Hi Everyone. Today I wanted to take a moment to talk about a really exciting development with EmBraced In Comfort. For years now, I’ve been privileged to be able to help patients who are uncomfortable in their Scoliosis Braces to become more compliant in their braces through comfortable and functional undergarments. It’s been a pleasure and the rewards are plentiful. However, I’ve been inspired to do MORE for a long time now…I just was not sure what to do, until recently. Over the past year, I’ve developed two fitness-related products that I feel meet a need that has not been adequately addressed. So, I decided to launch a new line of fitness products for the non-brace-wearing population (as well as the brace-wearing population) We plan to use this fitness line to help support small non-profits that are founded by parents searching for solutions for their children’s medical issues. I have always felt that, while the challenges involved in Scoliosis are neither trivial nor minimal, I am blessed that we don’t have any more serious, fatal illness to deal with. I have a real heart for parents trying to struggle daily to literally fight for their children’s lives. So, we plan to begin this process with the introduction of two new fitness products. First, we are introducing our “Protective Shoe Covers”, which cover and protect mesh running shoes from the wind, rain, and snow. Secondly, our unique “Fitness Belts”, which provide a stable, wraparound pouch, with pockets for phones, keys, tissue, water bottle, or a number of items. Ten percent of the retail sale price for these items will go to support our first non-profit, the “Save Our Boy Foundation”. The “Save Our Boy Foundation” was formed by a former high school classmate of mine and his wife, to raise funds to find a cure for Deuchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Deuchenne MD is a debilitating illness that affects 1 in 3,500 boys. It is 100 percent fatal, with most afflicted boys not living past the age of 20. Imagine that – facing a giant that is slowly pummeling your little boy, while time is quickly running out. That is a desperation I am grateful not to face and I hope that we can provide a tiny bit of support toward helping them meet a lofty goal. I wrote about this organization in November of 2009 “Looking Outside Ourselves”, and I want to sum up this article with a story that I mentioned in that post. I remember when Heinrich (the classmate mentioned above, whose son is afflicted with Deuchenne MD) was sitting near me in class one day and I got a paper cut. I said, in my teenage whiney girl voice, “Ouch – why is it that something so small hurts more than ANYTHING!?” Heinrich just laughed and said, “Well, I think you’d feel differently if you had a big bullet hole in your chest.” Amen to that. Scoliosis is definitely serious and I say again and again that I do not minimize it (both my kids have it, after all!). However, I thank God every day when I look at my little boy, because if I had to choose Scoliosis over Deuchenne MD, I know what I would pick – it would not be the bullet hole! If you’d like to make a direct tax deductible donation to the Save Our Boy Foundation, you can go to their website at: www.saveourboy.org. You can purchase the shoe covers and fitness belts at: http://embracedinco660.corecommerce.com/Solutions-for-Everybody-c5/.  Enter coupon code “Half Off Shipping” for $5 shipping (US and Canada only, First Class mail, fitness products must be purchased with order).

 

Hi everyone.  As the title indicates, I’m finally back after about a month of silence.  Of course, I can only blame the infamous “Holiday Season” for my absence.  We are also back, literally, from our most recent adventure to Orthotic Solutions in Fairfax, VA.  The new banner for my blog shows a picture my daughter took with her new camera, out our front windshield – a significant memory of our 24 plus hours of driving last week.  We were very fortunate, though, to combine our two days with Luke at Orthotic Solutions with a family wedding in Richmond, VA on New Year’s Eve.  We had a great time, but it was a real whirlwind trip!!  In terms of Scoliosis news, my daughter has a shiny new leopard print brace to continue to abate the growth of her curves, and my son is the proud owner of a blue snakeskin print – now I officially am Mother to two WILD ANIMALS!   Seriously, the good news for us was that Luke wants my son to go from 22 hours a day to 12 in-brace.  My son surprised Luke by asking a question he had never heard before – “Do I HAVE to wear it an night, because I WANT to wear it to school.”  Now, I know my son just does not handle change well and he probably was just processing things in his head.  I figured he would change his mind.  And, he has.  Luke thought it best he wear it at night anyway because it was starting to concern him that my son’s flexible spine may have overcompensated a bit, pushing his left shoulder up a bit akwardly.  My son’s curve has dwindled a LOT since we started aggressively bracing him, so we think this will be a good idea to try and significantly reduce his time in-brace, while allowing his body (and gravity) to re-center after his curve reduction.  My daughter had a slight case of the “jealousies” at his news, as we know that she will probably never get the news that she can reduce her time in-brace.  She is slightly disappointed by this, but not too much – in fact, after letting her stay out of brace for the wedding for several hours, she declard that her back felt “too loose” and she was ready for the brace to get back on!  She didn’t even need any Motrin after this new fitting – she’s a pro by now!  Our experience with my son has just emphasized to me, once again, how important it is to act early when it comes to Scoliosis – and to check kids at a younger age.  Most people reading this blog already have a Scoliosis diagnosis, but my hope is that all parents ask their pediatrician do do a check at every well child visit!  We did with our son, but didn’t even think about it with our daughter, and found hers late.  And, then we just did the “wait and see”.  Well, I’ve been quite vocal about that approach many times, but here it is again: don’t just wait and see!  Act early!

In other news, I’ll be headed back for my second semester of classes at Central Michigan University, working toward my Master’s in Apparel Design and Textiles, as well as tending my growing business and busy family.  My husband continues to work long days as our rural Middle/High School Principal AND Athletic Director, but he’s added yet another hat this winter – head coach for the Girls Varsity Basketball team.  So, we essentially NEVER see him.  Probably another reason for my delay in blogging…   I plan to get back on my regular writing schedule, bringing you new and informative topics, new information on previous topics, as well as my standard ramblings about our personal adventure through the world of Scoliosis.  So, please keep coming back and reading, and posting your comments – I love to hear from you!

Violet waits the day away at Orthotic Solutions with the rest of the family.

This week I finally took my kids for their evaluation by an Anat Baniel Method / Feldenkrais Therapist. My first experience was last spring (Click here to read). I had a wonderful movement class – I left feeling very relaxed and elongated. I saw the real benefit in this therapy. So, I could not wait to get my kids in to see what might be able to be done about their Scoliosis. I pre-read an article online, written by Anat Baniel, called “Movement and learning based approach to working with Scoliosis” (Click here to read article). However, I did not realize before arriving the tough decision that would be presented to me: it’s the Movement Therapy or the Brace, but NOT BOTH! I was shocked. Every therapy we’ve participated in up to this point have been able to work together – I felt we had the best of all non-surgical worlds. So, I naturally thought that this therapy would be the same. But, the therapist, who I credit as being a wonderful, caring, professional, who has progressed herself through her work in this method from a near crippled existence to being able to function normally, told me that she wouldn’t move forward and work with my kids if they were braced. She claimed that bracing (as well as the ARC3D/Pettibon work we do) and the Anat Baniel/Feldenkrais/Movement Therapy work in opposition to each other. She claimed that my kids would be free after doing her therapy, that they would move uninhibited and that their brains would reprogram their bodies in how to move (and, ultimately, align) properly. She said that a brace “forces” the body in opposition to the way it wishes to move. And, that this “forcing” somehow programs the brain to try harder to move further in the direction we are pushing against. Interesting theory, but scary and, even though I have not read as much as I hope to on the subject (Anat’s Book, which I hope to read soon), the theory does not seem founded. For instance, in the article, Anat Baniel claims that Scoliosis is caused by muscles contracting on one side of the spine, causing the curvature. Well, I always stop and say “hmmm” when someone claims to know the cause of Idiopathic Scoliosis. The theory makes sense from a physics standpoint, but, to the best of my knowledge, a cause of Scoliosis has not been discovered, hence the term “idiopathic”.   There are MANY theories, which will probably eventually turn into a known cause, but for now it is unknown.  Also, there is not much talk of curve numbers (which is only ONE measurement of severity of Scoliosis, but not a measurement to be abandoned completely).

Back to the evaluation session: my son did ok with his “sample” hour of therapy – but, it was pretty tough for a rambunctious 7-year-old to lay and concentrate for so long. This surprised me, as the practitioner told me that the earlier the kids work on these skills, the better. But, it was tough for a young person to do what was entailed. My daughter loved it, thouh – she said “this is a therapy that I could really enjoy”. But, when she heard that she would have to “throw out” her brace, she looked panic-stricken. She probably had the same look that I did when I heard the news!

Well, after the appointment I felt truly conflicted. Not only did I have to make a choice between the two therapies, but if I stuck with bracing, I would be, according to this theory, doing the worst thing possible for my kids! Could it be that I’ve been off base this entire time?  At one point in the session, the therapist looked at me a bit “knowingly” and said, “You also have a business surrounding bracing, right?” The tone was more sympathetic – as if I would soon realize that my entire last three years was exactly in opposition to what I should be doing and that I would promptly need to reform my life. But, I felt a bit on the defensive – after all, if I felt I needed to change direction for my kids, my business would not factor into it. We do what is best for our kids, period. So, I knew I would be able to make this decision independent of my business, but I felt overwhelmed and emotional, so I came home and laid it out for my husband. His response was quicker. He quickly pointed out all the potential holes in this therapy and just said, “It doesn’t seem like this is the therapy that OUR kids need right now.” Well, I thought that was incredibly well-put. It’s ok that this therapy is incredibly effective for many people with movement issues (including Scoliosis patients), but our kids don’t have movement issues. They are very comfortable, flexible, and capable. Their midsections are not very used to moving because they are braced, but it’s the same rigidity that will, in my opinion, keep their curves from getting worse in their fast-growing years.  And, they love their braces. So, it wasn’t like we had unhappy kids on our hands that needed a change of pace. Also, quoting a couple case studies is not enough scientific proof to sway 2 Engineers from their methodology. And, throwing out the discussion of angles all together is not a comfort. Because, a person may be able to move freely and properly, but their spine may then decide to freely move in the direction you DON’T want. The therapist said that every Scoliosis patient that she’s heard of doing treatment does “better” afterward – but, “better” was only defined in terms of how well they can move, not in terms of angle improvement. Now, I’m all for thinking outside of the box, but I like to have some sort of measurement scale to work with. The most important thing that my husband said, though, was that it wasn’t right for them NOW. Maybe when they are out of their brace, if they need to re-educate their bodies in how to move, they might want to try it. Maybe if we get to a point where they are less mobile or lithe or if they suddenly are unable to tolerate their braces. But, not now – NOW they are healthy, happy, and in a routine that they can handle. Their curves are holding or improving. So, for NOW, we’ll stay the course.

I’ve had a few emails recently asking me exactly what treatments we’ve undergone through our journey with Scoliosis thus far, and it occurred to me that, after about 2 years of posts, it might be helpful to do a little summary post of our adventure, culminating with our latest results at the Orthopedist (which I neglected to post when we went a few weeks ago). People should always feel free to contact me via email with questions about my experience or opinions on these, or any other, treatments. But, this will help you know where we’ve been so far – the future holds all sorts of unknowns, but, so far, we’ve had quite a varied path.

Here we go…
April, 2008 – The journey begins. My daughter was diagnosed with Scoliosis at age 6. She had a 25 degree curve (both lumbar and thoracic), and we were given the poor advice to “wait and see” for 6 months. We didn’t know much at this point about Scoliosis, so we took the word of our local Doctor – we didn’t realize that 25 degrees at age 6 is pretty significant.
October, 2008 – Daughter’s curve went to 45 degrees; We started going to a specialist at the University of Michigan medical center. We knew we needed to do bracing, but we were hesitant to do the traditional Boston Brace. I researched and found the Spinecor, and we were able to get it, but, again, we didn’t realize that 45 degrees is a bit late to go into a Spinecor – it’s better to catch curves earlier. We also started working with Dr. Morningstar, to do the Pettibon and ARC3D program. After my daughter went into a Spinecor, I invented the first bodysuit for her to be able to use the restroom and be comfortable in-brace. This would later become the foundation of my company, EmBraced In Comfort.
May, 2009 – Visit to the Orthopedist – daughter now at 55 degrees; By this point we had discovered my son’s Scoliosis (much earlier – he was 5); This was his first visit to the specialist, and he was at about 15 degrees. She wanted us to wait and see 6 months, but we pushed for 4. He went to do his MRI and was found to be clean of outside issues – Idiopathic Scoliosis once again. After his clean MRI results, we were able to start him with Dr. Morningstar’s therapy as well.
September, 2009 – Son’s curve was holding; Daughter’s curve, which was holding at about a 55 degree curve, went to 63 degrees in four months. We knew we needed to do something more aggressive for her, so we made the decision to go to Fairfax, VA (a 15 hour drive) to get a Rigo-Cheneau brace from Luke Stikeleather. She was 8. Also, EmBraced In Comfort became an official company, starting to provide Scoliosis brace undergarments to the general public.
January, 2010 – Daughter was doing much better – down to 48 degrees. Son still holding steady.
February, 2010 – went back to Fairfax, VA for new brace – daughter was down to 48 degrees and needed a new brace to fit her new, straighter, spine.
April, 2010 – made trip to Wisconsin to try the Schroth Physical Therapy method through Scoliosis Rehab. Daughter was a bit too young (at 8 and a half) to grasp many of the concepts. We set up everything at home, but had very little follow-through. We plan to pursue this more when she gets older.
May, 2010 – Both kids holding steady at around 50 degrees for daughter, just under 20 for son.
September, 2010 – holding steady
Jan, 2011 – Visited the Orthopedist – 24-hour out-of-brace x-ray: daughter was at 56 degrees, son broke into the 20 degree mark, so we decided to be ultra aggressive and have him fitted with a Cheneau on our next trip. He was nearly to his 7th birthday.
At this time, our son was also one of the first test cases for the Tornado Suit (see http://scoliosisfamilyadventures.wordpress.com/2011/02/11/amazing-and-brand-new-scoliosis-bracing-treatment/) His pre- and post -Tornado suit x-rays showed good results, and we were planning to have him wear it during the day while he wore his Cheneau brace at night, but Luke had other suggestions when we got to Virginia…
Feb, 2011 – we celebrated our son’s 7th birthday out in Fairfax, VA, while he got fitted for his first brace. He was instructed by his Orthopedist to wear a Bending brace, only at night, but Luke Stikeleather advised us to go with a full-time Cheneau for at least 4 months to see if we could pull back the curves. Our son was happy to wear a brace, because it was such a part of our family culture at that time, so he didn’t give us any trouble. We decided to take advantage of that and have him wear it as much as he was willing. At this time, our daughter got re-fitted, as she had experienced substantial growth over the year.
June, 2011 – trip to the Orthopedist – X-rays taken at 24 hours out-of-brace. Daughter at 55 degrees, Son at 25 – we did not experience much improvement for him, yet…
October, 2011 – trip to the Orthopedist – Son was below the 20 degree mark after 8 months of full time use of the Cheneau brace. Daughter got a bit worse, at 60 degrees, but the Doctor claimed that if you looked at my daughter, a trained professional would NEVER guess she has that kind of a curve – “clinically” she LOOKED great – her posture and rotation have greatly improved, which I attribute to the brace and the ARC3D therapy through Dr. Morningstar. So, while her Cobb Angle was worse, we realize that the Cobb Angle is only one measurement of progression of this disease.

What’s on the horizon:
This week we have our first evaluation for the kids with the Feldenkrais therapy.
We are scheduled to get the kids re-fitted for bracing in late December, 2011.

I hope this helps to summarize what has been 2+ years of blog posts with just the “nitty gritty” of the therapies and techniques we’ve used, as well as any progress (or setbacks) we’ve experienced. It has helped me, too, as the last few years have been a real blur – the exact dates and degrees have never been critical to me – I usually just focus on the overall journey, and the everyday work to keep us on the path to the most comfortable life possible for our kids. Every Scoliosis Adventure is different, and ours has much yet to be written. But, we trust the Lord for that and just keep doing the work we need to do and counting the blessings we have along the way.

Most of my articles are focused on Scoliosis – and, this one is, too – sort of.  But, in the Scoliosis Family Adventures family, I am the only one without Scoliosis, and this article is about ME.  Well, mostly about me.  I also want to talk about Dr. Morningstar and the work we’ve done together to take care of some issues in my neck area that have plagued me most of my life.  When I was about 10, I started having headaches daily.  We could not figure out what was the cause, but I spent many days home from school due to the pain.  I was popping pills every day.  One day, my Mom took me to her chiropractor and, after one adjustment, the headaches were gone.  We had to keep them up periodically, but, for the most part, they were gone.  It was then that we knew that it was my long neck, out of whack from playing the violin from age 4, that would need extra attention as life went on. 

Fast forward many years into my adult life and neck issues still plagued me.  I really find value in traditional Chiropractic care, but no solution gave me any long-term structural changes.  My neck would stay in alignment only for short periods of time, only to need frequent adjustments.  It was when I was researching for help for my children’s Scoliosis when I found Dr. Morningstar at the Natural Wellness and Pain Relief Centers of Michigan (see my side bar for a link to their site)  or click here: http://michiganwellnessandpainrelief.com/.  He is a Chiropractor, but I always tell people he’s one-of-a-kind.  I don’t even remember the last time I’ve been adjusted (or that my kids have been adjusted) there because he only adjusts when it’s needed – for the most part, he focuses on long-term changes to the skeletal system.  He uses a system of weighted exercises (called the Pettibon system) plus many of his own inventions, that patients use to re-train their bodies into correct postural alignment.  I was skeptical, of course, but figured we had nothing to lose.

Now, as an Engineer, I know that it’s difficult to prove a theory.  Tests require multiple test subjects and the variables have to be severely limited to be able to pinpoint an exact result from a specific treatment.  Unfortunately, with my kids’ spines being how they are, it’s been difficult to say what in our litany of treatments has been what has been keeping those curves at bay.  I really feel it’s a combination of a masterfully-made brace (by Luke Stikeleather at Orthotic Solutions), muscle building treatments we do at home, and our work with Dr. Morningstar. 

However, what I want to share with you today is my x-ray results on my neck and spine, both before and after working with Dr. Morningstar.   I’ve inserted 4 photos below.  The first two focus on my neck.  A person’s neck should not be straight when looking from the side view.  The head should rest above the shoulders and the neck should have a nice forward bend.  The straight line from the head to the shoulders should continue to the pelvis (so, the lower spine should also have a little forward curve).  The first photo shows my neck before and after a couple years of daily weighted treatments.  You can see the drastic improvement in how my neck is aligned.  I did not purposefully put it in this position for the x-ray.  Both times, I sat in a natural position.  The results are amazing.  I still get occasional neck pain and very infrequent headaches, but I find that it coincides with periods of time when I have neglected to wear my Pettibon weights or when I’ve done something like practice violin for a while without stretching or sleep on it funny.  Otherwise, my posture has changed drastically over the course of my work with Dr. Morningstar.  The next two photos focus on my lumbar – you can see that before my side view was the opposite it should be – I was somehow tipped way back (probably the weight of my head falling forward messed up all the way down my spine).  The second photo shows a much more aligned me.  I’m still working on that tiny little forward curve, but am pretty happy with this progress.

Now, the nice thing about sharing my results is that I am one of those test cases where nothing else was at work that would have changed my spine.  Sure, I do yoga and exercises, but I’ve been doing yoga for over a decade – way before my work with Dr. Morningstar.  Nothing else in this aspect of my life changed – just using his treatments.  I know that I am only one case and that one case cannot prove the worth of any treatment, but I can personally attest that this treatment is very much worth trying.  The time commitment is minimal (we live about 1 hour and 15 minutes from his office, so we only go once a month – most of the work is done at home).  I could also go on and on about Dr. Morningstar’s ingenious ideas about Scoliosis, his invention of the Tornado suit (which holds wonderful promise for the future of non-surgical Scoliosis treatments), his dedication to helping all people, but specifically those with Scoliosis.  I could talk about his wonderful staff (we love you, Miss Kat!), and how I feel that throughout his career, some of his out-of-the-box thinking about Scoliosis will revolutionize the metrics used to measure curves and predict success of treatments.  I could talk about all that and more, but, like I said, this article is about ME!  Even if you don’t live near Dr. Morningstar, please contact him – he is working with Doctors all over the country to bring similar solutions to more and more people.  He may be able to recommend someone in your area that can help you or your loved one – with any and all postural difficulties.

HINT: CLICK ON THE PHOTO MONTAGE TO GET A BETTER VIEW IN YOUR BROWSER.

I wanted to dedicate this week’s post to some of the new products and ideas we’ve been working on at EmBraced In Comfort.  It’s been a long time since I talked about our products, because I want to bring you as much news from as many different sources as possible, but the more people that come to me for help, the more that say “I wish I had known sooner”.  So, I feel a certain responsibility to keep spreading the word.

We have come so far since September of 2009.  Back then, we had a functional bodysuit, but it was not pretty and not as well made as I had hoped.  We’ve grown and developed and our design for the basic bodysuit has improved by leaps and bounds.  We’ve also started making specialty Brace-Tees and Brace-Shorts for people wearing all types of braces – most common are Boston Brace or Rigo-Cheneau brace wearers, who come to us and want a tight-fitting, soft tee, with seams that don’t press into their bodies, that protect their underarms from brace components that press into their armpits and a LOT of patients like the very long length, that allows them to fold the bottom up and over the bottom of the brace.  The bottom of the Tee is elasticized, so it can withstand a lot of pulling and will hold tighter than the bottoms of traditional t-shirts or tanks.  We’ve also had patients that want their armpits protected, but want a Tank-top look - so we answered with the “Sleeveless Tee with Underarm Shield”.  So, we’ve been able to serve customers precisely where they need it – after all, most of our products come from the ideas and needs presented by patients.   We don’t turn anyone away.  Last year my son went into a brace, and that launched me into a whole new need: bodysuits, Tees, and shorts for Boys and Men.   As you can imagine, the design would be quite different than for women. 

On top of the garments we make, we continue to pursue innovative solutions for problems that patients have with comfort in their Spinecor “Comfort” Shorts.  We’ve added many services under the “Tailoring Services” part of our website (http://embracedinco660.corecommerce.com/Tailoring-Solutions-c3/), based on the requests of customers.  One interesting thing we found is that if you are having trouble with the shorts constantly riding up, you can actually get a lot of relief by extending the legs.  The reason is that, for some women or girls, the elastic of the Spinecor short falls on the fullest part of the thigh.  So, if there is any tugging or pulling, the garment will always shift up and, therefore, ride up. If the elastic is moved lower on the leg, lower than the fullest part, then they don’t ride up as much because they have to defy the increase in diameter of the leg. 

Working hand-in-hand with patients helps EmBraced In Comfort to address very specific needs.  We listen to all feedback and continually try to improve based on that feedback.  One advantage to manufacturing in -house is that we can make changes quickly and efficiently, with very little inventory to flush through the system.  And, for American patients, it is a novelty to buy Made In the U.S.A. products.  Our fabric is a beautiful organic cotton spendex blend, that is knitted in California and Assembled in Michigan.  We take pride in that fact.

I will close with a photo montage of all of our latest products.  Please visit our website (which also has a new look) - and, if you have needs that we don’t already address, write to me – I don’t like to leave any patient in pain or discomfort if I can at all help it!  Just today I got an idea from a parent of a patient to make PADDED strap covers for the Spincor strap bottoms.  I already made plain moleskin ones, but padded ones may help many more people, and that is always our goal – helping people to feel more comfortable in their braces through comfortable and functional undergarments.

Last Christmas, I knew my daughter was getting a “looks like me” American Girl Doll from her Grandma.  I decided that if she was going to have the same brown hair, brown eyes, and even braces for her teeth, it would be really nice if this doll represented everything about my daughter and had a Scoliosis brace, too.  I contacted the “elves” at Orthotic Solutions (where we get her Cheneau brace made), and they agreed to make us one – it came the week before Christmas, and I was so excited! The last step was to make a very (very!) small bodysuit so that the new doll could be as much like my daughter as possible.  When she opened that gift on Christmas day, she was ecstatic about the doll, but she said that the brace and bodysuit were the “best gifts she’s ever gotten”.  Who would have thought that a tiny brace would make such an impact?  Since then, she has used the doll brace to show many girls what her brace and bodysuit are like (I’ve even borrowed Violet – the doll – to explain what I make to a couple inquiring parents).  Violet and her brace have been a comfort to my daughter and, almost a year later, she is still so moved about what Luke Stikeleather and I did to make it a very special friend for her.

Several months later,  I got an email from a representative from The Hospital for Special Surgery about another Mom who was on the same path with her daughter, who is a patient of the Hospital’s Dr. Green, and how the doll and brace were able to help her daughter in dealing with her Scoliosis.  I was able to interview the Mom, Kelly Kirby, via email and she had some really great advice for other parents dealing with the disease.  Kelly tries to empower her daughter with the ability to dress in flattering ways, even though she’s wearing a brace.  She also tries to let her daughter take ownership of her allotted time out of brace every day, and she’s enlisted the help of capable adults at school and other activities to help her daughter into her brace when necessary.  She also feels that it is very important to validate her daughter’s feelings. When her daughter is feeling down, she holds her and lets her have a good cry, and then wisely tells her that, although it doesn’t seem fair that she has to wear a brace, that all kids are dealing with one issue or another (or will be at some point), and it’s just that her brace is a very visible issue.  Kelly and her husband have even taken their mission a bit further, using the doll as an educational tool that they take to their daughter’s school to educate her classmates on Scoliosis.  (I may steal this idea!) The doll has provided a great opportunity to demonstrate what a brace entails, without a patient having to expose their own brace to their friends.  Also, it is a great tool for their daughter to speak out about her illness without feeling too shy or “on display”.

There are a few other aspects that Kelly and I agree on.  First, Kelly Kirby and I agree on the importance of dressing for a brace – both on top of and underneath the brace.  While they have come up with some off-the-rack solutions that work for them, I continue to make it my mission to make the highest quality, most comfortable,  Scoliosis-specific undergarments possible.  But, we both recognize that the most important thing is to keep patients comfortable and compliant, in order to allow their braces to work effectively.   Also, we agree that it’s important to find support – both for the patient and the caregiver.  Girls – young ones, especially – can find comfort in their doll-friends having the same trials as they do.  And, parents can find comfort in reaching out to other parents – something that Kelly said was critical for her in the beginning.  When you get the support you need, you can then turn around and support others.

If you are interested in getting a doll brace for your child, I urge you to contact your brace provider.  Some may be willing to work with you.  We were lucky that we see someone who is so compassionate and caring that he made it so easy for us.  Kelly contacted the company that fitted her daughter’s brace (Biodynamics in NYC) and they, in turn, contacted the company that manufactures her brace, who used the American Girl doll of the owner to fabricate a brace that looked exactly like her daughter’s.  It was a wonderful gesture on their part and your provider may be willing to do the same.  Kelly went as far as to call the American Girl company and plant some seeds, but so far they do not offer such a  product.  However, if you are able to procure a brace from your provider, EmBraced in Comfort is making a limited time offer (until after the holidays) for one FREE 18-Inch doll sized bodysuit or Brace-Tee with a purchase of a regular child bodysuit (or Brace-Tee).  Just email me with your request through my website or comment on this blog post.  Limit one per family.

I will leave you with some photos that my daughter took of her dolls for this article…

Violet brushing her pearly whites.

Violet's friend Kirsten does her hair.

All dressed and ready for the day.

I was recently emailed some really great information about some parents making a difference in the field of Infantile Scoliosis.  Up to this point, my exposure to Infantile Scoliosis has been non-existent, because I’ve had my hands very full dealing with my two children’s Idiopathic Scoliosis.  However, I am very impressed by the work of Jennifer and Russell Leggett, and their desire to educate other parents dealing with Infantile Scoliosis through the self-publishing of a book called “Cole and The Crooked Flower”.   (http://www.rockethub.com/projects/2483-cole-and-the-crooked-flower)  They are currently raising funds to publish the book and, although they have met their initial goal, will continue to raise funds in order to grow the amount of books they can publish.  They want to make this book available to all families dealing with Infantile Scoliosis, and use any funds generated to support the wonderful work of the Scoliosis Outreach Program.   I had the privilege of reading a few pages of their upcoming book and it is a very creative, whimsical, and relatable story about a young boy that goes to many lengths to “cure” a little crooked flower that he found in his yard.  Although I have yet to see how it ends, I think this book will be a wonderful way to support children and their families during their battle with Scoliosis, but also to educate them  and promote non-surgical solutions to the problem.   The excellent news here is that the Leggett’s son Cole, after spending a year in serial body casts, is growing nice and straight!  Through their own diligent research, and the help of the Scoliosis Outreach Program, the Leggetts were connected with one of only a handful of US doctors that are trained properly in the casting technique.  The Scoliosis Outreach Program (www.infantilescoliosis.org) was founded by another amazing Mother, Heather Hyatt Montoya, who wanted to create an educational tool for other parents.  She paired up with Dr. Min Mehta, who has straightened over 100 infants/young children by treating them early in their development with a series of corrective plaster casts.  She has followed her patients after 10 years, and they continue to remain straight.  In an email from Jenn Leggett, she explained to me that only the Mehta/EDF casting, when applied using the Early Treatment principles, has shown to provide positive results for these children.  US research shows that 75-80% or more of kids who get Mehta/EDF casting before 20 months and with curves under 50 degrees will get complete correction.  It is crucial that the children are diagnosed early and correctly to maximize success.  As with all things, there are exceptions to the rule – kids who have other underlying causes for their Scoliosis, or children whose spines are not flexible enough to respond to treatment, but for the majority of cases, this is very promising data.  I’ve said it time and again: when, and if, your Doctor tells you to “wait and see”, please don’t listen!!  Do something.  Disclaimer: something non-surgical at first!   And, the Leggetts and Heather Montoya have done something, not just for themselves, but for other families.  If your family is battling Infantile Scoliosis, please get in contact with the Scoliosis Outreach Program and join with other parents who are fighting the battle, too.  Don’t wait and see – ACT and SUCCEED!

Last Friday I took my children to see the move “Dolphin Tale” (http://www.pluggedin.com/movies/intheaters/dolphintale.aspx), which is loosely based on a book “Winter’s Tail” (http://www.amazon.com/Winters-Tail-Little-Dolphin-Learned/dp/0545348307/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1317559778&sr=1-1), which is based on the true story of a dolphin named Winter who was found on the shores of Mosquito Lagoon (near Cape Canaveral, Florida) in December of 2006. Her tail was wrapped in the rope of a crab trap and eventually Doctors were forced to Amputate her tail plus 2 vertebrae. She developed spinal deformity (sort of like Scoliosis for Dolphins) because she was compensating for loss of her tail by swimming in a side to side motion, instead of an up and down motion. Because of this spinal deformity, they feared for her life, as they thought her organs would be negatively impacted (after all, we know that every function of the body passes through the spine – it’s VERY important!) So, leading animal expert Dr. Mike Walsh joined forces with Hangar Prosthetics and Orthotics to create a prosthetic tail for Winter. Amazing! What caught my attention the most, though, was how crucial it was to come up with the best barrier for Winter to go between her flesh and her brace. They had to invent a silicon gel just for her to make the prosthetic rub her skin as little as possible. Well, I’ve spent the last few years coming up with solutions to help people be more comfortable in their braces, through comfortable and functional barriers between their skin and their brace, so this really struck a chord with me! And, this gel they invented for Winter has helped many people in prostheses as well! Bravo! But, what struck a chord with my kids was Winter’s brave battle against her disability. Most dolphins would have died. Not Winter. She didn’t let a disability stop her, and I’m pretty sure my kids won’t either. What a comfort to them that a cute, funny Dolphin has undergone the same trials of wearing a brace as they have and still enjoys life to the fullest.

If you’d like to read the story of Winter, you can check out the Clearwater Marine Aquarium website (http://seewinter.com/winter/winters-story). You can also plan a trip to see Winter and/or donate toward her new home. I look forward to my children and I visiting Winter in January, when we take a trip to Florida. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to post photos!

Hi everyone.  We have had a very frantic, but amazing, couple of weeks at the Beauvais house.  Not only did the kids (and my husband) start school up again, but I was working to get a video submission done for the “America’s Favorite Small Business” competition, put on by Dell.  I will keep you posted on if we make the Top 10 – because, if we do – then the power is in the hands of the American voters. 

This week my daughter also turned the big 1 – 0.  Yes, she’s 10 now, and starting to care more about things like fashion and hairstyles.  Which brings me to my topic this week – dressing fashionably in a Scoliosis Brace.  I’ve been wanting to write on this topic for a while, but am not very fashion-savvy myself.  I have noticed that many of the styles out in stores are very brace-friendly – and I’ve been doing some research on the subject.  In fact, I was chatting with my professor for my textiles class (I mentioned in a previous post that I went back to school to work toward my Master’s in Apparel Design and Textiles) and we got on the subject of designing apparel for the disabled and the special needs body.  She  will be a great mentor to me in that area, as she literally wrote a book about the subject many years ago!  But, we also talked about simple things that girls can do to dress fashionably, while wearing a brace.  Some of her suggestions were to wear patterns on top (to trick the eye and keep it away from the lines of the brace or any unevenness between the shoulders) and to go for ruffles and details along the neckline (again, to detract and hide).  She also mentioned picking a sturdy enough fabric that it won’t wear holes from the brace or cling to closely to the brace and emphasize it, but that has a touch of stretch to help it flow over the brace and to cling tightly enough to flatter the figure.  Also, what seems to be in fashion now is the layered look with leggings, which is perfect for wearing a brace.  I’ve seen a lot of use of sequins (again, to detract the eye).  There are all sorts of long tanks under longer, flowing tunics – and belts are back to cinch at the waist.  Some nice leggings, with a long cami and tunic on top, with a wide-ish belt at the waist overtop of everything is slimming and the perfect cover for a brace – it’s also comfortable.  I’ve included a couple of my daughter’s recent looks – I want to log what she wears as time goes on and put some photos on here for ideas for your girls.  And, of course, she wears her bodysuit and brace under everything I post here…she and her best friend (also 10) pick out everything…I don’t get any credit for that!

This outfit is a perfect example of the layering I was talking about - the leggings have a denim "jeggings" look, the stripes distract from the brace, and the belt overtop gives her a waistline, which many girls hide when dressing over their braces.

This is my daughter's "Preppy Look" - she has her brace on, but the layering and various distraction points divert the eye and she looks quite stylish. I think her Grandma got her this at Khols.

Well, the big deal around our house this week is that old MOM has gone back to school! I am taking a few pre-requisite classes at Central Michigan University so I can apply next year to the Master’s program in Apparel Design and Textiles. So, I’m starting off slowly with one 100-level class in “Introduction to Textiles”. I have to say I’m loving every minute of it! I guess college feels so different this time around that I’m enjoying the experience so much more. I have a bear of a commute (1.5 hours each way), but it won’t be forever and I am enjoying listening to the Bible on CD, the news on my XM radio, and my fun fiction books the rest of the way (not to mention it’s a great time to call family and friends to catch up – using my hands-free blutooth, of course) Anyway, so I make the most of the commute and, after only a few classes, I’ve already learned so much that will make my decisions regarding my company so much more educated. But, the thing that is really strange is how OLD I feel. I’m not really that old (35, and proud of it), but compared to the 18-year-olds in my class, I’m ancient. In fact, they are closer to my 10-year-old daughter’s age than mine! I remember when I was in college, there would always be that one person who was much older, sitting in the front row, and grinning from ear to ear because they were having so much fun being there. As my recent-college-graduate brother put it to me – “So, you are THAT lady!” Yes, I’m “that” lady and loving every minute.

As for things at home, well they are still in the chaos of summertime. I’m getting ready to go work on a responsibility chart right now – my kids are not even taking care of brushing their teeth like they should, much less remembering their Scoliosis rehab exercises! Oh well, with school comes the discipline of a daily schedule and we’ll get back on track. It’s been a good summer, but I’m ready for the daily grind…just a little bit. I hope everyone has a great long weekend. Savor the warm temps while they last (except for you people who live in warm climates, like I used to in Miami, FL – for you, I say, “hang in there, cooler temps are coming!”)

Blessings to everyone for a great family weekend and a wonderful start to the school year.

Savoring the last bits of summer

Well, I think we are entering the wonderful world that so many Moms with older girls know better than I do – the world of the hair/fashion/jewelry/makeup obsessed tweenager. Until now, dressing with a brace has not been much of an issue – my daughter would wear her bodysuit, brace, and a dress or skirt to hide the bulges of the plastic. But, now (at almost 10), she has begun to care…. She cared before, don’t get me wrong, but the pinks that she got so excited about are now “little girl pinks” and she’s much more interested in what is fashionable than in what is comfortable (or easy). *double sigh* She still just looks longingly at the jeans, though, but knows she would be so uncomfortable in them that it would not be worth the purchase. She doesn’t seem to necessarily MIND, she just thinks they are cute and thinks she would have fun wearing them. Much in the same way I look at skinny jeans and think the same thing (while knowing it would not be WISE for me to wear them). But, I have a feeling we have just reached the tip of the iceberg, and I have a bigger feeling that she is going to care WAY more about fashion than I ever did. So, I guess I can just sit by, lend my practical, motherly advice, and continue to go with the flow.

I have been pleasantly surprised this season at all the brace-friendly fashion choices out there, though – maybe I’ll put together a better article next week with some examples. I’ve noticed a lot of stretch knits, leggings, layers, long tunic tops, long tops with flowing vests over them….these are all very brace-friendly. The fabrics can be a bit thin (showing off her brace underneath), but we avoid those and move on. I’ve also noticed a lot of sequins – great for distracting the eye from the bumps and bulges of a brace underneath. So, the good news is that girls can follow the fashion trends this season and still dress brace-friendly. The bad news for me is that I guess this is something I have to care about now…because my daughter does.

Don’t let the title deceive you…my kids are still happily braced. But, there are times when, in order for kids to be kids, that the brace has to go – although temporarily. For example, we recently took a camping trip to Michigan’s Adventure. There are two parks in one there – a regular amusement park with roller coasters and all sorts of rides, and a water park. Basically you are soaking wet all day – hot, sunscreened, wet, and nasty – and I did not know HOW we were going to manage the braces during our park days. We did a good 8 hours each day at the park, taking a break to head to the car in the parking lot for a snack break. We didn’t even want to wait in the long lines for the changing rooms in the park or worry about getting lockers big enough for our stuff and the braces. So, we took a deep breath, exhaled, and just let it go… my kids spent those two days (but not the nights, evenings, and early mornings) out of their braces – just being kids. They didn’t have to worry about not being comfortable as they jostled around on the roller coasters or needing a place to put the braces in a crowded water park – they were just allowed to be carefree – and FREE – for two days. By the end of the second day, though, my daughter said she was anxious to get the brace back on. She said her body felt tired and achy and needed the support. That is proof right there that she DOES need the brace – but not in perfect compliance every day. During the school year and cooler months, they are both willing and very compliant 22 hours a day. But, some days are meant for freedom. And, over time, they will remember fun days at the park, that weren’t overshadowed by the inconvenience of dealing with their braces.

This past weekend was a big one for us – not only was it my birthday Saturday (35 years young!) and our Anniversary today (13 years and still happy!), but my daughter and I had the privilege to perform on-stage with a wonderful group of people in the Thumb Area Community Theater’s production of “A Little Princess”.  The story (based on a novel  of the same title by Francis Hodgson Burnett), follows a young girl, Sara Crewe, as she becomes a pupil at the Evil Miss Minchin’s Boarding School in late 1800s London (I was that EVIL lady!)  There, she meets many wonderful friends (including Ermengarde St. John, played by my daughter), but loses her fortune (and her favor with Miss Minchin) in the process.  Even as a poor young servant, Sara was a Princess – in spirit, attitude, and in her generosity towards others.  I (as Miss Minchin) got my due in the end, of course.  We had a good time putting on the show, and will miss our fellow cast mates very much.  One thing that struck me throughout the process, however, is how the young women in the show with us were really, truly Princesses.  Now, I learned a long time ago, that all young women who recognize God as their King, are naturally his children, and, therefore, true Princesses.  But, these young girls acted the part – they were kind, generous, and helpful to each other.  What really impressed me was how they treated my daughter as she revealed to them the challenges she faces with her Scoliosis – they all asked about her brace early on, and my daughter was perfectly willing to talk about it.  She also told them what Scoliosis was, and assured them that she was fine.  There were even some jokes throughout the production about her “armor”.    But, what really exemplified royal behavior was that nobody teased her about it – the ONLY jokes about it were from her – nothing cruel, nothing snide, no behind-the-back whispers.  I continue to be impressed as she meets young ladies and they continue to be accepting of her.  Now, I know that many people out there with disabilities deal with teasing and cruelty from their peers – kids can be very cruel.  But, just remember, EVERY girl is a PRINCESS – if someone doesn’t accept you for who you are – brace and all – then they are not WORTHY of your presence – they are not FIT for ROYALTY.  You WILL find friends who love you and accept you for who you are, and then you are with much better company.  Let the court that surrounds you be those worthy of you – if you are in a brace, surrounded by armor, remember you are also surrounded by God’s never failing love – he will carry you through that difficult time.

Another theme of the play dealt with the importance of a girl’s earthly Father in her development as a Princess.  Psychologists have known for years the importance of a young woman’s relationship with her Father being a major factor in the development of her self esteem, and this play exemplified that.  I was very blessed with an amazing Father, and so is my daughter – but, I’ve known young girls who do not have that steady, protective force in their lives.  Again, if you do not have a strong earthly Father in your life, remember to make an extra effort to know your heavenly Father.  And, spend time with a Grandfather, Uncle, or someone close to you that you can trust.  This blog entry is dedicated to all the Princesses out there and their Dads – especially our Princess, who doesn’t let a little extra armor stand in her way!

Well, folks, I dropped the ball on this one, but one of you was kind enough to inquire as to how our trip last month went to the Orthopedic Surgeon. We were so invovled in our damage at our house, plus massive problems with a rental house that we have (that we wish we could sell – love the housing market these days!) that I totally forgot a major component of our Scoliosis adventure. Well, if there had been great or devastating news, I guess I would probably have posted, but it was THE SAME. BOTH my kids’ curves are THE SAME (Daughter approx 55, Son approx 25). This is great (that they have not gotten worse)! But, this is also a bit disheartening since after my daughter went into her Cheneau she got major improvement on her curve, and my son didn’t experience any (this is his first visit since he went into his brace). *sigh*. But, who knows if the brace prevented all sorts of advancement in his curve…that is the tricky thing about this disease – a parent can postulate and theorize, but one can never know for sure what is working and what is not, especially if you are trying multiple therapies at once. Any good Scientist will tell you to only introduce one variable at a time – well, when you are crunched for time, sometimes patients do the shotgun approach to treatments. I know that we do, and we just pray that SOMETHING, or a few things, in our arsenal will work for us. One thing we are trying to do better in the chaos of our summer is to have the kids do muscle building exercises every other day. This will help them keep up their natural muscle strength to help compensate for the time in brace. I put my husband in charge of that – he is, after all, an experienced coach, weight lifter, and athletic director. Of course, he needs to REMEMBER TO DO IT! I think he has an abdominal routine for them and we are re-incorporating some of the exercises our daughter got way back when she was doing the Spinecor physical therapy visits to the University Of Michigan PT department. He’s going to slowly build on to their routine so he can just say, “go do your exercises”, and they’ll know what to do. This is THEORETICALLY how it’s supposed to go. Anyway, in the summer it’s hard because life is in utter chaos, but we try. and try. and try again. So, keep working on it, people – it’s a LONG haul when dealing with Scoliosis. Just know we are trudging along with you…

In the past couple years that my children have been in rigid braces, we’ve only had a problem with a sore ONCE. Naturally, my first bit of advice is to make sure their skin is protected from the brace with a soft, beautiful bodysuit that covers all the contact points, like those we make at: www.embracedincomfort.com (pardon the shameless plug, but it’s true) But, as we found, sores can occur even in the best situation, and they can be a bit scary. I think what caused the one my daughter had was her hip bone area hitting the incorrect part of her brace because the brace was getting too small for her. It would not go away, though, and we became a bit concerned. The sores patients can get under braces resemble a mild form of bedsore, so if left untreated, it can become quite a problem. Bedsores that escalate can go all the way through the muscle and to the bone and potentially become infected. Ouch!! The first bit of advice when dealing with a bedsore is to relieve the pressure on the skin, so we were just about to have her spend a few days out of her brace (which is also a bit scary), when my husband remembered our “miracle cream”. Our “miracle cream” was recommended to us by our Pediatrician when my daughter was a baby. We used cloth diapers and she developed a heck of a rash. This cream worked WONDERS to clear it up. Later, when the kids got older, we still used it – to treat itchy mosquito bites or my son’s occasional skin rashes (from his eczema). So, I ran and got the cream, we applied a generous amount to the sore, she put her bodysuit on over the cream (and under the brace), and by morning it was halfway gone. By the next day – gone. And, that bugger had persisted for weeks and weeks!! What was our “miracle cream”? It’s called Calmoseptine Ointment, and can be found via this link: http://www.drugstore.com/calmoseptine-ointment-to-prevent-and-heal-skin-irritations/qxp206176?fromsrch=Calmoseptine. Our local drug stores did not sell it, so I had to order online. At first glance, $10 for 4 oz can seem expensive, but you use VERY LITTLE. This cream is ultra thick and creamy and you really only need to dab small amounts. I think we are still on our first tube and I bought it to use as a diaper cream 9 years ago. It has .44% Menthol (which is an analgesic and first aid ointment) and 20.625% Zinc Oxide (for skin protection and a moisture barrier). Our pediatrician said it was safe to use on our baby, so I assume it’s safe for all ages. The other day I was conversing with another Mom of a scoliosis patient, and she also recommended Duoderm patches (http://www.walgreens.com/store/c/duoderm/ID=306676-brand). These are expensive, but she said they work great. Her sister, who is a nurse, recommended them after seeing how they work in a hospital setting on patients with bedsores. There is a lot of information out there on bedsores and treatment, but these are just two ideas, tested by other Moms of kids in Scoliosis braces. I hope they can help you, too.

Hi everyone.  I hope you all are enjoying your summer.  I’ve had a very busy time.  We went on vacation this year to the same place we go every year  – a family reunion for my Dad’s side of the family.  We’ve been going for 27 years and I hope we don’t have to stop anytime soon.  Do you ever notice that it seems to take weeks to ramp up to vacation, then weeks to recover?  If you go on a couple of vacations during the summer months, the time can get eaten up quickly.  Plus, we had the highest volume of orders for any month that we’ve been in business.  Which is great news, but we were TIRED.   Seriously, I hope the word continues to get out about our effort to help patients in Scoliosis (and other types) of braces be more comfortable.

The most challenging time for us as a family dealing with wearing braces, for sure, is in the summer months.  It’s hot and the kids want to run around with bathing suits on and swim or run through sprinklers.  They DON’T want to be encased in a shell of plastic!  But, it’s a necessary evil and, although we stay pretty close to our 22 hours of recommended time a day, I have to admit that my kids don’t always make it.  Some days they are off by a lot.  But, in the winter they are in it 22-24 hours a day, so I figure it averages out.  I’ve had other parents ask me what we do to combat the heat, and I wish we had a better solution.  Maybe one day I will know enough to create an air-conditioned garment for them to wear, but for now, I just do what you probably think to do – keep them out of the hottest part of the day, have lots of ice water and beverages, take time out every day to swim and cool off, and just DO OUR BEST.  I’ve added a new product to my website that may help.  I’ve developed a sleeveless Brace-Tee that has an armpit shield, so it will protect the armpits against rubbing from the brace, while allowing kids to wear sleeveless shirts without (much) showing underneath.  You can find it on my website at: http://embracedinco660.corecommerce.com/Other-Solutions/Sleeveless-Tee-with-Underarm-Shield-p16.html  Patients are loving it.  It works similar to the Knit-Rite brand, but the fabric is our soft, absorbant organic cotton blend, so it’s a bit thinner for hotter weather.  I hope it can help patients find relief on many levels.

Back to my family vacation time, though, one of the most special times of the annual trip is when my grandfather leads a family vesper service by the campfire.  We pay tribute to the flag, sing songs to the Lord, and, when it’s all over – eat smores!   We also take a moment to recognize the service men and women who continue to fight to keep our country safe and give us the freedom to eat smores while leisurely sitting around a campfire!  God Bless You!!!  P.S. The man pledging allegiance to the flag in the banner photo is my Grandfather – a World War 2 veteran and a wonderful Christian leader to his family for 60+ years now.   I just love that man!

 

Hi everyone.  Sorry I have not blogged in a while.  In addition to the craziness that is life in the summer with everyone home and lots of other stuff to do, we had a big wind storm last week that caused several trees to fall on our property – including a big pine that fell on our house!  Whew – it missed my daughter’s bedroom picture window by a few inches.  We were lucky – only minimal damage to the roof shingles, a mangled section of gutter, and a small hole in the porch roof.  Our electricity was also out for 2 days, but we had lots of firewood to cook outside over an open fire!  We also had two trees fall on the property (onto the ground) and one into the pool.  My husband panicked more about the one in the pool more than the one on the house!  We had one day where the pool was open and we were able to use it before the storm hit. Fortunately, the tree service was able to pull it out without perforating the pool liner.  My husband had to get in the pool when it was 55 degrees out, but they figured it out!  I’ll try updating again on Friday with the results from our latest trip to the Orthopedic Surgeon.

Here are a couple photos of the day after our storm:

The Tree that fell on the House

The kiddos with another tree that fell...

 

 

We visited my brother in Traverse City this weekend and it is one of the few places in our state that offers certified Bikram (Hot) Yoga, so I, a devotee of Yoga for over 10 years, thought I should try it at least once. For a long time, I thought “no way will I try that – insanity!”. But, one of my yoga instructors told me that I should do fine and that she really liked it and I felt encouraged to at least give it a try. (Of course, the other instructor told me it can make people sick, but I guess I didn’t listen to her). Bikram Yoga is 90 minutes of 26 poses performed in a 105 degree room, at 50-60% humidity. Yikes. It’s the extreme sport of the yoga world, for sure. One celebrity after another will tout it’s praises, and many people claim it cures all sorts of ailments – some scoliosis patients have claimed improvement from this form of Yoga. My husband joked, though, that I should put my cell phone next to my matt, dial 9-1…and then all I’ll need to dial is 1 and “send” should I feel the need. It was funny at the time, but proved to be pretty true.

I have to say that as far as Yoga studios goes, the Traverse City studio was great – clean, friendly, efficient, affordable. I don’t want any reader to think that the opinions and experience I had are any reflection on the quality of this studio – they seem to run an upstanding business.

I arrived a 7:45 on Sunday morning of Memorial Day weekend. I signed a few forms, paid my $15 drop-in fee, and bought a Smart Water. I was supposed to take my shoes off, but forgot and rudely walked to the locker room with them on. Oops. It was not intentional – I was sleepy. The room was oppresively hot. I was not sure I could breathe in there, much less do any kind of movement. The instructor said, “Just try to stay in the room”. So, that was my goal. The class started with a breathing exercise where you put your hands in a fist below your chin and kind of make “bird flapping wings” with your arms as you slowly inhale and exhale. When you exhale, though, you are supposed to push your head way back and bend your neck back. Not cool. A couple Doctors have told me in the past that my neck is not supposed to go that way, and my neck was saying it, too. So, I didn’t push my neck back. The instructor kept saying, “push your neck back” and I kept, rebelliously, NOT pushing it back. He also told me to stay in the room, though, but 45 minutes into the class I felt like I might need the 9-1-1, so I went to the bathroom to cool off a bit. I was nauseous, dizzy, and lightheaded – all things they said I could be, so it was not a surprise, but I was determined to make it through the class without vomiting. After 5 minutes, I headed back in and was able to complete the class (mostly). I was pretty rebellious with my form, though. He kept wanting me to flatten the back of my neck against my mat, when I KNOW from Dr. Morningstar that our necks are not supposed to bend that way. (We’ve worked hard to get mine to bend the OTHER way, thank-you!) There were also lots of backbends. Although the instructor claims they are very healthy for your spine and body, other Scoliosis experts say otherwise. Also, he kept saying it should feel a bit uncomfortable to do some of the poses. That discomfort in the class would mean less later. Bull. The philosphy of most yoga is to listen to your body and NOT push it to where it hurts. So, I didn’t. The instructor that said to just try and “stay in the room” was telling me to push further in poses than I normally would and I didn’t appreciate that (especially when he kept telling me to do more and using my name, in a room full of people, over the loudspeaker!)

In summary, Bikram Yoga is NOT for me. It was my first and last time doing it. And, I don’t think it’s great for Scoliosis patients. That is just my UNPROFESSIONAL opinion!! The heat was nice for my muscles, but I actually had a flareup of Sciatic pain that I haven’t had in years that very night and was extremely tired and weak the rest of the day. I assume that would lessen over time and that I would get in better shape, but there are other ways to do that without feeling like you are literally walking through the fires of hell for 90 minutes. My advice would be to be cautious – if you have Scoliosis, work with an instructor who knows what that means, who recognizes that Bikram isn’t a magical cure for every body (that a Scoliosis spine is created differently from other spines) and that will not pressure you to go further than your body wants. I firmly feel that one needs to be very careful when doing such intense Yoga moves and take it slow.

I’m happy to say that I could take the heat, but won’t choose to do it again. Namaste.

This week’s adventures have been plentiful – the last few weeks of school are very busy with my husband’s job, field trips, award assemblies, etc – plus my daughter and I are going to be in another community theater play in July. We auditioned for “A Little Princess” through one of the local community theaters and I got the part of the mean and nasty Miss Minchin – my daughter will be one of the Pupils (Ermengarde). We laugh because we’re both playing opposites – my character is mean to little girls and my daughter’s character hates to read and is horrible at spelling. My daughter took 3rd place in the county spelling bee! Seriously, though, another adventure we started this week was voice lessons. My daughter is very musical (wonder where she gets that?) and she’s been singing in the choir I direct at church. She has good tone and an ear for pitch..she also has a 2 octave range! She’s thought about playing the violin (like me), but I can attest that it is not a skeleton-friendly instrument. When we went to do our week with the Schroth therapists in Wisconsin, she said that one way to prepare a younger child for Schroth is to encourage them to play wind instruments. Of all the instruments I’ve played, I’ve never played ANY wind instruments – Except for the wind instrument that is always handy – the voice! Since I know a wonderful voice instructor in the area, I proposed the idea to my daughter and she loved it – her first song selection will, of course, be by Taylor Swift. During her first lesson we learned about the anatomy of the windpipe and vocal chords, she spent time thinking about and discussing proper posture, and started breathing techniques. All of this was masked as FUN! So, I’m really excited about her being able to partake in an educational, fun, and Scoliosis-friendly activity like this. And, sitting in on the lessons is educational for me, too. I would encourage everyone out there to take a minute to think of how you can bring the fine arts into your already hectic lives – not only does music build mathematics competency, but there may be physical benefits that you’ve never considered! Plus, singing a great song just makes you happy! Have fun singing this week.