Click HERE for my new article in Climbing Magazine on belayer’s neck. It is full of information on why it happens and tricks we can use to help prevent it! Check it out and share with your climbing buddies! Happy sending:)

HERE is a great news segment on how this technique can be used to help these brave and incredible women.

HERE is another blog I wrote last year on this topic.

Below is an email from one of the most wonderful people/patients I have ever had the honour of treating:

I am so grateful that I have been lucky enough to experience chiropractic treatments from Dr. Carla Cupido. In 2004, I had a mastectomy and radiation that left a severe burn and scar tissue on my right side. This procedure had left my right arm very stiff and sore and I was having trouble finding relief. My fitness instructor who had led me through a fitness program while I went through chemotherapy referred Dr. Cupido to me. I had never been to a chiropractor before so I was skeptical.

Through treatments from Dr. Cupido, I was able to find release from some of the pain and tension. But, above all, Carla gave me the gift of acknowledging my loss and the connection between the emotional pain and the physical pain. It was this acknowledgment that allowed the true healing to begin.

Just today I was at an arthritis conference downtown and a young woman at my table was sharing that she was waiting for her diagnosis of Ankylosing Spondylitis. She was close to tears as she shared her fear. I gave her Dr. Cupido’s name and number because I knew that she could offer physical relief as well as relief from her emotional pain.

I will recommend Dr. Carla Cupido to anyone who needs relief from any bone or muscle issues. Her treatment is especially helpful to those of us who have been through a life altering experience.

Thank you Carla, you have made a difference!

Sincerely,

Barb 

I offer Graston Technique at Baseline Health if you or someone you know could benefit from this form of treatment…. more info here on this technique.

Chiropractic is changing for the better. It is exciting, but we still have a long way to go to gain the respect that medical doctors have in our society. One step at a time, our credibility will improve as a profession and people will understand that we aren’t crazy doctors who simply adjust their patients and tell them to come back three times a week for the rest of their lives. One day, people will understand what our education entailed, especially at the Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College (CMCC), and one day chiropractors won’t be feared. This may not happen tomorrow, but the more we educate our patients and help them understand how their bodies work and how we can help them, the sooner that day will come.

Read Dr. Worobec’s blog post entitled “I am a chiropractor” here.

I have had the true privilege of working with some deeply beautiful women who also happen to be breast cancer survivors. With these women, I have been fortunate enough to share some healing tears and celebrate in their reincarnation as strong and magnificent breast cancer survivors! Through working with these women, I have learned that most breast cancer survivors are not educated on the impact that mastectomies, lumpectomies, radiation and reconstructive breast surgery can have on their bodies. Some women have come to me with the inability to elevate their arm over their head due to scar tissue, some can no longer play their favourite sports to the same level or at all, and others simply want to rid the pain from the scar tissue from their lives. GOOD NEWS… there is something we can do for this scar tissue that forms from these intense, but necessary procedures.

An easy way to think of scar tissue is to relate it to a scab that forms from a cut on your skin. The scab forms to protect your body; without the scab, you would continue to bleed. Scar tissue from surgeries is similar; it prevents the surgical wound from re-opening. However, this scar tissue, instead of falling off once the underlying skin has repaired itself, remains and often weaves itself into adjacent tissues, creating a web of adhesions. Similar scar tissue can develop with radiation as it is traumatic to the tissues and when they heal, scar tissue forms. Without managing this scar tissue, it can simply restrict movement in the local tissues or begin to impact more distant tissues through the body’s connectedness, significantly restricting movement, causing pain and decreasing functional capabilities.

One of the techniques that can be used to manage scar tissue is called Graston Technique. This treatment provided by a certified practitioner who uses stainless steel, bevelled-edged instruments to break down fascial scar tissue. An American news segment discusses this treatment option for survivors here.

Active Release Technique is another therapeutic option for the management of post-surgical and radiation scar tissue.

Self-massage is a great start, but often, the tissues require professional management.

If you know of someone who could benefit from this sort of work, please pass this along to them. The more women who know that this is an option post-surgery, the better.

Deep thanks to each of my wonderful survivors. You have been so precious to me and you have all inspired me in so many ways! Big hugs to you all!

Well, it sure has been a while since I last blogged on this site! It is time to catch you all up on a few things:

1. I’m almost 6 months pregnant! Yes, exciting times! So far, so great… I am loving it and we are so excited for the arrival of our little button somewhere around November 26th! Don’t worry though, I have you guys covered for the short amount of time I will take off as we have a new chiropractor joining our team as a long-term addition to Baseline Health: Dr. Peter George. I feel very fortunate that he will be a regular part of our clinic and is not just a random locum coming in for a short bout of time. He treats just like me too! I will be sending more info along about this as my due date becomes closer. If you have questions in the interim, don’t hesitate to email me at carla@baselinehealth.ca and I will do my best to get back to you ASAP.

2. I just recently completed my Yoga Teacher Training through YYoga. It was fantastic and I will soon be offering appointments that are yoga-based! We will work from your examinations to determine what areas need strengthening or lengthening… working to create a balanced, healthy body. Keep your eyes open for these new sessions that will be billed under chiropractic. For yogis who have particular poses they are working on or restricted in, we can also look to using techniques like Graston Technique while in your pose… it is quite fabulous and effective.

3. For those of you who haven’t checked out the new facility yet, book on in for a preventative session or a yoga-based session soon. I miss you and want to help you remain as balanced as possible.

Enjoy your weekends and all my best to each and every one of you:)

I thought you may enjoy reading some of my most recent magazine publications online. Here they are for your reading and learning pleasure!

Upper Body Basics: Strengthening Your Shoulders in Urban Climber, May 2012

This article is about how to get more power as a climber through strong shoulder complexes and avoid injury.

Put Your Best Foot Forward in Inside Fitness, April/May 2012

This piece is about how your feet are more than stumps you stand on: they are rich in neurological organs that help us function better from the ground up.

Lower Cross Syndrome in Inside Fitness, February/March 2012

In this article, you will learn what lower cross syndrome is and how to get rid of it or avoid it. Since it is one of the most common generic conditions seen in our country today, this is worth reading.

Please feel free to forward this along to friends or family members you think could benefit from this information as well. Happy long weekend!!!

Here is a fairly recent article for you cyclists out there that I wrote for Canadian Cycling Magazine on breathing technique. Take a peek.