Your Vital Updates from
Tasman Bay Chiropractic
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Hi All
A very warm welcome to our quarterly newsletter. And a special welcome to all of our new folk. Many of you have been referred by an existing client, so a big thank you to all those referring others to chiropractic care. We do appreciate the time that you take to do this and help expose others to the benefits of chiropractic.
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Our May-June theme was Fun - both literally and figuratively. We all enjoyed sharing some fun activities we were involved in - both inside and outside of work - on our Facebook page and the practice noticeboard. The front-office team took some time out to enjoy some 10-pin bowling. Of course, there was more than a hint of competitiveness on display. Congrats to Elise who had the winning score!
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It can sometimes be too easy to forget about having fun, but the great thing that we noticed is that when you think about having fun, there are often more occasions to count up than we first thought. So was that because it was our theme and we are subconsciously adding in fun times, or are there more fun times than we realise and we just don't celebrate them as much as we should?
Special thanks to those of you who shared your 'fun' photos with us.
Our July-August theme is underway - and yes there is a winter element to it! We welcome your ideas for keeping yourself well (emotionally and physically) through the cooler winter months! Send them through by email, or add them to our noticeboard. They might be recipes, inspirational words, routines ...
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Finally, we are thrilled to announce that we successfully recruited a wonderful new Chiropractic Assistant to join our front office team. Louise Cowie has joined us and is slotting in nicely. There is a lot to learn in this role - and it isn't easy when you are working on a fast-paced shift!
Please introduce yourself if you haven't yet met her. We are loving having Louise on the team.
Stay warm, safe and healthy
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With very best wishes from us all
PS Up-to-date news is featured on our website and/or Facebook page as well as on the noticeboard in the practice. Take a look regularly to see the fun, competitions, winners and information.
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Bryony's Hours Include a Lunchtime
Bryony now has appointment times available on Mondays until 5.45
AND
Don't forget, for that lunchtime appointment, Bryony is here right
through the lunch period on Thursdays.
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Gratitude
Last weekend I went to an event for International Yoga Day and did a practice centred around the premise “santosha” which translates to “contentment or satisfaction”. We don’t have to be happy all the time, but if we can be content or satisfied with our life, that leads to inner peace. This brought me to think about gratitude. Often when we are so busy with work and life, we don’t get the opportunity to stop, step back and recognise what we are grateful for. For many people, gratitude is not part of their daily practice and it is only when things are lost that we realise what we have.
I have been practicing gratitude for the last 18 months, writing down things every day that I am grateful for. Some days it’s easy to find things, but some days it’s almost impossible. I find it a nice way to reflect back on each day and be happy for what I have, and on days I’m feeling low, I can look back and be reminded of all the good things around me.
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My challenge to you is to start a gratitude journal – write down five things a day that you are grateful for. If you can’t think of five, the day isn’t done. Go out and do something so you have another gratitude to add to the list.
Here is one of my journal entries:
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I am grateful for the friends and family who support me
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I am grateful for the beautiful Nelson sunshine
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I am grateful for fries (or any form of potato really)
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I am grateful for all the awesome people I see and work with at TBC!
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I am grateful for my body and all it’s amazing functions, even if it doesn’t feel amazing all the time
What’s your list?
Bryony
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Fun Mum
Our recent TBC theme of ‘Fun’ has had me thinking a lot about what having fun means to me where I am at in my life now. We have two girls in the house, one of whom is pre-teen and there have lately been times of tension for her and the whole family. Much of what is happening is normal in modern families.
Sometimes we get bogged down in the negatives. While reflecting on the fun, I have been watching the kids and their ability to forgive easily and find humour in the small stuff and it’s these times that I am looking to, for fun opportunities to allow the connection I have with them to continue to grow. So when they come giggling to me wanting to perform an impromptu dance show, I’m immersing myself in the experience and finding the fun in watching them get the moves right, celebrating their wins. When I’m asked to join in I’m more willing to (badly) give it a go. They don’t care if I’m any good or not. They most definitely laugh at my mistakes and they learn that’s its ok to give things a go and get back up if you at first don’t succeed.
I think the best fun is when those great big belly laugh times which come on suddenly and give great delight. My husband has the most infectious laugh and when he is crying with laughter you can’t help but join in making me really believe “laughter is the best medicine”.
Best regards
Bron
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Meet Louise
I am passionate about good health, enjoying life and being surrounded by positive like minded people.
I grew up in Waiuku, a small town south of Auckland where I spent the last 11 years working at New Zealand Steel. I moved to Nelson in 2016 to be closer to my son Kayne and grandchildren, Charlotte and Remi.
My husband John and I enjoy riding the many cycle trails around Nelson on the weekend and visiting all the great cafes and many other things Nelson has on offer. I also enjoy swimming at the aquatic centre most mornings
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My greatest passion would be my garden and cooking plant based recipes. I also enjoy a good wine :)
I am excited to join the Tasman Bay Chiropractic team and I am looking forward to meeting you all.
Warm regards
Louise
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The Importance of Board Games
During recent years, collecting board games has become an accident but a totally happy mistake of mine. Playing board games has become quite a fun part of my life outside of work and, of course, volleyball. My family and friends have always been into playing games, whether it be a pack of cards or a full blown game of Monopoly. I think it is important to highlight why, no matter your age, playing board games is important.
During primary school age there are many things a child can learn from playing a board game, particularly with other children their own age. The first is that you will not always win! Part of playing the game is of course accepting defeat gracefully without throwing a tantrum and becoming upset. This is a skill that can be learned, it does not mean the child has to like losing, but it means they understand that the world does not indeed revolve around them and sometimes other people will do and take things they had planned to do and take for themselves. Secondly, they learn to come up with strategies and how to improvise on those strategies. Coming up with a multiple step plan, then seeing that plan through can be useful in the workplace and allows children to take more control of their lives and indeed their school-work. Thirdly, it teaches friendly competition. A study by Burguillo in 2010 found that when competition based learning is introduced into a classroom the overall course performance improved, suggesting that competition can indeed improve memory and retrieval of that memory from long-term storage. Further studies have shown competition can improve reaction time, attention span, mental aptitude and even mood.
Teenagers show different results when it comes to board games. The studies are more focused on social interactions rather than that of competition. During the teenage years individuals focus on removing themselves from the family groups and moving into their 'tribal group'. This is often seen as rebellious nature however it is appropriate for them to remove themselves as a child under the care of mother and father and into becoming a participant in the larger society. Board games played between teens of similar ages show many of the positive findings seen in children but include a better range of social cohesion between their competitors. Where children focus on their competitors as someone to best, teens turn their focus more towards who would make a capable ally, who is trustworthy and of course, who could be a potential friend. When teens play with their siblings or parents however, none of that is true - they are more like children in that they seek to conquer their family members by any means necessary.
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In adults, board games also improve many of the aspects it does in children. It is great for social interactions as well, but more of the studies focus on continuation of cognitive function. The problem solving and strategy that goes into many board games helps reduce cognitive decline, improve short and long term memory, boosts endorphins and has even shown to lower blood pressure. Coupled with a healthy diet and regular exercise, board games should be an important part of adult life. I enjoy playing board games with my friends and family and will continue to do so until the day I die.
Some of my favourite board games you have to try are;
- Ticket to Ride- A long term strategy game that focuses a player on completing multiple tasks simultaneously and requires improvisation as well as skill to win.
- Pandemic- A cooperative game where players have to work together to defeat a worldwide virus (relevant to the times we are in right now).
- Catan- Similar in style to Ticket to Ride but with different tasks, a completely new board each time means the game is different every time you play (there are loads of variations and expansions in this game that can make it even more complicated and exciting).
My favourite card games are:
- Phase 10 - A competitive game which incorporates luck and skill (can be played with a normal pack of cards or there are sets which you can buy).
- Dutch Blitz - A game of speed and skill, no turns are involved just go as fast as you can to win (need a special deck for this one).
- Citadels - A mix between a board game and a card game, nice and compact to take on camping trips etc and really fun to play.
Enjoy
Hamish
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Epic Road Trip
Fun. I just read some of my teammates' contributions to this newsletter and while laughing out loud, I am also wondering how I will write about an epic road trip that I recently completed. I am not sure that there is any scientific literature on fun, epic road trips and cognitive function, however I can personally attest that the trip has made me feel better, more empathetic, more loving and just a generally all round better guy.
The other issue I have with the road trip is that I now have to admit that it is 10-15 years since I took my own vehicle across Cook Strait to venture into the North Island. The hilarity started when I feared that I was going to be late for the ferry, only to find on my arrival in Picton that it was two hours behind schedule! The hilarity continued the next morning when Hamish and Marissa's flight to Wellington was also delayed - by an hour and a half - which meant that we were going to be late for the NZ Chiropractors' Association AGM in New Plymouth. Hamish's cool, calm and collected nature allowed lots of fun on the five hour drive to New Plymouth while Marissa snoozed in the back of the car and I drove. We arrived late to the meeting - which meant that we missed the less fun bits of the meeting, and were ready for the drinks and nibbles that followed!
Within the first three days of the trip I realised that I had already experience the full spectrum from having fun with mates through to spending time on my own in unfamiliar locales to rest and recover. I am pretty sure that there are scientific papers to support my experience, but I am not going to quote them for you at this point.
Upon our arrival in Auckland, I dropped Hamish and Marissa off at Marissa's home and spent a night with friends. My older son Seb joined me in Auckland by which time I had already completed a visit to a colleague's practice, had a swim and enjoyed a long brunch with friends. A skill that is helpful when travelling is to not make too many hard and fast plans so when Seb arrived, I asked him where he would like to stay. Of course he said Sky City! We spent two nights there doing simple things including visiting friends, exploring the city, have a lot of fun and eating a lot of food. By this point, we were ready to head home. We enjoyed a three day trip south via Cambridge and Wellington and arrived home safe and sound and ready for the next adventures that TBC will bring on.
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I know that my team knew that I was refreshed because I brought back a load of new ideas - evidence of a great holiday!
Warmest regards
Corrian
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COLOUR ME WELL
Our recent theme of FUN is highlighted on our notice board with a selection of photos of us as a team and with family and friends enjoying ourselves. When I think of fun, colour comes to mind. Bright, bold statement colours.
Have you seen the practice taking on a new colour palette? A fresh and fun transformation is happening. How exciting!
There are many visual and psychological benefits when we surround ourselves with colour.
Some examples of how colour affects us are;
- Yellow - cheerful, optimistic and energetic
- Blue - peaceful, calm and joyful
- Orange - refreshing, creativity and enthusiasm
- Green - restful, quiet and harmonious
- White - clarity, freshness and purity
- Violet - strength, peace and wisdo
- Pink - love, playful and admiration.
Colour is a subtle yet powerful communication tool and it also provides many health benefits that are in our diets.
The more colourful the plate the more nutrients and antioxidants. The rainbow of fruits and vegetables! So many to choose from and delicious too.
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Next time you are getting ready for your day, pause a little and think about your mood and try a different colour to wear. You could choose some bright socks that make you smile when you look at them. Anything that makes you feel good.
Are you a fan like me of cushions and throws? (Most woman are lol) They are an easy way to change the mood of your environment without painting the walls and spending lots of money.
Lastly, try and eat that rainbow of wholesomeness. One of my favourites is the breakfast bowl with Greek yoghurt and a variety of fruits.
As always I look forward to seeing you all soon as the transformation continues ....
Be happy, be colourful and be well.
With love from
Elise
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Team TBC and Huddles
You will hear us refer to ourselves as Team TBC in a lot of our correspondence. This is not just a shorthand way of referring to us all - it is so much more. Why use 'team' when we are not playing a sport? And we are certainly not thinking of our work as a game! A simple quote to summarise our commitment to 'team' is 'the total is more than the sum of the parts'. We all recognise that we can achieve so much in our practice when we work as a team. The popular saying 'There is no 'I' in 'team' also references this concept.
We have a number of ways that we work to ensure that we are functioning as a team to achieve the TBC Purpose which is 'To deliver the gold standard healthcare experience'. One of these mechanisms is referred to as a 'huddle'. At the beginning and end of every shift, the team working that shift 'huddles'. The objective of the pre-shift huddle is to finely focus ourselves on our Purpose, Vision and Values before we look through the appointment book, client by client. Is there anything happening for that client that we all need to be aware of? It may be something that the chiropractor knows of eg the client has a lot going on at the moment so it may be tricky to book their next appointment, or something that the Chiropractic Assistant (CA) knows of that they learnt when they were talking to the client in the supermarket yesterday. It may be that there are wee ones likely to come in for that client, so if wee one cries while the caregiver is in their consultation, could the CA come and look after the wee one. If there is busy toddler likely to come in, we may need to turn of the hydraulic table when none of us is in the consultation room. There are myriad issues that get covered off in this way in the huddle - anything that will help us deliver better service is relevant.
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The post-shift huddle is a review of the shift. It is a chance to celebrate together when a client has described a great response to their care, to update each other on such things as ACC status, for the CA's to get answers to questions from clients on their behalf, to share what is happening for someone who rang to let us know that they were unable to make the appointment etc. We will also discuss anything that didn't go quite as well as we would like and make a plan to rectify this, or mitigate it from happening in the future. The chiropractors may then move to a second phase of the huddle to discuss an interesting client examination, review an x-ray taken during the shift etc.
I really value our huddles. They certainly support our teamwork and I have no doubt that they add value to the quality of service we offer you, our clients. We usually spend around five minutes and hardly ever more than ten. Huddles are a fantastic way to ringfence the shift and I find they certainly add to my sense of job satisfaction.
Warmest wishes
Lynley
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Frequently Asked Question of the Season
Do I have to go to the doctor to get ACC coverage for my chiropractic care?
No you do not need a referral for chiropractic care under ACC. Your chiropractor will assess the injury and complete the claim - the maximum number of ACC visits is set accordingly.
There are more answers to common questions about chiropractic on the NZ Chiropractors’ Association website.
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Practice Hours
Below are the times that we have at least one chiropractor in the practice.
Monday: 8.45am – 12.45pm and 2.30pm – 6.00pm
Tuesday: 8.30am – 12.00pm
Wednesday: 9.00am – 11.45am and 1.30pm – 5.00 pm
Thursday: 9.30am – 6.15pm
Friday: 8.00am – 12.00pm
Saturday: 9.00am – 11.45am
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Winners
Congratulations to the winners of our monthly lucky draw. To be in to win, pop your appointment card showing six completed visits into the jar on the Reception desk. You could win a complimentary adjustment!
March - Richard Shuker
April - Rebecca Cerecke
May - Shirley Wallace
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Parking
We now have three chiropractors on some of our shifts so you have possibly noticed that the carpark can be pretty busy.
Please take extra care to keep everyone safe and implement your 'smart parking' strategy to make sure we can provide as many parks as practical.
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In health and with best regards from us all
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