Happy 2010! It sure has gotten off to a very fast start. I feel like it just rolled in and we’re getting ready to turn the page on the calendar to February. One of the most significant things that has happened in my life as a female chiropractor, is the 2 new chiropractors that have joined my team at Hillarys Chiropractic.
When The Teacher Is Ready, The Student Appears
I have taken on a mentoring role in the practice with 2 new associate chiropractors. They are both vibrant, enthusiastic and eager to learn. I am committed to assisting them while they embrace and develop into being the best chiropractors that they can be. With the experience and wisdom of my years in practice, I plan to share and nurture that chiropractic spirit in them to love, give and serve the patients to the best of their ability.
When the Student Is Ready, The Teacher Appears
One of the new mentorees has been a wellness patient of mine for many years. His understanding of the chiropractic paradigm and commitment to helping people is from the heart. The other mentoree I had the pleasure of meeting through the other, as they went through the chiropractic course together. His heart and commitment matches the core values, mission, vision statement of our practice.
Mentoring is a mutually beneficial relationship that involves a more experienced person helping a less experienced person to achieve their goals.
Mentoring provides a unique opportunity to contribute to a student’s career development by sharing knowledge you have acquired through years of experience.
Effective Mentoring
focuses on the needs of the person being mentored
fosters caring and supportive relationships within the workplace
encourages the person being mentored to develop to their optimum potential
As a mentor, the role is one that instructs, helps and guides another in the process of gaining knowledge, understanding and skills. I want to take this a step further - pointing to something that is already present in the student. It is like teaching someone to have shoulders. You can’t really teach someone who already has shoulders, to have shoulders. However, you can make them more aware of the shoulders they already have.
A mentoring relationship is usually where one wiser and more experienced person assists another person to grow and learn. Humans from the beginning of time have learned norms, values and behaviours by the example and coaching of others.
New adaptations of mentoring allows individuals to interact as colleagues in a helping relationship, on a more equal basis which can cultivate growth and learning to mutual benefit.
Experience, skills and a genuine desire to help are more valuable assets in a mentoring relationship than age or position. Open and assertive communication and the trust of both parties are essential.
Benefits to the Practice
• Greater productivity
• Discovery of talent
• Development of leadership for future survival and prosperity
• Communication of values, goals and plans
• Increase in morale and motivation
• Demonstration of personal and professional standards
• Achievement of excellent service
• Implementation of equity initiatives
• Fostering of shared values and team work
• Enhancement of leadership and people management skills
• Revitalised energy
• Increase in staff satisfaction
• Building a learning organisation
Benefits to the Mentoree
• Development of potential
• Increased knowledge about the practice
• Flexibility - Mentorees negotiate with their mentors to work within available time and other commitments
• Self directed learning - Mentorees choose specific learning objectives
• Give and receive feedback
• Receive encouragement and support to achieve goals
• Develop new networks
• Develop new and/or different perspectives
• Get assistance with ideas
• Demonstrate strengths and explore potential
• Develop visibility within or outside an organisation
• Be challenged to use talents and share expertise
• Develop and increase self confidence
Benefits to the Mentor
• Obtain a greater understanding of the barriers experienced at lower levels of the practice
• Enhance their own skills in coaching, counselling, listening and modelling
• The sense of being needed and recognised professionally
• Develop and practise a more personal style of leadership
• Gain additional recognition and respect
• Learn new perspectives and approaches
• Contribute something to others in the organisation
• Extend professional networks
• Demonstrate expertise and share knowledge
Both partners in the mentoring relationship benefit. Learning must be a lifelong process and one of the most effective ways to learn is to assist in the development of others. The best teachers learn much from their students, counsellors constantly learn from clients and partners in any successful relationship grow and develop along the way.
I look forward to our journey ahead, and trust that all will benefit in many forms.
Posted by chiropam on Sep 30, 2009 in Chiropractic
I was wondering to myself, “What shall I blog about today”? The last couple weeks of my life as a female chiropractor have been quite full with the administration side of my chiropractic business, so my creative side has been put on the back burner. It is school holiday time in Perth, which means 2 weeks break for the school kids between Term 3 and 4.
My daughter was with some friends in the afternoon and needed to be picked up. On my way, I’m driving along the beautiful coast road, as the sun is getting ready to set over the ocean, and Whack! “What was that?!?!” I thought to myself. The sky is falling! Not sure, I’m driving along, and on the passenger window was an egg splattered over my window. At first, I thought I hit a bird. But the slime that was smeared was not the presentation that hitting a bird would make.
A flood of emotions came over me, startled, shocked, curious, wondering, then angry. This egg did not fly randomly out of the sky, or did it? Was the universe trying to get my attention? When I was angry I was thinking that it was probably kids with nothing better to do during their school holidays. Nothing better to do? How appalling is that? We live in a society where kids have so much, that they find throwing eggs out of bushes at oncoming traffic amusing. Good old fashioned fun is great, playing outside etc. but not when it can endanger others.
If that would have hit the window on the driver’s side, it could have caused a serious accident. I don’t feel angry anymore, I’ve learned it is best not to carry that emotion. Identify it, look at the positives and negatives and be grateful for what it is.
Grateful for an egg splattered on my car? No. Grateful for it not being worse and giving me the opportunity to remind my daughter about values and acceptable behaviour. Yes. Interestingly enough, I could think of many other great things to do with eggs, not throw them at people, places or things.
I felt the need to share this, and would love to get your feedback and your thoughts in the Comments section.
Posted by chiropam on Sep 17, 2009 in Chiropractic
T E A M - Together Everyone Achieves More
In my life as a female chiropractor, I see that a healthy, optimum functioning body requires the coordinated effort of every aspect of the body. No cell, tissue, organ or system by itself will allow us to experience the highest levels of life expression. It takes teamwork by all the parts of the body.
As part of a transition taking place in my office, teamwork will be one of the major focuses.
Teamwork allows teams and families to be successful. Teamwork allows our body and our practice to be healthy. Teamwork in my practice, for example is essential to serve people to the best of our ability.
One of the main reasons I am in practice is to see people healed and delivered from interferences. I live and breathe chiropractic with all my substance. This is my reason or purpose for doing the best I can to inspire my team, to reach people and share chiropractic with them.
When you talk about success, most of the time you would think that you are the reason behind the success. But in reality, the success of your practice or business depends on whether you have developed a strong staff who are all on the same page as yourself.
An essential ingredient is having a team spirit deep within you. Next step is having your team sharing that spirit, or failure is inevitable. When you’re unified as a team, there’s much power and room for growth and success. There have been times of stagnant growth because of being stifled by an environment of distress. This occurred when the group or team worked as individuals rather than team members.
Teamwork is never by accident
It’s always deliberate and voluntary. Teamwork is defined as “the work of a number of persons in close association as members of one unit.”
The first thing that is needed is to express the need for and the importance of teamwork.
Describe what the business is all about, why we have a practice and what the purpose is.
Purpose is defined as “an object or result aimed at with determination”. This word is one of the components of a great team.
Having people on your side assisting you and believing in what you believe in only makes that idea stronger, and more powerful.
There will be support and challenge, possibilities and difficulties, positives and negatives. This is inevitable. We do have choices on how we tackle it and from which angle. There are many different ways you can look at your team and examine and re-examine whether or not this team is the best it can be. Many factors and a lot of good old fashioned hard work go into making a team that works.
Posted by chiropam on Aug 27, 2009 in Chiropractic
New Foliage
Yesterday was an amazing day outside. In Perth, we are nearing the end of our winter. Now winter here doesn’t even come close to the winters I remember in Michigan where I grew up. Now if you saw the sky yesterday, it was a brilliant blue with no clouds. It spoke of life. I felt like it would be such a waste to not take the time to breathe in some of that fresh air. I remember speaking with a few different patients, just the other day about taking time to ’smell the roses’. We have all heard that expression, and of course the phrase is not literal, as the rose bushes here have all been pruned! But taking it further, taking time to smell flowers, or enjoying a cup of tea or coffee, and just stop and be in the present. We all can let the busyness of life steal away from a beautiful day. I took a photo of my rose bush outside with a new bud growing. This is actually quite significant in my life right now. I have pruned different aspects of my life professionally, in order to have more beautiful flowers result in different areas.
New bud
In my ‘life as a female chiropractor’, that is actually my ’special of the week’. No specific symptoms, but actually acknowledging today for what it is, what it brings. I have a dear friend that reminds me and inspires me to smell the roses as his story is the opposite. He has time, but not the health or ability to move around the way he used to. The reality of my life is that I am able to walk and use my legs to exercise my physical body. This is a gift that we can take for granted as not all people have the physical health. More than a handful of patients brought this theme to their visit, and it was quite exceptional. Wisdom does come with age, but who wants to wait until we are 80 or 90 to realise these things and start living. The time is now - not yesterday, not tomorrow.
“Life is a gift, that’s why they call it the present.”
After I picked up my daughter from school, I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk. She looked at me with a strange look, so I painted a picture of how the walk would be. I explained that it was an opportunity to breathe in some lovely fresh air, have quality time for conversation, and get daily exercise in. The alternative was coming home and diving into the computer and getting on with the usual routine that comes after a normal school day. Well after that walk, she still got her homework done; dinner was still cooked and this blog post was written.
I felt so revitalised after and it was a nice change from the gym which is indoors all the time. Our Spring officially starts next week and with that brings real flowers. Let me encourage you as I will continue to remind myself to stop, and smell the roses…
Posted by chiropam on Aug 20, 2009 in Chiropractic
There are certain signs and symptoms that seem to be more prevalent than others at different times.I have been observing this over time in the course of my practice as a female chiropractor.
Upon my daily to weekly reflection, I notice that patients present with a ‘special of the day’.This ‘special of the day’ ends up usually being the ‘special of the week’.Whilst everyone is unique and treated personally, there are similar cases that come in that may not present for weeks to months later.
For example, last week it was hip pain.Hip pain is not lower back pain, nor is it pelvis pain or groin pain.They may be related, but the patient presents with pain in the hip joint proper and possibly surrounding muscles.Usually, these are the physical symptoms and the physical manifestation with an underlying cause.
The power of the mind and how our emotions affect us can be apparent in a case such as hip pain.Hip pain has been linked with a probable cause of fear of moving forward; fear of going ahead with major decisions; fear of nothing to move forward to.
After assessing these people, I found a major common thread in that when I asked them the questions of whether there have been major decisions they have been struggling with, (as stated above) the answer was yes.
It doesn’t always mean that it will be close to the present day of signs and symptoms, it could be accumulating over years.
This happened to me a couple of years ago. There wasn’t just a physical reason for the hip pain, it was an underlying emotional reason that resulted in the pain to alert me. I was grateful for understanding this and for my body speaking to me.
Being aware of these things is the first step in healing.We can assist ourselves in healing when we are aware of what to look for.The body continually speaks to us; it’s up to us to continually listen.The body is like a mirror of our inner beliefs and inner thoughts.
Are you or someone you know having hip pain or a problem with the hip? Perhaps asking yourself if there is something in your life that is holding you back from making a major decision. If not today, then remember this underlying message that may alert you in the future.
Posted by chiropam on Aug 13, 2009 in Chiropractic
It wasn’t until recently that I really thought about the phrase, “my life as a female chiropractor”. I used to just think of myself as a chiropractor, not necessarily a female chiropractor. I have been focused on becoming a chiropractor since I was 9 years old. That must have been amazing for my mother when someone asked me as a child, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” Instead of the usual response in those days of ‘teacher’ or ‘nurse’ - I come out with ‘chiropractor’ with confidence and certainty that wouldn’t be ‘normal’ for a typical 9 year old. That is why it fascinates me today when so many young people don’t know what they want to do. I guess I was the abnormal one by knowing so early. When I look back, I feel nothing but gratitude for being awakened to one of my main purposes in life.
Being a female chiropractor for me, means juggling that with being a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, mentor and woman in general! I personally have recently been able to bring that to better balance so that one doesn’t unequally outweigh another. I have spent a lot of time over the last few years on personal development including archetype awareness and the work of Dr John Demartini. This included reading books, watching dvds, listening to cd’s and attending various seminars. I believe that you get out what you put in. There are many great personal development tips and tools, but if you don’t implement them, they are useless. It is really quite simple, but it’s not always easy.
‘Yours truly’ with my mentor, Dr John Demartini
As a female chiropractor, I focused on the physical aspects of a patient’s health primarily. As a female in general, I focused a lot on the physical aspects of my own health - primarily nutrition and exercise. Over the course of my career, the insights that were so profound were the body-mind or mind-body connection. The body affects the mind. The mind affects the body. Therefore, the power of the mind is overwhelming in relation to the human body.
I felt that I always knew about how amazing and powerful the human body is. However, after doing the personal development work over the last few years, the power of the mind is what is capturing my attention primarily these days.
Until next time….in the life of a female chiropractor….
There are many superfoods listed – usually between 10 and 20. I have written my blog posts according to my personal favourites. Saving the best for last, here are the health benefits of dark chocolate.
Most people love chocolate – I do! What I found for myself was that eating regular milk chocolate was never satisfying. You could always eat more. It can be very difficult to stop, especially if you don’t have self-discipline. The sugar and less cocoa content is responsible for this. I’m not a fan of white chocolate, so it really isn’t tempting to me. After reading and understanding what is behind dark chocolate, it became my favourite type of chocolate and that is why I chose it as my last superfood.
Did you realise that chocolate is plant-derived, as are the fruits and vegetables recommended to be heart healthy?
While a little dark chocolate is good, a lot is not better. Chocolate is still loaded with calories/kilojoules. If you’re going to eat more chocolate, you’ll have to cut back somewhere else. With Easter here, so much emphasis seems to be around marketing chocolate eggs, bunnies, etc. Overindulgence is not recommended! Remember that a balanced diet and regular exercise is still the key to good health and wellness.
If you enjoy strong dark chocolate, you get more of the good stuff — cocoa. This in turn has less of the sugar, and your chocolate craving should be satisfied with lesser amounts. If you substitute plain dark chocolate for junk food, you will come out ahead health-wise. On the other hand, there are plenty of other, perhaps healthier ways to boost your flavonoid intake: fruits and vegetables give you the added benefits of fibre, vitamins and minerals, while straight black or green tea give you an antioxidant boost.
Dark chocolate does contain a bit of protein and various minerals including iron, copper, magnesium and zinc. However its main saving grace is that it contains high levels of flavonoids — chemicals that help protect plants from disease and insects. Gram for gram, cocoa contains higher levels of flavonoids than other renowned sources such as red wine, tea, apples and berries!
Studies have shown the benefits of both cocoa and high-cocoa chocolate have shown that it not only tastes good and stimulates endorphins, the feeling of pleasure but it also:
• Improves blood vessel health which in turn can help to lower blood pressure.
• Contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant.
• Can help to lower cholesterol.
• Can improve insulin resistance and sensitivity.
• Helps to reduce blood pressure in people with high blood pressure. However, people with normal blood pressure don’t appear to be affected.
• Reduces inflammation and plaque build-up in blood vessels, which can lead to atherosclerosis.
• Decreases blood platelet activity. Chocolate has been found to have the same anti-platelet effects as aspirin.
Dark chocolate also improves cholesterol profile by increasing HDL (good cholesterol) levels and lowering LDLs (bad cholesterol).
Here is some more good news — Even though it contains high levels of saturated fat, some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:
• Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
• Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
• Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.
That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.
• The stearic acid is converted to oleic acid which doesn’t raise cholesterol. Combined with the oleic acids already present in the chocolate, these appear to counteract the negative effects of the other saturated fat, palmitic acid, making it at least blood cholesterol neutral and perhaps even lowering it.
Does it have to be dark? The answer is yes. Dark chocolate for most is an acquired taste. It has been suggested that the milk proteins inhibit the absorption of cocoa flavonoids, so even if you eat more milk chocolate to compensate for the lack of cocoa, or eat milk chocolate with higher cocoa content, you still won’t get the same benefit as eating pure dark chocolate.
It has also been suggested that eating or drinking dairy products such as milk just before or after dark chocolate reduces its effects.
It can be healthy, but…
To add to the confusion, not all chocolate is created equal — levels of flavonoids may depend not only on the percentage of cocoa in the chocolate, but also the growing conditions, initial handling of the cocoa beans and the manufacturing process. What you buy might not be in the same league as what was proven beneficial in tests.
This makes it hard to pin down how much of which chocolate you need for health benefits. And the amount of chocolate consumed in some of these studies is enormous. The 100 grams of chocolate in some studies would account for more than one-quarter of the average person’s daily kilojoule requirements — with little other nutritional benefit. The dark chocolate that I recommend is the Lindt 70% or 85% varieties.
Like fine wine, appreciating fine chocolate is a “fun way to live longer” and a fantabulous way to receive some health benefits along the way!
Cherry season is just about over here in Perth, Western Australia. I did manage to find some nice ones at the local fruit and vegetable shop just the other day.
I did an experiment at the start of cherry season here which was the beginning of summer. One of my best friends was going to a market and offered to pick up a box of fresh cherries. They came in a 5 kilogram box which equals 11 lb and 0.36 oz. This box had some of the tastiest cherries I have ever had. I thought I would get tired of them but it was actually the opposite. I realised I would be missing all the health benefits on a regular basis if I didn’t include them almost daily. They don’t have to be fresh all the time. Cherries are also available dried, canned, jarred, juiced, and frozen.
Several cherry varieties are produced primarily in Michigan. Michigan is actually my birthplace and where I grew up. Some of the things I miss about Michigan are cherry picking, cherry festivals and cherry pie. I can’t forget Cherries Jubilee - which was one of my favourite desserts.
While writing this post, I was also reflecting and 2 things really stood out:
Erma Bombeck was born in 1927 in Dayton, Ohio. I didn’t realise she was born in the same city as my husband! Even though Erma suffered from a hereditary kidney disease, she developed a comical approach to life. Erma wrote about being a mother, wife, journalist, and a woman. She published more than four thousand syndicated columns, wrote 15 best-selling books, and became one of the world’s most beloved humourists. Erma Bombeck passed away in 1996. Her spirit, however, lives on.
Secondly, the movie, “Witches of Eastwick”. If you’ve seen the movie, you know what I’m referring to.
“Have another cherry…..” If you haven’t seen the movie, here’s a clip of the memorable scene: (Caution - sense of humour needed!)
In Australia, the cherries seem to be very popular at Christmas time because it is summer here in December. I have no complaints, as they are one of my absolute favourites.
Cherries have several important health benefits – from helping to ease the pain of arthritis and gout, to reducing risk factors for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers, particularly colon. Cherries also contain melatonin, which has been found to help regulate the body’s natural sleep patterns, aid with jet lag, prevent memory loss and delay the aging process.
Cherries are heart healthy. Studies have found that a cherry-enriched diet can help in loss of weight, body fat (especially the important “belly” fat), inflammation and cholesterol. All of the above contribute to risk of heart disease.
While there’s no established guideline yet on how many cherries it takes to reap the benefits, experts suggest that 1-2 servings of cherries daily can help provide some of the health benefits identified in the research. Single serving size examples include:
• 1/2 cup dried
• 1 cup fresh or frozen
• 1 cup juice
• 1 ounce (or 2 Tbsp) juice concentrate
Tart cherries offer far more benefits than sweet cherries. Tart cherries are very rich sources of anthocyanins whereas sweet cherries have lower amounts. In general, the darker the cherry color, the higher the anthocyanin content. The skin of the cherries holds most of the essential antioxidants vital to their health benefits.
Studies show that tart cherries, enjoyed as either dried, frozen cherries or cherry juice, have among the highest levels of disease-fighting antioxidants, when compared to other fruits. They also contain other important nutrients such as beta carotene, Vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, iron, fibre and folate.
In one study, women who ate two servings of Bing cherries daily experienced decreased markers of inflammation – due to the synergistic effect of all the natural compounds found in cherries. It has also been demonstrated that the anthocyanins in tart cherries may help prevent muscle pain related to intensive exercise. Cherry juice in the daily diet reported decreased symptoms of exercise-induced muscle damage. There was also reports of lowered serum urate levels. Other benefits extend to patients with autoimmune neurodegenerative and connective tissue diseases, particularly rheumatoid arthritis and diabetes.
As you can see by my past blog posts, I am passionate about the superfoods I write about. Another one of my regular favourites is Almonds. I carry a little almond tin with me in my handbag, and have them almost daily. So whether I am in the office or out and about, they are a very nutritious snack and are packed with health benefits.
You know the expression, “You are what you eat” - well then, “I must be nuts!” There are several other nuts with health benefits, but the ones I eat most are almonds. Walnuts are a very close second in my book.
As a health professional, I feel confident in recommending a daily handful of almonds to my patients. A daily one ounce handful (about 20-24) of almonds can help to achieve an adequate intake of essential nutrients, reduce hunger, and is a heart-healthy habit. A handful is better than reaching for things that are nutrient deficient. Almonds are packed with the following health benefits and are very satisfying.
Almonds are heart smart and can help to lower cholesterol as part of a diet low in saturated fat. Almonds (as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol) may reduce the risk of heart disease. Because people love to eat almonds, they are an ideal way for cholesterol-conscious patients to maintain healthy numbers. Of the 14 grams of fat found in one ounce of almonds, nine grams are monounsaturated (good fat). When choosing, organic raw almonds are best - not salted, sugared, smoked or chocolate covered!
Almonds are also very satisfying. They may help to stave off hunger, so can be used as a healthy snack. This makes almonds a good choice for weight loss or to maintain ideal weight. This is mainly due to the protein content (approximately 6 grams per ounce). They also contain dietary fibre, potassium, copper, zinc, iron and vitamin E . Almonds are the only good source of protein that is also an excellent source of vitamin E.
Almonds are also unique in that they provide various minerals that are essential for bone health, namely calcium, magnesium, manganese, and phosphorus have been implicated in maintaining bone mineral density. Almonds are comparable to skim milk and cheddar cheese in the quantity of these bone-building minerals provided in one serving. Other protein sources like chicken, beef, peanut butter, and eggs don’t offer the same. This is a great alternative for those that are lactose intolerant.
Another health benefit of almonds is as an antioxidant source. They are one of the leading food sources of alpha-tocopherol vitamin E. Alpha-tocopherol is the kind of vitamin E the human body absorbs best.
A one-ounce serving of almonds contains a similar amount of total polyphenols as one cup of green tea and 1/2 cup of steamed broccoli.
To receive the health benefits of almonds in other ways, they can be:
Added to cooking – savoury dishes such as Almond Chicken.
Salads - sprinkling slivered almonds on top, in various recipes.
Sweets such as cakes, cookies, muffins (not ideal for weight loss or maintaining ideal weight) but for that special treat.
Don’t forget almond butter! Great on a cracker or biscuit!
Chiropractic is an art, science and philosophy focusing on a nervous system free from interference to allow the body to reach it’s optimum potential, naturally.
Chiropractic is a main passion and interest in my life. Not only is it my profession, but a way to connect the mind and body; a lifestyle - a natural way to allow your body to heal itself, and so much more. It is about looking at the entire body. Our bodies act as a whole unit - from Above, Down, Inside, Out! I love serving the community and being pro-active in making a difference…both individually and collectively as a whole.
