Stroke Awareness

Stroke Awareness

A stroke can happen to anyone, at any time and at any age! 80% of all strokes are preventable.

Strokes are on the rise and it is important to know the signs because with a stroke the earlier the patients gets medical attention, the less permanent damage to the brain. The signs of stroke are easy to remember

F - Face Dropping : If there is a dropping to one side of the face
A - Arm weakness : Sudden weakness on one side of the body
S - Speech : Change in speech, difficulty in talking or slurred speech
T - Time : As mentioned previously acting fast is the most important to prevent long term devastating effects

If you are unfortunate to experience a stroke, Biokinetics can help rehabilitate the effects caused by stroke. Strokes are largely treatable. Exercise can improve your strength, improve your walking and improve sensation. We have had great success with stroke patients in our practice in helping improve their symptoms and quality of life. It is most important that the program is tailor made to each patient. There are also many risks associated with stroke patients, hence having supervised sessions with a biokineticist is essential.

Why I love my job :)

It has been such a fantastic week !!!! 

Two amazing stories have made the week easier to get through and the last stretch of 2015 achievable ! 

1. Patient X came to see us after receiving chemotherapy . Before being diagnosed he was walking 7km and cycling 15km. After chemo he couldn't walk one block without getting short of breath. He came to see me to get stronger and try and get back to where he was. 

This week, after a mere 2 months of Biokinetics, we discharged him as he was now able to do his 7km comfortably ! What an awesome achievement for him and what a satisfying feeling for me ! 

2. Patient Y suffers with fibromyalgia and has some really good days and some really bad days. She complained to me that if she gets down on her haunches to collect something off of the floor she cannot get up again and has to shuffle to the closest item of furniture to haul herself up. 

This week she said to me : "By the way, I can stand up off of the floor ! It's not easy, but I can do it !

Yay, yay, yay !!! 

It's the simple things in life that we can do that we take for granted until we can't do them anymore :( 

The satisfaction of helping my patients achieve their goals, whether big or small is immeasurable. It's stories like these that get me out of bed when it's too cold or I feel like a lay in.

To you, my fighters, who wake up each day and soldier on I say bravo ! And I say thank you, thank you for allowing me to help you achieve what you thought impossible ! 

Contact us today to see how we can help make a difference in your life !

Mumtaz - 0824481890/ biomcg@gmail.com  

The importance of First Aid

Biokineticists have been asked to update their First Aid to level 2. So whereas previously having a Level 1 was good enough we now have to hold a Level 2 First Aid certificate.

And so I headed to my course.

At the end of these courses you always feel that no matter how equipped you think you are when an emergency presents itself, no one can predict what will happen. Keeping this in mind, here are a few pointers you can take note of if ever you are faced with a bad situation.

1. Never ever administer medication to anyone. You don't know their history or what other medication they are on.

2. Always put your safety first.

3. Who do you call? - If you are certain that the patient is not on a medical aid do not call a private ambulance as this can result in huge costs for the patient .
IMPORTANT NUMBERS :
082911
084124 - This is the Discovery Medical Aid preferred provider
112
10177

4. If a child is choking never turn them upside down and try and shake them.

5. It has been proven that woman are more likely to stop breathing due to choking because they are too embarrassed to cause a scene - so Rule number 1 here is get someones attention and make sure they know you are choking

6. If someone is in shock let them sit or lie down and cover them with a blanket. DO NOT give them anything to eat or drink including sugar water.

7. If someone is having a heart attack , do not let them walk, even if it is just to the car or to the chair as this uses oxygen and they are struggling to to breathe!

8. Signs of a stroke - Face pulls to one side, Arm gets numb, Speech is slurred and sight is blurred. The biggest thing for a stroke patient is getting them medical attention as quickly as possible. We may think so, but most of the time, headaches are unrelated to a stroke.

9. DO NOT put keys into the mouth of a person having a fit.

10. And lastly but most importantly, whatever you do, get help quickly !

Disclaimer : These are only pointers to assist and maybe save a life.
Do not do CPR or administer First Aid if you are NOT TRAINED!

Are you strong enough?

On Sunday 29 March 2015, 1800 athletes braced themselves and headed off to the start line to compete in the Standard Bank Ironman.

The race includes a 3.86km swim, 180.25km bicycle ride and a 42.4km run!! Impossible? Not for those amazing athletes that completed on sunday ! With the winner, Frederik VAN LIERDE completing it in just 08:16:34!!! Even more remarkable, the womens winner Jodie Swallow came in, in a time of 09:26:56! 

My fascination with the human body is what led me to my career path. How far can we actually push ourselves? For me, Ironman is a clear indication of just how far that is. No doubt the race is gruelling and taxing on the body, but with the right training, nutrition and lifestyle, it CAN be achieved! The body is remarkable and when put to the test it sure does perform!

My lifelong dream has been to complete the 94.7 cycle challenge - which I have, twice now! And then the Ironman adverts appeared on TV...NEVER STOP MOVING FORWARD! so I have registered for my first, mini triathlon and with perseverance I know I shall conquer... !! 

THE cycle challenge..

This is a loooong overdue post ! But with Argus around the corner I figured I had better get to it!!

Since 2008 I have been singing a song about riding the 94.7. So much has happened over the last 5 years that I just never got down to it. In 2012 I was spinning seriously and said this is it. But God had a better plan! After 4 years of desperately wanting another baby we were finally pregnant! So other than walking and swimming I was banned from all sorts of exercise. And there went my cycle yet again. My second miracle was born on the 20th of February 2013 and 6 weeks later I was back on the bike!!!
I was determined and said to my husband come hell or high water I will be taking part this year.
I starting spinning 3-4 times a week and thought I was heading in the right direction.

About a month and a bit before the race Ahmed (my husband) and I decided to do a small road event to prepare me. Ahmed is one of those that are naturally fit. So there was I (on my mountain bike with no slicks) panting and climbing and watching him whizz past me and not even break a sweat. He had ridden all of 1km his ENTIRE life and yet was annihilating me!
At the end of those 50km I realised an actual road bike was a must if I was to even think of finishing the 94.7cycle challenge.
So off we went to Cajees Cycle Corner and kitted up with all kinds of crazy gadgets, safety devices, gear and ofcourse  2 gorgeous bikes!

Now I was ready!! Or so I thought!

Ahmed fell ill and couldn't ride so I was on my own when the day eventually came

Before I knew it the 17th of November rapidly arrived and there I was with just 2 road cycles in my pocket about to take on one of the hardest challenges of my life.

I started off pretty well and was going at a pace that was faster than what Ahmed and Hamza (my older son) were able to get to the water points. By the 3rd point we made a decision to then meet at the end. Little did I know the worst was yet to come !
Everyone speaks pf the dreaded Witkoppen climb. 7.8km of climbing. SO, I practiced it. So I climbed with ease . NO ONE talks about what comes after Witkoppen.

And then we hit the highway. It was just one hill after the next. In 36 degrees with just open road in front of you I was pretty sure I was never going to make it.
I looked at my watch several times on that highway , just wanting to make cut off and get the medal by this point!

The final climb before Waterfall is another test of just how fit you actually are . But did I climb and then ... finally...the finish line... with my amazing support waiting for me !

The race itself was not physically challenging but the heat was horrendous and I think that made it all that much more demanding. I am all set to do it again this year, but I will definitely train MUCH harder this time!

This is my BEST photo of the day!

You see all kinds of people on the race. Young, old, rich poor, fit, and unfit. I started the race with a 12 year old on one side and on the other was a young black man who literally had a vest, a soccer shorts and shoes that I wouldn't even consider shoes, to ride with!

Each person decides if they are riding for fun, fitness or a purpose.
And my purpose was simple...I rode to prove I am and always will be a mum first in my life but after this I can safely say I am a fit, non-quitter, dedicated mama! So this one is for my boys!:)

To Thai or not to Thai?!?!

2 weeks ago my dear sister dragged me to Puri Thai for a "long overdue" thai massage!
The therapist in me had alarm bells ringing thinking of all the horrendous things these tiny asian woman were going to put my body through.
She couldn't understand my fear so I decided I would blog and explain to both her and all of you the deal behind my anxiety!

For those of you that don't know, a Thai massage is a massage where therapists use pressure from their fingers, palms, elbows, knees and feet to stretch your muscles in postures inspired from yoga.
You are fully clothed and no oils are used.
It started off well with her digging into my knots in my back and neck. However (fear #1 confirmed). Her pressure was way too hard and caused pain during the massage and bruising the next day. Massage is more about where you are applying the pressure then how hard the pressure is applied. So yes as a therapist we use pressure pointing but this is meant to help dissipate the spasm, and not cause bruising or secondary pain. Nonetheless it definitely helped loosen me up.
It continued with massage of the rest of my body and then LOTS of stretching!
(Fear #2 confirmed)! - So although alot of the stretches done are stretches I use on my patients on a daily basis, some were putting the body in hyperextension (which is not always recommended) and which makes me quite nervous. However, again, I felt loose and supple post massage and I loved being stretched instead of the one doing the stretching!

Leaving Puri Thai I was left with mixed feelings!


THE PROS:
 On the one hand I felt good, relaxed and rejuvinated , in a way I have never felt with a massage before. So as with normal aromatherapy massages, I would feel relaxed and ready for bed, here I felt rejuvenated, pain free and ready to take on anything! And this feeling lasted for at least a week as opposed to a few hours!

THE CONS :
I had bruising where she overdid the massage

My conclusion is that stretching is good for your body to help with aching muscles and that is what helped me that day, however I will be certain to tell my next therapist not to push so hard and that I don't want to hyperextend ANY part of my body! And yes as you may have gathered there shall be a next time! :)

Coca-Cola Playing an Active Role Symposium

Last week Mumtaz was invited to the "Coca-Cola Playing an Active Role Symposium". It was an honour and a privelege as only 10 Biokineticists were invited.

 The host for the evening was Kerishni Naicker

The evening was all about Physical Activity, the lack of it in society, and the need for more awareness.

It is advised that one should be exercising for a minimum of 150minutes per week (if it is moderate intensity) or 60 minutes per week (if it is vigorous intensity) . Kids should be doing a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week and 50% of this should be done at school.

A shocking 50% of our population is INACTIVE!!

Exercise during pregnancy was also spoken about. Exercise during pregnancy is needed to control weight gain during pregnancy, to control weight retention post partum and it has now also been proven that exercising during pregnancy can reduce subcutaneous fat in offspring.

Dr John Peters from the USA was one of the speakers and he discussed energy balance. His theory is even if we eat x amount but we are exercising this is more advantageous. He has done a study on Amish persons in the USA. These people do not use any electrical transport and are alot more active and his study has shown that based on their lifestyle where although they are not eating very healthy but are getting in alot more physical activity than the average person, 0% OF AMISH MEN ARE OBESE. No that is not a typo, I meant 0%!!

Dr Louis Holtzhauzen from South Africa has started an initiative called "Exercise is Medicine" in order to educate medical practitioners so that they in turn can advise and encourage the general pubic to get going and get active!
He made an interesting point :"We are not facing a fatness epidemic but rather a fitness epidemic!"

The biggest question on everyones tongues is "What is the best diet?"
And the answer to that , according to John Peters, is simple, What is the diet for? Because it varies based on what you want to achieve and what activity you are involved in.

The highlight of the evening was being mentioned, by name, over and over, that the people we need to turn to are BIOKINETICISTS!!
It was so refreshing so have such highly esteemed people understand our true worth and place in the medical industry and it was so exciting to not have to hear that "other medical professional" are the fitness gurus beacuse put simply, they are not.
Maybe doctors have finally been educated enough and this is the turn in our profession!!