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PATIENT PULSE
(858) 675-1133 | www.waterpt.com
15373 Innovation Dr. #175 | San Diego, CA 92128 | (858) 675-1133 12171 World Trade Dr. | San Diego, CA 92128
W hen those initial waves of shutdowns came in first. History shows that camaraderie has been brought to its knees under much less trying times. But to my amazement, I can say without a doubt that our team has never been stronger than it is right now. I’ve never witnessed a group of people so collectively and so willingly rise to a challenge. At any moment, our doors could have permanently closed, throwing us all into hot water. But instead of people focusing on how they were going to save themselves, the team only reaffirmed why they were here in the first place: to help those who need us. The resounding question each of them asked was, “What can I do to make things better?” mid-March, there was no telling what was going to happen at our therapy center. In any type of workplace, when you face unpredictability, you often expect a certain level of chaos to follow. I wouldn’t have blamed my team for backing down, giving up, and focusing on taking care of themselves When those first shutdowns came, there were a lot of changes that needed to happen fast. I turned to my team for help, and they stepped up when their patients and coworkers needed them most. We tackled the implementation of telehealth, figured out a new and improved records system, and worked together to set up new policies and procedures. We found opportunities to welcome new team members when they had nowhere else to turn and supported each other through tough decisions when they had to be made. We have survived this as a team, and there’s no way we could have done it otherwise. I’D BE NOTHING WITHOUT MY TEAM TOGETHER, WE CAN CONTINUE DOING THE WORK WE LOVE
I’m incredibly fortunate that I get to own and operate my own business, and while I do love playing boss, I’ll admit that sometimes it’s difficult to make big decisions on my own. I don’t have a co-owner or board of directors to fall back on when I have questions or need someone to agree with me on things. In many ways, that can be daunting. But if there’s one thing this pandemic has shown me, it’s that with a team like the one I have, I don’t need that fallback because I already have all the support I could want. Everyone has been so willing to help each other through these difficult times, and that’s because every single one of us believes so deeply in the job we do. We are here to help people manage their pain and overcome physical limitations. Every day, we do what we can to make people’s lives better. In the face of hardship, my team has continued to put others before themselves because that’s what they’ve done all along, and it’s what they love to do. Every Friday, I like to share a collective update and words of encouragement with my team, and a recent one included this quote by author Ken Blanchard: “None of us is as smart as all of us.” While I’ve found this to be very true, I’ve also found that it applies in other ways. None of us is as compassionate as all of us. None of us is as dedicated as all of us. And none of us can fully be there for those who need us unless all of us are willing to be there. My team has proven that fact over these last few months, and I couldn’t be more grateful to them for it.
–Beth Scalone
1 (858) 675-1133
Most people who hear about artificial intelligence (AI) conjure up an image of a robot acting and thinking on its own. However, it’s far more than that. AI systems are used by businesses to identify human behavior patterns and tailor marketing messages. They’re also used by health care professionals to provide diagnoses and monitor trends. And now, AI is being used for financial security. Risk Management Many are concerned about the risk of someone hacking into their bank accounts and cleaning them out. While that can happen at any moment, individuals often have a number of safeguards in place to protect their finances and mitigate this risk. The same is true for businesses, such as banks, credit card companies, or online retailers, though the risks are often far higher for these companies than they are for individuals. How does AI help? It works with data faster and more accurately than a human ever could. By using AI to monitor financial transactions, a company can keep track of the real-time activity of its customers and verify its authenticity. For example, someone who makes a large withdrawal from their bank account might get an AI-generated call, text, or email seconds afterward to verify the transaction. 2 SURPRISING WAYS ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE PROTECTS YOUR MONEY AND FUTURE
Fraud Detection AI can also predict and flag unusual activity associated with fraud. By combining two of its processes — data management and pattern identification — AI can pinpoint oddities within a person’s finances. For example, if a card is used for a purchase in America then used a few hours later for a purchase in another country across the world, AI can detect this suspicious activity almost immediately and send an alert to the cardholder. Additionally, AI is created to learn , which means that over time, it will become more attuned to what is or is not fraudulent activity. Artificial Intelligence is a powerful and beneficial tool for business owners and individuals alike. Read more about what AI is doing in the financial world at MarutiTech.com/ways-ai-transforming-finance .
MEET EMILY ELANDT! OUR NEWEST PHYSICAL THERAPIST
Emily joined our staff at the end of July as our newest physical therapist, and our patients are already loving her! After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from San Diego State University in 2016, Emily went on to earn her doctorate of physical therapy with honors from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Institute of Health Professions in 2019.
reality at the INSPIRE Lab, an adjunct to the Harvard Medical School. She’s also a certified personal trainer who specializes in virtual platforms, making her a welcome addition to our team (which continues to utilize telehealth). “I believe in a patient-centered approach to care, and that’s what drew me to North County,” Emily says. “It’s evident from the moment you walk through these doors or meet via video that this team is dedicated to giving every patient the time and attention they deserve. They put people first.” Emily was drawn to physical therapy because of her love of creative problem-solving. “Every person is different, which means every treatment is different. Physical therapy is all about finding or creating a solution that fits each person’s unique needs, and that’s the kind of thinking I like,” she says. “Virtual visits have presented a whole new challenge to our field, too, but it’s one that I’m excited to work on together with our patients.”
Emily originally hails from Northern California and has spent time living in Boston, but she feels most at-home in San Diego. She loves exploring our city’s restaurant scene and stays active with wakeboarding, hiking, mountain biking, and skiing. But about a year ago, her new favorite hobby became her dog. “Roxie is a 3-year-old golden retriever I adopted from a family that could no longer care for her,” Emily says. “She’s great at hiking and is ball-obsessed. She’ll play fetch for hours if I let her. She’s surprisingly not much of a swimmer for a retriever, but we’re working on it.” If Emily brings the same dedication to working with Roxie as she does to her patients, then we’re sure she’ll have her swimming in no time.
While completing her graduate studies, Emily assisted in research on gait analysis and virtual
Welcome to the team, Emily!
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HOW STRESS CAN LEAD TO INJURY
AND HOW YOU CAN STOP IT
While it’s pretty intuitive that physical stressors can cause physical injuries, you might not know that mental and emotional stress can also lead to musculoskeletal injuries that require physical therapy. That’s right — a lack of sleep, a busy workweek, and other stressful life events can make you more prone to injury. Why is this, and how can you prevent the stresses of everyday life from causing you bodily harm? When you experience stress, your body does a few things that naturally put you at an increased risk of injury. First, stress causes your nerves to function inefficiently. Second, stressful situations lead to higher levels of cortisol in the body, a hormone that inhibits muscle repair and immune system function. If you’re always dealing with stressful situations, then you’re constantly leaving your body open to physical injury. You can prevent injuries with all sorts of physical means, but if you fail to address your mental and emotional health, you’ll still be at a heightened risk. While you might not be able to prevent every stressful situation from ever happening, you can control how you react when one does occur.
A few simple things you can do to prevent mental stress are to get enough sleep, maintain a healthy diet, and drink plenty of water. If any of these basic stress inhibitors are absent from your daily routine, focus on incorporating them in to alleviate some of your stress. That said, practicing simple breathing exercises or another form of meditation can also be helpful, especially if you’re looking for a physical way to mentally unwind after a stressful day. While learning about how much stress hurts you can be even more stressful, you can find some peace knowing that with a few simple changes to your routine, you can prevent your stress from causing physical injury.
TAKE A BREAK
Who says a loaded potato has to clog your arteries? In this healthy version that serves four, a sweet potato base is topped with fiber-rich bean salsa.
INGREDIENTS
• •
4 medium sweet potatoes
• • • • •
1 tsp cumin
1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp coriander
3/4 tsp salt
• •
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
DIRECTIONS
1. With a fork, prick each sweet potato a few times. Microwave the potatoes on high 12–15 minutes, or until cooked through. 2. In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the beans, tomatoes, olive oil, cumin, coriander, and salt. When the potatoes are done, microwave the mixture on high for 2–3 minutes. 3. Cool potatoes slightly, then cut each potato open lengthwise. Pull the halves apart to create space to spoon the warm bean salsa inside. 4. Add a scoop of sour cream to each potato, garnish with cilantro, and serve!
3 (858) 675-1133
Inspired by EatingWell.com
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Monday—Thursday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. (858) 675-1133 www.waterpt.com
15373 Innovation Dr. #175 San Diego, CA 92128
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
1
Our Team Means Everything
2
What Can AI Do for Your Finances? Meet Emily, Our New Physical Therapist
3
How Mental Stress Causes Physical Injuries Easy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
4
Play Virtual Tourist
LET’S GET VIRTUAL PLAY TOURIST IN YOUR OWN TOWN
From time to time we each like to play tourist in our own cities to reignite our appreciation for the places we call home. But with pandemic closures still in place, tourists of any kind are finding it difficult to enjoy San Diego’s wonderful offerings. That’s why several institutions have adapted and made playing tourist a virtual possibility. SAN DIEGO MUSEUM OF ART The SDMA mobile app offers virtual tours of just about everything from the museum’s galleries to the building’s façade. Virtual visitors can access permanent collections and temporary exhibitions — many of which include educational audio clips or fun interactive games. If you’re looking to get even more immersed in your virtual visit, the Masterpiece Minute Podcast and YouTube channel are led by museum curators who spotlight works of art from various collections. SELF-REALIZATION FELLOWSHIP Paramahansa Yogananda was the founder of modern yoga and the first major teacher of the practice to spend most of his life teaching in the West. His fellowship property is just north of Swami’s Beach and features a meditation garden, a temple, a retreat center, and the hermitage where he wrote his critically acclaimed autobiography. The fellowship is closed to the public, but if you visit SRFOnlineMeditation.org, you can join a yoga
class, meditation service, or other group activity that takes place right on the fellowship grounds.
BALBOA PARK The main attractions of this world-renowned park are closed to the public as of right now, but you can still tour most of the park with Balboa Park TV. They have 21 channels of arts and culture videos which exclusively show the inside of Balboa Park. In addition to the offerings from the San Diego Museum of Art, you can get interactive glimpses of the park’s outdoor areas, the Fleet Science Center, the WorldBeat Center, the San Diego Zoo, the Timken Museum of Art, and others. Visit CulturalPartnership.org/ balboaparktv-bp to learn more. The best thing about all of these virtual offerings is that they’re entirely free to use! So don’t be afraid to spend a day getting to know our city a little better, and remember to appreciate how these institutions have adapted in order to keep culture thriving.
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TOOLS TO Manage Stress
“When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control how you respond to what’s happening. That’s where your power is.” – Unknown W hen you think of the word “stress,” how does it make you feel? Like many, you may associate stress with negative feelings and emotions like anxiety, worry, fear, or frustration. However, these negative feelings and emotions are less of a reflection of stress itself and more of a reflection of how we perceive stress. In fact, Hans Selye, the world-renowned endocrinologist and “father” of stress research, defined stress
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as “the non-specific response of the body to any demand for change.” In other words, it is important to realize that stress itself is neither inherently good nor bad. While we tend to recognize its negative effects, there are also other forms of stress that we generally consider having a positive impact on health and well-being such as exercise, love, laughter, and excitement. As Selye once said, “It’s not stress that kills us; it is our reaction to it.”
Tools to help manage stress:
1.Mindfulness
This is the “moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment through a gentle, nurturing lens” and without judgment. By being more mindful, we can take control of our thoughts and redirect our attention toward feelings of gratitude, hope, and fulfillment instead of being overwhelmed by constant anxiety, negativity, and worry. The next time you wash your hands, focus on feeling the water running over your skin and hearing the water. Slowly count to 10 twice as you lather the soap (getting all the areas of the hands) and rinse, feeling and hearing the water again. Check in with yourself to see how you feel afterward. This is a simple way to fit mindfulness into your day.
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2.Meditation
Smart device applications like the Calm App, Headspace, and Insight Timer provide guided and nonguided meditations for all levels, and these companies also have social media pages and YouTube channels to follow for helpful tips and mindfulness/meditation practices. Another simple way to meditate is by focusing on your breathing. Try to practice breathing in slowly through your nose and out even slower through your mouth. In order to stay focused, it may help to count in your head inhaling for about 4 seconds, pausing for a brief moment, and then exhaling for approximately 8 seconds.
3. Changing Mindset
If you’d like to learn more about changing your mindset about stress, Kelly McGonigal (psychologist, researcher, and author) gave a wonderful presentation called “How to Make Stress Your Friend.” In this talk, she
presents research indicating that it is believing stress is harmful to your health (not the stressors themselves) that can damage our well-being. Dr. McGonigal shares that “studies show if you embrace the energy of stress, such as by calling it excitement or telling yourself you’re getting ready, it helps people do better and feel more confident.”
After reading this, I hope you now understand how practicing mindfulness and meditation can help put stress into perspective by placing you in the driver’s seat when it comes to your own health and well-being. Viktor Frankl explained this well when he said, “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” “When you can’t control what’s happening, challenge yourself to control how you respond to what’s happening. That’s where your power is.” – Unknown
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