Nordic Walking Poles – A growing fitness trend for everyone.

My wife and I starting using Nordic walking poles a few years back after arthroscopic surgery to repair a knee after a skiing accident. Linda’s personal experience in her recovery efforts and as a chiropractor who has seen hundreds of people who have had gone through rehab from knee and hip repair, she now is a big supporter of Nordic poles to help people “learn to walk properly” again.

However you don’t need to be rehabbing to take advantage of the benefits of Nordic pole walking.

As a recent article in the Vancouver Sun pointed out, more urban walkers are taking advantage of Urban poling which can ramp up your calories burned by 20% to 45% over walking alone. The poles are outfitted with rubber tips so your strike on the pavement is lessened and the metal shafts of the poles absorb the balance of the vibration.

The idea behind Nordic walking came from Finland in the 1930’s where cross-country skiers wanted a method to continue their training during the off season. Years ago when hiking around the local trails we would hear comments like “Hey you going skiing?” or “Where’s the snow?” Now it’s commonplace to see polers tripping about the greater Vancouver pathways.

Despite the increase in usage of Nordic poles, some sports stores don’t carry them at all and if they do they only carry a limited selection. I did find however that the Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) does carry a good selection of poles as well as replacement tips. Average prices range from $50 to $150.

Aside from burning more calories other advantages of Nordic Pole waking include:

* you incorporate 90% use of body muscles (only 40% while walking without poles)
*  you increase your cardiovascular workout
*  you walk more upright which improves your posture and balance
*  upper body activity using the poles improves upper body mobility 
*  post injury, poles assist you in relearning how to walk properly again without limping through brain retraining using a cross crawl pattern (like floor crawling)
*  it is suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels

My goal last summer was to walk the entire 42 kms of the Baden Powell trail which starts near sea level at Horseshoe Bay in West Vancouver and runs across the North Shore mountains to sea level again in Deep Cove, North Vancouver. I had my poles with me the entire time which really aided in balance and assisting in climbing.

Whether I walk around my neighborhood or hike up one of the local mountains I always take along my trusty poles. As the nice weather now approaches, check them out. You won’t regret it.

Laser Therapy for Brain Injuries

The use of low level light therapy (LLLT) or cold lasers has been around for decades for use in healing, prevention of tissue death, pain relief, reduction of inflammation.

One of the most interesting applications for cold lasers is in the field of neurology where serious brain diseases and injuries can be successfully treated.

At our clinic we have treated a number of concussion patients particularly in the youth hockey leagues here on the North Shore.

One such young concussion patient was Cyrus Valk from Edmonton whose uncle Garry Valk, the former NHL Vancouver Canuck, flew him down to see Dr. Linda Drake.

At the time Cyrus was a 14 year old hockey player who took two hits to the head within a few weeks and then a third “blocker to the head” which resulted in “huge headaches.”

“I took a couple of weeks off hockey and rested. When I went back to hockey I was hit again in the back of the head and now, 3 weeks later I was told by the neurologist – no school, no electronic devices, no stimulation, no TV no computer and only reading to occupy me other than massive amounts of sleeping. My CAT scan of my head was “normal.”

This is how the main stream medical profession handles concussions – basically do nothing and get lots of rest. However chiropractors who do advanced neurological training have been working wonders with therapeutic techniques which include the use of LLLT lasers. Additionally, chiropractors treat conditions associated with these injuries including whiplash, subluxation, neck strain, and muscle spasms.

On average, every hour 6 Canadians will suffer a traumatic brain injury with mild TBI’s making up 75% of all brain injuries. Some important facts to know about concussions are:

• A person does not need to lose consciousness in order to be diagnosed with a concussion
• A concussion is rarely a visible injury, the damage is below the surface and often do not show up on MRI or CAT scans as in the case of Cyrus.
• Pervious concussion patients are more susceptible to further concussions as has been well documented in the sports world with such stars as Sidney Crosby.
• Repeated concussions increase the risk for Parkinson’s, Dementia, depression and sometimes unpleasant personality changes. 

Though LLLT therapy is steadily moving into mainstream medical practice, the majority of doctors and their patients are still unaware that proactive therapeutic healing is available to them. If you or someone you know has been suffering from brain injuries it is worthwhile to investigate some practitioners who are using LLLT light for brain injuries.

Every year your body rebuilds itself, what do you want yours to look like in 2016?

One little known fact most people don’t realize is that your body will rebuild itself every year. However this begs the question, why aren't we getting stronger, faster, mentally sharper and overcoming nagging health problems?

Like the old saying goes, what you put in, you get out. So if you feed your body well for a year, get appropriate therapy for maintenance, the following year you should feel much healthier.

When selecting what foods to eat, a simple Google search for “super foods” will give you a litany of advice to help achieve optimum health however the most common lists are similar to the one found at the BestHealthMag.ca :

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-eats/healthy-eating/your-canadian-superfoods-list#7jCw6rQKO6Pq7vHj.97

Also you have a particular body organ that you know really needs some attention, the search that key word and super food i.e." brain super food." Additionally, advice from a trusted health care professional would be advisable for those have serious or long standing health issues.

What's your goal for 2016?