which turkey?

last week we spent six days in durango for the thanksgiving holiday.  although we had planned to spend much of our time outside, we hadn't planned on the cold weather.  we had enough forethought to bring kota's new snowsuit, but on our first outing we discovered that he is already too tall for it!  he was a good sport and he walked around in the snow for a good ten minutes, but we couldn't stop laughing because he looked like a bright red starfish.  he couldn't bring his arms down and he couldn't get his feet together!  but he was warm and that was the important part!

so, we learned that kids have a much lower tolerance for and excitement about snow than us adults.  notice kota's lack of excitement after ten minutes of play.  why is that?  is it mental or is there some physiological reason?

here are a few pointers about babies and cold:
-your baby will generally need more layers than you will, since he or she is not as active, therefor not producing as much heat
-humans lose more heat through their heads than anywhere else.  this is especially true for babies, who have proportionately bigger heads than adults.
-babies and toddlers need extra layers on their legs since they don't move at all, or, in the case of toddlers, they don't move very fast
-glare can be especially bad on snow, so consider a pair of sunglasses for your tot.
-periodically test your baby's warmth by touching his nose, cheeks, or fingers.  at the end of each adventure, as you unbundle your child in indoors warmth, immediately test his hands and feet, particularly to see if he's dry and warm.  this is the test of whether your outing has been successful and will give you clues to what may be needed on your next winter trip.


as in all cases, babies need special care and attention in the snowy world.

it's just nerves

that's what rob says when he tickles me. "it's just nerves!"  when he has captured me between his legs and stimulated my ticklish self to a point of either wetting my pants or simultaneously combusting, he says calmly, "it's just nerves."  when i have finally recovered (read: caught my breath and returned to a state of more love than fear) i try to retaliate.  but, of course, rob is not ticklish.

what is it that makes me so ticklish and rob so immune?  was it the years and years of "abuse" from my two older brothers?  was it that from an early age i enjoyed the laughter that accompanies tickling?  was it learned or is it inborn?  these are questions to which i have to know the answers.  if i could learn to like tickling, perhaps i could learn to be immune.

my internet research revealed some interesting results:
-tickling is probably limited to humans and primates, but it is not understood why some people are more ticklish than others.
-tickling is commonly accepted as an integral bonding activity, particularly between parents and children.  when expressed between siblings it is usually used for punishment and intimidation.  between friends and lovers tickling is the fifth and highest grade of social play and illustrates deep intimacy.
-perhaps we are ticklish for the purpose of bonding, perhaps it is an evolutionary adaptation to protect those particular areas of our bodies, or perhaps it has helped us develop combat skills.
-and the reason we can't tickle ourselves is not entirely understood, but it is likely that the cerebellum sends precise information about the position of the tickling target to the somatosensory cortex, voiding the element of surprise, which is required for tickling.

this is what it looks like when my brother tickles me:

notice that my headband is in his hand, i am totally stuck under his arm, and still, i am laughing.  it is an odd thing, tickling.  and i think i will be ticklish for the duration...

orgasmic birth

in recent history, women in the united states have been taught to fear the birthing process.  they have been advised to labor in the hospital for their own safety and for the safety of their child.  they have been encouraged to take advantage of the many drugs available to them to numb the pain.  and they have become increasingly comfortable with elective cesarean sections, a major surgery.  also, insurance has been stepping in to control options and expenses for pregnant women.

have we forgotten?  pregnancy is a gift.  it is not a disease.  it is not a condition.   it is a beautiful, natural, transformative, age-old gift.

women had been giving birth successfully for more than a few years before obstetric surgeons.  they used doulas and midwifes who were fully capable of meeting all of their basic needs before, during and after labor.  traditional labor can offer exceptional joy, connection and usually an elated feeling of orgasm from the loads of oxytocin pumping through the woman's body.  and of course, some intense pain is to be expected.

it's true, obstetric surgeons have been integral to helping many women and babies survive labor, and that is priceless, but most births don't require their level of intervention.  furthermore, most interventions in obstetric practices do not have a sufficient history of long-term effects.  already, many drugs and practices that were developed to facilitate labor have been discontinued because they were found to harm women and their babies.  for example, women took scopolamine for almost 40 years which was found to cause twilight sleep; women screamed, scratched at doctors, tried to climb walls and spat at people.  this drug took away memory, self-awareness and self-control so, as a result, women were tied to their beds, sometimes for days.  also, pregnant women had systematic x-rays of their bellies until this practice was linked to cancer in babies.  next, thalidomide was used, which caused babies to be born without arms and legs.  then cytotec was given to induce labor in women; those with previous cesarean sections incurred ruptured uteruses and thus dead babies.  the point is that obstetric interventions are being taken very lightly although they may cause serious, permanent damage to mothers and babies.

an ob/gyn and researcher, michel odent, depicts a metaphor comparing current obstetric practice to a traveler lost on the wrong path.  once the traveler realizes that (s)he is lost, (s)he turns back, starts over and finds a different, previously trodden path.  he implies that our society has gotten off the time-tested path, that we should start over and reconsider the midwife as our best option.

in the 1960's there was a resurgence of home births.  today, more and more women are exercising their right to decide what kind of experience and treatment they would like during labor.

below is an excerpt from a friend's blog who is training to be a midwife in peru; she is sorting out some of the differences between pregnancy in a first world country versus a third world country.

As a pregnant woman who lives in a developed nation in the 21^st century, I do not worry that I will not survive childbirth. I do not worry that my child will not survive her passage into this world or make it her first year. I enter into pregnancy and labor fraught with my own fears that are based on 21^stcentury realities, likely that I will not be able to bear the pain of childbirth, that it will be too much for me. I have no reason to call into question the formal health system – my midwife’s or physician’s training, the quality of the hospital or birth center where I will deliver, the medical interventions that will be performed upon my body, or prompt access to necessary treatment, facilities or medication that will ensure the survival of me and my baby. I also do not question that I will be treated with respect and dignity, that I will have a voice and a role in my own labor, childbirth and newborn care. As a first world citizen, I also have implicit faith in my health system and the personnel caring for me. It is a privilege to feel safe in my pregnancy and upcoming childbirth, and to be able to concentrate on the celebration and joy of my new role as mother, my changing body, and the knowledge I am creating new life.

This is one of the true marvels of being a citizen of a developed, politically stable, and wealthy nation.

ballerina

i spent much of my early childhood dreaming about becoming a ballerina. i would train and rehearse; i would break in pointe shoes, wear leg warmers and tutus; i would eventually become a prima ballerina! today i watched a documentary about five young russian ballerinas in the kirov ballet. each young woman was very interesting and brilliantly talented, and it was fascinating get their perspective about their lives as dancers. and i confirmed why i am not one!

the anatomy of a ballerina is specific. she should have a small head, long neck and long legs. she should be slender and strong. she will start training when she is just ten years old so it will be hard to tell whether she will have a dancer's body after puberty. she will progress from slippers to pointe shoes when she has adequate foot and ankle plantar flexion, technique, training, alignment and strength.

she will benefit from developing strong muscles, gaining balance and coordination and forming bonds with other ballerinas and teachers, and she will build confidence in her performance on the stage. these are healthy, direct effects of her studying.

but even a ballerina is bound by gravity.

her body will undergo severe stresses that can cause temporary or permanent damages to her body. for example, if, like many students, she breaks a toe when she starts "en pointe" and does not allow it to heal properly, she will have crooked toes. if she is undernourished, endures regular, hard physical exercise, or has a lower than average fat/lean ratio, she will likely start menstruation later than her peers. she is at a higher risk to experiment with calorie deficits and develop an eating disorder. and, finally, she may experience psychological distress from physical and technical perfectionism.

prima ballerinas personify one of the most internationally recognized fairy tale endings. every little girl has dreamt of picking up handfuls of flowers and smelling them for hours after a brilliant performance. 

but few have the audacity and the fortitude... nor will their bodies allow it.

and yet, even though ballet is not for all of us, there remain exciting challenges for the non-professional athletes.   the amazing thing about our bodies is that they can be stretched to amazing lengths, if only we apply ourselves...

the "feel good" hormone

i hate running.  i have never enjoyed the burning in my lungs, the jolting of my joints, and the achingly repetitive motion.  but saturday morning i rallied some motivation from my inner depths, and i ran.  i biked one mile for a quick warm-up, ran six miles, and biked one mile home to cool-down.

much to my dismay, i had fun.  the sun was out, the trail was busy, birds were chirping... it was beautiful.  and i think i've learned that i never liked running, not because of the physical stress, but because i was bored.  my lungs didn't burn that bad, and my joints were fine...  and i felt great for the rest of the day.  was it the fresh air?  or the vitamin d?  or the endorphins?!

endorphins are endogenous morphine.  or, literally, "morphine produced naturally in the body."  except that there is no chance of addiction or dependence!

who wouldn't want an endorphin rush?!

endorphins are produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus during exercise, excitement, pain, consumption of spicy food, love and orgasm.  they resemble opiates in their abilities to produce analgesia and a feeling of well-being.  and we can all trigger endorphin release.  we can participate in strenuous exercise, meditate, receive acupuncture or massage therapy, or make babies!  seriously, sex is a potent trigger for endorphin release and placental tissue, formed during pregnancy, excretes beta-endorphins into the maternal body system from the third month of pregnancy.

whether it was the beautiful day or the endorphins, i was inspired.  i ran again this morning and enjoyed myself, again.  have i found a new hobby?

sustaining joint health

i had an initial assessment with my physical therapist, teresa, last week.  after i had described the traction injury i incurred while climbing, she tested my strength (right versus left arm), she watched my neck and shoulders anteriorly as i articulated my head up, down, left, and right, and she watched my scapula posteriorly as i articulated my arms up and down.  after these brief assessments, teresa determined that i had most likely stretched my shoulder ligaments as well as the nerve running through my armpit.  all of these fibers have plausibly regenerated and are prepared to perform routine shoulder movement, but they are not functioning in synchrony.  for ten days i have "retrained" my arm to work as it should.  

i pull my scapula down and back so it is flat against my back and close to my spine.  then i row, extend to hip, and extend out to side.  i do these exercises without weights; i am simply training my arm to operate in the proper sequence to function efficiently.  after this sequence training, i will start to weight train the muscles so they will support the joint, even at rest.  even though i am not using weights, my muscles are sore after i articulate them intentionally for 20 minutes.  imagine the flashing neon red or lightning bolts you see on indigestion commercials...

this morning i had my second appointment with teresa.  she saw an improvement in my scapula rotation; it was no longer "winging out" when i lift my arms above my head.  but there is still some instability, so i will start to strengthen the rotator cuff muscles.  for the next three weeks, i will lift light weights and perform several weight bearing, balance exercises.  as i practiced each exercise in her office, she pointed out which muscles were being targeted - the subscapularis, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, serratus anterior, and trapezius.  i should try not to use my deltoids and latissimus dorsi.  it is easier to understand the basis of my physical therapy now that i understand the intricacies of the joints and muscles in the shoulder.

prostate or prostrate

as i sat waiting for a dear friend to meet me for a delicious, refreshing trippel at the equinox brewery, i overheard three gentlemen very openly discussing prostatitis.  now, of course i thought i had misheard them, so i began to listen more intently.  sure enough, "i had prostatitis, too!" was clearly sung above the ambient music cascading through the speakers.

according to mayoclinic.com:
"Prostatitis, a disease of the prostate gland, can cause pain in the groin, painful urination, difficulty urinating and related symptoms. The prostate gland produces components of semen, the fluid that helps support and transport sperm. The gland, about the size and shape of a walnut, sits directly below the bladder and surrounds the urethra, the tube that transports both semen and urine to the penis."

these men, two of which had kids in tow, were complaining of these exact symptoms.  they relayed tales of pain when sitting, pain when urinating, and difficulty ejaculating.  i had to wonder if they meant to speak this openly with the whole bar audience.  the thing i found interesting was that they were not complaining of inflammation because i have learned that "-itis" is a suffix denoting diseases characterized by inflammation.

but then according to urbandictionary.com:
"Itis is the drowsy or sleepy effect linked to digesting large meals, usually high in fat or salt content."

so i didn't know what to think because urban dictionary is so accurate and reliable.

further research unveiled that the reason prostatitis is painful and causes difficulty with nether functions is because of inflammation of the prostate gland.  below is an image that shows how the urethra passes through the prostate, and how any swelling of the prostate can affect urination.

as quickly as the conversation started, it stopped.  and they moved onto man's best friend.  sadly, one of their dogs has stage 4 interstitial fasciitis.  clearly, the inflammation of fascia.  perhaps the topic for another blog...