Episode Topic: Danae Acker and Adam Cobb interview Dr. John Neel of Town Square Chiropractic on the strategies we can use to practice better self care.

Hey y'all, I'm reading The Zen Teacher by Dan Tricarico, and I found this interesting analogy, "We don't keep driving our cars when the check engine light comes on, but as teachers we have this uncanny ability to ignore the signals that our bodies--those crazy unpredictable vehicles that drive us through life-- send us."

I like that analogy, but I don't think it's accurate for me because I still drive with my check engine light on knowing that it's going to jack-up my car.

That's what we're doing to our bodies; we are in need of self care, but we keep going and going. If you haven't realized it by now, we are talking about self care in this iTalks episode.

We are almost halfway through the year now and many of us have check engine lights that are already on or are getting ready to come on. The goal of today's podcast is to talk about things we as teachers do or don't do that will lead us into better self care. What are some things that you are doing currently to help take care of yourself in this month of LOVE?

I saw this post on Facebook that said we can't consider our basic needs, like taking a bath and going to the grocery store, as a part of our self care routine. Those are crucial tasks that we need to do anyway. Even though it's a bubble bath which is a little more luxurious than the shower I would normally take, I need to think beyond that for my self care. Maybe I need to start taking long walks or exercise more. Self care is for yourself, so whatever you're doing, it needs to be something beneficial for you and may not work for everybody.

You have to know yourself in order to be able to give yourself the right care. An administrator at my school has gotten me into exploring Enneagram types, and I am an Enneagram 9. One of the greatest characteristics for an Enneagram 9 is the desire for balance and harmony. Understanding that about myself gives me the ability to incorporate strategies like yoga and mindfulness that will help bring balance and harmony to my life.

You have to know yourself. Whether it's taking a personality test or taking some time for reflection, you've got to know who you are to help yourself. Nobody knows you better than you. One of the things I do for self care is that I love to cook. I get in the kitchen away from work, away from the T.V. to relax and do something I'm passionate about. It's the only place I can go to get away from my to-do lists.

For me, cooking isn't self care because it's something I have to do every night for my husband and my kids. It all goes back to, "What are those things that bring you joy and pleasure?" What things allow you to escape your everyday routine and stress?

For some teachers, it's getting away from the classroom and leaving the classroom in the classroom. There's nothing wrong with leaving your laptop in your classroom over the weekend or even one night. I saw on Twitter an assistant principal had a table where she challenged teachers to leave their laptops on the table as they departed for the weekend. She had some teachers come to her and reluctantly give it to her, but when they came back on Monday, they were so appreciative of the opportunity to unplug. It freed them from some of the anxieties and pressures we place on ourselves to work excessively.

Find what works for you. Nobody will take care of you better than you. We think of our students as our number one priorities, but if you aren't functioning correctly, then your classroom and your students won't function. It's like on an airplane when the flight attendant says you need to put on the oxygen mask before helping others.

I actually picked crocheting back up during the pandemic, and I've been making hats and blankets and all kinds of things. It's just something I enjoy. When I'm sitting watching T.V. feel like I have to be doing something, so crocheting is a way for me to not feel as guilty when I'm doing something I enjoy. I'll create almost the entire thing and realize I messed it up; it doesn't bother me at all to un-do the whole thing and start over because I enjoy the process. I want to speak to the guilt that some of us carry when we do think about self care. For me, it's my family. I feel really guilty when I need time away from them. This discussion is a good reminder that I really need to let that guilt go. If you're not happy, no one else in the house will be happy.

It's beneficial to talk to our children and spouses about what "me time" really is and what it looks like. I have a 12 year old, a 7 year old, and a 3 year old. When you have that discussion with your children about what they need, then they can begin to discover those times when they need "me time" as well. When they become our age, self care won't be a foreign concept for them.

While I was teaching, I was feeling the physical toll of my day on me. It manifested itself in my back and joints. I felt tired all the time and was physically worn out, so to help I visit the chiropractor. I advocate for chiropractic care and that leads us into our guest for the day, a local chiropractor that will help us continue the conversation on self care.

Introduction

Today we’re speaking with Dr. John Neel to advise us on cultivating wellness. Dr. Neel is highly regarded in the upstate area as a leading Chiropractor working with a wide range of conditions and patients.

He graduated from Wofford College in 2002 and after undergoing therapy and chiropractic after a football injury, he decided to attend Sherman College for Chiropractic. Now, giving back to the community that raised him, Dr. Neel began his practice, Town Square Chiropractic, in Belton in August of 2007. Dr. Neel has extensive experience with sports, sports injuries, and the challenges of being a competitive athlete. All the while, he is a proud supporter of the area schools and teachers. Welcome, Dr. Neel.

This episode is all about teacher/educator self-care, so how would you explain the value of chiropractic care to a new patient, particularly one in education? Are there benefits particularly for educators?

We believe the body was created perfectly. The value of chiropractic care is that everything is controlled through the brain, and the brain's only way to communicate with the rest of the body is through the spinal cord. You have 24 bones in your back that stack on top of each other to protect that cord as it exits your brain. Any type of pressure that may be placed on those spinal nerves will decrease the nerve's potential up to 60% per every 10mm of pressure. Chiropractors remove pressure on the spine so the nerves function at a more optimal level.

For someone wanting to begin self care, why would chiropractic care be a good start for them?

Chiropractic is drug-free; we don't prescribe medication because we believe your body is perfect in its own way. It's better to start out without having to put any external stimulus in your body to try to accomplish the maximum potential of your body.

How does pressure build up and cause that pain?

Anytime a bone, joint, or part of the body moves into a place that it doesn't belong, then the body's first response is to inflame it. The inflammation causes the pressure to build. The pain you get is from the inflammation of pressure being placed on the nerve. We try to remove that pressure so the body can take care of the inflammation.

The body also has a strange way of dealing with pain. If you've ever broken a bone or known someone who has broken their bone, that bone takes four to six weeks to heal, but a lot of times that healing bone doesn't hurt during that time unless you bump it. The way the body deals with that pain is to open pain pathways in your nerves when you break something, but after the first few days of having pain, the body says, "We can't do anything about this bone for the next four to six weeks, so what we're going to do is close the pain gate to the brain." The bone is not healed, but you don't feel the pain. If you bump it, the pain will open that gate to remind you that your bone is still broken. It's the same way with the back. If you do a little something to knock a bone out of place, you ignore it for a few days and the pain goes away. Then the pain comes back a little worse every time that inflammation is bumped and you end up in a chiropractic office unable to stand up straight.

One of the big topics of chiropractic is the audible, cracking necks and fingers to get a momentary sense of relief as their moment of self care. Is that healthy and is it really self care?

If you can make your neck and back give you an audible without placing leverage on it, it's not awful. If you hear the crack when you stretch slowly, that's okay. If you have to grab something to twist and push hard, that's not a good thing to do. I don't always get the audible when I adjust someone. Just because you don't get the audible, does not mean that bone doesn't move. If they bone or joint doesn't have enough pressure built up in it to release the audible, then sometimes you won't get an audible out of it. We are very specific about which bones we move because we don't want to aggravate nerves that don't need any attention.

Because a lot of our listeners might not be chiropractic patients, what can you expect from a typical chiropractic visit.

Patients will fill out a complete case history, and we will go through that with then. The we do a complete orthopedic, neurological examination to see if the patient is feeling any muscle tightness, stiffness, and trigger points. Then we complete the adjustment and there are multiple ways to adjust someone when they come into the office. Some people prefer the hands-on pressure and others just do not like pressure, so we have other strategies to back the pressure off significantly.

What if I'm one of those patients that do not want my neck messed with?

We use instruments that move at a high rate of speed that can perform the adjustment in a short period of time. Some people just do not want their neck touched. If that's the case, we'll explain what you need and what you don't need. After that, if you still don't want your neck touched, then I'll leave it alone. It's not a one-size-fits-all system.

Massage therapists will tell their patients to drink plenty of water, is that the same with chiropractic services?

Yes! But everybody should drink plenty of water. If you are dehydrated, which a substantial number of people today are walking around dehydrated, then non of the systems in your body will function optimally.

Is chiropractic care a good idea for our children as well?

My youngest patient was two or three days old. My children have been adjusted since birth and I adjusted my wife in the hospital before she gave birth. It is something that I feel is necessary for the body to function properly.

Is chiropractic care affordable for teachers and educators?

We accept insurance; there are thousands of insurance plans out there, so you just have to call the office to find out what your insurance covers and doesn't cover. We try to work with everyone to make it as affordable as possible.

All of these techniques sound very extensive and teachers have very little time; how long is a typical visit?

A typical visit could last anywhere from five to thirty minutes it depends on what needs to be done and what you have time for that day. My goal for everyone that comes in my office is to get them to a point where they don't necessarily see me but once every two to four weeks. Initially when someone comes in, it may be more frequent than that. We will work to get you to the point of only having to come in for maintenance and wellness visits. I always tell people, teachers especially, you spend all day taking care of your students and family; if you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anyone else.

We know that in the digital age of learning, teachers are constantly looking down at their computers and are on their feet all day. What are some stretches or things we can do in our classroom that will help us take care of ourselves?

The number one thing you can do is exercise. A body that is in motion will stay in motion; the longer you can stay moving, the longer you will be moving. I would rather you exercise four to five days a week if you don't have any immediate problems than coming in to see me. It's better for your overall health to get out and exercise four to five days a week for twenty to thirty minutes a day. In the classroom you can put an imaginary dot at the side of your head right at your ear, a dot at the center of your shoulder, and a dot at your hips, those dots should line up directly above each other when you are standing up or sitting down. If you head is moving forward, you are putting a lot more pressure on your neck than you should be. It's nothing you will fix today or tomorrow; it's just something that if you can get in the habit of doing it creates better posture.

What are some additional things we can do to help the treatment plan a chiropractor has laid out for us?

It all goes back to ergonomics and being conscious of how you move, sit, and stand. The stronger we can keep those muscles and that skeletal structure, the less you'll need to see a chiropractor. One of the biggest things we see is core strength. The core strength I'm referring to is abdominal strength. Most issues I see with patients is not the lumbar strength in the lower back; it's with abdominal strength. You have to look at your core almost like a four-legged stool. If your lower back is the rear two legs of a stool, you can sit on a two-legged stool almost all day, but after time, it begins to wobble. This same concept can be applied to the lower back and abdominal muscles. Build your front two legs up in the abdomen to create your personal four-legged stool and help stabilize your body. Your core muscles are the largest muscles you have in through there. Everything originates in and branches off from your core. If you have an issue with core strength, then you will have an issue with shoulders and knees and ankles; it just translates out. The biggest thing we want to focus on for core strength is abdominal strength. I can give you exercises all day long to do for your abs, but I always tell people, just find the exercise you don't mind doing. We're just looking for stabilization there. You can do crunches and planks; just do whatever you want to do as long as it is something you will do.

What can someone do in between visits?

Build that core strength that we just talked about. Start walking for 20-30 minutes a day four to five days a week at a good pace. I see people who work in manufacturing jobs that walk constantly at work, but walking for exercise is different than walking at work. While it is good that you walk at work and don't sit all day, you are stopping or slowing your pace and your heartrate is up at a steady pace. Stretching is hugely important. There's a reason that cats get up in the morning and stretch back and forth to sustain that flexibility.

What are some things we should not do that are putting our bodies at risk?

Forward head posture and leaning over your computer is not good for your body, so anything kind of ergonomics you can do to improve that will benefit you; sit up straight; make sure your ears are over your shoulders and your shoulders are aligned with your hips. Another issues is those "cute shoes" my teacher ladies wear. My suggestion is that if you are required to walk down the hall with a set of high heels on that don't have the support you need, you could keep a pair of tennis shoes at your desk and wear those when you're on your feet teaching. If you have to go somewhere, put the heels back on. I know that's a little difficult sometimes, but it will pay off.

What about lifting? How do we properly lift something?

The biggest part of lifting is bending your knees. If you can squat down around something and pick it up, wonderful, but 90% of people cannot squat around something to pick it up. The more knee bend you can use to pick something up, the better off you back will be. I also tell people that if you look at something and wonder, "Can I pick that up by myself," you probably shouldn't pick it up by yourself. Most often I see people who know that what they're about to do is not right, but they do it anyways because they don't want to take the time to ask for help. Teachers spend all day helping people, and it's very difficult for helpers to receive it. You want to do everything by yourself, but it's okay to say, "hey, I need a little help."

What are some common trends you're seeing from the educators who visit your office?

Most of the issues we see in educators is in the upper back and neck areas. It's from computers, but even before computers, educators walk around the classroom with their heads hung because they are bent over helping students. It's not necessarily anything new with computers, phones, or tablets, but those have compounded the inflammation more than it was in the past. I see the same thing with the students I serve. When you start school, you're looking down at something constantly. When you go through K-12, thirteen years of looking down at papers and completing assignments then do the same thing in college and you job, you need to be aware of how much damage has occurred and utilize strategies to stay strong, look up, maintain your posture, exercise and keep that skeletal structure strong.

Several of us have laptop stands and standing desks; are those some tools you would recommend to help us maintain that posture?

Standing desks are incredibly helpful today. You can look on Amazon and purchase a stand up desk at a good price. When you are standing up, looking straight ahead with you arms by your side and your forearms out at approximately ninety degree angles, that's the best position you can put yourself in.

You are clearly passionate about educators; where does that come from?

My dad was an educator for 32 years. He taught in Anderson District 1 for 32 years. My mom worked in the school district for 28 or 29 years. It is something I'm passionate about because I saw what my father and mother did day to day. It's nice to be able to help somebody who is helping others.

Here we are at the end of our iTalks: Illuminating Conversations Podcast. We've appreciated our time with Dr. Neel today. What are some final thoughts you have on teacher self care?

You spend all day long taking care of other people, but it's much easier to do that if you will take care of yourself.

How can we get in touch with you and where can we find you?

I am located at Town Square Chiropractic in Belton, South Carolina right on the square across from the historic train depot. My number is 864-338-2225, which translates into 338-BACK. I realize I won't be near everyone, so I encourage you to find a chiropractor in your area that you trust. There are good chiropractors out there, but I always tell people to use your gut to find somebody you trust.