Baseball Legend Healed
Official Detroit Lions D.C. helps former professional
pitcher, Charlie "The Gorilla" Alsop, strike out years
of chronic pain.
Although twice widowed, Mark
chooses to be happy. She repeated
several times in her presentation
that hospice saved her life.
"My husband had Lou Gehrig's
disease and our struggles were sig-
nificant. Today, I want to make every
day an adventure because we don't
know what is going to happen to us
tomorrow."
Mark stressed the importance
of making a commitment to what
you are doing and then giving back
whatever you can. She now sits on
the boards of more than 25 non-
profits.
Lessons Learned
This is the second conference pre-
sented by Jewish Hospice that Patti
Koval of Troy has attended. Koval,
a registered nurse for the St. John's
Hospital Community Outreach
program in Southfield and Clinton
Township and a grief and recovery
certified specialist, says the theme
of taking care of yourself was a criti-
cal conference topic.
"The subject matter was phenom-
enal, the people sharing stories were
inspirational and the information
was educational," she says. "This
combination highlighted that we
are discussing real-life experiences,
not just concepts in a textbook.
Caregiving changes people's lives
and hospice provides the support
patients and families need.
"The common denominator for
everyone attending was to ask what
we need to do during this end-of-life
passage, what resources are avail-
able to us and how can we advo-
cate for these families so that all of
us live the rest of our lives in dignity
and comfort."
Phyllis Schwartz of Bloomfield
Township, recently retired from the
West Bloomfield-based Jewish
Megan Smith
Special to the Jewish News
Yoga's Powers
Steven Feldman is the co-
founder and owner of the
West Bloomfield-basedYoga
Shelter and YogaMedics, a
West Bloomfield company that
specializes in evidence-based
therapeutic yoga programs
and treats various types of
injuries and illnesses.
He em-
phasized the
importance
of caring for
yourself, but
urged the
audience
to change
their think-
ing "because
Steve Feldman
you can't fix a
of Yoga Shelter
problem with
the same thinking that got you
there in the first place."
Feldman said stress is your
body's way of letting you know
you have to change. However,
most people want a quick fix
and there is no pill or short-cut
to eliminate your stress.
"You need the ability to
focus and to stay in the mo-
ment, which is primary to Yoga
teaching," he said.
Family Service of Metropolitan
Detroit and now volunteering at
Michigan's Jewish Hospice, said the
amount of people who attended this
conference indicates the need for
information.
"I was particularly impressed
with the very well done hospice
video, which explained the diver-
sity of patient needs for hospice
services." ❑
The 2010 Caring Coalition Conference, "Handle With Care," was
co-chaired by Carolyn Cassin, the Grosse Point Farms-based
president and CEO of the National Hospice Work group and former
CEO of Hospice of Michigan, and Rabbi E. B. "Bunny" Freedman,
founding director of the Jewish Hospice & Chaplaincy Network.
JHCN created the Caring Coalition to advance the cause of greater
education in end-of-life and palliative caregiving. The sponsorship
coalition now comprises 48 medical care providers, hospices, social
services agencies and community organizations. Contact Hour and
Continuing Medical Education credits were available for Social
Work, Case Management, Nursing and Nursing Home Administration
professionals. Signing was available throughout the seven hours of
presentation for the hearing disabled. In addition, about 50 vendors
provided additional information at exhibits in the social hall.
B
orn in Indiana in 1929,
Charles "The Gorilla" Alsop
quickly showed signs of
athletic talent that landed him a
spot at Butler University, playing
three varsity sports: football, bas-
ketball and baseball. After two
years, Alsop's pitching abilities led
him to a professional baseball
career with the Chicago White Sox.
During his tenure, Alsop, who got
his nickname
because of his
aggressiveness
on the field,
struck out legen-
dary players like
Mickey Mantle
and Roger Maris.
Unfortunately,
Charlie Alsop chose after being hit by
non-surgical spinal a ball, Alsop
decompression.
could no longer
generate the pitch speed he once
had so he stepped off the mound,
completed his degree at Butler and
took a job to support his family in
Michigan, at Ford Motor Company.
Alsop found himself covering a
large region. "I didn't think about
the 300 miles I'd spend sitting in
the car," he said. "But the way I
was sitting was actually doing
damage to the nerves in my back."
have seen some tough patients,'
so I gave him a shot."
Dr. Cogan recommended spinal
decompression therapy on the
DRX9000TM machine. Alsop
received treatment at Health-
Quest's Back and
Neck Solution Center
in Farmington Hills,
but the company has
10 other Michigan
locations.
"Our specialists
correct the cause of the problem
instead of just treating symp-
toms," explained Dr. Cogan, who
has served as Chairperson of the
Michigan Board of Chiropractic
since 2005. "We can often make
the pain go away for good, not
just until a prescription runs out
or an injection wears off."
Dr. Sol Cogan
So far, Alsop has undergone 26
treatments. "It felt good to lie on
the machine. It releases the
pressure and after each treat-
ment I feel much better," he said.
After one long trip to Ohio, Alsop,
of Farmington Hills, fell while
getting out of his car. "I couldn't get
up," he said. "My legs were dead."
Alsop soon discovered he had neu-
ropathy in his lower legs due to
damage to his L4/L5 discs.
Spinal decompression works
through revolutionary, computer-
aided technology. Data from a
patient's MRI is programmed into
a spinal decompression machine,
then patients recline as gentle,
safe, non-surgical decompres-
sion is applied to the spine during
half-hour treatment sessions. By
reducing pressure on damaged
discs, pressure on the spinal
column is relieved, reducing or
even eliminating pain.
"I went to every doctor, saw
everybody. The only option they
would offer was surgery and I didn't
want that. So I tried therapy and
rehab, but it didn't help," said
Alsop. After towering at over 6' 4",
Alsop was confined to a wheel-
chair, unable to stand because of
the excruciating pain shooting
down his leg due to sciatica.
"If you knew where my pain
started and where it is today, you
wouldn't believe it," said Alsop.
"Before meeting Dr. Cogan, I
couldn't move my legs, now I can
kick them around. My goal is to
walk, which I know I'll do, and
then I'm going to play outside
and take walks with my
grandsons."
Alsop's life changed when he
heard about HealthQuest's Back
and Neck Solution Centers of
America, founded by Dr. Sol
Cogan. "When I learned Dr. Cogan
was the official D.C. of the Detroit
Lions, I thought 'that guy must
For more information on safe,
non-surgical spinal decompres-
sion, contact HealthQuest's Back
& Neck Solution Centers of Amer-
ica at 800-LIONS-DN (546-6736)
or visit www.livepainfreeusa.com .
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