From the Desk of Dr. Lasich

I hope this newsletter finds you feeling good. If not, then maybe you should evaluate your fitness program. Today, I give you a glimpse into my fitness program and a commitment to lead by example. I am not the only one on the fitness bandwagon (see In The News); our ranks are growing as everyone looks towards healthy habits as the way to combat the epidemics of the modern world. Fitness matters!

Today, I would also like to announce the recent launch of my comprehensive website healingwomeninpain.com. All aspects of my efforts to treat pain have culminated into this one site. Healing has to start somewhere. Healing starts with finding the right doctor, getting the right answers, and becoming an informed decision maker. On this website, one can read numerous articles in my blog called “Healing Journal” where I give people real world answers to the tough questions about pain, suffering, health, injuries and much more. I have also listed my favorite books and products, along with links to other useful sites. If you missed a newsletter, you can access my entire archive of newsletters. Whether you are looking for more information about me or would like to know when my next event or appearance will be, this website has all the information you need about starting a transformation process with me as your guide. So, let healingwomeninpain.com be a roadmap for healing the shards of life pain has left behind because pain is a doorway to transformation.

Speaking of upcoming events, I am pleased to announce a dinner program called “Cooking to Control Pain” at In The Kitchen on August 6th, 2009. Sign up by calling Wendy VanWagner at 530-478-0669. Please see the news & events page for more information.
Let the healing begin!

My Fitness Program
by Christina Lasich, M.D.

Lately, people have been asking me how I have lost so much weight this year. Thank you for noticing. Well, I have made a few changes in my fitness program. By definition, to be fit is to be in proper physical condition. I have been mindful of my fitness level for years, but now I have kicked it up a couple notches with improved exercise and nutrition.

My exercise program for the past 9 years has entailed a 30 minute aerobic training session every day. I either happily spin on my stationary bicycle until I am thoroughly exhausted or I briskly walk with my dogs (anyone with a German Shorthair Pointer will know how brisk a walk can be). After I am warmed-up, I do a strength training program on my Swiss ball or a wobble board. Sit-ups, push-ups, bridging, leg-lifts, squats; the list goes on and on. Please see the video about my exercise program, Exercises With Dogs. I learned this program through a low back rehabilitation program directed by a physical therapist. Years ago, finding the right physical therapist literally saved my life from the dark hole of chronic, debilitating pain. My commitment to feeling better has kept me on track, doing exercise every day (see my article Back Pain: Can it be treated with Physical Therapy?).

Lately, my nutrition program has really improved. I have eliminated even more processed foods like boxed cereals, crackers, and fruit juices. I have also eliminated milk. Milk was actually easy to give up because of an allergy, but I have also learned to enjoy the protein associated with soymilk. Finally, I have nearly stopped eating beef. I am not a vegetarian, but I do not eat meat every day. If I do eat meat, I eat chicken or fish. In short, I am eating food, not too much, mostly plants. I do not call it a diet. I call it my way of eating. Just like a habit, this healthy habit is here to stay.

After years of dealing with a touchy low back and frequent pain, I decided that fitness was truly the road to feeling better. After all, my discs have healed. My ligaments have healed. My muscles have healed. I cannot change the way I was built. The only thing left to do, in order to change my physical condition, was to choose to take better care of myself. Thus, I optimized my fitness program. Exercise and nutrition; these basic elements provide the foundation to a high level of functioning. Pain was my doorway to this transformation: to do something, to change something, to choose something. The choice is mine. I choose to feel better.

I also choose to be a better role model for my patients. Harvard recently conducted a nutrition program at the Culinary Institute of America. Attending this program was probably the best three days that I have invested in me in a long time. One of the most important points emphasized was the fact that if we as doctors care about our own nutrition, then the patients will care about their own nutrition. We care, they care; role-modeling is a powerful form of leadership. Doctors should be leading the way towards improving the health of the community. Some corporations were also attending this conference in their efforts to lead the way towards improved health. The Dole Corporation is a perfect example of how those in the food industry can lead the way; just look at the Chairman of the Board, David Murdock, who was recently seen on Oprah (see side bar, In the News). With a concerted effort, the fitness level of the world can improve.

So next time you are sitting in a restaurant with friends, lead the way towards improved fitness by asking the bread and butter to be removed from the table and declining to order another beverage besides water. Be mindful of the bread, butter, and beverage; these three B’s can kill your fitness program. The choice is yours. Personally, I have made my choice. I choose to be fit.

LIFE Quotes

“Habits of thinking need not be forever.”
– Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD, Learned Optimism

In the News

Apothecary Corner

Suboxone has a Here to Help program for those who need or want to stop taking pain medications but are having a hard time with chemical dependency and/or addiction.