Dooley Noted: 4/19/2014 In April 2012, my dear friend Matthew Tolstoy asked me to swing a kettlebell with him. I gave him the same look most people give me, when I ask them to swing it. It’s so menacing, that cannonball with a handle. So dangerous, right? Any fine tool is dangerous in the hands of the unskilled. But Tolstoy was skilled. And I trusted him. He trusted me to listen and learn. It took … Read more
Dooley Noted: 4/17/2014 As a chiropractor specializing in movement rehab, every single day I’m asked these two questions: “What’s a good exercise for that?” And… “What exercises should I avoid?” I give the same frustrating answer: “I don’t know yet.” There are no bad exercises. This includes jogging, dips, and CrossFit. (Yes, you read those three correctly.) Good exercises also don’t exist. Even the Turkish get-up. (That was difficult to write.) Here’s the truth: I … Read more
Dooley noted: 4/16/14 We’ve all experienced it. We had a “gut feeling,” telling us we should or shouldn’t do something. It’s interesting how little merit we put into this feeling, which we often supersede with our thought processes. The complexity of the human brain is arguably much more intense than that of the intestines. Our complex minds can override these gut feelings, as we cast them off. This may be a mistake. Roughly 99% of … Read more
Dooley Noted: 4/15/2014 We’ve all had days that wake us from a heavy sleep, just to lead us into heavier days. These days are filled with doubt. Doubt is dangerous, because it is a self-born condition. We create that heaviness for ourselves. Doubt is only as real as we make it. Yesterday, I felt that heaviness. I walked into lab after a restless airplane nap, wondering if all the work even made a difference. As … Read more
Dooley Noted: 4/14/2014 At the DNS seminar this weekend, I asked Dave, an assistant teacher, if I could ask him a question. As I stuck my hand out for him to shake, he saw me slightly hike my shoulder and lack a radially deviated, extended wrist with the grasp. He noted these things to me with kindness, then said, “but you got off the floor like a child, not using your neck. Well done.” I … Read more
Dooley Noted: 4/13/2014 One of the caveats of being constantly barefoot is the occasional splinter. While in Vancouver, I performed bodyweight skills on a wooden pier. The result was a sizable splinter, which was really still quite tiny relative to my foot – and my body. Instead of stopping to remove it, I continued to perform skills training. At that time, the splinter didn’t hurt. I forgot about it and continued with my day. I … Read more
Dooley Noted: 4/12/2014 Someone bragged at the DNS seminar that he hasn’t taken a new patient in 25 years. He stated he was helping to maintain the patients he was seeing and was helping them live healthy lives. While that intention sounds great, I found it to be off track with my current practice objectives. You’re treating the same population of people and no longer seeing new people. How is that a GOOD thing? Did … Read more
Dooley Noted: 4/11/2014 When you love your job, you can give until you break. It can occur. I’ve been close. When you love what you do, it’s very hard to step back and take a break from doing it. If it’s what you love, then why stop? When I asked my dear friend Eric Chessen what he thought, he noted the following: “It’s important to take a break from things you love – before the … Read more
Dooley Noted: 4/10/2014 You’ve seen it on other people. You may even see it in the mirror. The thoracic spine, or midback, is meant to have a curve towards the posterior. You were born with this same curve in your sacrum and coccyx (read: tailbone). This kyphosis is the curve of the fetal position. We earn our neck and low back curves, by holding up our heads, crawling, and ultimately, walking. But oftentimes, we fail … Read more
Dooley Noted: 4/9/2014 For anyone that’s seen me as a clinician, a common word used for my treatment style is “unorthodox.” It becomes apparent when you are in the lobby. You must take your shoes off. Now, the place in which I practice already has this policy implemented. Had it not been in place, it would still be that way behind my treatment door. Through the last few years of observation, I’ve noticed that people … Read more