Take a multivitamin that contains B vitamins – November 30, 2009

Take a multivitamin that contains B vitamins. The B vitamins folic acid, B6 and B12 are related to cognitive function.

If you swallow your vitamin supplements with your morning coffee, you may be missing out on possible health benefits. Take them with food for the best results. Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble, requiring the presence of some fat (think good fats, such as the omega-3’s found in flax seed) in the gastrointestinal tract for optimal absorption.

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Bodywork Treatment Proves Successful

By Cathy Ulrich

It started as a vague feeling of numbness in her thumb and first two fingers, then progressed slowly to a definite tingling that woke her several nights a week. “It’s not so bad on weekends when I have a chance to rest my arms, but it’s now getting in the way of things I like to do at home,” says Marie, who spends long hours during the work-week typing at her computer keyboard. “I love to knit and cook, and I’ve had to curb these activities, as well. “Diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, Marie displayed the classic symptoms: soreness in her forearms, pain in her hands at the end of a long day at the computer, and a feeling of tightness that had spread from hands and wrists all the way to her elbows. And recently, she’d been getting headaches.

Marie has a couple of different options for treating the problem. “My doctor tells me he can operate, but the surgery isn’t always successful,” she says. “He recommends I try bodywork first.”

Because Marie does the same motion in the same way many times a day over a long period of time, she has literally worn out the tissues involved in that motion. This type of injury — called a repetitive strain injury, or RSI — creates tiny tears in the fibers of the soft tissues of the body. While they don’t immediately cause loss of function, these micro-tears set up conditions for chronic inflammation that will eventually manifest as pain, soreness, tightness, tingling, and burning.

CTS

The hand and wrist combination work together as an amazing, mechanical anatomical wonder. Imagine a set of ropes and pulleys that travel from the elbow through the wrist to the fingertips. The muscles reside in the forearm, moving the fingers via long tendons that run through channels in the wrist. The nerves that send and receive sensory and motor information from the brain run alongside the tendons through these same channels. When bending or straightening a finger, these tendons slide back and forth, just like cables. When continually working at a keyboard and using the same motion in the same position thousands of times a day — like millions of Americans do — the cables begin to wear. And just like threads in a rope, some of the collagen fibers will tear. This process progresses until enough fibers are torn that the body develops inflammation in the tendons and sheaths. Swelling ensues, which pinches the nerves, producing the classic symptoms of tingling, swelling, and even loss of grip strength.

The Bigger Picture

Can Bodywork Help?  

A recent study conducted at The Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine looked at the efficacy of bodywork in treating carpal tunnel syndrome. Researchers found that after the completion of four massage sessions, the participants experienced an improvement in grip strength and a decrease in pain, anxiety, and depression. Participants also showed improvement in specific medical tests used to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome. This landmark study verifies what bodyworkers have observed clinically for years: Massage — and especially deep tissue techniques, such as Thai massage,  — can reorganize the connective tissue fibers, break up scar tissue, and reduce or eliminate the cause of inflammation. Soft tissue work helps realign these tiny fibers of the tendons and sheaths, and the body can then heal itself — and ease or even eliminate carpal tunnel syndrome.

Bodywork to the entire arm, shoulder, and neck will also free soft tissues where hidden tightness can contribute to the problem. Soft tissue inflammation can travel through the continuous connective tissue framework from fingertips to head and even cause headaches — as was the case with Marie. Massage can restore these tissues to normal function.

Other Considerations
In addition to bodywork, it’s important to evaluate postural habits, work station positioning, and movement patterns. When workers become so focused on their work that they forget their bodies, they tend to maintain positions that contribute to the cause. It’s important to identify several ways and several positions to accomplish the same thing. Moving the mouse from one side to the other, even during the same day, can help prevent fatigue and tissue failure. Wrist rests and keyboard trays are important, and a regular stretching routine is essential.

Finally, along with exercise and good nutrition, include bodywork as part of your regular health maintenance program. Regular massage reduces connective tissue inflammation and prevents scar tissue from forming. Movement education, such as the Alexander Technique, Feldenkrais Method, structural integration, and Trager Approach can help correct postural issues that also contribute to the problem. Bodywork is a treatment of choice to keep carpal tunnel syndrome from slowing you down.

Posture & Breathing Break – November 23, 2009

Set your desktop computer, cell phone or digital watch to chime every hour  to remind you to take a healthy posture and breathing break. When you hear the chime, do a quick physical inventory.

Are your shoulders down and back? Are you sitting comfortably erect, with an inward curve in your lower spine? Are both of your feet flat on the floor? After you’ve checked and adjusted your posture, close your eyes and take three deep, slow belly-breaths.

That’s all there is to it! You’ll go back to what you were doing with a calmer spirit and a more comfortable body.

Two-Way Street
Communicating with Your Massage Therapist

By Sharon Leonard

People get massages for a variety of reasons. Perhaps you’re seeking stress relief from the weekly work commute or your wanting to cleanse your body of toxins. Or maybe massage is helping you recover from a sports injury or surgery. Whatever your reasons, it’s absolutely important that you explicitly communicate to your therapist the reason you made the appointment. Otherwise you run the risk of not getting what you want.In addition to explaining any wellness requirement, you also need to clarify your comfort needs during the session so that you feel completely at ease. Most practitioners work to create an appropriate environment with elements such as the temperature, music, aromatherapy, and table setting. But if anything makes you uncomfortable, feel free — or rather, feel responsible — to say as much. Your therapist is as interested as you are in making sure you get what you want from the massage, and building a communicative partnership is key. Remember, communication is a two-way street.

Sandy Anderson, owner of Relaxing Moments Massage in Reno, Nevada, asks at the beginning of each appointment, “What is the focus of our session today?” — whether it’s the client’s first or 21st appointment with her. The therapist needs to know your wellness context. Even if she has your health history, circumstances — and bodies — are always changing. Perhaps you were traveling for the last two months spending significant time in cramped seats on airplanes. Maybe you’re training for a marathon race, logging numerous miles each week. Or, a more likely scenario, you’re stressed and feeling emotionally tapped out.Furthermore, it’s important she or he knows about your massage preferences that just make your massage more pleasurable, such as getting extra work on your feet or ending the session with a face massage. Perhaps it’s important to you to have the therapist “stay connected” by keeping her hands on you rather than, for example, going from your feet to your shoulders. By simply letting her or him know of any such information can vastly improve your session.

The Setting

 

 

 

“I have designed my treatment room to offer a basic comfort level based on my professional experience,” Anderson says. “But I need the client to tell me if something is not to her liking. For example, I have provided a small fountain that I thought provided soothing background sounds, but two of my clients have requested that it be turned off because it made them feel as though they needed to run to the restroom.”One important amenity issue that should be discussed by the client and the therapist is massage-table comfort. “I use a heated table covered with a sheet and a blanket because as the active therapist I need the room temperature lower than what is comfortable for the client,” Anderson says. “Then I ask the client what adjustments she might want me to make.” Even if your therapist doesn’t specifically ask about the temperature, background sounds, aromas or whatever other subtle amenities in the room, if there’s something that’s making your massage less than great, be sure to discuss it with your practitioner.

Conversation can sometimes be a point of contention. Because some clients like to talk during a session while others prefer silence, Anderson believes it’s up to the client to dictate this aspect. She does not inhibit talking nor does she initiate conversation if the client is silent. If you want to tactfully make certain your therapist is not overly conversational, it is appropriate to say something like, “You will find that I am not very talkative. I just like to totally relax during this time.” While your practitioner may communicate aspects of the massage, don’t necessarily take this for her trying to make conversation.Angie Parris-Raney, owner of Good Health Massage Therapy in Littleton, Colo., believes it’s very important for the therapist to explain her actions so the client is not surprised. “Whether I’m easing a first time massage client’s apprehension by explaining I will only be uncovering one part of the body at a time or I’m doing a rehabilitation treatment for injury, illness or surgery, I have learned from experience the client wants detailed information on what is going to happen,” Parris-Raney says. “It is also helpful if she tells me how she feels about what I am doing. Is the stroke too deep or too light? Does she want me to use a slower or faster pace?” If you are unclear about an expectation or a procedure, even if it is something as simple as, “Where is the safest place to put my jewelry?” feel free to ask.

It’s a Brand New Day – November 16, 2009

If troubling thoughts are keeping you from sleeping, write them down outside of bed, then resign yourself to the fact that you have done all you can for the moment and commit to re-examining them in the morning. Fears, which seem exaggerated at night when we are surrounded by darkness and lack of resources, are often more manageable in the light of day.

What is Reflexology?

Reflexology is a unique method of using the thumb and fingers to stimulate more that 7,200 nerve endings in each foot.  These nerve endings correspond to all parts of the body, including organs and glands.

Origins of Reflexology

Reflexology is no new age trend.  Dr. William Fitzgerald, in his book Zone Therapy, states that “a form of treatment by means of pressure points was known in India and China 5,000 years ago.”  There also appears to be evidence of reflexology being used in Egyptian art around 2330 BC.

What are the Benefits of Reflexology?

Reflexology can relieve stress and tension within the body.  It improves circulation and lymphatic flow, and works to unblock nerve impulse pathways.  These benefits all work toward helping the body to heal itself by restoring balance to the vital energies.

According to Shelly Hess, author of The Professional’s Reflexology Handbook, “Reflexology works to discover how the soft tissue organs and the entire skeletal system are functioning.  Through trained fingers, the Reflexologist can detect early warning signs that the body is struggling and can then help restore the internal system to better balance.”

 What Are Some Specific Conditions Where Reflexology Might Be Helpful?

-Headaches, including migraines
- Arthritis
- High blood pressure
- Backache and sciatica
- Stress
- Allergies and sinus problems
- Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
- Constipation
- Insomnia
- Pre-menstrual syndrome
- Menstrual cramps

Who Can Benefit from Reflexology?

People of all ages can benefit from reflexology treatments.  We all suffer from stress at one time or another, and aches and pains are a part of daily life.  Reflexology has a long history of promoting relaxation and healing. Reflexology can be a great treatment by itself or combined with another treatment. Schedule a Soothing a Soothing Foot Massage for 30 or 60 minutes today! 

If you like it, do it! - November 9, 2009

Getting in shape just because “it’s good for you” can be a potentially boring proposition.On the other hand, embarking on an exercise program with a concrete, enjoyable goal is an entirely different matter. Hike a canyon or a mountain trail; book a raft trip or a biking tour; take the family snorkeling or to a beach where volleyball is a big draw. Do the active things you love and the fitness will come naturally.

Pain is a Sign - Your Body is Telling you Something!

Let’s face it, we live in a high stress culture that has constant demands.  Pursuing a career, family life, house chores, holidays, vacation planning the list can go on forever.  Eventually we start to experience headaches, tension and pains throughout our body.  The pain is an indicator or “sign” that something is wrong and the problem wont go away until we take direct action to resolve it.  The pain could leave for a few days or weeks but eventually it returns and keeps nagging us to get help.

Here are a couple of interesting statistics that even surprised us when we researched the numbers.

- 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress-related complaints.

- Over 50% of lost workdays are stress related which keeps about 1 million people per day from attending work.

- Health care expenditures are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress.

Reducing your stress will improve your health.  A balanced lifestyle is important to creating and maintaining your health. Are you ignoring your aches and pains hoping they will go away?  Have you taken some time for yourself to quiet the mind and relax the soul?  Listen to your body and get help reducing your stress today.

Smooth Start – November 2, 2009

Take time to eat a good, well-rounded breakfast. A meal that includes carbs, some protein and a little fat will keep your blood sugar stable and your appetite from running away with you at lunch. Make a smoothie using fresh or frozen fruits and juices, a half-cup of plain low-fat yogurt and a scoop of plain protein powder. Add a piece of whole-grain toast lightly covered with your favorite nut butter and you’ll be ready to face the world!

Somatic Semantics - What Exactly is CAM?  

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) refers to healing modalities that don’t fall into conventional Western medical philosophy, including bodywork, acupuncture, herbology, homeopathy and mind/body techniques. CAM is becoming a more familiar term as approximately 125 million Americans suffering from chronic illness — arthritis, back pain, hypertension, and depression — look for solutions that conventional medicine can’t provide.

“Complementary” modalities are used together with conventional medicine, such as utilizing aromatherapy to lessen a patient’s discomfort following surgery. “Alternative” modalities are used in place of conventional medicine, such as using herbs to treat stomach upset rather than taking pharmaceuticals. And the merging of alternative and conventional medicine is referred to as “integrative medicine,” connoting the idea of combining the best of both healing philosophies.

CAM is continually gaining the respect of the Western medical system, as indicated by the nearly 100 medical schools now offering courses in alternative therapies. The University of Arizona is an exceptional model of such a school, offering the nation’s only postgraduate, two-year Program in Integrative Medicine (PIM). Founded in 1994, PIM is designed to teach small groups of physicians how to integrate holistic modalities into their practices. These doctors are committed to a fundamental redesign of medical education including such principles as:

–Appropriate use of conventional and alternative methods to facilitate the body’s innate healing response,
–Consideration of all factors that influence health, including mind, spirit, and community,
–A philosophy that neither rejects conventional medicine nor accepts alternative medicine uncritically.

For more information and research about CAM, visit the nonprofit Alternative Medicine Foundation’s website, http://www.amfoundation.org/.  

Interested in an Inspirational Journey? Visit Dr. Suzanne Nixon’s website for information on her therapeutic program that offers a way for individuals to reconnect, reclaim and renew from within.