Karen Morgan Physical Therapy

https://gofund.me/e6e64dfc

Emergency Medical Bills for Brittany Western, organized by Cheri Esslinger Hello friends & family, I'm Cheri Western, Mom to Brittany Western. I'v… Cheri Esslinger needs your support for Emergency Medical Bills for Brittany Western

A high fructose diet (high fructose corn syrup) is actually a high-fat diet, because that's how the fructose ends up. In the average person it drives up blood pressure, blood cholesterol, inflammation, insulin resistance, and weight gain. Inflammation pits the immune system against itself. If you want to make an important adjustment in your diet this year, get rid of the high fructose. (Mini Medical School ath the University of California https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM ).

Sugar: The Bitter Truth (1:06 - Start of Presentation) Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology, explores the damage caused by sugary food...

Dealing with pain: http://www.kmdpt.com/blog-post/physical-pain-who-do-you-turn-to/

I actually refer to this story as "Listen To The Husband". Because if I had, I wouldn't have written this story :)

How Not To Be Bitten By A Dog | Made 2 Move Us How Not To Be Bitten By A Dog by Karen Morgan | Oct 17, 2021 | General Health, Life Journey, Physical Therapy Success Stories Or, Listen to the Husband I was midway to the gate, hurrying to the barrier between me and the snarling dog that was straining against its chain. When it broke free, hurtling...

Yeah, sure, a toned butt looks nice, but (pun intended) best of all strengthening your strong gluteals will eliminate back and knee pain. It's not as difficult as you may think. Check out my latest:

You Have a High Butt | Made 2 Move Us You Have a High Butt by Karen Morgan | Oct 3, 2021 | Physical Therapy Success Stories I was sitting on my Uplift stool, wobbling away on its rounded base while documenting my patient’s progress. She was a colleague whose sense of humor was quickly ushering her into friendship territory. Neverthele...

How do you deal with your anger? Check out the latest on Made2Move:

Kickboxing and Anger Management | Made 2 Move Us Kickboxing and Anger Management by Karen Morgan | Sep 17, 2021 | General Health, Life Journey, Physical Therapy Success Stories Is your anger a Volcano or a Balloon? I took up kickboxing the week or two before Lockdown March 2020. It would prove to be an effective method for caring for myself on sev...

Check out the new post on collaborative healing in healthcare

Collaborative Healing | Made 2 Move Us Collaborative Healing by Karen Morgan | Sep 1, 2021 | General Health, Life Journey, Pain Management, Physical Therapy Success Stories   What if the healing within a patient wasn’t all about the patient? What if successful outcomes occur, in part, because we providers get our eyes opened to the bi...

Introducing my new website: Made2Move.us. Check it out and please join my email list:

Made 2 Move Us | Sharing Stories · Physical Therapy Moving Heart · Mind · Body · Soul Made2Move speaks to my passion for simplifying the art and science of optimal health. I seek to make it practical and applicable, as we Move through life: heart mind, body and soul. Karen MorganDoctor of Physical Therapy, Credentialed Clinical Instructor, and Wri...

KMPT sponsored the Tour de Whatcom this year.https://www.facebook.com/TourdeWhatcom/posts/10159368686448162. This is our 4th year riding it. Highly recommend this scenic ride, no matter what mileage you cover

Getting ready to launch a new website next month. Stay tuned 😄https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100069652406370

https://karen-a-morgan.medium.com/on-fascia-forgiveness-and-less-pain-7bdec794fc9f?sk=a6311f5b09b667da68468240b8b8007f

On Fascia, Forgiveness and Less Pain Yes, they are integrated

The impact of 7.5 hours of sleep is huge. (small study from a center pioneering sleep research) https://www.surrey.ac.uk/features/impact-extra-hour-sleep
"When the volunteers cut back from seven-and-a-half to six-and-a-half hours' sleep a night, genes associated with processes like inflammation, immune response, and response to stress became more active. The activity of genes associated with heart disease, diabetes, and risk of cancer also increased. The reverse happened when the volunteers slept for an extra hour."

6.5 hours is the average amount of sleep that a Briton gets; and the average American gets slightly above that. If that is the truth, no wonder COVID took us down. And those that didn't get sick: wonder how many hours on average they get? That would be an interesting study.

Final thought: wouldn't it be cool if our CDC and public health officials promoted a "How To Beat COVID/Other Diseases"? Starting with sleep recommendations, increase vit D3 and vit C (since we know Fauci does), and get outside regular exercise?

The impact of an extra hour of sleep | University of Surrey news Published: 11 October 2013The impact of an extra hour of sleepSurrey’s pioneering sleep research featured on new BBC TV series Trust Me I’m A Doctor.The program saw seven volunteers visit the Surrey Sleep Research Centre — home to forward thinking academics and leading research in the fie...

Growing older isn't easy, but some things just make it hard. Here are some thoughts on what can help make it easier.

WHEN AGING MAKES YOU FEEL OLD Our mindset, coupled with pain, steals our energy and youth.

Neck problems and their associated headaches and shoulder pain are correlated with psychosocial issues. In other words, often our stressors and our reaction to these contribute more to our experience of pain, weakness, and stiffness than we realize. I believe that controlling or better managing our reactions, and learning to respond in healthier ways reduces our pain experience. I often provide or explore better-coping strategies in my PT sessions.

Sensory, Motor, and Psychosocial Characteristics of Individuals With Chronic Neck Pain: A Case–Control Study AbstractObjective. Given the complex and unclear etiology of neck pain, it is important to understand the differences in central sensitization as well as psycho

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zWCLZ10VYY

KMDPT Quick View An introduction to Karen Morgan Physical Therapy

https://karen-a-morgan.medium.com/your-body-has-feelings-too-731263bcf0c7

Your Body Has Feelings Too An evidence-based approach to health and healing from inside and outside the Western Medicine Box

https://www.choosept.com/patientresources/videolibrary/detail/physical-activity-improves-your-health-quality-of-
Make an appointment to see a physical therapist to learn how to meet your recommended daily activity goals. We are meant to move.

Physical Activity Improves Your Health and Quality of Life Regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your health. Whatever barriers prevent you from enjoying the benefits of physical activity, physical therapists and physical therapis

https://academic.oup.com/ptj/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ptj/pzaa181/5912500
Patients with COVID-19 demonstrated improved mobility at hospital discharge and a higher probability of discharging home if they were given greater frequency and longer duration of physical therapy visits in hospital.
Physical therapy should be an integral component of care for patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. Make sure you ask for PT if you or a loved one has been hospitalized with COVID-19.

My latest video :)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPFi2OtWt7Q

Breathing Treatment Improve your breathing after recovering from COVID-19, pneumonia, bronchitis, panic attacks and everyday anxiety with these simple manual techniques.

Drawing some treatment conclusions from SARS-CoV and applying them to COVID. Physical function and fitness were impaired following SARS-CoV infection, and impairments may persist up to 1 to 2 years postinfection. Researchers and clinicians can use these findings to understand the potential impairments and rehabilitation needs of people recovering from the current COVID-19 outbreak. One study demonstrated that exercise can improve physical function and fitness postinfection. If you have post-COVID complications, seek PT. I am already pivoting my practice towards treating post-COVID patients. https://academic.oup.com/ptj/article/doi/10.1093/ptj/pzaa129/5876270

Systematic Review of Changes and Recovery in Physical Function and Fitness After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome–Related Coronavirus Infection: Implications for COVID-19 Rehabilitation AbstractObjectives. 1) Compare physical function and fitness outcomes in people infected with SARS-CoV to healthy controls; 2) quantify the recovery of physica

Here's my daily morning stretch and core routine to begin your day (it's approximately 24 minutes): http://www.kmdpt.com/my-morning-routine/

My Video Page |

Please stop and read this article I wrote. Share if you are comfortable... and if you aren't.

Which Will Kill Our At-Risk Population First: COVID-19 or Social Isolation? Like us all, I have questions.

Physical therapy needed post-COVID-19 infection

'It's one thing to survive the infection, but what's next?' Some COVID-19 patients need rehab to walk, talk and problem solve In front of enormous windows overlooking Lake Michigan, Gordon Quinn sat at a small white table at a rehabilitation hospital facing speech language pathologist Kate Webler.

Physical Therapy is considered "essential." Here is why.

Physical Therapy Is Essential And we need it now more than ever

https://medium.com/.a.morgan/deal-with-your-covid-anger-6df5f3dde8be?source=friends_link&sk=82e8255eaba10447c8404cfa1e985300

Deal With Your COVID Anger It’s a thing. Deal with it.

Thanks in advance for reading!

Yes, Telehealth Physical Therapy Is Here to Stay I’d been hearing the rumblings of telehealth options in the practice of physical therapy in the past few years, and had been…

Three Things, and Then Some by Karen Morgan, PT, DPT

What to do during COVID-19-agedden? My husband insists that the apple fritter and fried chicken he just brought home from the grocery store will help while we binge watch our favorite movies tonight. Hmm. We normally eat healthy. I can imagine you have your own scenario of this going at home. We try to be healthy, but hey, stressful times call for stressful measures, right? Perhaps in moderation, folks. As a physical therapist, I’m planning on continuing to work, and want to do my darndest to remain well. Here’s what I’m prioritizing:

1. Sleep. We know it boosts the immune system. But it’s a challenge to get a good night’s sleep if you are prone to over-thinking things, and worry. Try a mantra, a simple sentence repeated slowly and deliberately, over and over again. Let your mind fixate on that. Breathe into it. Get your parasympathetic nervous system involved here, the calming part of the autonomic nervous system, and give your sympathetic nervous system (the “fight or flight guy”) the night off. This will better enable your body to repair itself. 1

Also, try a cup of warm milk, or any warm non-stimulating liquid for that matter, and then listen to relaxing music, thirty-sixty minutes prior to bedtime helps.2 Sipping, relaxing, praying…it’s all good. We’ll get through this.

2. Diet. You already know I now have fried food in my arsenal. To be honest, we rarely eat fried food, but I’ll admit it pops up during times of stress. That being said, tomorrow we will return to healthy eating. Really. We will do this because we know eating well boosts the immune system. You know it, I know it. No one needs to remind us, but yes, in general, go easy on the sugar and fat. Sugar inflames tissue, and feeds bacteria and viruses. Get your green leafies and fruits into your hands. And to my husband’s credit, he also brought home fruit and veggies.

Also, don’t forget to include digestive enzymes, which are known to inactivate some viruses. Your gut will thank you.3

3. Exercise. Exercise is great on so many levels. It will fatigue you so that you have a better chance of sleeping well. It will also keep you tuned up. Exercise helps your metabolism keep burning up whatever comfort food you’ve been ingesting. And it will also energize you and enable your body systems to operate more efficiently. “Moving, and moving purposefully,” as I like to call it, is also known to be the most effective anti-depressant you ever could hope for with the added benefit of helping out your heart.4

An interesting study by Warren et al in 2015 addressed the effects of obesity, exercise and lack of exercise on immune system response in mice. They found obesity impaired the immune system’s ability to respond to viral infection. When obese mice exercised during their viral infection, their immune system response was normalized. If non-obese mice exercised during viral infection, they had an early reduction in viral lung load and reduced inflammation, meaning, they were less likely to have any lung complication and less likely overall to be affected by the virus. 5

What kind of exercise, you ask? Moderate exercise, which was seen to also boost the immune systems of post-menopausal women, a population known for reduced immune function. In general, there is strong evidence to support the hypothesis that moderate intensity exercise reduces inflammation and improves the immune response to respiratory viral infections. Both short and long term moderate exercise down-regulates excessive inflammation within the respiratory tract and aids in activating innate anti-viral immunity. That basically means, exercise and you have a much better chance of staying well compared to your sedentary friends. And even if you do get sick, it won’t be that bad. You’ll be able to kick that virus’s you-know-what pretty quickly.6

Okay, that’s great and all, you say, but what to do when I can’t get outside, especially as more and more of us are being strongly encouraged or advised to stay home? There are plenty of apps and YouTube videos to work out with and be challenged by, including those that use equipment and those that don’t. I have my favorites, and continue to add more. (Adidas Runtastic, Nike Running Club or Training Club, for example). You can still get outside, and in fact that is recommended. Personally, I love to run, and I also enjoy a good indoor work out using free weights, kettle bells, exercise bands, a kick boxing bag, cycling on my trainer while watching Virtual Active (check out vafitness.com) and working with good ol’ fashioned body weight.

Addressing these three behaviors will go a long way in nourishing your mental and emotional health as well as the physical side of things. All three of them will go a long way in helping you feel like you have a little control over a seemingly out of control situation.

I was just tying up the bow on this piece I was writing, when our 19-year old granddaughter called. She and her boyfriend who are attending an acting school outside of Paris, are sick. Evidently he has had a fever and dry cough, which now has reduced and changed to a productive cough. She seems to have a cold. They have checked in with the authorities who advised them to self-quarantine. They are drinking plenty of tea and Emergen-C, but she was wondering what else they could do.

Before I share that, a little background on me first: my dad was an ear, nose, and throat MD, and head and neck surgeon, and Mom was an RN. Both researched alternative forms of treatments before going to the big guns of pharmaceuticals. I grew up treating asthmatic symptoms with mega-doses of riboflavin, and rarely used an inhaler. I’ve also treated my ventricular tachycardia with l-arginine, another amino acid, and I have the blessing of a cardiologist for that, by the way. My folks taught me this approach, and I try to keep up on what’s out there, but I am not a naturopath. Maybe in my next life. That being said, I and my husband rarely get ill.

So that’s my disclaimer. And now I’ll share with y’all what I advised:

Teaspoon Honey: it boosts the immune systems is anti-inflammatory and boosts the immune system.7

Peppermint, ginger, lemon teas, for the same reasons.

L-lysine amino acid 4000 mg if sick, 1000mg daily for maintenance during this season.

If you have a cough, boil distilled or filtered water. Pour that along with 5 drops of any essential oil like eucalyptus, peppermint, or frankincense in the bowl. Tent with a towel and breathe in the vapors; hold it in your lungs and sinuses for as long as you can. Do this for 10-15 minutes 3x/day or more.

If you have a sore throat: gargle with a hydrogen peroxide mixture of 2 oz of water, 2 oz hydrogen peroxide. Gargle for 15 seconds, spit, repeat for 1 minute. 4x/day. This is what Dad prescribed for any patient with a sore throat. My addition? Brush your teeth afterwards. The taste of hp is gross but the benefit is whiter teeth.

I hope this helps some of you. If you have questions, you can email me at kmdpt.com

Above all, along with all of your hand washing, social distancing and not touching your face, do remain calm, do pray, do be kind, patient and generous.


1.https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/how-sleep-affects-your-immunity
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/insomnia/expert-answers/lack-of-sleep/faq-20057757
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK8149/
4. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322297
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26110868
6. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2803113/
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3385631/

Honey and Cancer: Sustainable Inverse Relationship Particularly for Developing Nations—A Review Honey and cancer has a sustainable inverse relationship. Carcinogenesis is a multistep process and has multifactorial causes. Among these are low immune status, chronic infection, chronic inflammation, chronic non healing ulcers, obesity, and so forth. ...

As a physical therapist, I will treat your pain with movement, manual therapy, education, and team work. Physical therapy is considered to be a safe and effective treatment alternative to opioids recommended by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention.

4 Ways Physical Therapists Manage Pain Physical therapy is among the safe and effective alternatives to opioids recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the management of most non-caner related pain. Whereas opioid

I think this is fabulous that Tommy Hilfiger is doing this. For those who live with a physical disability, finding clothes that are easy to get on and off, be comfortable, and be stylish was impossible a few years back. You couldn't help feeling even more more disabled just trying to get dressed, not to mention feeling like you looked even more disabled in your clothing. This is brilliant. Thank You T. H.

Tommy Hilfiger: Adaptive Innovations Adaptive Innovations tab

Part 3 All About Opioids (my apologies for the length, but this is important)

Our brains and bodies are equipped to manage pain. We have built in systems that release chemicals to make us feel better, chemicals called neurotransmitters, many of which are released in the brain, but also throughout the body. You are familiar with some of the big ones like serotonin, which calms us down, and dopamine, which makes us feel happy. (Side note: Serotonin, turns out, is produced in our gastrointestinal system as well as the brain ).

Basically, the mechanism is this: neurotransmitters with a message release from a nerve cell and transfer to another nerve cell and so on, sort of like a game of telephone except the message remains the same. All of our basic functions require neurotransmitters to do their jobs, as nerve cells communicate with one another and share information all over our body and brain.

These neurotransmitters are our natural stress and pain fighters, but sometimes our bodies don’t produce enough of these opioids to save us from feeling severe or chronic pain or from suffering from extreme stress. (Which begs the question to be asked: how do we strengthen our ability to produce and use our own opioids? More about that later in a future post). Which is where prescription opioids come in to the equation. Opioids act like those naturally-occurring neurotransmitters but in much larger concentrated quantities. They attach to your brain’s natural opioid receptors and go to town. Opioids flood the brain’s reward and pleasure systems, signaling our brains to block out the pain, lower our stress, and calm us down.

The problem is because our bodies weren’t designed to release and use opioids in this way, repeated opioid use changes our brains at the cellular level, and essentially begin tearing it down, or creating a monster in residence. Once altered, our brains literally respond differently to stress and pain. Our brains stop producing our own natural opioids, and consequently we need more. Our tolerance to opioid medication continues to grow, and so the longer we use and the more we use, the more we need. Sadly, long-term opioid use also alters the way our brains respond chemically to triggers. We become hyper-sensitive and triggered to use simply by being around the people, places and/or objects. So it’s not a matter of willpower or character weakness –it’s an actual alteration in our brains as a result of sustained opioid use. Scary.

Sadly, addiction, or dependency as we are now calling it, can occur within 3 days use. Often we are prescribed it for no less than 3 weeks post op. Can you imagine the impact this has on susceptible groups? Women, who tend to have more chronic pain than men, are susceptible to quicker dependency than men as well. The 12-17 year old population are increasingly exposed to opioid prescription with surgeries, and in 2015 over 112,000 were dependent on pain relievers. And I’m not even going to go into the stats on the 220% -400% increase in deaths from prescription pain relievers in men, women and adolescents
Recent findings have shown taking ibuprofen with acetaminophen is nearly as effective with pain management as an opioid, and yet very few people know this. Given how dangerous opioid usage is, why ever use an opioid, except in an extreme situation?

Honestly, I have done probably what a lot of you have done: saved John’s left over hydrocodone and oxycontin for a “just in case” scenario. But after this conference, we marched them down to our local pharmacy. They will send them back to the pharmaceutical companies where they will be incinerated. It’s a national program. I encourage you to do the same.

Information cited from these sources:
https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/prescriptionpainkilleroverdoses/index.html
https://www.drugabuse.gov/drugs-abuse/over-counter-medicines
https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/opioid-prescribing/

Thanks for reading.

Next up: well, then Karen, HOW the HECK are we supposed to manage the pain?

Prescription Painkiller Overdoses A growing epidemic, especially among women.