Elk Valley Family Chiropractic

 is pleased to Welcome Sheryl Hancher to our team.





Sheryl is originally from Calgary and has been living in Fernie now for 13 years.  It was the fishing and skiing that attracted her to the valley and like many, it is now her home!
Sheryl has seen a chiropractor since she was 4 years old and now working with Dr. Mike & Karen and looking forward to meeting everyone as they come in to get adjusted.
  When you meet Sheryl ask her about food texture.  So interesting.

Blown Ankle No More!

Blown Ankle No More

Over 25 years ago I experienced a particularly horrendous (& hideous) injury: while playing soccer, I was slide-tackled with all the force directed toward my cleated and firmly planted foot.  The result of this was an eversion sprain (rolled inwards, rather than the more common inversion ankle rolling outwards injury), tearing all the ligaments on the inside of my ankle so badly I had to be casted for 8 weeks.  Nasty, nasty, nasty…

This “bad” ankle has plagued me for years.  I have had an incredible amount of therapy on it consisting of chiropractic, physio, and massage which have helped it immensely but never fully restored its full balanced function.  Conventional dogma and traditional teaching led me to believe that because the ligamentous injury had been so severe it would never be fully healed and would always need to be just managed so as to avoid degenerative changes and related secondary injury to joints related to it (ie the knee, hip, SI-joint and upper neck).  Because I am a Chiropractor and believe absolutely in the incredible ability of the body to self-heal, I never was fully content with just managing my “bad” ankle…

 Along the way, I became interested in the bodies biomechanics: its overall ability to move, function and maintain proper posture.  In 2007 I invested in a very cool technology in my office to asses gait (the position and movement of the feet related to standing and walking).  Basically, a person both stands then walks across a very sensitive sensor pad that sends a lot of information to a computer which analyses gait patterns and weight distribution.  This allows me to interpret imbalances in the gait pattern.  If necessary and appropriate I can then send this information and other measurements to a laboratory in Toronto to manufacture state of the art orthotics based on dynamic motion (rather than a more dated approach of estimating an ankles proper position without considering gravity).  A picture of my gaitscan results are below (Figure 1) showing the pronation (rolling in) of my one ankle.  I did, for a 2 year period, wear orthotics to help accommodate this imbalance which did help the symptoms.  Repeat gaitscans did reveal the same degree of pronation, therefore, the problem was not being corrected, just managed.

 Then I read the book ‘Born To Run’ in 2009 and my mind was blown.  This book exposed concepts to me that in all my years of research I had never been exposed to.  Essentially, the book describes our design as humans to allow us to run, which we traditionally have done either bare-footed or with minimal footwear.  It also showed how most current footwear is weakening the muscles, ligaments and tendons in our feet causing pronation and injury.  The proposed solution was to return to running barefoot or with minimalist shoes to restore strength and function to the feet.  WOW….this blew my mind – I went for it!

I have been running with Vibram Five Fingers for 4 seasons and now wear them daily in my office while working (this raises both eyebrows and awareness!).  Recently we have hired a new Team member in our office and are training on all our procedures; as part of this we repeated my gaitscan last week.  The results AMAZED me (see Figure 2 below): my gait patterns were fully restored, perfectly balanced and completely healed!!!  This has shown me the power of the body to fully heal given the right conditions.  It also gives me the confidence, in spite of what much of the medical, physio, orthotic and corporate shoe communities are saying, to encourage everyone to take this approach.  Yes, injuries can occur, but it is a process that needs to be approached gradually over a long period of time similar to chiropractic corrective care – it will take at least a year, likely more, of slowly increasing micro-changes.

This is critical to address and vital to health because of the nervous system.  Any joint in the body has position sensors in it called proprioceptors.  Just as the motion of your car turns the alternator which charges the cars battery, the motion of any joint in the body stimulates these proprioceptors which literally charge your brain.  This increases brain energy and function: Movement is Life!  The highest concentration of proprioceptors occurs in four joints: the ankle, the SI-joints, the upper neck vertebrae, and the jaw.  Therefore, movement of these joints is critical to proper brain function and is also why stretching, exercise and a specific Chiropractic adjustment of these joints will improve your brain activity: Chiropractic is not about pain, it is about your brain!

So, get moving people!  Get into your Chiropractor to get checked for subluxations of these critical joints and have their motion restored through a specific adjustment.  Get out to our “Barefoot Running Workshop” to learn more (check www.elkvalleychiropractic.com for schedule)…kick it into action and get your brain ENERGISED!!!

2009

2012

 

Living on the Outside (Aisle)

This is a very inspiring blog.  It reflects the journey taken by Chris in is quest to loose weight and eat healthier.  We can do it, when we set our minds to it!
Living on the Outside (Aisle)

The Importance of Vitamin D

From our good friend Dr. James Chestnut and his team at Innate Choice.

The issue of Vitamin D deficiency as a major causal factor in immune system related illnesses ranging from seasonal cold and flu, to heart disease, to cancer, to atopic and autoimmune disorders has received a lot of attention in the last few years. Clinical journals as well as the mainstream media have been reporting evidence that modern industrialized humans are severely deficient in Vitamin D and that this deficiency is a major contributing factor to illness and lack of health and vitality.
What does vitamin D do and why is it so important for wellness and prevention?
Before we discuss the evidence regarding vitamin D sufficiency and health and vitamin D deficiency and illness let’s first look at the basic science regarding the importance of vitamin D for human immune function and health. A basic understanding of why vitamin D is a genetic human requirement for wellness and prevention will allow greater understanding of why vitamin D supplementation is required.
The innate immune system is the component of our immune system that is genetically programmed to respond to antigens (viruses, bacteria, fungi, and any other threatening non-self invaders). The innate immune system uses what are termed effectors that are genetically coded to respond to antigens or invaders. The most studied of these effectors are named antimicrobial peptides or AMPs. AMPs not only attack the invaders they also trigger tissue repair and activate the adaptive or acquired immune system (the branch of the immune system that creates antibodies to specific antigens after exposure).
Recent research has shown that vitamin D up-regulates the genetic expression of AMPs in immune cells. Vitamin D also plays an important role in controlling the inflammatory response initiated by specialized immune cells called macrophages. A deficiency of vitamin D means deficient control of inflammation. In the skin vitamin D also activates the immune system against antigens.
"Thus, vitamin D both enhances the local capacity of the epithelium to rapidly produce endogenous antibiotics and, at the same time, dampens certain arms of adaptive immunity, especially those responsible for the signs and symptoms of acute inflammation." Cannell et al. 2008 Cod Liver Oil, Vitamin A Toxicity, Frequent Respiratory Infections, and the Vitamin D Deficiency Epidemic. Annals of Otology, Rhinology & Laryngology 117 (11): 864-870
Please read our newsletter outlining the benefits of Vitamin D.
http://www.innatechoice.com/uploads/newsletters/vitamin_d_what_everyone_needs_to_know.pdf

Recovery from Normal.

Recovery From Normal

 

Just over 2 weeks ago I completed the most grueling bike race in my experience thus far – the infamous and legendary Leadville Trail 100.  I’ve already written of my experiences of such, with its tremendous highs and lows, struggles and overall sense of overcoming extreme adversity and the amazing lessons associated with this.  Basically, it served up a hefty dose of whoopin which took me to a very deep and dark place for many hours – this is what I look for in these ultra-endurance races because this is where I need to go to learn more about who I truly am.  The result of this is best explained as True Bliss; not because of accomplishment, ranking, placement nor accolades, but because of what I have learned.  It is a surreal sense of well-being, pure joy and connection with all and everyone – Heaven, really.

One of the unfortunate side-effects of these races with me is ‘The Dip’ which occurs about 2 weeks after my big races.  It is best described as a deep dark depressive hole from which I find it very difficult to escape.  Because the after-glow-feel-good effect of elevated endorphins (dopamine and serotonin) is so intensively high in the week following these events, the supply gets exhausted and I crash….resulting in depressive symptoms.  This manifests as lethargy, reclusiveness, less desire to participate in activities, an aversion to exercise, lack of engagement with my wife and kids, less focus at work, wanting to sleep in and avoid my morning time practice of prayer and meditation.  This hit me like a freight train this morning…and it sucks…

In previous years I have been stuck in this for many weeks and it only gets harder to escape as time goes on.  So after a few hours of personal pity-party this morning, I cowboy’d-up, put on my Five Fingers and went for a 1 hour trail run on one of my favourite routes.  Initially, my mind fought it but after about 30 minutes the shift towards joy started.  Awesome, I have ‘slayed the dragon’ early this time!

On this run, it was revealed to me the beauty of experiencing this.  I caught a brief glimpse of the depressive symptoms that many in our society live with everyday – this is the sad reality and normal for many adults and kids. The effect of the endorphin rush from my run this morning with its amazing feelings of joy was not a boost for me – it was a return to my version of normal, to what I experience every day.   

This reveals some basic truths about depressive symptoms.  Contrary to common beliefs, they are not due to ‘chemical imbalances’ nor ‘bad genes’, but rather due to lifestyle imbalances.  As taught in our office, it is critical to continually work on improving how we Eat, Move and Think as taught by Dr. James Chestnut to build a strong foundation in health.  This is what supports proper nerve function, balanced hormone levels, ideal endorphin levels and decreases neurological stress which causes spinal subluxations (misalignments).  As Chiropractors we do not treat depression, however, by educating people to make improved lifestyle decisions and by optimizing neurological function by adjusting the spine the body will heal and return to its natural state of health.  This is what everyone deserves and why everyone needs Chiropractic care!

 

Wishing you Peace,

Dr Mike.

Mike Rumpel @ Leadville 100 MTB 2012 | RaceDay

Mike Rumpel @ Leadville 100 MTB 2012 | RaceDay
clips of Dr. Mike biking in Colorado.  If it isn't the elevation, its the cross winds.....

Leadville 100 Colorado

Hello everyone!

On Saturday, August 11, 2012 I was able to participate in a race that has been on my list of goals for a number of years – the Leadville 100 Trail MTB.  This is a 100-mile mountain bike race in Leadville, Colorado that is legendary for its altitude (starts at 10,000 ft and goes up to 12500 ft) and its difficulty.  It has become immensely popular in the last few years and attracts many pro-riders from the mountain and road bike disciplines.

I felt very prepared in that I had been training for over 8 months.  After arriving last Wednesday, I did 2 pre-race rides up to 11,000 feet and felt great.  I was ready and confident in being able to finish the race – for most, this is the goal: to finish in under 12:00 hours to receive the coveted belt buckle – many do not finish, including some pros.

Because I had made it into the race via lottery entry (over 10,000 apply!) I started at the back of the pack of 2100 racers.  This meant a very slow start as I was stuck behind many slower riders.  Eventually the pack thinned out after about 30km’s and I could pick up the pace.  The repetitive climbing was relentless and ended at the turn-around point on top of Columbine Mountain at 12,570 feet with a final 3000 foot 1.5 hour climb.  Oxygen was noticeably thinner at this point, compounded by cool temperatures and 70+km/hr cross-winds.  I actually felt pretty good at this halfway point with my legs and lungs, but not my stomach.  Unfortunately, with these long races, sometimes your stomach stops functioning and you get very nauseous – this happened to me 3 hours into the race.  The only thing I could do at that point was to switch to water only as I could not eat any food without risk of vomiting – I, however, knew I was in trouble because my energy would eventually run out – and this is exactly what happened with 55km’s left to go: I hit “the wall” and my body shut down…

I have hit the wall only once before and it’s extremely unpleasant; indescribable to those who have not experienced it.  Your body feels as if it is 1000 lbs and your feet are made of lead.  All you want to do is stop…but this was NOT an option for me – I had promised myself, my wife and my kids that I would finish this thing and that is exactly what I set out to do.  It took every ounce of focus I had to carry on and ignore the voices in my head telling me to stop.  I was crawling along at 10-15km/hr and walking up the climbs barely moving at all…but I kept going.  Even though I was on track for a sub 10 hour finish at the halfway point, it now looked dangerously close to not making it in under the 12 hour mark. After “bonking” I had 4 major climbs to do, which were massively punishing: after the third, I assessed my time and realized I needed to dig deep, deeper than ever before if I was going to get in under 12 hours – at this point I “dropped the hammer” and entered the “pain-box” like never before – every shred of my physical being was screaming at me as I picked up the pace to 35-45km/hr for the last 15 kms.  The last climb was relentless as I obsessed over my clock: 8 minutes to go, then 6,5,4,3,2…I stood out of the saddle and sprinted the final 750 metres with a strength not of my own to cross the finish line at….12:02…. I collapsed in the finish area, obliterated and crushed that I had missed it by only 2 minutes…

The race organizer was there and helped me up; I shared my story of bonking hard 55 kms out and digging deep, not ever giving up… He looked at me, smiled, hugged me and said that this is exactly what the Leadville 100 is all about: Digging Deep and Going Further than you think is possible…because of this, he awarded me a belt buckle because he said I had earned it!!!

Lessons for me learned during this race include never giving up even though at times it may seem impossible to reach your goals: perseverance, trust and action are all that are required to make it happen.  I also realized once again that when I think I’m done, I really have so much more left within me.

The reason I do these races has very little to do with the race itself: nothing to do with placement, competition nor acknowledgement.   It has everything to do with learning more about my abilities and my limitations such that I may become a better husband, father, chiropractor and man – this allows me to learn more and be more such that I may serve those in need to a greater degree in the purpose that has been bestowed upon me in this lifetime.

Dr. Mike.