Archive for the ‘Featured’ Category

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Off Day, just say okay

Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008

It’s difficult some days to get out of bed. You feel it. The alarm has a sharpness that just penetrates, you hit the [amazon-product type="text" text="snooze"]1228276904[/amazon-product], still, the second time around is equally grueling. Throughout the day you have those things you have to do, Work, Family, appointments; you make it through, finally! Then there’s that yoga class that you go to every week, most weeks it makes you feel good. This time, this day, not happening; should you feel guilty?

NO!!!

Being not-so-into your usual routine one week is much different than making excuses not to go every week. If you make excuses week after week, you might be treading on do-nothing territory. This is where things start to get really bad. When your so-called release is doing nothing, you’re probably not getting anything out of it - after all it is nothing. I challenge any mathematician to prove that something can come from nothing. You can find something to do. There are many healthy ways to unwind, [amazon-product type="text" text="games"]1228278100[/amazon-product], [amazon-product type="text" text="puzzles"]1228278242[/amazon-product], [amazon-product type="text" text="books"]1228278571[/amazon-product], [amazon-product type="text" text="music"]1228278695[/amazon-product].

Back to the day at hand, my day, interestingly enough, ended with a run-in with a fellow yogi. We’re both devoted to the same yoga class . Oddly enough, she confessed to not going herself, we were both quite relieved that we were both lax. The discussion continued with when we’d be at class again later in the week.

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How some never get sick

Monday, December 1st, 2008

By Alicia Potter
Copyright Health Magazine 2008

They survive cold season without a sniffle. They fly in germ-packed airplanes unscathed. And they somehow avoid stomach bugs that decimate the office. Wish you could be one of these women who never get sick? Try one or — even better — all of these seven secrets, and you may join this club come flu season.
Some say getting a massage once a month is key to fighting off bugs.

Get a massage

For the past three years, Mindy Hardwick, 38, of Lake Stevens, Washington, has dodged all the major bugs while volunteering at schools and a juvenile-detention center. Her secret weapon: a monthly massage. Hardwick even sailed through a move (selling her first house) without the post stress blahs.

“It’s got to be the massage,” she says. “I’m convinced it’s like taking medicine.”

Most studies show that massage can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and heart rate — and lowering these is likely to cause your stress level to drop, one key to building immunity. Health.com: What kind of massage is best for you?

“Decreasing stress increases your immune cells,” says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute of the University of Miami School of Medicine.

Make massage work for you: Any type of rubdown is fine, as long as you ask for moderate pressure, Field says. The therapist’s touch should be vigorous enough to move or indent skin but not so hard that it causes pain. How often do you need one? There’s no science on that, but experts say once a month (or more) is worthwhile.
You can take matters into your own hands, too, by showering with a stiff, natural-bristle brush; like moderate-pressure massage, this stimulates pressure receptors under the skin, Field says.

Read the full story

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Turning the Tables on Stress

Saturday, November 29th, 2008

Turning the Tables on Stress
by Lara Evans Bracciante
Stress may not be the result of how much you have to do so much as what you have to do. According to Donald A. Tubesing, author of [amazon-product type="text" text="Kicking Your Stress Habits"]0938586009[/amazon-product]. Consequently, simply viewing a job differently may minimize stress levels. Rather than deeming grocery shopping as just another chore, see it as an opportunity to focus on your love for your family. This simple practice of creating love and joy in the daily tasks of life can become habitual and ease the pressures that otherwise close in on you.

If your [amazon-product type="text" text="stress "]0470222778[/amazon-product]level is too high, the following list of adaptogenic herbs — general tonics to help achieve wellness — may help you. Before taking any herbs, consult an herbalist or healthcare professional.

Herb: American Ginseng (Panax quinquefolium)
Suggested dose: 100-600 mg/day in divided doses, 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off
Contraindications: Renal failure, acute infection, pregnancy and lactation, MAO inhibitors, hormonal therapy, stimulant medications, hypertension

Herb: Siberian Ginseng (Eleutherococcus senticosus)
Suggested dose: 100-200 mg twice daily, 4 weeks on, 2 weeks off
Contraindications: Stimulant medications, hypertension, active bleeding such as ulcers, anticoagulants (aspirin, NSAIDs), surgery

Herb: Shisandra (Shisandra chinensis)
Suggested dose: 100 mg twice daily
Contraindications: Pregnancy, calcium channel blockers

Herb: Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera)
Suggested dose: 450 mg 1-2 times daily
Contraindications: Pregnancy and lactation, hemachromatosis, narcotic analgesics, sedatives

Herb: Rhodiola (Rhodiola rosacea)
Suggested dose: 50 mg twice daily
Contraindications: Pregnancy and lactation

Resources: Alternative & Complementary Therapies, vol. 9, no. 2, 2003, Natural Therapeutics Pocket Guide, 2000-2001, LexiComp, Inc.

*Originally published in Massage & Bodywork magazine, August/September 2003.
Copyright 2003. Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. All rights reserved.

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“Deep Tissue” massage, always subjective

Sunday, November 23rd, 2008

A client came in requesting [amazon-product type="text" text="deep tissue massage"]1556436505[/amazon-product] , stating she had previously received deep tissue and loved the massage therapist(a colleague I know) she had worked with. She gave me a list of what was going on (i.e. hip and low back problems, bad shoulders, etc.) and told me that most massage therapists commented to her about just how bad her back was.

It is a bit daunting to have someone request a copy of work they’ve loved from another therapist. Any good MT will tell you that [amazon-product type="text" text="deep tissue"]1556436505[/amazon-product] above all is very subjective, both from the client’s perspective as well as that of the massage therapist. The reason for this is that most massage does get deep at one point or another, from a client’s view, deep could either mean firm pressure (broad or even small strokes not targeted to muscle but the skin itself.) or “real [amazon-product type="text" text="deep tissue"]1556436505[/amazon-product]” which most purists on both sides would say of working with specific muscles being keenly attentive to fiber direction, insertion and origin points, and so on. (more…)

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Discriminating Tastes - Campus unConsciousness

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

What can I do about my gender?   Today, I had the opportunity to work with OAR, however, it seems that they did not want to work with me specifically because of my gender.   People always attempt to be polite about it.   I understand that some do have a preference for varying reasons, but it is still hard to take sometimes.   I’m sure the band means no offense and the tour manager is just trying to accommodate a request.  I just wonder about the maturity level of people who make this blanket request.    What are they assuming when they specify a female massage therapist?   

The Campus Consciousness Tour aims to leave the community a better place on each step of the tour.   I wonder what sponsors like Silk, Clif Bar, Stonyfield Farm and SIGG would think of gender discrimination.    I’m a professional,  I’ve worked with hundreds of people both male and female and have had nearly a thousand hours of training.  Why does my gender make me any different?     I’m not saying that I am not supportive and understanding of those with actual gender issues caused by past events, I’m just wondering if people are actually putting any thought into specifying a preference.      

It is unfortunate that this sort of gender discrimination is acceptable.  It’s a slippery slope, there are those for whom this decision and preference is important, they should not have to be taken to task because of the immature few who make this decision ultimately based on their inability to see this as a profession plain and simple.   It is a service after all and the client is always right, but I can’t help the impact that this blanket discrimination has.   I have worked with clients both male and female who may have once thought that this preference was important, but changed their minds once they understood that I was a professional providing the same service and putting the same amount of care as any female.   

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Youth Athlete Safety - Hockey

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

 As a massage therapist working with a collegiate team I’ve seen some common pain problems and muscle tension that could lead to injury if not watched carefully.   Among hockey players the common area is the muscles with attachments at the hip; groin, quads, low back, TFL, IT band, are all areas that can lead to painful situations and even take your player off the ice if not watched carefully.

Groin injuries are related  to the adductor muscles that attach from the pelvis to the femur.  Groin pull symptoms are related to factors such as hip muscle strength and pre-season training. Because of this, proper conditioning is important to prevent the occurrence of a groin strain injury. Athletes, especially hockey players, should incorporate adductor strengthening, pelvic stabilization, and core strengthening exercises into workouts to prevent the occurrence of a pulled groin.

Lumbar Muscle Strain is the most common cause of low back pain. You may or may not remember the initial event that triggered your muscle spasm, a massage can help, in some cases one or two sessions while others may take a bit longer.  Your massage therapist should work with you regarding frequency and duration (typically  half-hour site specific session can do a lot to provide relief).

The TFL(tensor fascia latae) and  IT(Iliotibial Band), the oblique direction of fibers enable it to abduct the thigh and assist with internal rotatation and flexion of the hip inward (medial rotation).  In standing postures, it will serve to steady the pelvis on the head of the femur; and by means of the iliotibial band it steadies the condyles of the femur on the articular surfaces of the tibia, and assists the Glutæus maximus in supporting the knee in the extended position.

 

 

moz screenshot Youth Athlete Safety Hockey

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