Holistic Tissue Treatment
Wellness. What’s that?!
In the past few weeks I’ve found myself having similar conversations with patients about self-care and I thought, hey why not write a post about it. So here is my pitch for ‘wellness’ and how it relates to PT.
These are the five main things I think about when discussing holistic wellness.
Treat Yo-self:
OK I wrote this down and now I’m like…what the heck do I say?? Dealing with stress likely looks different for everyone and depends on your specific stressors. Simple advice that I’ve found to be helpful is to take a little time each day for yourself to meditate, yoga, go for a walk, see a friend and cherish this time as important. Seek a Psychologist if your stressors are getting in the way of you reaching your goals or feeling your best.
Nutrition:
Calories in / calories out. It’s important to eat the appropriate amount of food for optimum output. In the dance community, and with younger athletes, I often have conversations about eating more to fuel their activity. For those who are feeling sluggish or have gained the COVID-19 lbs, I recommend buying things from the grocery store with fewer than 7 ingredients, 5 is even better. Just try to stick to real food and be aware of your portion size during meals.
Pre workout - 1-2 hours prior to training you can consume a carbohydrate meal. Examples are oatmeal, pasta, a sandwich etc.
During workout- If you are training for more than an hour, supplementing with something during training is worthwhile. A carbohydrate/ electrolyte snack every 20 minutes after the hour mark is recommended (this is where the bars and sports chews come in).
Post workout- Lots of vegetables and protein. If you’re trying to put on muscle 1.5-2g of protein per kg of body weight is the daily recommendation.
Sleep
Most recent research shows that 7 hours is the recommended amount of sleep per night. I need more than that, and if you’re training a lot you may need extra to recover. If you wake up in the morning super groggy you may need a little more or take a rest day from exercise. Healing time is important to getting stronger and avoiding long-term injury.
Exercise
MOVE YOUR BODY! If you’re seeing a Physical Therapist you likely have exercises to do every day. How do you stay compliant with these? Many people don’t realize that the exercises are the main component of how an injury heals. PT exercises are often dosed to help the tissue heal so the more you’re compliant with the exercise program, the faster you’ll heal. It’s just like doing biceps curls to get stronger muscles; consistency in your workouts leads to bigger gains.
Inflammation
The inflammatory response is normal when we have an injury to heal the area. If inflammation persists it can be problematic and also painful. Here are some ideas on decreasing systemic or localized inflammation.
Do you have a food allergy? If so, stop eating it! Did you know that a lot of our Serotonin is produced in our gut? If you’re stomach isn’t functioning well you’re not harnessing your happiness. Serotonin also inhibits pain responses.
Red Meat, shellfish, dairy, and alcohol are the best foods ever. Buuuuuuuuuut…they contain an inflammatory cytokine called arachinodonic acid. This means they may increase your systemic inflammation, making you feel more sore or even heal slower.
Supplementation: Curcumin/ Turmeric and Omega-3 are both anti-inflammatories. If you’re interested in getting supplements from a trusted source check out Didrik Sopler’s site at https://tissuerecovery.com/# and use the code EMILYNOE30%OFF for a discount! *I do not get any kick backs from Dr. Sopler, but I do trust him and his supplements.
These holistic concepts pertain to Physical Therapy because they affect how quickly and effectively our tissues heal. If you’re a current or future patient feel free to ask more about these things during treatment !