Dooley Noted: 3/3/2014 While touring Sydney, my friends and I took many opportunities to take the stairs. My friend and colleague Simon Tydd made a remark about stairs that stuck with me. Simon: “Stairs are a good measure of health, aren’t they? They really point out your weak points.” Last week, a normally fit Simon was struck with pneumonia. He knew when he got winded walking up a flight of stairs. If you have musculoskeletal … Read more
Dooley Noted: 3/1/2014 The world can change in 6 months. Mine did. You were diagnosed with a small cell carcinoma. It was wrapped around your trachea and esophagus, choking and starving you. Your voice left. The cadence I used to hear in your musical voice faded into an unrecognizable whisper. Your stout, strong body withered into nothingness. Your clothes fell off. You couldn’t breathe or eat. We were losing you. I never knew how deeply … Read more
Dooley Noted: 2/28/2014 At this moment, I am flying transpacific, to another country, on another continent, in another hemisphere. I remember learning geography as a child and spinning my fingers on the globe. As my finger plopped down on various places on the spinning globe, I never imagined one day I might live that out. Right now, I’m above water. I’m petrified of water. But I know how the limbic system works. The amygdala is … Read more
Dooley Noted: 2/27/2014 Ladies, we might be to blame for the fact we are slow to strength. We might have let men take it from us, when we could have earned it. I noticed this when at the gym. Yesterday, I wanted to use a preacher curl bench to groove my one-armed push-up. As I proudly lifted and scooted the heavy bench, a very strong gentleman basically pushed me aside to lift it. He didn’t … Read more
Dooley Noted: 2/26/2014 I’ve heard it in my office. I’ve heard it at seminars. I’ve heard it with students. “Doc, I’m a mess.” People in pain or discomfort feel broken and weary, like they need to be fixed. I call your bluff. You are not a “mess.” You are not a pile of laundry in the corner. You are an evolving human, adapting to your environment. And in case you forgot, you are in charge … Read more
Dooley Noted. 2/25/2014 Upon achieving my doctorate in chiropractic, a professor walked up to congratulate me. Prof: Congrats on achieving Magna Cum Laude status. Dooley: Thank you, sir. Prof: How close were you to Sum Cum Laude? Dooley: The A status is fine. I decided to work full time and minimize my debt in school. Magna is still good. Prof: It is. You know the truth about grades anyway, right? Dooley: No, sir. Prof: A … Read more
Dooley Noted: 2/23/2014 In a Facebook world of posting all that’s hunky dory, I feel the need to bring the real. So, I need you to know this fact. A few weeks ago, I lost myself. I traded training days for patient appointments. I lost myself in my desire to contribute. I saw myself negotiate my principle set to please other people. I watched and felt it happen. My president of the Dooley Board of … Read more
Dooley Noted: 2/21/2014 When you have hurt, there is much to fall in love with again. I recently experienced some heartbreak. You can always tell how I feel right on my face, since its apparently translucent. Since I take my work quite seriously, I wondered how I would be my normal self in lab. My heavy heart and I entered the lab, and I prayed for the strength to be on point. When I saw … Read more
Dooley Noted: 2/20/2014 I have an intense love and commitment to my training as a representative of the kettlebell community. I tend to train alone, and I am commonly approached by gym goers. They see me doing kettlebell ladders, mobility and stability resets, breathing drills and correctives. My training is intense, calm, and focused. This is weird for a typical gym – but something about it gets people interested. They are missing something from their … Read more
Dooley Noted: 2/19/2014 I have an interesting array of jobs. When it comes to conversation over cocktails, strange questions come up about my experience with human dissection. I recently shocked an inquisitive friend with my answer to this question: Friend: Which type of bodies have the best muscles? Dooley: The obese ones. Friend: No way! How is that possible?! Dooley: They have to carry around that weight all day. I am nearing number 800 for … Read more