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Dr. Johanna

New Massage Therapist!

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Massage Therapy Now on Saturdays & Sundays and Monday evenings at Lelke Chiropractic
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We are SO happy to announce our newest massage therapist, Pete. His online schedule is available by clicking HERE:

Peter Leopold is a multi-modal massage therapist and body worker with a thorough knowledge of eastern and western approaches to healing. He holds certifications in Active Release Technique, Fascial Distortion Modeling, Cranial Sacral Therapy, Functional Movement as well as Tui Na (Chinese medical massage), Acupressure, Medical Chi Gong and Yoga. His approach to the body is holistic, intuitive, and energetic while grounded in scientific and anatomical understanding. He is currently engaged in a full-time chiropractic doctoral program.

See his 5-star Yelp! reviews by clicking HERE!

“I’ve always been fascinated with self-actualization and human potential. I began practicing martial arts and music as a kid, yoga and meditation as a teenager, and the healing arts as a young man. I believe everyone has the right to live an extraordinary, deeply fulfilling life and I work everyday to bring this to my clients and the world around me. Currently, most of my time is occupied with chiropractic school, but I also teach weekly meditation classes, train in Muai Thai and spend time with my partner Tawny and cat Bob.”

Confessions from Marconi Beach

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If anyone knows me well, they understand that I’m in love with my summer homeland of Cape Cod. Confession #1: “Beaching it” is in my blood. Basking under the sun here on the magical sands of the Cape’s National Seashore, I’m in heaven. I just took a dip in the cold waves, then sprawled on a blanket to dry and do some magazine reading. Health literature is always a favorite, so I grabbed a recent issue of Life Extension magazine—you can find others in my office waiting room.

I was drawn to the article entitled ‘Protect Your Skin From Age-Related Glycation’. In short, glycation is a process of free blood sugar binding to proteins like collagen which are particularly prevalent in your skin. The resultant compounds are called advanced glycation end products (AGEs), and they disrupt collagen metabolism. The take home message: glycation in your skin causes WRINKLES and looseness. This article named a few familiar things that halt this unflattering glycation process, and I felt they’re worth revisiting on this lovely sunny summer day.

Who isn’t at least mildly concerned with those migrating crows feet? (A) Reduce sugar and refined carbohydrate consumption! Confession #2: I have a sweet tooth. Jay says that I have multiple sweet teeth actually. I’ve noticed that being on vacation (and very busy packing my childhood house in preparation for my mom moving permanently to our Cape beach house), I’m less likely to turn to sweet foods, breads and cereals. Dessert time is always the hardest for me. When I’m “bad”, it’s chocolate boudin off the desert menu or a few cookies from the pantry. When I’m “good”, I eat just 2 squares of dark chocolate- that seems to satiate me.

Continuing on with anti-glycation strategies, (B) limit high temperature cooking methods like deep frying and prolonged searing. And (C) consume my favorite summer crop, BLUEBERRIES. Their anti-inflammatory properties have a destructive effect on AGEs and oxidative stress in our tissues. Compared to other fruits tested, blueberries have the strongest anti-glycation powers. Remember, glycation happens everywhere in our tissues, but for vanity’s sake let’s stay on course: wrinkles and sagging. UV exposure from sunlight amplifies free radicals that even blueberry indulgence can’t combat. So protect your skin with sunscreen and a hat if you like “beaching it” too. Confession #3: I love picking and eating blueberries. Pictured here is a recent harvest of wild blueberries from the woods of my childhood off-Cape house in Southborough, MA—the one we were packing up all week in preparation for the move. Apparently wild blueberries have 10x greater potency than our larger cultivated blues.

I’ve shared a few personal notes with you today, and hopefully also inspired you to follow my recommitment to prepare low sugar/starch meals, eat plenty of blueberries, and perhaps even top off dinner with a square of dark chocolate, ok, 2 squares. Bonus: erase wrinkles and firm skin.

FYI- Life Extension is also the manufacturer of quality supplements, some of which I use and recommend. On top of the above recommendations, I sometimes use a cool product that LE makes called Advanced Anti-Glycation Peptide Serum. It’s a topical for your face and neck, full of glycation combatting natural compounds. Look it up if you’re curious. Ask me if you want the full LE article with research citations.

Happy Summer Vacation!
Dr. Johanna

Green Goodness – Blended Nutrition

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For over a year, I’ve tinkered with my “whole food smoothies” made with a Blendtec blender. You may have noticed that a mason jar of this green-gray sludge sits on my desk each morning. It has become my sustenance between an early morning breakfast and a late lunch. I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked, “what’s in that?” in the most polite but quizzical intonation. Now here’s the answer!

Equipment: Blendtec or similar high-power blender.
The following loose recipe can be altered to your taste and produce availability.
Makes 2 full sized (32 oz.) mason jars—give the other to your sweetie like I do, or save it for the next day. All measurements are approximate. This is actually an important aspect because once you make a few batches, you’ll gain an easier time throwing together the ingredients without much time measuring.

Seeds/nuts/additives:
* teaspoonful of chia seeds
* teaspoonful of flax seeds
* teaspoonful of soy lecithin granules
* teaspoonful of honey
* scoop of protein powder (I use Trader Joe’s Hemp protein powder)
* optional 1/4 cup yogurt]

Fruits:
* handful of frozen blueberries
* 6-12 fresh strawberries, washed and sliced in half
* EITHER one banana or half avocado (both help make a smooth consistency)
* 1 lemon squeezed
* 1 of the following: a fist size of fresh cut pineapple, melon, apple, orange/grapefruit with as much rind as possible, or similar fruit.

Vegetables:
* 4-5 stalks of kale chopped in 1” segments
* 1 celery stalk chopped
* 1/4 cucumber sliced
* bunch of parsley chopped

Anti-inflammatory roots: Be generous with these roots, but alter to taste.
* Fresh turmeric root peeled and chopped – try thimble size
* Fresh ginger root peeled and chopped – try thumb size
* [optional 1 clove garlic peeled and chopped]

Place each ingredient into the blender as you prepare it, in the order above, then add 4-6 ice cubes on top. Finally, add cold water to about the halfway line. You can always add more water later if it comes out too thick, so until you have the science down, keep the water line under halfway. Press the “Whole Juice” preset button on your blender, and after about a minute you have your nutrition in a jar! Bon Apetit!

Aloha from Hawaii!

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I arrived late last night and have mostly positive emotions going into this relaxing vacation with a half ironman sprinkled in the mix! Having not been on a vacation since, hmmm, August, I am thrilled to enjoy this week of down time. But what would a vacation be without a big athletic challenge smack dab in the middle? I’m here with many special people sharing a gorgeous island house, and I’m so pleased that my boyfriend, Coach Jay Ridgeway, is along for the ride. He has the duty and privilege of coaching a constituency of 11 athletes from the PacWest Club and Race Teams. With all of the hard preparations behind us, let’s be honest, his principle responsibility this weekend is to greet each of us at the finish line with a Pina Colada. Among the lineup of athletes is his daughter, Emily Ridgeway, who is also my lovely office assistant. The youngest of the triathletes in our group, she has a strong potential to podium in her age group on Saturday.

The Event:
Ironman 70.3 Hawai’i
Saturday, May 30 at 6:56am local time
Athlete Tracker: real-time participant progress

I sincerely thank my patients and friends who have given me so many words of encouragement throughout this journey, right up until my last patient yesterday. I appreciate you listening to my tales of fun and dreadful training workouts. The volume of swim/bike/run has been far beyond my comfort zone, to say the least, for the last 16 weeks. The most common question by far has been, “what’s your strongest event?” To which I answer, reluctantly, running. But truth be told, I’m no stand-out in any of these triathlon disciplines. Yes, I was a Division 1 track & field runner in college, but those were SPRINTS! Since last summer (remember the disappointing cancellation of the Half Ironman in Lake Tahoe last September?) I’ve been learning to become an endurance athlete, but it’s proving to take time, dedication and patience. The typical training volume for a Half Ironman is 22 hours per week—some weeks more, some less. It’s no exaggeration to say that it’s a part-time job. For FULL Ironman hopefuls, which I declare that I am not, training is certainly a full-time job. God bless anyone who wants to take on that challenge.

I’m a little bit nervous but mostly excited to put myself to the test during Saturday’s 1.2-mile ocean swim, 56-mile bike ride, and 13.1-mile run in the heat, humidity and gorgeousness of the Big Island. In addition to the Ironman 70.3 Hawaii webpage with its Athlete Tracker feature, you can get a more intimate scope of our week’s Hawaiian festivities and race day photos on the Lelke Chiropractic (as well as PacWest Athletics‘) Facebook pages. Thanks again for your support!

-Dr. Johanna

Welcome, Dr. Laura!

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Welcome, Dr. Laura Landgraf, on Thursday Feb 5!
2009-02-17-laura-29We are so happy to be making this announcement to our current and prospective patients. Laura and Johanna have been friends and colleagues since their first quarter of chiropractic school. A long-time chiropractor in Oakland, she’s excited to now meet YOU at Lelke Chiropractic in Berkeley every THURSDAY afternoon beginning this week.

Laura Landgraf, DC has years of hands on experience as both a chiropractor and massage therapist. She loves incorporating soft tissue work with her chiropractic treatments.

Drs. Laura & Johanna both received their doctorates from the University of Western States in Portland, Oregon. Laura graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in physiology from the University of Arizona. Prior to undergrad, she earned certification in massage therapy from Wood Hygienic Institute in Orlando, Florida.

Dr. Laura is professionally certified in Graston Technique and Kinesio Taping. When not working with patients, she can be found doing a variety of outdoor and kid-friendly excursions with her husband and toddler daughter.

Training for a half Ironman

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It’s nearly here, my first long course triathlon: Ironman 70.3 Lake Tahoe. I’ve heard that it takes a village to raise a child, but I hadn’t appreciated that the saying also applies to preparing an athlete for competition. It all began with a heart-centered feeling that I want to do a triathlon this year. I had dabbled in the sport 3 years ago, even bought racing wheels. But after competing in 2 short triathlons in 2011, I chose to refocus my time and energy on rock climbing. Until 2014.

The first in my village was Coach. I had a connection with him already- had been attending his PacWest running workouts for years. I knew he coached triathletes too, in a serious way. So I chose Jay Ridgeway’s 4-month group training program. I love the 3 disciplines of triathlon: born a water bug on Cape Cod; a recreational cyclist since age 6 or 22, depending how you look at it; and a competitive sprinter/jumper in college. But putting them all together in an endurance fashion creates the beast known as triathlon. I’m glad I chose someone as experienced as Jay to lead me through the proper kind of training.

The second and third in my village were my friend Tuan, who sold me his brand new tri bike, and Mitchell, who expertly fit me to the bike. I could’ve done the race on my very non-aero cyclocross bike, and I almost did, but at the last minute I bit the bullet and got myself a super fast tri bike. Five weeks prior to race day, I spent a couple hours with Mitchell Reiss (he shares my office) for an impressive bike fit complete with saddle and pedal pressure measurements. I could’ve left the office with a perfectly fitting bike that day, but I needed to order a new saddle, per Mitchell’s recommendation, and cut the seat post (the bike frame has an integrated seat post). Which brings me to my fourth in the village, Andres….

Andres is the owner of a new cycling shop in Berkeley, Beyond Aero. He meticulously (and quickly) cut the carbon seat post of my frame in accordance with Mitchell’s bike fit measurements. He then mounted the brand new Cobb JOF saddle which I bought from him. Little hitches threatened to mess with the gearing on my bike, but Andres quickly made adjustments to my derailleur and evaded any problems. He also found that someone along the way, maybe it was the guy that Tuan bought the bike from initially, had mounted the aero bar pads backwards. Good eye, Andres, and thanks for switching them up for me!

The fifth in my village is Mom.  Yes, even though my mom lives in Massachusetts, she still played an integral part in my preparations for Tahoe 70.3.  You see, I was on vacation for 10 days with her on Cape Cod last month, and instead of basking all day on the beach with her, I spent MANY hours of my vacation training. I rented a road bike from Orleans Cycle and hit the famous Cape Cod Rail Trail- meandered many miles through rural roads along the ocean and bay toward Provincetown. I swam nearly every day in our crystal clear ponds and in the calm waves of Cape Cod Bay. I ran alone through the streets and trails. Mom supported me, instead of complaining, and posted many proud photos of me on her Facebook page.

The sixth in my village is the collective teammates- compadres who have also been training for this Tahoe Ironman or half Ironman race for at least 4 months and sometimes much longer. These guys and gals are fellow athletes with PacWest. I can’t imagine doing all of my training alone. We meet religiously on Tuesday nights for grueling track workouts. We get our asses out of bed on Sunday mornings for masters swim workouts with Coach Jay.  We ride for HOURS together on our bikes and then we hit the pavement in our “sneaks” and pound it out— lightly with natural running form. And then there are my yoga students who keep me coming back to the mat to teach and partake in the awesomeness that is breath-body-spirit practice.

My treatment team comprises the seventh through thirteenth in my village.  Luckily, I encountered no injuries during my 4-month training interval. Maintenance care was key to my body’s successful adaptations to the increased loads from swimming, biking and running. Beyond my own self-care regimen of rolling, stretching and self-Grastoning, I benefitted from the caring hands of some talented chiropractors, massage therapists and acupuncturists. Thanks to Drs. Laura, Jeff and Sandy, my joints got the relief they needed from tight restrictions. Thanks to Becky and Michael, my tender muscles were soothed. And thanks to Jean Louis and Jorge, my internal organs remained vital and chi flowed as it should.

So, off I go this Wednesday night- heading for Tahoe with all of my training behind me, and a car loaded with gear.  Special thanks to the fourteenth and fifteenth in my village— my friend Felicia and her dad Bob— for providing me with a beautiful accommodation in Alpine Meadows, just around the corner from the finish line at Squaw Valley.  Anyone who wants to virtually encourage me along the course, I invite you to check out the Results- Race Coverage- Athlete Tracker on the Ironman 70.3 Tahoe website for live chip tracking. You just need the athlete’s name. That’s THIS SUNDAY, September 21, 2014.

Thank you, my village! -Dr. Johanna

Yoga for Athletes [of all kinds and abilities]

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Brand New Class Begins July 1:

Vinyasa Yoga for Athletes with Johanna

This class is dedicated to people who pursue sports & fitness activities. The qualifier ‘Athlete’ does not allude to the pace or difficulty of yoga that will be taught, but rather the kind of community that I am welcoming into the yoga space. As an athlete myself, I understand the physical demands & breakdowns associated with sports. I’m eager to share the healing benefits of yoga with you. You do not need to have yoga experience—you will learn by moving through this class, in a supportive environment.

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Where: Berkeley Yoga Center *

1250 Addison St., #209

Tuesdays 4:30-5:30 pm

Drop in and donate any $

*For the 5 years that I’ve been practicing sports chiropractic in Berkeley, my upstairs neighbors have been the Berkeley Yoga Center!

Commit to soothe and heal your body now.

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Special Offer for Spring 2014*, because this is the time of year when we need to balance all of our fitness ambitions with healing the imbalances and dysfunctions that creep in. I love watching patients reach for their best athletic performances. As always, my treatments combine adjustments with Graston, ART, and other PT.

10 Comprehensive Treatments (30 mins): $650 (saves you $150)
10 Brief Treatments (15 mins): $400 (saves you $100)
10 Extended Treatments (45 mins): $1020 (saves you $180)

5 Comprehensive Treatments (30 mins): $340 (saves you $60)
5 Brief Treatments (15 mins): $215 (saves you $35)
5 Extended Treatments (45 mins): $535 (saves you $65)

This promotion encourages you to finally get the care that you need and make the most out of your spring training season! New patients may also take advantage of this special offer without incurring any extra fee for the initial examination. Start your spring series by booking online!

*Must use all pre-paid visits by the Summer Solstice on June 21, 2014. Sorry, no refunds. Not to be used in combination with insurance billing.

Earthing!

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With the sun pouring its golden rays over us and our surroundings in these summer months, it’s virtually impossible to avoid being anywhere but outside.  Sometimes these rays invite us out so strongly that we’re swept up from our task at hand to venture outside, taking nothing but our enthusiasm to carry us away.  That’s right, no shoes needed or even noticed to be lost.  Through your feetpressing into the Earth with each step, whether it be grass, soil, stream, creek, boulders, roots or muck, you may have noticed a distinct energetic shift drape over and around you that tends to linger even after your outdoor funtivity has concluded.  The sensation that has taken over your body is one that is so subtle that it could be missed yet so present that it is profound.

 

Earthing. The act of connecting with the earth.  As stated in the book Earthing, “We humans, as all other living beings, are electrical creatures on an electrical planet, and the ground beneath us is more than something we just stand, walk, play, and build on. ”  Such a simple truth, yet so simple that the act of actually connecting our body, touching the Earth with our skin, is often overlooked and under-appreciated. I invite you to reclaim your appreciation for it.

 

Earthing returns the body to its natural electrical stability and rhythm, brining the body into normal and even optimal health.  What does that look like physiologically?  Better functionality of our cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and immune systems.  How does this look on the cellular level? Seventy trillion cells withinour body preform their specific tasks—absorbing nutrients and water—under direction from electrical fields. The more stable the cell is at the atomic level, the better the cell can perform its tasks and the better the body as a system functions.  Ultimately, balance at the atomic level has a macro effect on the whole human body!  Do you want some case studies? Earthing has been linked to doing away with or dramatically improving insomnia, chronic pain of multiple diseases and injuries, exhaustion, stress, anxiety, premature aging, and inflammation.

 

If you’re particularly inclined to sports and sports performance, it’s interesting to note that during the 2003, 2005 and 2007 Tour de France races, the American cycling team “Earthed” after each daily competition using a product called an earthing bed sheet.  The cyclists reported better sleep, significantly less illness, essentially no tendonitis (inflammation of a tendon), dramatic recovery from the day’s racing, and faster healing of road rash.

 

Without further adieu, let your feet roam freely and ground you to the Earth’s healing properties!