 I am pleased to highlight Paige as our March POTM. She is self-motivated and a valuable member of the San Ramon Valley High School girls basketball team, who just capped off their season with an appearance in the Nor Cal CIF State Championship Final Four. We are happy to be a part of her wellness team as a student athlete.
Patient of the Month questions: What do you love most about playing basketball?: I love the family aspect of basketball as I am with my team over 14 hours a week. They make me laugh, smile, and they always know how to push me past my comfort zone. Favorite basketball player: Stephen Curry Favorite breakfast: Eggs and Bacon A _____ day keeps the doctor away: practice Favorite smell: Bacon Favorite tv show or movie: Friends Favorite sports memory: Both shooting with Stephen Curry at his camp or winning the EBAL Championship this year At-home stretch/corrective exercise that has helped you the most: Rolling with a lacrosse ball & glute bridges Goal for 2018 sports seasons: Make it to the state tournament A book you think everyone should read: The Maze Runner Series How has chiropractic and working with Dr. Thornberry helped you work towards your health and performance goals?: Dr. Thornberry has helped me immensely this basketball season. With back problems in the most important times this basketball season she was there to save the day. During the EBAL playoffs she made it possible for me to go from unable to walk without excruciating pain to playing in the game the next day pain free. The stretches were amazing and corrected my back in no time! Thanks to Dr. Thornberry, I played in that game and we won. The next day we won the EBAL league championship and now we are playing in the state tournament. Dr. Thornberry fixed my back in less than a day and made it so I could contribute to my team when we really needed it!
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 It's fall now and since fall seems to last for 0.0586 seconds, it;s safe to say winter is coming. ;) The change of season always unleashes those annoying colds and our immune systems need a little extra attention. This year, try a spoonful of fire cider each day to turbo-boost your immune system. This paired with Standard Process Congaplex (available in swallowable and chewable!) will help keep you functioning at your best. Try this recipe and message me for instructions on how to get your own supply of Standard Process whole food supplements like Congaplex.  Ingredients:
1 part chopped onion 1 part grated horseradish root (fresh is better, even if it takes searching a few markets to find it) 1 part peeled and diced ginger 1 part garlic 2 cayenne peppers 20 oz of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar Combine all ingredients in a tall Mason jar with lid on tight. Allow to sit for one month. (Yes, 1 month!) Strain and discard all herbs. Add a few tablespoons of honey to sweeten. Sip a spoonful daily or combine with warm water or tea.  To help promote recovery, try this recipe in the evenings after a hard workout. Turmeric boasts anti-inflammatory properties that can help heal damaged tissues, decrease fatigue and regulate blood sugar. These are all good things to help you prepare for the next day's run. Plus, it is soothing and delicious.
-Place 1.5 c milk in a saucepan -Add 1tsp turmeric -Add 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/4 tsp cardamom powder, 1/4 tsp ground ginger and 1/4 tsp of cinnamon -Add tbsp coconut oil -Bring to boil and then allow to simmer for 5-7 minutes -Strain into a glass -Optional: add cinnamon stick  Click on image to link to the full podcast.  Have you ever done a race and when asked how it went you found yourself saying “It was ok, but I didn’t train for it so…..” Was that same race experience accompanied by memories of cramping at some point before the finish line? If so, latest research says it is not a coincidence. A recent Fast Talk podcast episode from Velonews summarizes the latest research on cramping which brings some shocking revelations. Namely, the role that electrolytes play in preventing cramping is much more limited than we thought. Rather, it is largely due to the an altered neuromuscular control at the level of the muscle spindle (excitatory) and Golgi tendon organ (inhibitory). This imbalance is now thought to be the main contributor to what we experience as cramping. This is not to say that the electrolytes are useless. Proper nutrition, hydration and electrolytes can delay fatigue but are not directly related to the mechanism of cramping in a race. In fact, it is your training preparation which has the greatest impact on whether or not your legs will fail you before you want them to.
What the research shows us is that your training effort levels (intensity, terrain/hills, volume) must mimic what you will be asking your body to do in a race, otherwise your neuromuscular system will be on high alert and begin to elicit the cramping mechanisms when the effort goes beyond that which you have prepared. Despite what we may have previously thought, no amount of Nuun tablets or GU packs will save you in that scenario. I can provide a couple of personal examples to bring this to light, which maybe you can relate to. Exhibit A: My husband has done the California Death Ride (a 129-mile cycling event with over 15,000ft. of climbing) 3 times. HIs first year riding it was a cramping disaster. Despite riding many, many miles in preparation he simply did not do enough climbing rides to prepare him for race day and even though he was diligently ingesting electrolytes, food and water the cramps persisted the entire ride. Exhibit B: When I compare my first marathon (Austin) with one of my more recent ones (Big Sur) the experiences were so drastically different. Not only was Austin the only time I’ve ever puked after a race but it was also unexpectedly (only because I never bothered to check) hilly in the latter half. I did all of my many, many miles of training on flat ground. So despite my nutrition and hydration efforts before and during the race I hit the inevitable wall-of-cramps at about mile 18. Fast forward to the Big Sur Marathon several years later. I signed up because it was a bucket list race and had no intentions of running it fast as it has a reputation for being one of the most difficult (and slowest!) courses in the US. But I trained smart and ran so many of my training runs on tough, hilly routes, not so concerned about how those hills were affecting my pace but just putting in the quality effort. This allowed me 26.2 miles of cramp-free running on race day and a Boston Qualifying finish time. I followed similar “nutrition” strategies both times. These are just personal examples but whether cyclists or runners we have all battled cramps at some point and puzzled over how to avoid them next time around. If you take the time to listen to the full podcast (highly recommend!) you will see that they are not suggesting that electrolytes have no benefit. Rather, they are noting how the research expands our knowledge on what role nutrition actually plays as well as other ways we can avoid cramping (hint: train better!) In light of that, they provide some insight into the most evidence-based ways to prevent and combat cramping. -Minimize fatigue (aka: get fitter!): This is perhaps the single best thing you can do to avoid cramping. Muscles cramp as a protective mechanism from the brain’s signal that you are unprepared for the task you are performing. Don’t perform effort levels/races until you have trained properly at those effort levels that will be required of you. And honestly, I've yet to be impressed by someone who tells me about a race they did for which they didn't train. Let's stop making this a badge of honor, folks. -Stretch: hold for 45sec! You will eventually feel a release which is the inhibitory Golgi tendon sending a signal to the muscle spindles to chill out and allows the muscle fiber to go back to a relaxed state. One of the early warning signs of muscle cramping is muscle twitching. When this happens, don’t run through it, slow down or stop and stretch. -Address low back problems: studies show that low back weakness is associated with calf cramping. Please tell me you're not surprised. The kinetic chain is here to stay. By the way, have you seen your chiropractor lately? -Pickle juice: Yes, it's still on the table! Researchers think it is actually the acetic acid (NOT the sodium!) that affects a neurotransmitter that balances the excitatory/inhibitory states of your muscle fibers -Mobility: When a muscle is shortened it causes the Golgi tendon to be less active (making it less effective at calming down the cramp-inducing muscle spindle), plain and simple. -Strengthening: Weak muscles fatigue more quickly, plain and simple. As with most things, the crux of the matter is this: there’s no replacement for hard work. You can’t trick your body with products in fancy packages on race day because you didn’t prepare properly. Your body is way smarter than that. Do the work, reap the reward, know the latest: knowledge is power. **I know I use the word "research" dozens of times here so you're probably wondering where it is. Velonews linked all of the studies on their page so find them there or just listen to the podcast!
Patient of the Month questions:Why do you run?: I run because I like to push myself to the limit (and occasionally past the limit) and I like the idea of being able to redefine that boundary through training.
Favorite race distance: 3k Favorite race: Sacramento MOCs Favorite breakfast: Eggs Benedict Favorite track/trail you’ve ever been to: Lake Del Valle A sarcastic comment a day keeps the doctor away: Early bird or night owl: Early bird Run with or without music: Without, except for when I'm on the treadmill. Favorite shoe to train in: Saucony Kinvara Goal for 2017-18 running season: Break records, not bones. A book you think everyone should read: The Catcher In The Rye How has chiropractic and working with Dr. Thornberry helped you achieve your health and fitness goals?: Dr. Thornberry has helped me immensely in being able to run and train again! She has helped me fix my biomechanical issues and craft a plan to reach my goals in a smarter, more efficient way. It is so nice to work with someone who understands not just the body of a runner, but the mind as well! Meet the newest inspirational member of our community! An avid runner with the USA East Bay FIT marathon training group, Soraya is a great example of what happens when you take initiative for your own health. Congrats on completing the 2017 San Francisco Marathon last weekend, Soraya. Keep moving forward!  Patient of the Month questions:
Why do you run?: "I run to escape the daily stresses and to relax" Favorite race distance? "Half Marathon." Favorite breakfast? "Oatmeal with bananas." Favorite trail you’ve ever been to? "I love running the trails at Lake Chabot." A "piece of chocolate" a day keeps the doctor away: "(I believe in moderation and try not to eliminate "bad" foods. Even too much of a good thing can be bad for you.)" Early bird or night owl? "Early bird." Run with or without music? "With music." Next running/fitness/health goal? "I just saw an advertisement for the Maui half and full marathon. I've never done a destination race so this might be a goal for 2018." A book you think everyone should read? "I can't think of any one book but I enjoy Runners World Magazine." Favorite running shoes? "Brooks Ghost." How has chiropractic and working with Dr. Thornberry helped you achieve your health and fitness goals? "I went to see Dr. Thornberry after trying to self heal a back injury and an IT band issue. After 3 weeks with minimal success I decided to see Dr. Thornberry. I had one and a half weeks left before my marathon and I was not healing quickly enough. Within one week of seeing Dr. Thornberry, my back injury was almost non-existent and my IT Band and hip issues were gone. I was able to run my marathon and surprisingly post marathon I have no back or IT Band problems. I credit Dr. Thornberry for loosing and adjusting what my body needed in order to be able to run without causing further damage." These two ladies, stars of the local prep running scene, are such vibrant spirits that bring the office to life when they walk in. A constant reminder of what hard work, a positive attitude and true dedication to one's craft looks like. Stride for stride on the track and in enthusiasm for their sport and teammates, the "Coney twins" are the reason I love what I do! Learn more about them in their interview below:  Why do you run?: We run because it's a great way to have fun, explore the outdoors, and meet wonderful people.
Favorite race distance: 1600m Favorite breakfast: avocado toast Favorite track/trail you’ve ever been to: The Dipsea trail An__________________________ a day keeps the doctor away: iron supplement Early bird or night owl: night owls Run with or without music: with music! Running goal(s) for 2017: BOTH CONEYS INJURY FREE AT THE SAME TIME A book you think everyone should read: Unbroken by: Laura Hillenbrand How has chiropractic and working with Dr. Thornberry helped you achieve your health and fitness goals?: Dr. Thornberry is amazing! She provides helpful exercises and hands-on therapy, speeding up the road to recovery. She is extremely encouraging and we are so lucky to have her help:)
 A really great study was recently released about some easily recognizable signs of risk for stress fracture. Read it! What I particularly appreciate about this article is the connection that is made, objectively and comprehensively, between female endocrine and bone health. Stress fractures are very much a cry for help from within your body; an indication that our body is in a state of stress. Getting sidelined and recovering from a strained hip flexor muscle is very different from a stress fracture as the latter is a symptom much more holistic issues that need to be addressed and mended in order to get our body as a whole back to a healthy state. In this study, of those women who were deemed moderate-high risk >50% developed SFx. within the year. That's worse than coin flip odds, y'all. Females are fortunate to have a unique physiology that allows us to see signs of deficiencies in ways the male body does not. We are wise to pay attention to them and do something about them rather than pretending that it's just "part of being a runner." Running is a arena in which we should be learning how to be our strongest, healthiest selves.
"Here are the six categories: (1) Low energy availability or loss of body weight, as a result of past (one point) or current (two points) disordered eating. (2) Low body mass index (BMI): one point for 17.6 to 18.4, two points for 17.5 or below. (3) Irregular periods: one point for 6 to 9 periods in the last 12 months, two points for fewer than 6. (4) Delayed menarche: one point for between 15 and 16 years old, two points for 16 or older. (5) Low bone mineral density: one point for a Z-score of less than -1, two points for -2 or lower. (6) Previous stress fractures (or stress reactions): one point for one previous fracture, two for two or more." |
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