My Friday Five. Five things I've been implementing and exploring this week.
*Maksim as a puppy, now 183 pounds!
Book I'm Reading: The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell
If you know me, you know I am on the border of being obsessed with Malcolm Gladwell's writing. I only picked up The Bomber Mafia because he wrote it. He said it was a passion project. I did lose interest a little as he got into the deep details (sorry, Malcolm). My overall reaction is absolute fascination and excitement. From his website The Bomber Mafia is described as "weaving together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard to examine one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history". Over 500,000 Japanese civilians were killed under Curtis Lemay's command, yet he was awarded the first-class Rising Sun Ribbon Medal, the highest honor in Japan. It is an incredibly told story in classic Gladwell well-researched style.
Success Story: Neck pain radiating down to fingers
I recently had a patient suffering from severe pain, numbness, and tingling radiating from her neck to her fingers for weeks. She had been to her chiropractor a couple of times with some relief but was still in a lot of pain with very limited range of motion. She had never tried acupuncture before and was hopeful but also skeptical. The two needles I put into her neck on the opposite side of her pain were very reactive and painful. I decided to alter my original treatment plan because of how painful the needles were. Having never seen her before, I didn't know how she would respond to the treatment and I wanted her to get maximum relief. Instead of my plan to use twelve needles, I only used four and hoped I hit the right spots. Fortunately, after the needles, some cupping, and magnesium oil, she said she felt about 90% better than when she walked in and had almost full range of motion restored.
Quote I'm meditating on:
“Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tip Toe if you must, but take a step.” – Naeem Callaway
Product I'm using: Avazzia Pro Sport
A friend loaned the Avazzia Pro Sport to me while I was suffering from "drop me to the ground" low back pain. I tried to figure out how to use it on my own, but after a few weeks of guessing, I bought the instruction manual. It is a powerful little device and numbed my pain for several hours. The pain relief was enough for me to get a good night's sleep and recover from my workouts. My first choice would be to get acupuncture but to get someone I trust's schedule to line up with mine took way too long. This was a great second choice and I'm still learning all of the functions.
Music I'm listening to that makes me happy: Like a Rock by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
I love the idea of looking back on your life and seeing how strong and capable you were, acknowledging all you've accomplished, yet still knowing you have so much more in you, even if that strength looks a little different now.
ps I do not have any affiliation with the products mentioned. I like them and want you to know about them.