Transformative Training #210

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But you've really tried to live this life of, I don't know, intentionality.

Linda Banks:

That's so incredibly. Kind of you to notice that. You know, I'll just try not to start crying.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

You know, a lot of those avenues we simply don't have to consider. And so when a patient comes to my office, I have to or I assume that they are telling me the truth. And that is very refreshing.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

This is Dr. Lisa Belisle and you are listening to Love Maine radio show number 210, transformative training, airing for the first time on Sunday, September 27, 2015. Change is inevitable, especially physical change. When we are intentional about building strong, flexible bodies, you can experience change positively and impact our social, behavioral and emotional lives as well. Today we speak with two triathletes about the impact of training upon their well being. Designer Linda Banks and chiropractor and acupuncturist, Dr. Zev Meyerowitz. Each of them offers personal and professional insights you won't want to miss. Thank you for joining us.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I always enjoy spending time with people that I know socially as well as professionally, and people who are good friends of mine who I know also have wonderful professional lives. And today, one such individual is here with me in the studio. This is Linda Banks. Linda is an interior designer and the owner of Simply Home in Falmouth and really someone that most people have probably met in the Portland area. Anyone who's anyone probably knows you, Linda.

Linda Banks:

Thank you, Lisa.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It's really great to have you in here.

Linda Banks:

I'm really happy to be here and talk about my new passion.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yes. So we were interested in having you come in and be part of our Active Life column for Old Port magazine. Because we know that if anybody has an active life, it's you. And the triathlon work that you've been doing is a relatively new addition to your very active life. So tell me about that.

Linda Banks:

Well, thanks to Maine Media Collective, the sponsor. Last year for Try for a Cure, I was going through a tough time professionally and personally suffered from some heartbreak and had a very difficult client very far away and was, I like to say, the perfect storm. I was at my all time heaviest, 40 pounds heavier than I am today and in walks one of my friends from the magazine and I said, wow, you look great. What are you doing? She said, oh, I'm training for the Try for a Cure. And I said, what exactly is that? This was 15 months ago and I don't even think I could spell the word triathlon at the time. And she said, you could do it? And I said, well, someday. And she said, well, how about this year we have a spot left, we're sponsors. So I said okay. And that was sort of the beginning of my new passion for multi sport endurance activities. It's been an amazing journey.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Were you previously a runner, a biker or a swimmer?

Linda Banks:

Well, in high school I was always accused of preferring to be a cheerleader than a track participant, but I was actually both and I hated the track. I did the mile and the 80 yard hurdles, which was an unusual combination. And actually running is of the three at the moment my least favorite. But things move around. For people who don't know, triathlon is an interdisciplinary race that involves swimming, biking and running, in that order continuously with a small transition between each activity. And you really have to train for all three simultaneously at any given time and in my case, pretty much every day.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah, it's a lot of work.

Linda Banks:

Yeah, it's actually, I think it's more work to prepare, to train and to wind down after training. I always think if I could spend as much time actually training just doing my sport instead of finding my gear, getting ready, monitoring the weather, monitoring my food intake, getting my running gear on or my swimming gear to the pool, or putting air in my tires. It all sounds small, but cumulatively I spend about 20 hours a week either worrying about it, working on it, getting neuromuscular massage or, you know, winding down after and logging in my entries and dealing with my technical issues of my computer or my running watch or the bike gears. And there's always something that needs attention besides the actual training, which at the end of the day is really Only one to one and a half hours a day, and I take one day of rest a week.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, I want to talk about the other part of you, of you and your professional. In your actual professional life. I want to talk about how you're able to balance the work that you do as a business owner and also interior designer for national clients. Really, how do you balance those things? Also, you're the mother of a college. As a graduating college student, how do you make all those things work?

Linda Banks:

It's super hard because I work a lot on the weekends and at nights, especially for. We're also architects, so there's oftentimes we have jobs under construction from here to Blue Hill to Martha's Vineyard to Jackson Hole. And, you know, my perfect job is when we're actually hired to design the house and do the interior design, but we do everything in between. And I have a staff, but pretty much at the end of the day, all the responsibility and liability falls on me. So I find one of the greatest things about doing triathlon work is that I can train almost anywhere. It's tough to bring my bike on the plane, but I've done it. I think running is the most portable. And swimming, there's always a place to swim. When I went to visit Emma last year in England, I swam at the pool down the street. So because I work all the time, I feel it's okay in the middle of the day to take an hour to go for a run or get up early at the hotel where I'm staying. And actually, I was on a convention trade show in October, and I put my running gear on, put my backpack on, I ran to the swimming pool two and a half miles away, swam for 50 minutes, and then took a taxi back to the hotel because I ran out of time. So I think there's some portability to triathlon that isn't found in other sports. Kayaking, skiing, you know, you need gear to do those things. But this is shoes, a bike and a bathing suit. So it's really flexible. That said, I do sometimes find myself on the treadmill at one in the morning or at the physical therapist when I'm probably supposed to be at a staff meeting. But. So like everything else in life, you pick your priorities. And I wish in my heart I could train more than I do, but I train as much as I can.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

You have a coach also.

Linda Banks:

I do have a coach. I would be nowhere without my coach. It's virtual training, but a couple hours a month we get together. Fortunately, she's in cape Elizabeth Carrie McCusker. She's brilliant, beautiful, natural. She's got it all. She's a mom and a professional and an award winning podium triathlete. She's on her way to the Coeur d' Alene Ironman this weekend in Idaho. And she sat with me for two hours yesterday at Coffee by Design. And we planned my race schedule, talked about my form, figured out how to lace my sneakers in a more comfortable way. She helped me adjust my helmet and she emails me every week my whole menu of what I have to do. And they're in these little boxes on a computer program called Training Peaks. And I can adjust them. If I'm gonna be on a plane one day, I can't ride my bike, so maybe I'll do it the day before and I'll move the swim square into the arrival at a hotel or something so it's flexible. But she understands the process and she emphasizes that this is really about a journey. It's not the results. If we focus on the process, the results come. And it's a very slow, methodical journey. You can never cram for a triathlon. It's just a. It's a bunch of small components and it's amazing. I wanted to go to business school and I really didn't have the time. So for me, this has been a new journey that has opened up a new world of products to buy, health and wellness issues to study. I've learned a lot about the skeletal relationship and the mental relationship to how you feel every day. So there's so much that has nothing to do with doing the Try for a Cure or doing the Polar Bear triathlon. All the other things that are associated with it have just been an amazing learning process.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So if you are training for a triathlon, what are the distances of a typical triathlon?

Linda Banks:

I specialize right now since I'm only 15 months into this. So I'm called a beginner triathlete in my own mind. I do what's called a sprint triathlon and that is just a little less than a half a mile swim. Sometimes it's in a pool, which is about 25 laps. Sometimes it's in the open ocean or on a lake. And then you run from the water, stripping your wetsuit off as you run to the bike station where all your gear is. You have to pop on your bike shoes, put on your helmet, put on your sunglasses, which is a real safety factor, and to put on your race belt. And you have to mount your bike. And as fast as you can ride anywhere from 11 to 16 miles. And then as I'm still talking about a sprint triathlon. And then when you get back to transition, you throw on your running shoes and take off your helmet, which is a rule. Can't run with your helmet on. And believe me, many people have tried. And you have a 5K, which is 3.1 miles and depending on the course, because no two triathlons are ever the same. Because weather's different. And even if you do the same course two years in a row, different competitors, different weather conditions, you feel differently one year, one race to the next. But when you come back through the transition, you're done. When you've done the 3.1 miles, so that's a sprint triathlon. And then there, then it goes all the way up to Ironman. But the one that I'm sort of shooting for for next year is called an Olympic distance. And that is something you can do as a relay member. I did it last year. I did the 26 mile bike ride on my mountain bike. But that's I think almost a mile swim, 26 mile bike and a 10k. So I'm working towards that. Honestly, when you get into the Ironman, so many of my friends are doing it and I think it's amazing. I think it's extremely hard on your body and I'm not saying I'll never do one, but I've never run a marathon. The most I've ever run is 10 miles and the Ironman is, I think it's a 2.4 mile swim, it's a 70 mile bike ride and it's a 23 mile run all in one day. So anybody who's into that, I have huge admiration for. The time it takes to train for that is absolutely mind boggling. It's truly an endurance sport. I don't consider myself an endurance athlete, at least at this point.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

But you are a well balanced athlete. You talk about, you know, sort of the triangle and staying balanced, sort of all three sides. Has it helped you? You were previously a runner, now you're a runner, swimmer, biker. Has it helped you to be able to cross train that way?

Linda Banks:

Helped me in what way?

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Physically, maybe just to.

Linda Banks:

Well, I think one of the most interesting things about the art of triathlon is that you really do need to develop mental toughness. I think that I've been good throughout my life at really taking anything that's been handed to me. I like to think I'm resilient and resourceful. But what I've loved about learning triathlon is the mental toughness it requires. I mean, just getting on a bike and riding 40 miles one day or, you know, swimming 2.4 miles in the open ocean, which I did in St. John with my group that I went on a training camp there with, I think that really gives you confidence and mental toughness and a little grit. It's scary. I mean, anything can happen. And I think you, it's just like driving a boat. You cannot take your eyes off the wheel or off the bow or you will hit bottom. That's speaking from experience, of course. And if you look away when you're on that bike, you can end up in the rocks or under a truck. It's extremely dangerous. So I think that the need to focus on each individual, trying on each individual sport, trying to avoid getting hurt and still embracing it and enjoying it is one of the gifts of triathlon that I love.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I would argue having known you for a while that you already had some significant mental toughness. The fact that you've kept this, you've not only had a thriving business, but you also single handedly, pretty much mothered your child, parented your child. Emma, who's now graduated from college. I mean, you've had some grit for quite a while.

Linda Banks:

Yep. I think you really would never get put through something you couldn't handle. And I've enjoyed the journey. It's not always been fun to do it alone, but that's the cards I was dealt. And I think it's been, it's definitely tough on the kids when you're a single parent family with not a lot of contact with the dad. But I think that in the end, you know, we do what we have to do to make the best of it. And I think having your health and your mental facilities are gifts that I cherish every day. Having lost my mom to cancer, which is why the Try for a Cure was appealing to me. For those of you who don't know, it's an all women triathlon and it's a beautiful environment, it's a nurturing, safe place. And I know personally I've inspired lots of women friends to take up this sport as a result of my success in the triathlon at Try for a Cure. If I could just talk about that for a sec. You know, like I said, it was a lark that I tried out for it. I think everyone in my office rolled their eyes when I signed up for it. But I had so much loss in my life from cancer. My boyfriend in college passed away, my mother passed away, My office Manager passed away. One of my best friends, Gene Siskel, the movie critic from Siskel and Ebert, passed away. And I really learned a lot about appreciating people every minute you spend with them, because life is short. So when I did the Try for a Cure, as I said, I had never had any experience doing this, but I was embraced by the group of women at she Jams and Julie Jordan Marchese, who founded the Try for a Cure along with Meredith Strang Burgess. And they have a training group that's non confrontational, non judgmental. And I got thrown into that two months before the race. They welcomed me and I started training with them and I ran across that finish line. I was number 500 out of 600. And everyone cheers you on and you can't make a mistake and you can never finish last because Meredith finishes last every year, which actually was a beautiful safety net for me. And I told it to my friends who are doing it this year who've never done it before. So I encourage everybody to try harder and not be intimidated by that. Because people, all shapes, sizes, speeds and capacities, do triathlon. It's not just pretty skinny, fit, smart, handsome people. It's all kinds of people from every walk of life. And the diversity of, of the training that's required or however much you want to do is amazing. In Maine, to smell the pine trees when I'm riding my bike, to see the sea, life in the ocean and climb out onto the beach on the rocks in Maine, or to run in the snow, it's amazing. Maine is an amazing place to train.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

One of the things that this isn't necessarily related to triathlons, but it is related to community. So I think it's an important thing to share. When I was going through my own breast cancer this past year and surgeries, you actually carve time out of your very busy schedule to come over, arrange flowers, bring a meal for not only me, but also the significant man in my life, because we don't eat exactly the same food and, and connect with us in a very important way. You said to me, I remember when my mom had cancer and I was, I think you said you were somewhere 13, 14, something like that. And I didn't want to. I didn't want a mom who had cancer. I wanted a mom who would make me a sandwich. And I had children. I have a child that was that same age. And it was actually really helpful for me to hear the perspective of a child that had a mother who had gone through cancer. And this is what I know about you as an individual is that willingness to kind of put yourself out there and connect with people. And, I mean, I never. You had several friends who were going through cancer at the same time I was going through cancer. And yet you still drove all the way out to my island and you showed up with your. With your stuff, and then you kind of. I think you, like, were back on a plane the next day or something. But you've really tried to live this life of, I don't know, intentionality.

Linda Banks:

That's so incredibly kind of you to notice that. You know, I'll just try not to start crying, but I remember my mom. We grew up in a really big house. When I was growing up, my parents saved it from the wrecking ball. It was an old school house in Roatayn, Connecticut, before it was really cool to live in Rowaton, and my mom loved old houses. We used to get dragged around looking at them all the time on the weekends. And we had to have a cleaning service, which in the old days, rich people had cleaning services, not people like us. But we needed one because she was sick Since I was 2 with ovarian cancer and lymphoma. So I remember even when she was sick, she would make cleaning people tuna fish sandwiches for lunch. She did that for them. So I just felt like, you know, I've been very lucky my whole life to be able to provide jobs for people, to give people inspiration, because I'm an incredibly positive person, and I love that about myself, and I believe that's a good thing about me. And I think I set a good example or I try. So even though I'm a screamer and crazy sometimes, and, you know, it's mostly because people who know me really understand that I believe in people, and I believe in the good of mankind. And it sounds kind of ridiculous, but. So I find the more I help people, the more comes back to me in ways that really aren't related to money or. Or gain other than spiritual. You know, I just think that making time to connect with people. And I just remember I have a friend who had cancer, and she said, geez, every time I'm in the supermarket, you know, during chemo, people drive their cart the other way. They don't know what to say to me. I wish someone would just put their hand on my shoulder and say, hey, Chris, how's your cancer? And that was very profound to me. And, yeah, no kid wants to grow up with their mom dying of cancer, but it's curable a lot of the time. And last Year, my journey for try for a cure was on my friends I'd lost. But this year, my fundraising efforts are geared towards the celebrating of my friends who are survivors and who are getting through it because the work that's being done now is amazing and it's a good investment to support your friends in these endeavors.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And as someone who has cancer, I also really appreciate your willingness to be open about your, about your own personal journey and about your story. And sometimes I think that with cancer we just want to shut the door and we don't want to talk about it because there's so much pain that can be associated with it. So with all the hope, there's still this rawness that exists. So for someone who has had cancer, I am very grateful to have had someone like you who was willing to actually have that conversation with me.

Linda Banks:

I really appreciate you acknowledging that. That means a lot to me. I'd kind of forgot. I mean, I remember the evening, it was snowing like mad and we had such a nice visit. I didn't want it to be over, but I'm glad you reminded me of it, that it meant something to you. I appreciate that.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, it did. And it means something to me that you're here today and tell us how people, if they happen to be interested in your amazing design and architectural services, which is not exactly what we were talking about, but I know they're pretty amazing just because that's. You have. You do great work and Maine Home design has featured your work many times. But how would they find out about Simply Home and Falmouth?

Linda Banks:

You can just go to simplyhomepage.com and try for cure.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I know people, we welcome them to Google, Try for a Cure and find out more about that organization. And you can start training for it. Even if you've missed the actual event itself. You start training for it the year before. People who train for triathlons, it's a year round thing, right?

Linda Banks:

It's all year round. Planning your race schedule is part of it, identifying what races you want to be in. And by the way, Lisa, you're running and now Kevin's running has really inspired me. I got a slot the beach to Beacon. Never really run a 10k in my life, but that's there's the first time for everything. I think Try for a Cure is, you know, the beneficiary obviously is the Maine Cancer foundation. And by the way, they always, they welcome volunteers even if you don't want to participate. But I think a great way to get involved in triathlon in the beginning, if you're interested. And you only because people say to me, oh, I would do it if I could only swim or I would do it if my knee wasn't bad. You can be a triathlete. A triathlete. If you want, you can do it a relay. Just about every single triathlon sponsored around here has an opportunity where multiple people can participate in the race. It's just like you pass the baton. So I encourage everyone to try it at least once. And I dare you not to get bit by the bug.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And plus, you get to experience buying fun stuff like bike helmets and wetsuits.

Linda Banks:

Buying expensive stuff. I will say that I think it was the New York Times that said triathlete is a sport for rich people, but I find that totally ridiculous because anybody can do it. You can borrow a bike as long as your helmet's rated. That's like one of the only requirements. And a bathing cap so they don't lose you in the ocean. You need to be visible. But honestly, I think you can go as elite as you wanted with your equipment or as basic as a good old pair of running shoes and a used wetsuit. You do need a wetsuit in Maine

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

and hopefully used from somebody who you trust. So, yes, just from a health standpoint. Well, we've been speaking with Linda Banks, who is an interior designer and owner of Simply Home in Falmouth and a friend of mine and a designer that's been who has been featured multiple times in our magazines and a triathlete. I really appreciate all the work that you have done in the community and I appreciate the time that you have spent supporting me personally. It is quite an honor to have you here today.

Linda Banks:

Thank you so much. I'm really touched that you thought of calling me because there are a lot better triathletes out there than me. But thanks, Lisa. And I admire the work you're doing.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Easy.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Our Next guest is not only an athlete himself, but a healer of athletes. This is Dr. Zev Meyerowitz Jr. A Maine native who graduated with a BS in Human Anatomy from Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles. He completed a dual professional degree from New York Chiropractic College and the Finger Lakes School of Acupuncture and oriental medicine. Dr. Zev also holds subspecialties in sports science, human performance, and active release technique. He has worked with thousands of athletes of all ranges. Dr. Zev owns Cape Chiropractic and Acupuncture with his wife Amber. You're a very busy individual.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

I don't sit still. Well, Lisa.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Yeah, yeah, I can tell that because you and I were talking before we came on the air. And you started as a 12 season athlete at John Bapst. You're in their hall of fame there, and you've been working at a very high level with your own triathlon training and performance. You're getting ready to do a few races that essentially have enabled you to turn professional if you wanted to.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Yes. In addition to practicing in the office, I'm very avid in triathlon and I started out with I think the first race I panicked on the swim back in 2010 and when I got out of the water, I couldn't run straight. I kept bouncing off the corral walls. And then I was having to walk the run, which was a 5K, you know, and you started in a very low point, but it was so addictive. And over the years I've solely followed the training and allowed your body to slowly adapt from one of a sprinter typ physiology to one of a more of an endurance focus. And so at Ironman Half Ironman Mont Tremblant in June, I was a third overall amateur, which is one of the criteria required to turn professional. And I am deciding whether or not to take that status in 2016.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Zev, I'm interested in the fact that you are a Junior. You're Zev. Dr. Zev Meyerowitz Jr. You actually have a father who is also Dr. Zev Meyerowitz.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Yeah, it's a very common name. Lisa. I'm sure in the yellow pages you can find half a dozen of us. Not only am I Dr. Zev Meyerowitz Jr. I'm also a chiropractor and a fully licensed acupuncturist. I have two separate healthcare degrees and my father also has the exact same 2 degrees. And so when we are working with insurance companies or Labs or ordering MRIs or any of the various procedures required, and it's very funny Because I know that the technicians or the people who are doing the intake for the data are looking at this and saying, surely not. There can't possibly be another person with this combination. But we still consistently get each other's lab reports and various findings. And it's entertaining, but it can be troublesome at times. He should have known better when I was named.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, perhaps he didn't know that you were going to follow in his footsteps so completely.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Yes, well, my grandfather is a chiropractor as well, and I have two other brothers who are chiropractors. There's five of us and we still actively practice. All of us. My grandfather works in the greater Bangor area and he still sees about 100 patients a week. Over 100 years of experience in the family helping the people in Maine. And I do have to thank my father, my grandfather, because I very much believe that the skills that they developed were passed on to me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So what is it about acupuncture and chiropractic that seems to work well together?

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

So the big picture is that chiropractic and specifically the combination that the practice that we utilize, it's not that anyone. So the big thing is that with chiropractic there's this idea that spinal manipulation is the only tool that we utilize. And very often that's one of the minimal tools that I utilize. We have a whole caveat of different modalities that are. We have a whole complement of different tools that are available to us that we can take advantage of and manipulation, while one of the stronger interventions that we can have isn't the only one. And active release technique is a soft tissue specialty that I have that focuses on breaking soft tissue adhesion that develops between muscles or tendons or within them. And that helps to really strongly remove a lot of the cumulative tissue injury that can occur from regular build up or repetitive use injuries. And so between all of the different modalities available, we can utilize those that just help patients function more optimally. Now, often, you know, we'll get somebody who has gone through, you know, a surgery or a trial of physical therapy and they just haven't responded terribly well. And that's not to say that one is better than another. Just one tool does not work for everybody. And often it's that, that that is not being specifically addressed enough. And so the work that I do specifically focuses on targeting exactly what the issue is. One very specific subspecialty that I like to work on is working in the world of nerve entrapment. Okay, everyone's Heard of carpal tunnel syndrome or sciatica, and those are very gross or general names describe irritation to two different nerves. However, there are many nerves and within each of them there are multiple sites that they can get a little entrapped or a little stuck. And one of the areas that I work on is I'm very good at isolating each of those individual sites and helping to get them to translate through their little tunnels that they run through. And so if somebody's having, you know, a sciatic related pain that's worse when they're sitting, but they don't have any signs that would suggest that it's related to a nerve root issue that's in their back, and then it's just more due to a pressure on that nerve in the associated soft tissue. That's one of the areas that we really help to remove the symptoms for. And so going back to chiropractic and acupuncture, in the application that I utilize them, they're very complementary, both disciplines. A lot of the newest research is coming out and supporting that. Acupuncture, for example, particularly electroacupuncture, helps to accelerate nerve healing. And so you can utilize that. There's a darth of tools available to assist when people have nerve injury. Standard medical algorithms are physical therapy or occupational therapy and allowing the nerve to heal on its own. And that takes time. And sometimes if somebody's a stroke victim or they've had a disc herniation, once they've gone through the algorithms, they're just told, you know, what's going to happen is going to happen. And there's a lack of information that's conveyed that there's additional work that can be done to help improve function or restore sensation or motor control. And so in my application, I find that patients who. Patients will typically follow either a model that follows a standard medical nerve root distribution or a referral pattern that's very well documented. But sometimes they don't. Sometimes they follow a referral pattern that's not in the standard charts. And when that occurs, most frequently, they're describing symptoms and sensations that follow a traditional Chinese medicine pain description or a Japanese acupuncture meridian problem. And so the patient comes in and tells you, without realizing what they're doing, which modality or which tool is best for them. And so a patient may come in with a migraine, two different patients that come in with different tension headaches. One of them tells me that it's very clearly coming from a nerve issue related to the base of their skull. And Manipulation may be required, but usually it has more to do with releasing the associated soft tissues of which that nerve travels through. Other times, they may say things that clearly tell me it's an acupuncture problem and they need to see either myself, my wife, Amber Meyerowitz, or Genevieve Valenti.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I'm listening to this, and I love what you have to say because in my practice I also do acupuncture. So it's always been fascinating to me, listening from a Western medicine perspective, to hear people describe what essentially is a meridian issue. For example, they'll have had problems all along one particular meridian along the right side of their body.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Absolutely.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

And I'll say, oh, it sounds like you're having some gallbladder problems. They'll try to translate that back into Western medicine, and it doesn't quite work. But for me, being able to use the different systems and pull together something that might be more helpful is wonderful. It's a great thing to be able to offer them. And actually, I know that manipulative work, the type that you do and the type that osteopathic doctors do, is great. It's a great adjunct. I think it's so much better than some of the stuff we have, which just masks the pain. It doesn't necessarily do anything to help with healing.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

One particular topic, and I'm sure you've experienced this many, many times, is again, going back to if a patient has, for example, difficulty falling asleep, often that's a connection with the heart meridian or the heart organ within the traditional Chinese medicine algorithm. And the second you start mentioning that, you have to offer a lot of disclaimers that there's nothing medically wrong with the organ and that we're not going to need to send them for an EKG or anything that's particularly emergent. But it's very entertaining when somebody can come in and they've struggled with working in a model that cannot explain their dysfunction. They may be absent of pathology, meaning that medical tests will not explain what's happening. And often they're given the diagnosis that it's in their head or that nothing's wrong with them. And it can be very frustrating with the patient because they are clearly experiencing symptoms. And so I think one truth that works very well in our office is that fortunately, in our. In our office, chiropractic and acupuncture is not the best way to word this, chiropractic and acupuncture, because we work outside of the standard algorithm for workers compensation or personal injury. A lot of the Times patients will access us directly, but they have to go through their workers compensation physician first. And we are. And because of the fact that we do not prescribe, there's no, or at least a significantly reduced potential for conflict of interest. Meaning that when a patient comes to me, I can't give them a prescription or an opiate if they're looking for some kind of pain relief, I can't give them medical marijuana if that's something that they're looking for. You know, I can't provide them with a lot of the same benefits that someone who is malingering or looking for some kind of care excuse, so to say, or they're looking to get out of work when they're not actually injured. You know, a lot of those avenues we, we simply don't have to consider. And so when a patient comes to my office, I have to or I assume that they are telling me the truth. And that is very refreshing. Nobody comes into the office that doesn't want to get better. And it is one of my deepest sympathies to providers who have to at least assume if they can't easily explain it, then there's a good chance that the patient is lying to them. You know, and it can be very frustrating because I don't think any of us got into work because we didn't want to help people. And so, yeah, I think that's the end of that one.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

No, it's a really interesting point. And I think having gone from private practice where I wasn't doing any prescribing of pain medications or heavy duty psychiatric medications or, I mean, I had really gone down a Chinese medicine holistic medicine route. Gone back. I was gone back into family medicine over the last couple of years. And you're absolutely right. I think that there's so many different overlays, you know, people coming in and needing something from me that as a, as an individual doctor, I'm not so comfortable prescribing. But it is something they can get within the western medical field. And it does make it really challenging for doctors because we have to take a lot of different things into consideration. And as a doctor of chiropractic, you have just a different set of things you take into consideration.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Correct.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

So one of the things I'm wondering about as we're talking is you gave a talk for us with our Apothecary By Design series, and this was on kids and sports and helping build healthy, happy kids who are going to thrive in the sporting situation, but in a very refreshing and balanced way. And I know that you yourself have done this, you have been an athlete and you are an athlete. I struggle with this because as a doctor I see repetitive use injuries in younger children. I see post concussive syndrome in college age, athletes who played football or another type of sport in high school. I mean I see people who spent kids who spent so much time playing sports when they were younger that by the time they reach the age of 17, they're just burnt out and never want to be active again. How do we prevent that and how do we encourage kids to be active and be healthy and enjoy what they're doing? What do you have to say about that?

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

I think that ultimately one, I think ultimately it has to come down to the enjoyment of the child. I think that as parents we always want to, we always want the best for our children. And I think that we can over facilitate in today's world. The 10,000 hour model, the Tiger woods type presentation has become very rampant. And so adolescent sports are starting younger and younger and single sport specialization is occurring younger and younger. The models and the evidence simply do not support that. I think that if you take a look at many of the best professional athletes, they have a significant amount of experience playing other sports. Take LeBron James for example, who played collegiate basketball and football. Take Michael Jordan, who was quite the golfer and also a baseball player. When you look at some of the world's best athletes, it's very common to see that they have multiple sports specialty. And so I think variability and development of athletic skill as a comprehensive set is important. And one thing that people ultimately need to take is that if they over strive and try to single sport specialize too early, too frequently, the skill aspect of the sport overshadows athletic development. And so when that occurs, they're not getting the functional tools that will then allow the skill aspect of their specific sport to develop naturally. And so I think finding balance, taking periods where the child's either not playing that sport or playing a different sport or doing what they want is very important. And so a sport that does require a little bit more specialization is swimming. You see higher burnout rates. Sports such as gymnastics, where you are required to specialize a little bit earlier, you see increased burnout rates. And again it goes back to just the same theme, variability. And it still has to be fun. It can be challenging and it can be hard, but it shouldn't become punishment or it shouldn't become purgatory. You know, it shouldn't be something that the child feels like they have to go through and it's just no longer enjoyable at all. And I think when it feels like they're going through the motions and it's just all encompassing and they're losing the desire, then I think you're at a point where you need to take a break and re evaluate what's important in their life.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I also see, I don't know that there's a syndrome, I'll call it spectator syndrome or I think we've become a spectator nation really where there's so much that we have tied up in watching our kids play sports. And I'm one of these sports parents, so I'm outing myself. I'm soccer mom, lacrosse mom, basketball mom, swim mom. I mean, I've been the mom of all of these sports. So I've been there, I've watched these games. And you end up almost, I don't know, scheduling your entire life around these events. They happen two days on the weekend, they happen several days during the week. And if you're not doing that, you almost feel like there's, you're at a loss. So isn't that sort of a strange thing that we've become so tied up in watching our kids and being present for our kids that when that doesn't exist anymore, we don't know what to do with ourselves?

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Yeah, I think that it's very common to see. Parents who live for their children often have to go through a type of re identification or re exploration when the emptiness starts to settle in. And I would say to those parents that even when they're having, you know, even when they're very active in it, I think it's ultimately great that they're active in their kids lives and they need to be there and support that. And you know, I think that's very important. But I also think that it's very important that they maintain some level of individual identity, something that's important to them. Whether or not it's a part time job that they really enjoy or some volunteer work, or even if it's an individual sport that they have to do, you need to hold on to that because it will be what is your sense of self when your kids grow up and they move on and they'll still be there for you, but you'll have this grand reawakening where you will have hours upon hours during the day where you're no longer needed to perform the same things that you always there for. And so some parents struggle very, very hard with that. And you know, others, the ones who tend to be Able to maintain, you know, something that's their own and that they're active with, I think make that transition a little bit more easier.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

It can also, honestly, I've seen this contribute to very healthy and fit children and very unhealthy and unfit parents. I know that there is. I. I'm a runner. I make sure that I run on a regular basis and I make sure that on the weekends, no matter what, soccer tournament, lacrosse tournament, whatever it is, I do my long run. I do my cross training. I make sure that I have that. And I have seen other parents who have come to see me and said, I'm so busy watching my kids play sports that now I have gained 25 pounds and I'm no longer in good shape. There's something weird about that for me.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Yeah, I think it's. I think it goes back to the exact same thing. If there's something that you're passionate about. In your case, running is something that's individual. In yours, you make it a priority and you make time for it. I think that if I need to get a key workout in, for example, swimming, with my current practice schedule, lunches are typically optional and hours are generally recommended. We stay late. If there's an emergency, we can run a little behind. If I need to get something in, if I need to get some training in, that's very specific for me, it has to occur at 5 in the morning or 5:30 in the morning if I want that to happen. Because I know nothing else is going to interfere with that time of the day. And sometimes that takes a little bit of self discipline to make sure that you go to bed early, to make sure you're getting enough rest so that you can absorb that workout. But it comes down to the same thing. You have to make it a priority on your own. And I think parents who are struggling with that, if they make those hard steps. I always like to say, when you're doing a new sport or you're changing your behavior, it's hard for about three weeks and then it gets easier. And so if you can just really push yourself and have that focus during that time, then the behavior modification starts to set place and that just starts to become your routine. And once something's a routine, it's much easier to maintain.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I think it's also providing good role modeling for the kids because at some point, at every level, there's a winnowing away of athletes and you're now on the verge of deciding whether you want to become a professional triathlete. There's most athletes, they're not going to become professional athletes. Most kids who are 10 years old and swinging the bat at the T ball or at the little league field, you know, they're not going to become major leaguers. So if there's some way of balancing that out, say find some other way to maintain an identity as you're getting older, as you're growing, then that's actually going to be healthier. I really do worry. I mean, I have now a child who his colleagues have all graduated from college and he's in his last year. And I've seen that these are all the high level kids and then they get to sort of the top of the ladder and where do they go? But there is a good way to look at this. You know, you have developed all these great tools, all these great skills, so can you put them into whatever it else in your life to be happy?

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

I think that last part, you hit the nail on the head. I think that, you know, and to be perfectly clear, you're giving me too much credit. I would be able to race professionally, meaning that I would become what we like to call cannon fodder for the real professional athletes. Because some of these guys are just, they're unbelievably fast, they're very talented individuals. But to go back, I think that the sport, whether or not it's at the little league level or at the collegiate or the professional level, it teaches you skills, it teaches you very specific skills to persevere and to overcome through hard work, commitment and focus. And, and those skills can carry you into anything in life. And if you learn to develop that and if you learn to deal just the term, I mean it's very simple. I think a lot of the problems that we have are the inability to just simply deal and to take problems that come our way and to acknowledge them and to just keep your head down and keep working until you get through it. And it's not stubbornness, it's just the commitment required to overcome that obstacle. And if you have somebody who has those fundamental skills when they go into the workplace environment, we all know it's becoming more competitive. We all know a collegiate college degree is the bare minimum to get you into the workplace environment. Different positions are becoming more and more competitive and to be able to compete in today's environment, people with those skills that are going to be able to demonstrate that they are hard working and that they will get the job done are going to get the nod over somebody who will fold as soon as it gets tough, or if they aren't willing to put in that little extra effort because the job requires it at that time, the person who is going to stay late, even if they weren't required to make sure that it's done properly. I mean, that's who I'm going to hire in the office. Absolutely. One of my very good friends is an executive at a very local, very large company. And I don't want to name names because I may be in trouble if I do. But he has gone to say that he, whenever possible, only hires people with an athletic background, or he hires former athletes. And his rationale is exactly that. If they competed at a high level, he is more likely to believe that they have the skills to be able to keep their head down and push when things get tough.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

Well, I like to hear that, and I think it's great to have skills that translate over. And I also think it's great if you can maintain a joy and a love for what you are doing. And I think that my daughter, who's a Division 1 swimmer, I watched her swimming in the ocean off of the island that we live on, and she loved to swim. She just loves to be in the water. She is a water animal, a water child. And even after all these years of swimming, she still just loves to be in the water. So I'm hoping that people who are graduating from college and no longer have a collegiate sports regimen that they're doing, they can find something like my daughter swimming, or your triathlete training or my running. Honestly, that keeps them getting up in the morning because there's a joy and a passion and a love for it that kind of moves them forward. And it's not just because other people are telling them that this is what they need to do to train.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

I agree. I think it's passion. I think it's just having passion in your life. And when. When things are on autopilot and you're not doing anything that truly brings you joy, then there's no highlight to the day. And we live in such a beautiful environment. I mean, as you said, you have coastal views. I have them as well. If your daughter can smile while jumping in our oceans, which most of the year are a little less than my optimum temperature for swimming, it just shows that you can truly love where you live and you can truly love things about your life. And. And I think someone who is able to find joy and find things that they're passionate about. We keep talking about athletics, but it could be something that's not athletic. I mean, many people are very passionate readers or someone is very passionate about knitting or quilting or any kind of skill development. I have friends that have very deep musical talents. And if you have something that you're passionate about and that you love to pursue and dedicate time to and you find joy in, I think that's one of the best things in life that you can find. Because if you're devoid of that, or if absent of anything that truly brings you happiness, then that's kind of sad.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

I agree. Well, this has been a great conversation, and I think we could, this is one of these conversations we could just keep going on and on with because clearly it's something that you and I both feel strongly about. But for those of you who are interested in finding out more about Dr. Zev Meyerowitz, Dr. Azev, what is your website?

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

We are located at www.capechiroaccurate.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

we've been speaking with Dr. Zev Meyerowitz Jr. A Maine native, an athlete, an acupuncturist, chiropractic physician. Thank you so much for coming in.

Dr. Zev Myerowitz Jr:

Thank you, Lisa. Thank you for having me.

Dr. Lisa Belisle:

have been listening to LoveMain radio show number 210, transformative training. Our guests have included Linda Banks and Dr. Zev Meyerowitz. Love Maine Radio is downloadable for free on itunes. For a preview of each week's show, sign up for our E. Follow me on Twitter as DrLisa and see my running travel, food and wellness photos as bountiful1 on Instagram. We love to hear from you, so please let us know what you think of lovemain Radio. We welcome your suggestions for future shows. Also let our sponsors know that you have heard about them here. We are privileged that they enable us to bring Love Maine Radio to you each week. This is Dr. Lisa Bellio. I hope that you have enjoyed our transformative training show. If you like what you've heard, please subscribe to our podcast and take a moment to give us feedback on itunes. Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your day. May you have a bountiful life.