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WEST HILLS 7230 MEDICAL CENTER DRIVE, SUITE 401 WEST HILLS, CA 91307 WEST LOS ANGELES 10474 SANTA MONICA BLVD, SUITE 435 LOS ANGELES, CA 90025
WWW.M3PT.COM / LA · 310.275.4137 / WEST HILLS · 747.888.3562 / JUNE 2018
M3 AND ME
THE JOURNEY OF A LIFETIME VISITING MY FATHER’S HOME
Father’s Day is fast approaching, so to all the dads, granddads, and especially the great-granddads who have come into our clinic over the years, well done and congratulations! Being a father can be one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences in a man’s life. Thankfully, I learned from one of the best. My father has and always will be the most influential man in my life. The values and determination I hold are highly influenced by my father — and by my caring and strong mother. One of the most important of these values is to work hard to achieve my goals while never forgetting my roots. My father grew up in the city of Guanajuato in central Mexico. When he was just 17 years old, he left for the United States, chasing the dream of building a better life. He raised his kids on stories of the vibrant courtyards and bright adobe basilicas of his youth. Yet, in all his years, he never once returned to his hometown. So last June, in honor of his 70th birthday, my siblings and I decided to change that.
There was an incredible amount to see and do on this trip; I’ve never taken so many photos on a single vacation. The city of Guanajuato itself is incredibly rich in architecture, much of it dating back to the 18th century. Spanish colonial structures mingle with uniquely Mexican
works of art, including striking murals and frescoes by Guanajuato native Diego Rivera and paintings by his equally famous wife, Frida Kahlo. We were also lucky enough to head out to the countryside and take in the pastoral beauty of the Valle de Santiago, which is dotted with villages and stone church towers that predate the country of Mexico itself. As beautiful as all these sights were, they paled in comparison to the main event. You see, the house my father grew up in is still in the family, albeit owned by distant cousins. With their help, we were able to take my father back to the very place he was born.
“ “SEEING MY CHILDREN WALK THE PASTEL STREETS AND BUSTLING PLAZAS WITH THEIR GRANDFATHER WAS INCREDIBLY TOUCHING AND A LITTLE SURREAL.”
My father is an emotional man to begin with. He wears his heart on his sleeve; it’s one of the things we love about him. So needless to say, the act of stepping over the threshold of his childhood home had him welling up. If I’m honest, lot of us were shedding tears, too. The last time he’d walked out that door, he was a young man full of dreams and ambitions. Returning over a half-century later with the family he raised in his new country — well, it was moving beyond words. I’m so glad we were able to pull off such an incredible experience for our father. He’s given us so much love and support over the years, and he more than deserved this trip. Having seen and walked through the vibrant streets and landscapes of my father’s stories by his side is something I will never forget.
The family pooled our resources and booked an Airbnb home right in the heart of beautiful Guanajuato. Between kids, spouses, and in-laws, the trip ended up being a veritable family reunion, with a total of 13 merry travelers joining my dad on this trip back to the home of his youth. No one wanted to miss out on this momentous occasion! I’m especially glad my kids were able to come along with us and that they were the right ages to enjoy the beautiful artwork and traditions of their heritage. Seeing my children walk the pastel streets and bustling plazas with their grandfather was incredibly touching and a little surreal. The sight of generations of Lonas strolling arm in arm amid the landmarks that filled my childhood stories was magical, like something out of a Márquez novel.
Happy Father’s Day, Papa.
–Dr. Raul Lona
LA · 310.275.4137 / WEST HILLS · 747.888.3562 | 1
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CHARCOAL AND DUTCH OVENS THE PERFECT CAMP-COOKING PAIR
Camping doesn’t have to mean settling for prepackaged snacks, dehydrated meals, and boring hot dogs. In fact, cooking during your camping trip can be fun, easy, and incredibly tasty. One of the simplest ways to prepare camp meals is with a Dutch oven and charcoal. Like crockpots, Dutch oven meals require very little work and dirty few dishes. Best of all, you can add an endless variety of food to your camp menu! The briquettes around the Dutch oven provide long-lasting and consistent heat distribution. The number of briquettes you use depends on the size of your Dutch oven and what you’re cooking. However, you can use the following chart as a rule of thumb to determine how many briquettes you need for certain temperatures and oven sizes. TEMP 10’’ OVEN 12’’ OVEN 14’’ OVEN (°F) Top Bottom Top Bottom Top Bottom 300° 12 5 14 7 15 9 350° 14 6 16 8 18 10 400° 16 7 18 9 21 11 450° 18 8 21 10 23 12 500° 20 9 23 11 26 14
Cooking with a Dutch oven is as simple as combining your ingredients, heating your briquettes, and placing them beneath and on top of your oven. Each briquette adds 10–20 degrees of heat.
For breakfast, prepare a hash with bacon, eggs, onions, potatoes, cheese, salt, and pepper. For
lunch, try cooking campfire nachos with tortilla chips, ground beef, beans, onions, cilantro, cheese, and avocado. And for dinner, butterfly your freshly caught trout and bake it with some potatoes and butter. Cooking while camping should be an enjoyable experience. Pack a Dutch oven and charcoal briquettes the next time you’re out in the wilderness to add a fun and rustic element to your meals.
THREE STEPS TO AVOID NECK PAIN Modern living can be a real pain in the neck. If you live in the greater Los Angeles area, chances are you spend a great deal of your work or laptops at their workstations, investing in an external monitor can save you from cramping your neck.
TAKE A BREAK
leisure time seated in front of a screen or monitor. Unfortunately, the posture you probably adopt during these extended periods can be harmful to your upper back, resulting in chronic neck pain and other complications. At M3, we believe in treating the root of the problem — not just relieving your neck and shoulder pain, but also teaching patients how to keep the pain from recurring in the future. Here’s our advice on how to improve posture and reduce your risk of debilitating upper back problems.
Whether you’ve been staring at your office monitor or your cell phone, we recommend taking periodic breaks. Reorient your posture if you’ve slipped into forward or downward leaning positions, and just do some simple neck tilts and shoulder roles. If you experience pain or an abnormal amount of stiffness, stop stretching and seek the help of a trained physical therapist.
LAY IT OUT
This may prove difficult for you side-sleepers out there, but sleeping on your back is a great way to reduce your chance of neck and shoulder pain. Our posture can’t always be correct during our busy day, but ensuring your upper back muscles have time to rest during the night can do a world of good. While these are great preventative measures, if you already suffer from chronic neck or shoulder pain, you are going to need to take things a step further. Please swing by either of our clinics and let us help you move better so you can live better!
MOVE THE MONITOR
Leaning your head too far forward for extended periods, such as when you are staring down at your computer monitor, puts a considerable amount of strain on your neck. You can cut down on this bad posture by making sure the middle of your screen sits at eye level. For those who use
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15 SERVING INJURED 3 COMMON TENNIS INJURIES YOU NEED TO BE AWARE OF
When tennis is described, it’s not uncommon for someone to picture a ritzy country club where participants hardly break a sweat, let alone get hurt. But this stereotype is far from reality. Just because there’s no contact doesn’t mean tennis doesn’t take a toll on your body. We frequently see tennis injuries ranging from mild to severe. Here are three of the most common ones. Tennis injuries are so frequent and unique that there is one specifically named after the sport. While tennis elbow is a commonly known term, the understanding behind it is often misconstrued. Tennis elbow is a condition where the outer tendons of the forearm deteriorate due to overuse. According to The American College of Sports Medicine, half of all tennis players will sustain this injury. TENNIS ELBOW
engagement classify as overuse injuries. In tennis, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine explains that “two-thirds of tennis injuries are due to overuse.” Trauma like shoulder tears, stress fractures, and muscle strains are typical examples of overuse injuries.
ACUTE TRAUMA
While overuse can play a part in many acute injuries, they are not the same thing. Acute impairments are injuries that happen immediately and without warning signs. Damage like broken bones, torn ligaments, and sprains are all examples of what can happen while playing tennis. Injury prevention is paramount in preventing these complications, but even then, there are no guarantees. Whether it’s avoiding them or rehabbing back from an injury, we are your go-to place. Reach out to us today, and we’ll beat ailments — game, set, and match.
OVERUSE INJURY
There are mainly two types of injuries. Natural degradation of muscles and tendons due to repetitive
SPICY CHIMICHURRI GRILLED CHEESE
TAKE A BREAK
INGREDIENTS
For chimichurri: • 2 jalapeños
For sandwiches: • 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 green onions • 1/2 cup cilantro • 1 clove garlic • 2 tablespoons olive oil • Juice of 1 lime • 2 teaspoons honey
• 1 ripe avocado, cut into slices • 2–4 ounces fresh mozzarella • 4 slices whole-wheat bread
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Pulse chimichurri ingredients in a food processor or blender until combined but not pureed. Add extra olive oil as needed. 2. Heat grill or skillet to medium-low. Brush outsides of bread with olive oil. Smear 1 tablespoon chimichurri on each slice of bread. Place a layer of avocado and cheese between slices.
3. Cook gently until bread is crisp and cheese is melted.
4. Slice and serve.
[inspired by naturallyella.com]
LA · 310.275.4137 / WEST HILLS · 747.888.3562 | 3
Published by The Newsletter Pro • www.TheNewsletterPro.com
10474 SANTA MONICA BLVD, SUITE 435 LOS ANGELES, CA 90025 PHONE: 310.275.4137 FAX: 310.274.1815
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INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
The Land of My Father
2
Prepare Camp Meals With a Dutch Oven
2
Three Steps to Avoid Neck Pain
3
Injury Prevention For Common Ailments
3
Spicy Chimichurri Grilled Cheese
4
Too Much Shade? Plant These Vegetables!
FORMERLY KNOWN AS WILSHIRE LINDEN PHYSICAL THERAPY — SAME TEAM, NEW NAME!
LAY SOME SHADE ON ME THE BEST VEGETABLES TO PLANT IN SHADY SPOTS
There’s nothing quite like growing your own vegetables, but if your home doesn’t get the best sunlight, what can you do? It’s a problem many gardeners face. Even if you live in a sunny area, you may have a shady corner of the garden or side of the house going to waste. Fortunately, there are plenty of plants that do well in partial and full shade. As a general rule, leafy greens do better in shade and milder temperatures than other vegetables. Flowering plants and vines, such as cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes, need more hours of sunlight per day in order to thrive — about 6 hours or more.
smaller, but this can be offset by growing additional plants. (Hours of sun per day: 3–4)
PEAS. Like kale, when grown in shade, peas and beans won’t grow quite as full, and plants may take longer to mature, but with proper planning, you’ll still reap a plentiful harvest. Bush and dwarf varieties are recommended over their pole counterparts. (Hours of sun per day: 4–5) POTATOES. Root vegetables, such as potatoes, carrots, and beets, will grow in partial shade, but they may take a few more weeks to mature, and they may produce fewer vegetables. However, as most gardeners agree, the results are still worth the effort. (Hours of sun per day: 4–5) SPINACH. Like most leafy greens, spinach does very well in shade, particularly baby spinach. The plant will continue to produce leaves for an extended period of time if you regularly harvest the outer leaves. (Hours of sun per day: 3–4)
HERBS. While many herbs, such as basil, are better suited for sunnier conditions, there are a few that will do great in shade. These include chives, cilantro, golden marjoram, mint, oregano, and parsley. (Hours of sun per day: 3)
KALE. Typically, kale does well in partial shade. When kale is grown in full shade, the leaves tend to be slightly
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