Focus PT - August/September 2020

Focus Physical Therapy Bi-Monthly

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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2020

Workin’ Kids T his summer, both my kids got their first jobs. Kaden spent the summer working as a PT aide at Focus Physical Therapy with me, and Macy has been working at a dentist’s office with my wife. Both of my kids have spent time cleaning tables at the clinic in the past, but this was the first time they had “real” jobs. I was really proud to see how hard they both worked this summer.

How Kaden and Macy Spent Their Summer

Kaden going to work

Kaden has been coming in a few days a week, early in the morning, and has been in charge of cleaning. He’s dusting, vacuuming, cleaning down the tables, and folding laundry. He’s even become proficient with the laminator, so now he’s laminating things for us at the office. I’m glad to see that Kaden didn’t fall into the stereotype of “the boss’s kid” and actually put in the time and worked hard. Kaden said he’s enjoyed working over the summer and likes working with the rest of the team, particularly Grace, our lead aide who makes sure he stays busy. He’s also learned quite a bit from patients. As soon as they learn that Kaden is my son, they share plenty of stories with him. Macy has also gotten to experience life in a medical office. My wife is a dental hygienist, and when her office reopened, they were short- staffed due to concerns about the pandemic. One night over dinner, Laura told us about how they needed extra help up front, taking people’s temperatures and clearing patients before they came into the office. Macy was quick to volunteer. Laura ran it by the office, and they were glad to have Macy come in. At first, Macy was only going in on Wednesdays and Thursdays, the same days my wife works. Macy’s too young to drive, so she gets a ride with my wife. But the office manager took such a liking to Macy that she found more work for her to do. This is quite an accomplishment for Macy, because my wife says their office manager is usually tough on everybody. Soon, Macy was working three days a week, which meant my wife had to drive Macy out to the office on her day off! Both kids have had a pretty productive summer, and we’ve gotten some funny stories out of the experience. One day, Macy came home, and I asked her how work was. She said it was great. Then I asked what she’d done that day and she said, “Oh, you wouldn’t know.”

Macy going to work

“Try me,” I said.

“I did my thing, then I worked with some EOBs, but you don’t know what those are.”

“EOBs are explanations of benefits,” I replied. “Actually, as a physical therapist, I’m pretty familiar with EOBs.”

My kids have definitely worked hard and learned a lot this summer. It’s funny, because my first job was also working with one of my parents, but I wasn’t in a nice, clean office environment like my kids are. My dad owned an auto dismantler, which required doing a lot more outside in the heat of San Bernardino. I spent the summer going to car auctions, taking parts off cars, loading scrap metal into the pickup truck, and driving out to the scrap yard. It was hard work, but I did have some great experiences with my dad. That said, there were times when I definitely would have preferred it if he had worked in a dental practice or a PT office — somewhere with air conditioning!

Focus Physical Therapy • Call 949.709.8770 • 1 –Julian Manrique

Your ‘Clean’ Workout Routine

Turn Household Chores Into Effective Exercise

Everyone knows how labor-intensive cleaning can be. A long day of scrubbing down your house is a great way to work your muscles and get your blood pumping, so crank up some tunes, grab a mop, and get ready to transform your cleaning routine into a great workout. To get physical benefits from cleaning, you need to turn up the intensity of your methods. Exaggerate your motions, pick up your pace, and keep your abs tight and knees flexed. Nearly any chore can be turned into an exercise, but here are some ideas to get you started. • Vacuum: Vacuum briskly nonstop for at least 20 minutes, switching arms as you go. For an added challenge, do lunges as you vacuum and remember to keep your toes pointed straight ahead and your knees bent at 90-degree angles. • Pick Up: Instead of simply bending over to pick up toys or clothes, do a squat with every item you grab. Remember to

use your legs, not your back. You can also do squats while unloading the dishwasher or with any other chore that involves repeated bending. • Wipe Down: Whether you’re wiping windows or scrubbing appliances, do big, exaggerated arm circles until your muscles start to burn and make sure you’re switching arms as you go. • Cook: It’s not cleaning, but it’s still a chore with useful downtime. While food is simmering or thawing in the microwave, do some pushups, situps, or planks to get your muscles moving. You can implement dozens of exercises to turn mundane activities into beneficial workouts. Some chores will burn more calories than others, but every bit of activity helps. Now’s the time to work your way to a cleaner house and a healthier you. The biggest compliment you can give us is referring friends and family. Thank you for all your referrals and keep them coming!

SUCCESS STORIES

“I started with Julian and Focus Physical Therapy after injuring my knee from overexertion. I couldn’t kneel or squat without feeling like my muscles were going to tear off of my knee. The Focus team helped me work through exercises and hands-on treatment to relax and strengthen the muscles around my knee, helping me to regain my full range of motion.” - Ryan Bouley “At Focus Physical Therapy, the staff is very helpful; I had calf pain that had been going on for a while. With hands- on therapy, exercise designed specifically for me, and laser treatment, I did experience some relief. Julian tried to zero in on just the area that was bothering me.” - Gail Storch.

We love our clients!

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DISCOVER THE NATUROPATHIC ROUTE

Dr. Barbara Rush Offers New Options for Your Health

one of his coronary arteries and after he had spent time with a famous cardiologist to learn how to better take care of his heart. Later I learned that same cardiologist also died from a heart attack. It was clear to me that some of the options available to people weren’t working. That is when I started looking around for medicine beyond the allopathic options.” Dr. Rush has treated a wide variety of conditions, from menopause and diabetes to gut health. She specializes in hormone balancing, as well as IV therapies, offering both immune IV and IV ozone. Immune IV is designed to help get your immune system “back online,” so to speak, by boosting your immune system. IV ozone therapy is an antimicrobial blood treatment that can be beneficial for patients who have chronic, underlying immune problems. IV ozone sanitizes the blood and can address bacterial, viral, and fungal issues. Though she specializes in IV therapies, Dr. Rush is understandably very passionate about heart health, too. She is in the middle of a trial for a product she’s developed that is designed to help improve a patient’s cardiovascular health. This is a free, open trial for anyone who is interested in potentially improving their heart health. “I really want to help people live longer, more fulfilling lives,” says Dr. Rush. “I get to see people who have struggled with their health, who are not happy about their current situations, and help them find new options. They have the opportunity to realize that medicine doesn’t have to be as complicated as it is often made out to be.” If you are interested in learning more or would like to sign up for Dr. Rush’s heart-health trial, call 562.673.7614. New patients can take advantage of a free, 30-minute health evaluation. Get answers to your questions and learn what options may be available to you beyond the allopathic medicine route.

Focus Physical Therapy is very excited to welcome Dr. Barbara Rush to our office! Dr. Rush is a licensed naturopathic doctor who is leasing some of the available space at the practice. Her journey to alternative medicine began when she was 19 years old, after her father died of a heart attack. “When I was growing up, I thought the allopathic route was the only thing available,” Dr. Rush explains. “But when my father died, something felt wrong to me about that approach to medicine. My father passed away after he had open-heart surgery to unblock

HAVE A LAUGH

WORLD’S BEST VEGAN CHIMICHURRI This tasty sauce originated in Latin America and is easy to make: It has just eight ingredients and takes only five minutes to whip up. The flavors in the recipe are flexible, so you can experiment with different herbs and spices. Then, pour over rice or your favorite grilled foods and enjoy! Inspired by Simple Vegan

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp dried oregano • 1/2 tsp salt (Himalayan pink salt recommended) • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper • Cayenne pepper, to taste

• 1/2 cup oil (extra-virgin olive oil recommended) • 1/4 cup vinegar (apple cider vinegar recommended) • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 4 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

Directions

1. In a bowl, add all ingredients except cayenne and whisk until well mixed. If desired, add cayenne pepper a little at a time until you reach your preferred level of spiciness. 2. Serve immediately or, for an even better taste and texture, refrigerate for 1–2 days. 3. You may increase the batch size, but keep the ratio of oil and vinegar the same — 2-to-1. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 months.

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SPECIALIZING IN: LOWER BACK PAIN • SCIATICA • NECK PAIN AND HEADACHES HIP PROBLEMS • SHOULDER PAIN, BURSITIS, AND TENDINITIS SPORTS PHYSICAL THERAPY • GOLF PERFORMANCE KNEE PAIN • PLANTAR FASCIITIS • DIZZINESS AND VERTIGO AQUATIC PHYSICAL THERAPY • AND OTHER CONDITIONS

Why Summer Jobs Should Have A/C 1 2 2 3 3 4 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Exercise Your Way to a Clean Home Success Stories Find New Options for Your Health World’s Best Vegan Chimichurri Are Your Thrift Store Donations Being Thrown Away?

Are you thinking about donating your kids’ old clothes or that slow cooker you haven’t used in months? Though donating your unwanted items is a great thing to do, amid the pandemic, many people have not considered the future of secondhand shopping and charity-based thrift stores like Goodwill. In 2018, Goodwill funded nearly $5.3 billion in charitable services, like educational assistance, job training, and work placements. But now, Goodwill and similar organizations are facing a unique problem: They’re receiving too many donations. To prevent your items from ending up in a landfill, consider the following before you donate. Under the circumstances, this situation is understandable. Thanks to nationwide stay-at-home orders, many took advantage of their newfound spare time to spring-clean and subsequently donate unwanted items to charity. However, with the confusion about how long the COVID-19 virus can live on clothing, secondhand shoppers have been staying home, worried about the health risks of buying used goods. Are Your Thrift Store Donations Being Thrown Away?

their stores. Instead, it’s sent to discount outlets and then into global markets. However, Mexican traders, who account for 30% of business at thrift stores close to the U.S. southern border, and Kenya, the world’s largest buyer of unsold secondhand clothes, have stopped buying during the economic shutdown. Meanwhile, some good-intentioned Americans are leaving their goods outside thrift stores’ front doors, not realizing that without enough space to house the excess donations, many of these thrift stores will have to pay disposal fees, costing the business potential revenue and sending your items into local landfills. However, Goodwill still wants your donations! You just might have to hold on to your items for a little bit. Check to see if your local thrift stores are open for donations. Many recommend waiting until the influx slows down, but others have expanded their inventory storage and are ready to keep up. Just make sure to follow their guidelines on acceptable items because any broken or worn items only add to their costs. Happy donating!

Famously, thrift stores still keep unsold goods out of landfills. Up to 75% of Goodwill’s merchandise, for example, isn’t sold in

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