you.  I was in agony.

Getting back to my comment – getting your heart rate up and keeping it up is no easy task!  I switched to the bike and sat with my arms over my head, hoping that dying feeling would go away.

Made me think about our practice – and how many people THINK they are healthy, but that has nothing to do with it.    Health is so many facets – STRUCTURAL (that’s us! ) – NUTRITIONAL (eating a diet in whole foods – as Ian says for our current regime – “If you didn’t kill it or pull it out of the ground – don’t eat it!)   Lastly is EMOTIONAL.  This is where personal training is priceless with Ian – his calm confidence pushes you past your own self-imposed blocks!   I thought I was healthy – but there is always room for improvement!

Ian came in and ran us through a creative circuit.  I am amazed at the simplicity of Ian’s training.  I am amazed at how conscious he is about us not getting hurt.  I am amazed at how he knows what we can take.  I am amazed that I push myself much farther than I could without Ian.  

In talking to my patients about personal training – a rare few think it is frivolous – citing, “I can do it myself.”  Meanwhile, they are struggling with excess weight, they may be taking medicine to improve their mood, and they are exhausted and sad.  

Let me tell, you there is something that can help you, help yourself.

The majority can’t and more importantly – WON’T help themselves hit their goals.  

Personal training returns so many benefits.  You can make sure you are doing things right, get great new exercises, and have someone push you beyond what you think you can do!

If your life has hit a stall, or isn’t going the way you planned and your not happy with yourself- think about personal training.  It impacts your structural, nutritional, and emotional health and is a great investment.

It helps with making your adjustments hold better because your core will be firmer and you will be toned and stronger overall.

Today, my heart and lungs reminded me that health is precious and cannot be bought.  It may be the change you need to change your life.

October 8, 2008 – Our Infamous Trigger Point Workshop

We had a great crowd for our now famous Trigger Point workshop that occurred last night!

Our office holds educational talks like this, because it is in our core values and mission statement to “educate and empower” our practice members to make better choices and to do simple things at home that can aid them to be more independent in their health!

Last night was no exception!  At the beginning of the talk, I explained the causes that bring most people into office, those being:

-TRAUMA – Can be MACRO trauma – like a car accident, bike accident, etc… or MICRO trauma – overuse injuries like Blackberry Thumb, mouse injuries using the computer, etc.

-THOUGHTS – Stress, need I say more?

-TOXINS – What you put in your body – if you put garbage into a gas tank, do you expect your car to run right?

That is why people come here……why do they come back?  Easy – life happens.  I told the audience how some people come in telling me they heard that “once you go to a chiropractor, you have to go for life!”  I always tell them that simply is not true, it is always a choice, and that is for them to make.

But I asked them, “If you workout and look fantastic, would you never exercise again, citing that you were done?”  Or you know what, I went to the dentist this year and they “fixed” my cavities, so now I am good the rest of my life?  Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it?  So why is chiropractic different – and we take care of your most valuable possession – your spine!  Here at our office, it is more than that, we take care of shoulders, knees, ankles, you name it – we have the training to help or to get you to the place that can help you.

After that – we got to the interactive part of the workshop.  Partnering up, myself and our special guest of the evening, Robin, one of our new awesome massage therapists, showed different techniques you can use on your own to help yourself or a loved one, either augment your care in the office, or as a healthy part of caring for yourself.

People were shocked to see how much you can feel in someone’s back.  That is one thing I absolutely love in my “job” – you can “feel” other people’s pain and they know you can feel it!

Using props like marbles, dried rice, and plastic bags, I led the patients through a exploration of each other’s back to explain what was in there.   You see, educating someone about what is in their body, helps them understand what is going on – and that gives them power to know what to do!

The best part of having their doctor there, and the massage therapist, is we were able to individualize, communicate, and educate their loved one or friend to help them the way they need to be helped.

Going over the contraindications for massage, we told people that it is not a great idea to massage someone who was experienced a significant injury and that they should use ice.  We explained why ice is the treatment of choice and the mechanism by which you can actually make yourself worse by using heat, as it brings more blood into an already congested area. 

We finished up the talk by educating them on when they need to get in here – when they need us, which they will.  Life is a process.  We are all in a state of constant degeneration.  Being under regular chiropractic care, helps retard that process and helps you heal quicker from injury. 

At King of Prussia Family Wellness, we help you identify predictable patterns of wear, educate you to help take care of yourself as much as possible, and get you back to your life quickly.

Check out our talks!  You can learn a great deal that is applicable to your life!

Until next time,

Dr. Brandie

October 4, 2008 – Week #1 – Taking Stock of Where We Are Beginning

 

Ian came out at the beginning of the week to do an assessment.  We have no secrets in the office so we did all together, figuring we were in the same boat.

Performing weight, measurements, and my personal favorite, calipers – making me bring up the old 70’s commercial from Special K….”Can you pinch an inch?”  We pinched many an inch that day, but overall, we didn’t do badly.

Ian, then put us through some endurance/strength testing.  First was push-ups.  Granted, Lori and I were allowed to do “sissy pushups”, I thought, “Hey, I use my arms all day – I got this.”  After 10 modified push-ups, I collapsed on the floor.  There was one problem.  Now I kinda saw where the problem was!

Lori, on the other hand, was machine, pushing out 29 sissy push-ups!  She rocked, and let us all know it.

Dr. Arthur finished with a respectable 25.  We had a lot to improve on!

Crunches and endurance testing with a bench came next – all of us almost exactly the same.  Our endurance was weak.

Ian, then went into trainer-mode, and put us through a quick intense circuit, using our rehab equipment.

 At the end of 20 minutes, we were sweating and out of breath.  Ian was nice enough not to laugh.  :) 

We were on our way!

 

October 1, 2008 – The Beginning of the Challenge!

Being involved in the wellness field, you meet a lot of people who are also involved in health.   Some are ok, and some are phenomenal.   A few years ago, I was introduced to one of those phenomenal people, Ian Savitz.    Ian is the vice-president of FACTS Fitness.  Established in 1996, FACTS Fitness is the premier commercial fitness management and corporate fitness Management Company based in the suburbs of Philadelphia. FACTS Fitness provides unsurpassed professionalism in all facets of corporate and commercial facility design, fitness management, corporate wellness and programming. 

With over 12 years experience, FACTS Fitness now serves over 5000 clients and members with superior facilities, innovative programming and exceptional customer services.  They have a stellar reputation in the wellness community.

Being a team athlete my whole life, I was not into individual fitness, which is probably why I have let myself go. 

My quest for fitness is not the same one I had in my twenties – that to fit in a size 8.  Being 5’11, I tried and tried on my own to lose weight and to exercise only for that purpose. 

That was until I had my daughter, Nat. 

Nat is built like a steam engine.  Because I had preeclampsia, she was evicted 4 weeks, too soon.  Nat stunned the staff at Paoli because she weighed over eight and a half pounds – despite not being fully cooked. 

I actually finished the pregnancy at negative 10 pounds after having her – and I thought I was great.  That was until I had to pick her up. 

As a chiropractor and the wife of one, I get adjusted every two weeks on average – based on my job and preexisting scoliosis.  My body never hurts.  I take care of my bones like some people take care of their skin, pristinely.    But something happened when Nat turned 1.   

She passed the 30 lb. mark.   

I frequently carry her on my left hip.   I started to notice that just about every week, my upper back would have sharp pain causing me great pain and I would have to put her down.  It affected my job.  Made me have headaches.  My husband would adjust it, only to have it pop back out and strain the next time I picked her up. 

My poor left shoulder would groan and shudder after about 2 minutes after picking her up.  I was worried, because not until last week, she did not walk, so I had to carry her.  And she loves to be held!   What was I going to do? 

In comparison, I easily carried her sister, Aly until 1st grade.  What was wrong?   What was wrong is 10 years had passed and I was de-conditioned.  My diet was ok, but I never lifted a thing.  As a doc, I know that de-conditioning leads to frequent injury which is what was happening to me!  My work requires that I am physically able to see patients, and with carrying Nat, it was affecting my work, which was already double what it was last year!   

No longer was my NEED to workout cosmetic and vain, it was a necessity to continue to be a great mom and run my business!  I had to fix this! 

I was scared to workout with just anyone, because if I exercised to the point of muscle exhaustion, I could not work.  I needed someone with an awesome reputation and who was experienced to get me great results fast.  Not only would I look better, I could function better and help more people in my work, feeling great! 

After reconnecting with Ian, from FACTS Fitness at a Main Line Chamber event, it came to me.  He was just the guy! 

Ian and FACTS Fitness Director of Marketing, Debbi McArthur came out to the office to meet.  After talking a bit, Ian mentioned that his company, FACTS Fitness, has a 12 week body challenge, that measures not only weight loss, but fat percentage, strength and endurance.  That rocks because it is not all about the number on the scale.  They use 12 weeks, because people can turn around their health in that time, and he has seen amazing transformations.  I wanted that to be us. 

A light bulb went off.   I wanted in.   Many people don’t know, I am extremely competitive.  Targets appeared on Dr. Arthur and Lori’s back.   I said to Ian, “Could you train them, too?  We all should be in this as great role models.”   Ian graciously offered to hold the challenge in our office. 

He would train us two times a week and we were to do cardio 5 times per week.   He would measure and monitor us at the halfway point and at the end.  It was on! 

Stay tuned to our online journal.  Soon we will have you cast your votes to see who you think will win the King of Prussia Family Wellness Center, 12 week Challenge!

September 9th – Workshop

Join us, Tuesday, September 9th for our next Half Hour to Health. We postponed our August HHTH, and since the First Tuesday is right around when school begins…we decided to wait another week.

Please see the posts below to learn more about the event. Personal Trainer, Tanya Stroh will be joining us, so be ready with all your questions!

Call 610-337-7463 to register!

Structural Management & Personal Training

Hi everyone,

Join us for our next first Tuesday, August 5th for “Half Hour to Health.” We’ll explore the correlation between a workout routine/ personal training and your structural health.

Learn how all elements of your structure – feet, knees, hips, back, neck, etc. – make an impact on your workout’s success.

Place: KOP Wellness Office

Time: 6:30pm

Cost: Free to attend. Bring a friend!

BONUS: All attendees will get a free foot scan!

Call 610-337-7463 to register. Or email Lori at lori@kopwellness.com

King of Prussia Family Wellness Center Staff

Lyme Disease – Case Study

Madison had been coming to my chiropractic office on and off for about 6 months for various accidents that occur in any normal 6 year old. On the phone, Mom reported that Madison had a witnessed fall on Wednesday and each day since had been complaining of pain in the left knee and hip.

When Madison came in to my office, she did not seem her bubbly self. She appeared tired and it appeared that she just didn’t feel good.

Putting her on my exam table, I took a look at her legs to see if one appeared shorter than the other (indicative of a pelvic misalignment). Her left leg was 1/2” shorter. I did some other benign orthopedic testing, and suddenly, she burst into tears, hysterically crying.

Something wasn’t right. Mom calmed her down, and I explained that I thought something else was wrong. I gave Mom a prescription for a hip and leg x-ray, but all the centers we called were closed. Madison’s mom and I discussed the possibility that she could have a small hairline break, but that I did not think what she had going on, was in the scope of what I do.

Later that afternoon, when I called to check on Madison, her mom stated that they did x-rays and that nothing was broken. I informed her that from my own experience with my older daughter, hairline bone fractures can show up 10 days after the fact on an x-ray where the bone is healing.

During the week, Madison’s mom told me that she was not herself. She was not running a fever, but she was sleeping a lot. This was not like Madison, as in the spring, she loved to play outdoors.

Mom reported that Madison was better but still was sleeping a lot. Madison’s mom also stated that she had complained of headaches and localized pain in the same hip and knee.

I asked Madison’s mom if she had noticed if she had been bit by a tick recently or if she had a rash. Madison’s mom said no. I explained that just this year in 2008, our office has seen 6 cases of Lyme Disease in adults and children that aren’t necessarily outdoor people but perhaps went on a picnic, or a walk in the woods on a beautiful day. We made a call to Madison’s pediatrician for bloodwork that include a Lyme spot.

Three days later, Madison’s bloodwork came back with a positive Western Blot. She had Lyme.

Lyme disease is difficult to diagnose because many of its symptoms can occur with other diseases. From her initial history, Madison’s symptoms are typical of those I see in my practice, headaches, hip pain, knee pain. However; when coupled together with overwhelming tiredness, one must start to consider the fact that Lyme Disease could be a possibility.

The first and most distinctive symptom of Lyme Disease is a growing rash which usually eminates from the site of the tick bite. However; as we saw in Madison’s case, the presence of a rash is not always apparent. The rash usually appears 1-2 weeks after the tick bite. This may occur with joint pains or general achiness, chills, fever and headache, much like the flu. Later there may be other rashes, headache, a stiff neck, facial paralysis, tingling or numbness in the extremities, sore throat and severe deblitating fatigue. If untreated left untreated, Lyme disease can progress to cause arthritis (pain/swelling) of one or two large joints, neurological disorders such as mental “fog”, disorientation, short term memory loss, and numbness in the hands or feet.

This summer, after your kids have been outside, be sure and check them for ticks and encourage them to check themselves. It just takes a few seconds. If you have been bitten by a tick, clean the area with alcohol after removing the tick. Not all ticks carry the virus that causes Lyme Disease. If you notice that you child has flu-like symptoms with joint pain, call your child’s pediatrician or family doctor to just get them checked. If they are diagnosed with Lyme, they will be treated with an aggressive course of antibiotics, from which most children recover well and without any lingering problems. The sooner the child is diagnosed, the less chance the disease has to cause long-term problems.

A little prevention goes a long way!

Dr. Brandie Nemchenko