So for a long time I have been advising my patients with low back and or hip issues to get into hula hooping.  I have always thought that it is a great way to loosen up the low back and hips with a low impact exercise.
Here is a profession of guilt, I don’t hula hoop.  I am ashamed, truly.
So I am doing something about it.  Yesterday I ordered a hula hoop, as I wanted a good one.  Everything I read about the toy ones led me to believe that I needed one of quality.
I will begin hula hooping when it comes.  My goals are to hula for 5-10 minutes to start (once I figure out how to do it).  Then get to 15 to 20 minutes a day.  All in order to lose weight (it burns 400-600 calories an hour), tighten my abs and strengthen my core.
I will keep readers of this blog up to date on my progress.

Please cheer me on!!

One morning towards the end of the school year my daughter called to me from her bed when she woke up.  She said “Daddy, my legs hurt so much, I can’t even stand.”   My heart broke seeing my daughter in so much pain.  Watching her trying to walk was even more painful for me.
When she could walk, she could only walk on tippy toes, because she could not put her feet flat on the floor.  She would limp around the house. Her only comfortable positions were sitting or laying down.
When I tried to see what was wrong, by feeling her calf and leg muscles, I was shocked.  Her calf muscles felt like rock and when I would feel them, my daughter would scream in pain.
At first I had her take hot baths and soak her legs.  I hoped that would help her at least be able to stand more comfortably.  This was of some help, but not much.  Then I asked her to start stretching the muscles after the bath, and this too helped some.
I knew it was time to really take a more hands on approach to her problem.  After explaining to her that it would hurt some, we needed to get those muscles to relax or she would be in for some rough times ahead.
My daughter’s pain was not as new to me, as it was to her.  When I was her age or slightly older, I had growing pains as well, although in a slightly different place.  It was so severe I needed crutches for 6 months.   I was diagnosed with Osgood Schlatter’s Disease.  This hard to pronounce “disease” is what happens when the upper leg bone (the femur) grows too fast for the muscles to keep pace.  The tendon starts to tear off the tibia where it attaches after passing over the knee.
For my daughter, I did not want her to have so much pain and discomfort for so long.  So after trying the baths, the stretching and not getting the results I had hoped for, I tried massage.  I would have her soak in the tub to warm and soften the muscles and then I would massage her calves.  The massage was uncomfortable for her and even painful because the muscle was so tight.  Still it provided some temporary relief.  She however, still could not walk well.
I moved on to the next tool in my toolbox – electro-stimulation acupuncture.  This must sound scary, even Frankenstein like, doesn’t it?  Well, this is just a fancy way to say, that I put needles into the tight muscles and then send a small electric current to the muscle.  This causes the muscle to contract and relax many times.  This tires the muscle and a tired muscle does not want to be in spasm.
I tell my patients that it is similar to opening and closing your fist many times.  Eventually, your fist will tire and you won’t want to open and close it any more.
This treatment along with massage did the trick.  We did it 3 or 4 times over the course of a week.  My daughter was thrilled to be able to walk normally again as she wanted to be able to go on her end of the year school trips.
Today she went to the doctor for her annual check-up and it turns out that she grew 3 inches since last year.  She is now 5’ 7” tall and 12 years old.  She likes her height, but she hopes she stops growing soon or at least slows down.  Us too, we can’t keep her in shoes.

Ivie of Capitol Heights talks about how Simeon Pollock/ Wholistic Family Healthcare helped her get rid of her low back pain and her sinus pain and pressure.

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Have you ever been in so much pain and you could not move properly and could not figure out why?

Recently, I have been working with a young man who has had so much back pain he had to leave work and go on disability.  Shocking as it was he could hardly even walk let alone get in and out of chairs.  Every way he moved he had pain.

His daily activity was sitting in a recliner!

When I questioned him as what may have caused his being this way, perhaps an accident or a fall.  He replied that he had he had done nothing of the sort.  He could not understand why he was like this.  He explained he was too young for this sort of thing.

Sadly, I see a lot of these types of people and usually after they have been to see a doctor, have been to the hospital, sometimes have had physical therapy and all to no avail.  Their pain is still persistent and they are usually frustrated.  Who could blame them?

With the young man I was writing about above he is now walking, doing household chores and getting back into his life.  We have been working together for about three months now and the changes are extraordinary!

Here is what happened to him and why he was in so much pain.

Most injuries occur with a sudden onset and usually one can pin point the cause.  As with this young man the onset was insidious.  Meaning it happened gradually and over time.  We call these injuries micro-injuries or low intensity injuries.

Micro injuries can happen over years with no obvious signs or symptoms until the proverbial straw breaks the proverbial camel’s back.  Then it is your back or your knee or your hip that is in pain and you lose range of motion or if really bad, are out on disability.

This young man through what he did for work continuously injured his back muscles until he was in so much pain he could not move.  His muscles were so tight when he came to see me; it was like working on rock.

Believe it or not what also factored into causing his injury was work place stress – yes stress.  How would that cause a back injury you are asking yourself?  Well in Chinese medicine the back is ruled or governed by energy that is affected by stress.  The constant stress combined with the postures he was standing in combined to disastrous results.

His treatment not only includes working on his muscles to make them more supple and pliable, but also to address his stress.  It is a multi pronged approach that is typical of Chinese medicine and typical of the work done in my office where I combine acupuncture techniques with massage therapy techniques into one very powerful treatment.

Don’t continue to suffer, call my office today to schedule your appointment at (301) 495-0303.

I now accept assignment for Blue Cross and Johns Hopkins EHP for acupuncture.  I can also bill any insurance that has acupuncture coverage.

My office is conveniently located in downtown Silver Spring, MD minutes away from Washington, DC and close to the Silver Spring Metro stop.

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Erica of Silver Spring tells how she can now move about freely and pain free. Just look at her smile!

Duncan describes in his own words how Simeon Pollock has helped him become happy and free of low back pain. 

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Hi Just a quick note to let people know I am now on Facebook and would love to have you join me as a friend.

Also I have begun to tweet on Twitter.

I am listed as Simeon Pollock on both.  This is all very new to me so any helpful suggestions would be great!

No doubt you have noticed we are still in the middle of winter.  However I also hope you have noticed the lengthening days – it is still light outside at 5:30pm!!!!

For me this is a harbinger of spring.  It is time to start thinking about all those things we like to do when spring comes – baseball, bicycling, long walks, feeling the warmth of the sun.

For some it is an all together different experience.  For some it is a time of misery, when seasonal allergies rear their ugly heads.  The time of year to start getting allergy shots, going back on medications that make you drowsy and slow is now upon us. Ugh!!!!!

I always think of my cousin who I would watch suffer from this most of the year.  I have to admit it was painful to watch.

Well, this time of year starts me thinking of what one needs to do to prepare for spring’s arrival.  Within Chinese medicine we concentrate on prevention and NOW is the time to start working on preventing the reaction to spring time allergies.  Now is the time to start thinking about cleaning out your body and getting your energy back up and into gear.  Now is the time to start thinking about the menu that will change once the warmer weather arrives.

I would love to have a conversation with you about all these matters.  We could discuss ways in which Chinese medicine and acupuncture can help you lessen the severity of allergic reactions to spring time allergens.  We could discuss food ideas and recipes.  We could discuss ways to strengthen your defenses and energies.
Our new President is preaching about change.  I think we should heed his call and make up our minds to change the way we live.  Let’s get healthy and energetic, let’s start that spring cleaning a little early and get moving.  Let’s change for the better.

Call me now to make an appointment at 301-495-0303.  My office is located near the Silver Spring Metro station and is convenient to Washington DC.

Hi All:

I am now a preferred provider with both CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield and Johns Hopkins EHP for ACUPUNCTURE.
I participate in all Blue Cross programs including Federal.

If you have been holding back from scheduling an appointment due to cost I hope this will make it easier for you.  So now there is no excuse not to use acupuncture to stay well.

Call right now for your appointment 301-495-0303

The other day I was reading an article by a person I respect when it comes to dogs.  Cesar Millan is his name and I find that his books make sense to me and I have used his advice pretty successfully, when it comes to my dog, and honestly when it applies to my kids as well.
In this recent article that appeared he writes some pretty poignant stuff.  His article was entitled: What Your Pet Can Teach You.  In it he describes some valuable lessons that people can learn from dogs in how to live free from stress.
He makes five points and they are: 1) Live in the moment.  Don’t always regret the past or worry about the future.  Instead focus on what is happening right now.  Dogs live in the moment.
2) Nurture a balanced life.  Chinese medicine is all about balance, so this one struck me in particular.  He advises physical activity, routines, a sense of structure and the opportunity to give and receive love.  It is so very important to do this every day.
3) Trust your instincts.  This could be translated into – be aware of your energies and of those around you – you innately know what is right or wrong for you.  Trust your gut.  We have all too often lost touch with this part of ourselves.  Don’t let other people’s negative energy invade you.  Radiate positive energy – smile a lot, greet people with a happy face.  These things cost nothing but can instantly change the energy in a room and make your day better.
4) Be direct and consistent in your communication.  I use this a lot with my kids – and it works. How often do we say one thing but “broadcast” something else by our body language and facial expressions.   There used to be an expression that went  “mean what you say, and say what you mean.”  Kids and dogs all “read” you.  They respond to your energy not your loud voice or your’ screaming.  People will react to us via the energies we put out – both verbal and non-verbal.
5) Learn to listen.  Just listening to those you love says a lot to them about how much you love them.  It may not fix their issue, but sometimes listening is more helpful.
6) Don’t hold grudges.  This one was a hard one for me.  Cesar talks about how dog packs lack conflict and says that this is because they settle disagreements when they arise and then move on.  Holding onto past wrongs and then bringing them back up serves no constructive purpose.  They just hold us back.  I like the saying – if it does not pay the rent, kick it out.  In other words, if something is taking up space in your brain and sapping your energies, then get rid of it.
7) Live with purpose.  Bored dogs are destructive dogs, when given a job they are happy.  Everyone wants to be constructive and to contribute.  There is no feeling like the feeling of accomplishment , the feeling of a job well done.
Celebrate every day.  Cesar writes that for a dog every day is a holiday, every walk is the best walk, every meal is the best meal.  Can you imagine if we had that kind of enthusiasm, that kind of happiness?  Celebrate what you can do – see, walk, talk, eat, feel.  Revel in a challenge and then enjoy the satisfaction of trying your best and of accomplishment.  My patients always complain about getting older, and I always tell them it beats the alternative.