Friday, December 14, 2012

Before I die..

Hello All!
The past 3 months have been incredibly crazy! Between school, clinic and still having a life, I haven't had much time to blog!

Here's the low down on what's been happening!
I am officially an intern in our outpatient clinic! So, if anyone is looking for a good chiropractor that is incredibly affordable in the Atlanta area- let me know! If you have questions on what chiropractic is, how it can help you/your family I would love to talk with you!
(P.S--2013 is going to be the best year!)


Over Thanksgiving we packed up the car and headed to Nebraska for a week! My dad was home his R&R leave from Kuwait. It was such a nice week to spend at home with the family!
Dad's first meal state side!

Furbaby Crosby!

Rob, Me, Fasha

Love this little booger! 

We're not sisters but we could be!

Mommsey and me!

Parents!

The one and only Crosby 

Packed to capacity


Rob has been one hard working man at MHC! I am so proud of him, he is extremely good at what he does and has worked so hard to get his branch going in the right direction!

With 2013 around the corner that means pressure of making "resolutions"...well, Rob and I don't make resolutions. Instead we have our ___ by ___ list and our "Before I Die" list.

The ____ by ____ list is determined by our age!
So mine is 24 by 24
(P.S this was created in October, when I turned 23!)
Here's a little preview of my list..


My "Before I Die" list was created out of inspiration! One of my instructors showed us this video from TED.com (video: http://on.ted.com/Chang)
A woman by the name of Candy Chang changed her neighborhood in New Orleans by a simple statement of "Before I Die I want to _________." It's such an inspiring video!

Monday, October 8, 2012

The Big Thank You!


A local radio station is doing "The Big Thank You" again this year. The goal is to write enough letters to send to the troops who are deployed, so they each get a letter on Thanksgiving. My dad is currently deployed, and I am thankful I will get to spend Thanksgiving with him...but many will have to go through the holiday season without their soldier. I encourage you..and your friends, family, co-workers and even students to take 5 minutes and write a hand written letter!
Please visit this link to the Big Thank You's webpage for more information: Big Thank You 2012

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Chiro Missions: Dominican Republic


I am back from the Dominican Republic and wanted to thank you for all of your support and prayers. The trip was an eye-opening experience, but well worth it. We stayed in the city of Cabarete and went to various places in the community each day.



This little boy was chowing on a mango one morning..this is what the city looks like




The first day of adjusting we were at a school where in the morning is primarily elementary students, about 700 students attend in the morning, and in the afternoon 900 students attend (a mix of high school/middle school and kindergarten). This day I probably adjusted 150-175 students. They were so grateful for our care, and it was really amazing to see how their face would light up after the adjustment. 
We adjusted the students in this classroom for the morning session

These are the cutest little girls who would bounce between my table and another girl Kristen's table. They were so sweet.

More kiddos that we adjusted the first day and in the afternoon the second day
The lobby we adjusted the students in during the afternoon


The second day I was in a school/community center. We saw a mix of students and adults. This is the day I saw MANY things I would probably never see. My first patient was a teenage girl who fractured her skull when she was a baby, with the injury she developed bacterial meningitis. She was a very rigid and spastic patient. I adjusted her, and it helped her a bit...but I was really nervous to adjust her. I also saw a man who had 8 surgeries on his feet, because his feet were in the shape of an S- that's how his bones were formed. He also could not hold anything in his left hand because of an injury to the nerves in his neck. I adjusted him, and gave him some exercises to do to help him with his muscle strength. It was a very interesting day, I was forced to think like a doctor--well, be the doctor. The afternoon we went back to the school we were at on the first day.
This is a community center/school that we were at in the morning


These boys were around the entire morning at the school, and would help other kids getting on and off the table

The third day was an adventure- we were lost for 2 hours. In the Dominican, people will give you directions even if they have NO idea where the place is. When we finally arrived, we were at a catholic church. This was probably my favorite day because of 2 specific cases. One was a 90 year old man who was in so much pain, he could not lift his right leg. To walk he would drag his right leg. I adjusted his neck, another girl adjusted the rest of his spine. He was still in so much pain, at my doctor I was paired with adjusted him. Afterward he felt so good he stood up and started dancing. He gave Dr. Rauch and the other girl a hug, and then came and hugged me...for like 10 minutes. After the hug, I went to help him down from the stage, and he jumped off like a little kid. 
After him, there was a mom and son who I called over to my chair. I thought the kid had cerebral palsy based on his body position. Instead, when he was one he fell and developed a traumatic brain injury. His body was in the shape of a V, with the "point of the V" being his ribcage. His ribcage was flat, so he could not take a deep breath. He can't walk, or talk. He can smile, wave his arms, and make moaning sounds. His body is so rigid, it was like holding a board. Dr. Rauch put him on the table, his legs made the shape of a triangle with his feet pointing to the ceiling. He did some slow, soft manipulation to his neck and it calmed him down a little bit. I ended up holding him while his mom was adjusted; He was so peaceful- he held my hands and just laid there. But you could see the sparkle in his eyes, that even though he will never be able to fully live, he is able to express love and happiness. 
This particular kid really hit home the point that I want to work with kids- healthy kids, kids on the spectrum, brain injuries, vaccine injuries..etc. 

This trip really reinforced that I am in the right profession. Even though the food was terrible, and you can't drink the water..I plan on going back. There was a lot to learn from these people. The Dominicans are poor. The majority of the houses are 4 walls made of blocks with cut outs for windows, and a roof. Chickens are all over the place, dogs are all over the place and the people have very little. They have enough to make their basic needs met, and they are the happiest people I have ever met in my life. Even though we couldn't communicate with each other, a simple smile and hug was exactly what these people needed. Overall, it was a very humbling experience. I met many awesome doctors and future doctors.



I plan on going back next September to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. 

Monday, September 24, 2012

Our Fall Bucket List


I found this little ditty on Pinterest (go figure) and sent it to Rob one morning...during class.
I totally expected him to respond "you're ridiculous" because that is his normal response.

Instead, his response was "let's do it, but it's missing 2 things- we need to add watch Gameday and College Football every Saturday."

Fall has officially started...it's time for us to get bucket-listing!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Spine Time Monday

A few weeks ago I was doing squats in the gym, heavy loading my legs..probably not using the best form..probably too much weight (145lbs)...and I did "something" to my back.
Side note: Ever since high school and having to do my fair share of lines, holding passing position for minutes at a time, shuffles, and shuffles under a loose net (yes, picture a 5'10" girl doing shuffles for 2 minutes under a 3 ft net). I'm not resentful about it at all...but since then I've had quite the struggle with my back. I've always told myself, when and if I ever coach there are certain drills I will NEVER do, and shuffles under a loose net is one of those.


After my workout I went back to class, and realized I could barely sit down and had the hardest time getting out of my chair. I knew something was wrong. I am a chiropractic student, so I assumed the worst: a herniated disc. Trying to be rationale, I thought strained muscle--until I sneezed and then screamed because of the pain. Anything that increases pressure in your body (sneezing, coughing, laughing...etc) can cause a patient horrific pain in their lower back if there is a disc injury. That's when I  knew this situation was no bueno. About a week later (after resting, icing, heating) I tried to do a light cardio sesh, and that was an epic fail. I was right back to square one, and on my way to my chiropractor. Through various orthopedic tests and muscle tests and confirmation that every time I would sneeze, cough or laugh I was in excruciating pain, he determined lateral disc protrustion. I also have shooting pain into my left leg, if I lean to the right or sit to the right it feels better. In addition to all of this I have crazy muscle cramps in my feet and legs.
Side note: Yes, you do need an MRI to confirm disc protrusion, but since 1. I'm a student and 2. All signs were pointing to disc protrusion, there was no need to order an MRI unless my symptoms got worse. This is MY chiropractor's opinion...your chiropractor may think differently, and that is ok!


I am now week 2 after the diagnosis, and doing leaps and bound better. Hopefully I can start swimming for exercise next week....hopefully light weights in 2 more weeks. But point of the story--don't rush a disc injury. It's hard for all of us to limit activity. I've had to adjust patients will a protruded disc, and it was extremely hard and painful.

Here's what you can do if you have a low back injury, or low back pain after activity:
1. Rest

2. Ice (Ice to decrease inflammation (swelling))

3. Heat (if you wish--this is good for the muscles)

4. Water--lots and LOTS of water. With a disc injury, depending on severity it's still possible to rehydrate the disc.

5. Chiropractor

Here's what you can do after the injury is better:
1. Core Stabilization exercises- like planks (body resistance stabilization)..not 1,000,000 sit-ups
side note: we think "sit-ups" for core stabilization= in reality, those work our hip flexors more instead of our abs.

2. The Posture Pod; I call it "Spine Time": I've included the picture below. An instructor of mine created this routine, it helps A LOT with posture--and good posture does wonders for the body. I challenge you to do this 2x a day for 1 week and let me know how you feel after a week. I guarantee you will notice results..

Until then...have a great week. Don't lift heavy things.. and do the posture pod :)


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

DIY Jewelry Board

During class, to pass the (sometimes dreadful) time,  I browse various blogs and Pinterest. I've been looking for an inexpensive way to organize my jewelry. I have quite a bit of jewelry, and with my latest hobby of Stella & Dot...I've acquired even more jewelry.
Last week the "crafting bug" hit me, and I decided to create my own jewelry organizer. It's Pinterest inspired, but an Erica original.
I started by stapling cork board to the front of the canvas. Then I cut a piece of burlap big enough to fit around the frame and be stapled to the back.
(canvas, cork board, staple gun all bought at Hobby Lobby)


Here's the finished product of the canvas.
To hold the jewelry, I used an assortment of hooks and stick pins
(depending on how heavy the piece was)

Finished product on the wall

Up close version

Bangles on a smaller board

Hooks and stick pins together


This whole little project was inexpensive. It was around $20 with the cost of the frames, staple gun, cork board and burlap. I also googled coupons for Hobby Lobby and printed them out. The canvas was already on sale. I think 2 board (16X20) was like $5.00 or something.

The project took very little time, maybe and hour and a half total. The hardest part for me was the staple gun. It takes a lot of power to use the manual gun AND make sure the staple goes in perfectly flush to the frame. I couldn't grip anything the next day...

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Summer break is in 2.5 weeks (yay!...finally)
This break for me will be lots of traveling- first stop: Lincoln, NE, second stop: Hillman, MI, third stop: Savannah, GA.
I am so excited to go home, excited to go to Michigan....well, just excited to get out of Georgia.

This break will be a "working" break--a break that is going to start the snowball of decisions that need to be made. December 2013 is my projected graduation date, September 2013 is when I extern in an office--add boards on top of that. Basically, the last 9 months of my education is loaded with big exams.
But, I'm not the only one that has decisions...the boy has his career we have to take into consideration. He's the money maker, I'm the bank breaker. Seriously. At the end all my school shenanigans we will take on a loan payment that is as much as a house {a little intimidating}. Yes, I know it will be worth it in the end--and I will be doing something I love doing; it was just a bit expensive.

So...we're at the cross roads right now.
Michigan...Nebraska? Somewhere in between?

We have our "plan," but as we all know life is full of twists, turns and somersaults.
At the end of the day all we can do is pray. Pray that the decisions that need to be made become more clear.


Thursday, May 17, 2012


This week has just been one of those weeks. I've been preparing for a really large exam, apartment searching (yes...I'm moving AGAIN). I just felt defeated yesterday. Instead of sitting on my couch (still feeling defeated) I went to Pure Energy, which is a class at Dolvett Quince's (trainer from Biggest Loser) gym.
Pure Energy is a class they normally do on Saturday at 10, last night they did an extra class led by Dolvett (yes, he is even more beautiful in person). It was a tough class, and now I can see how the Biggest Loser contestants drop weight, and look great! I put all I had into those 90 minutes of class; not only because Dolvett and his awesome staff were there, but because I needed that release. The release of being out of my mind, out of control, blocking the entire world out and focusing on ME.

At the end of class we did a little meditation sesh, he had us close our eyes and visualize our goal.
As we visualized our goal, he had us visualize the journey it will take to reach our goal...at this point I was fighting back tears. We get caught up in day to day life we lose sight of our goals, our dreams, our ambitions. 
Once we had our goal, visualized our journey....we needed to fall in love with our journey. We needed to be at peace with our journey, embrace our journey, and at the end celebrate success of completing our journey.

After that, I felt alive...and I still feel alive. I am ready to love my journey.

Post Midterm Celebration

This past Saturday the boy surprised me with  a day date to Hilton Head.  It was such a great day!
Our day started with Rob making breakfast (cooking isn't his jam--but the man can throw down some breakfast), a little movie watching, got a workout in--an ordinary Saturday for us.

Post workout Rob told me to get in the shower, we needed to leave by 2:30 for our dolphin cruise.
Side note: I have wanted to do a dolphin cruise for a REALLY long time. Therefore excitement level 11/10. 
Rob saw a Groupon for the cruise and bought it for our year and a half anniversary. Which made the day even better, because I really didn't think he remembered that either.
Side note: Rob is fairly good at remembering dates, work is running him ragged right now--so I completely understand if he forgot. He's not a flower guy, or even much of card guy. He does simple things. 


The Day Date
First stop: Treats before Hilton Head. Rob got the standard Icee (his fav), and me, a diet coke.

Second stop: Dolphin Cruise. It was an hour and a half tour filled with dolphins, and new facts. I now have MORE random facts to add to the large amount of useless knowledge I already have. The tour left from Harbor Town went through the Savannah River, and Calibogue Sound. The tour group we "cruised" with was Vagabond Cruise

Third Stop:  Dinner at The Salty Dog Cafe on South Beach. I have seen many shirts for this place, so we decided we should try it! It was a great place- fresh seafood (so yummy!).

Fourth Stop: Ice cream! Ice cream is a rare treat for us--this place had great homemade ice cream. This place is in The Salty Dog "complex" per say.

Last Stop: Home! We had to get home so Rob could watch the hockey game...(insert eye roll here)

Spontaneous dates like this makes me appreciate Rob even more! 




Friday, May 4, 2012

The Michigan Man

So...this little piece of the internet was supposed to be about my Michigan man Rob and I. It's turned into a little hodge podge of everything. So today is the day that I will introduce the one and only....
Robert J. Radulski III
(note: he probably would not approve of this pic, but it is one of my favorites!)
Rob is seriously the best guy EVER. We have been together for 1 year, 6 months and 3 days..
The best way to describe him is "a good ol' boy from Northern Michigan"
He loves to hunt, fish (even ice fish--the worst kind of fishing--that's a WHOLE different story), work in the lawn, do boy stuff in the garage..

He is just a very easy going guy that puts up with all of my silliness..
Rob is not a "flashy" guy, nor does he think to do "flashy" things. Therefore our relationship is very "old married couple-ish"..ya know on Friday we may be asleep by 9:30, go hang out at Home Depot on a Saturday afternoon, spend the evening out on the back patio and then be in bed by 10. He's a very simple man. The small things in life mean the most--which I've taken to appreciate more than ever. I can count on 1 hand how many times I've gotten flowers (count: 2), I've never received jewelry; and it's totally ok with me because that's not how Rob operates. 

My Favorite Things:
1. He calls me EVERY morning to tell me to have a good day, and that he loves me.....and then I get a text a few minutes after to tell me the same thing

2. He does this little booty shake dance...and it's seriously the funniest thing ever

3. When he wakes up in the morning, he takes his own sweet time stretching and clearing the sleep from his eyes. It's pretty cute--he turns from a 26 year old to a 6 year old

4. He gets an AARP card--they mix him and his dad up. So every quarter he gets sent a new AARP card.
5. The looks he gives me are just funny...I get the eye roll with the sigh, the head shake, The plain-jane smile, the eyebrow scrunch..and the list goes on.

6. Even though he is a Michigan fan and I am a Nebraska Fan we can still make it out of football season alive and in love!

Though we may be 3.5 hours apart, and see each other Friday-Sunday we still love each other very much! We take each day as it is given to us...and we are so excited to see where this crazy train called life takes us!




Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Tone it Up Tuesday

The other day I came across an interesting article from Dr. Mercola, the heading was "The Hidden Reason You Get Flabby"...which obviously caught my eye. I mean, I eat "well", my workout regiment is a combo of strength, endurance running, high intensity interval training, and cycling. No, I do not do all 4 of these on the same day...but I stick to this area of exercise.

My diet is high protein, low carb, low glycemic index. I actually have mixed and matched a few plans together.
The first one was created for me from one of the trainers at Body Sculptor Inc, his name is LC (he is fantastic at what he does-he is a trainer AND he does nutrition plans). 
Side note: I workout with Dexter at Body Sculptor Inc (he is also fantastic at what he does....seriously the hardest workouts I have ever done). 
The second plan is from the gals of Tone It Up, which is another fantastic community. This plan is updated 4x a year, you pay a one time fee to get the general plan and then the updates are FREE! They also have a monthly workout calendar, and weekly workouts. I really encourage you to check them out, not only are they virtual trainers, but the gals that are in the Tone It Up program are really supportive of each other.

But, in this article exercise wasn't the focus, and the "a calorie is a calorie" was definitely not the focus.
The focus: sugar.
Fact: Our body treats sugar like it treats alcohol and other toxins. Our body identifies sugar as a toxin.....which means I'm toxic, your toxic...we are all toxic.

What made me wonder...how toxic am I?
This article does a wonderful job explaining how our body processes the foods that we eat, and the correct steps to get on the right track.
I am providing the link to this article, because I know I can't write a summary of this article that would do it justice. I do know that this article will save lives, and I really encourage you to watch the video, read the article and pass it on!
The Hidden Reason You Get Flabby

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

4 weeks ago I took the first of four national board exams needed to receive a chiropractic license. It was a grueling 10 week prep leading up to the big performance of 6 exams, 110 questions each. Let me tell you, it was THE LONGEST WEEKEND EVER, because after those exams I had 8 finals I still had to take. Needless to say at the end of the week, my brain was so ready for vacation.

Now the time has come, and the results will be in...in 3 days. These 3 days will pass so slow due to the excitement/nerves/fear of the unknown that is about to be unveiled in 3 days. But until then, these 2 quotes have helped me keep boards and this quarter into perspective. 



Saturday, April 21, 2012

Time Flies

As I'm sitting in business class I am write this little diddy to you all. This whole becoming a chiropractor thing is getting real, and it's kind of scary. So the wonderful business presentation we have this quarter is all about designing your office; and well, I'm a girl so this part of opening an office REALLY excites me. As a step to becoming more "girly" I have started to take up DIY projects, and well...thinking of house design options. As the checklist of to-do's continue to grow, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

One of the items on our checklist that has been stressed this weekend is "What is YOUR Vision" and with a nice little google search, a few (ok...many) Pinterest pins here is the beginning stages of my vision.

Colors




Office Interior Doors

Front Desk (Maybe not the exact white and orange color....but I really enjoy the shape)


Thursday, April 5, 2012

Thoughtsy Thursday: Chiropractic Wellness

Andrew Brady is one of my good friends and classmate published this post about Synthetic v Organic Vitamins last night. I encourage you to read this post, and visit his blog. He blogs about various health and wellness concerns, and is a very good student---and will make a great Chiropractor!


Chiropractic Wellness: Why Your Vitamins Should Be Organic Whole Food Sup...:

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Wellness Wednesday

I've decided this quarter that I am going to try to become a better blogger! So to start my new goal, I've decided to do Wellness Wednesday! As a future chiropractor I've got to train myself to be an educator as well as a physician to my future patient...the best way to do that is practice how you want to perform!
Today's Wellness Wednesday is all about Vitamin D. I will admit I am a lover of the sun and will always have a pocket full of sunshine. We all need Vitamin D; vitamin D is a HORMONE that is made in our bodies, and has many benefits. So how do we get Vitamin D? We get Vitamin D from sunshine, and on cloudy days supplement with a whole vitamin form of Vitamin D. Vitamin D from the sun, is absorbed in our skin and is then carried to the liver and kidneys to start its magic....but how much is too much?
I admit, I DO NOT wear sunscreen (bad,bad me) and I am THAT person that loves laying out, catching rays and getting that beautiful bronze color. But maybe this article will shed some light on how to get ENOUGH vitamin D at SAFE levels AND still gain that beautiful summer tan!

Here's a brief synopsis of the article:

Safe sun exposure is essential for optimal health, but incorrect exposure can raise your risk of skin cancer while not providing any health benefits. Sunburn should be avoided at all cost. Detailed guidelines are provided for safely increasing your vitamin D stores through proper sun exposure are included
While sunlight is composed of about 1,500 wavelengths, UVB is the only wavelength that will produce vitamin D when hitting unexposed skin. UVA’s increase your risk of skin cancer and causes photoaging of your skin. Therefore, it’s important to determine the ideal times of year for safe and effective sun exposure, and avoid exposure during times that UVB rays are not present. Instructions are included
Vitamin D3 is an oil soluble steroid hormone that forms when your skin is exposed to UVB radiation from the sun (or a safe tanning bed). When UVB strikes the surface of your skin, your skin converts a cholesterol derivative into vitamin D3. It takes up to 48 hours for this vitamin D3 to be absorbed into your bloodstream to elevate your vitamin D levels. Therefore, it’s important to avoid washing your skin with soap after sun exposure
In case you do develop a sun burn, immediately apply raw aloe vera. It’s one of the best remedies to help accelerate skin healing

I encourage you to visit www.mercola.com
It is a FANTASTIC website for all health and wellness questions; there are many articles that address various health and wellness concerns also!

Sunday, February 5, 2012

Holy Workout

I've recently started working out at Body Sculptor Inc. It's this small premier fitness studio in the heart of Buckhead (the glitzy part of Atlanta). Now let me get a few things straight: 1. I am not glitzy in any fashion and 2. this "premier" studio happens to be owned by the one, and only Dolvett Quince (the BL trainer).

So, I went this past Friday for a consultation with my now trainer Dexter. We did a small 15 minute workout to give me a "taste" of what to expect...and I was sore. Who knew isolating muscles could hurt burn so much (yes, I need to add "workout" in my 14 hour days on a regular basis).

Saturday morning I woke up and decided I would attend their Pure Energy class. Holy intensity, it was an hour and a half of straight muscle work. I seriously felt like I was on Biggest Loser. Leaving the gym, I was worried about driving home my shoulders and arms were shaking so much. As the day progressed I could feel every muscle in my body...even my intercostal muscles (the muscles between your ribs).

Today, I'm a bit sore. I cheated last night and took a nice long soak in the tub (it was a nice romantic evening....me, my Irene Gold board book, and a hot bath).
I return to workout with Dex on Tuesday at the butt crack of dawn....I'm already getting my game face on.