Category Archives: Inspiration

Yoga Comes to the Rescue of Aging Joints and Loss of Running Buddy

A few weeks ago, we lost our wonderful springer spaniel at age 12 ½. No creature will love you unconditionally in the way that a good dog will.   Jenny was my running buddy for many years, and she also excelled at board games.

Jenny the Springer Spaniel

Jenny, the springer spaniel

As she started to slow down in the last couple of years, and as my knee started to swell with running, I needed to find another form of exercise that would be easier on middle-aged joints. My wife suggested that I try out a new yoga studio that had opened just across the new I-5 bridge near our office.

To be honest, I didn’t think that yoga was actually exercise. After all, my mother had gotten into yoga in the 1970s, but was not much of an athlete. I also wasn’t interested in chanting, gongs or anything that I might perceive as “strange.”

It has now been 20 months since I tried yoga for the first time and I continue to really enjoy the classes. They counteract all of the bad postures I find myself in during a long office or operating day. My flexibility continues to improve very slowly, but my balance is significantly better, and my shoulder, back and neck pain have entirely disappeared.

Any golfers reading this might be interested to know that I have increased my clubhead speed by five miles per hour (which means that I now hit my ball much further into the trees).

One of the things I like best about yoga is that people of all ages and all body types can practice together, regardless of ability or experience.

I would encourage everyone to consider trying something new like I did, especially if you find yourself with some nagging pain or stiffness that you just can’t shake. Jessie, the owner/instructor at Simply Yoga, has offered 10% off of an initial series of classes for any new student who mentions Salmon Creek Plastic Surgery.

Making Connection Through Effective Communication

One of the aspects of medicine (and of life in general for that matter) that we can never completely master is the art of effective communication.  Studies have shown that patients remember only 30% on average of what the doctor has said to him or her.  And that is assuming the doctor is having a good day. I always appreciate learning new ways of connecting not only with my patients, but also with my wife and children.

I came across a TED talk recently that I would like to share with anyone who might also be interested in learning more about how we communicate with others.  For those who have never heard a TED talk, I would encourage you to go to their home page (www.ted.com) and peruse the lectures and presentations available there on a wide variety of topics.

TED-Communication