Thursday, October 25, 2012

News You can Use… for better Health and Wellness


Ice or Heat? What's best for your pain.
Clients frequently ask which is better for their situation. Today I'd like to give you some guidelines. First we need to clarify acute pain versus chronic pain. Acute pain is rapid onset and short lived. It's usually a sharp traumatic injury that often causes severe pain. Usually acute injuries result from impact, or trauma such as a sprain, fall or collision and it's pretty obvious what caused the injury. Symptoms include pain, tenderness, inflammation and swelling. If you have swelling you have an acute injury.  Chronic pain develops slowly and is persistent and long lasting. It sometimes comes and goes and cause dull pain or soreness. It is often a result of overuse, but sometimes develops when an acute injury is not properly treated and doesn't heal.
Cold Therapy
Cold therapy with ice is best for immediate treatment for acute injuries because it reduces swelling and pain. Ice is a vaso constrictor (it causes the blood vessels to narrow) and it limits internal bleeding at the injury site.  To ice an injury, wrap ice in a thin towel and place it on the affected area for 10 minutes at a time. Allow the skin temperature to return to normal before icing a second or third time. You can ice an acute injury several times a day for up to three days.
Cold therapy is also helpful in treating some overuse injuries or chronic pain in athletes. An athlete who has chronic knee pain that increases after running may want to ice the injured area after each run to reduce or prevent inflammation.The best way to ice an injury is with a high quality ice pack that conforms to the body part being iced. You can also get good results from a bag of frozen peas, an ice massage with water frozen in a paper cup (peel the cup down as the ice melts) or a bag of ice.
Heat Therapy
Heat is generally used for chronic injuries or injuries that have no inflammation or swelling. Sore, stiff, nagging muscle or joint pain is ideal for the use of heat therapy. Athletes with chronic pain or injuries may use heat therapy before exercise to increase the elasticity of joint connective tissues and to stimulate blood flow. Heat can also help relax tight muscles or muscle spasms. Don't apply heat after exercise. After a workout, ice is the better choice on a chronic injury.
Because heat increases circulation and raises skin temperature, you should not apply heat to acute injuries or injuries that show signs of inflammation. Safely apply heat to an injury 15 to 20 minutes at a time and use enough layers between your skin and the heating source to prevent burns.  Moist heat is best, so you could try using a hot wet towel. You can buy special athletic hot packs or heating pads if you use heat often. Never leave heating pads on for more than 20 minutes at a time or while sleeping.
Because some injuries can be serious, you should see your doctor if your injury does not improve (or gets worse) within 48 hours

EFT  (Emotional Freedom Techniques) has been in the news a lot lately. It is a wonderful self help tool that can help clients deal with pain and a variety of emotional issues. Below I have provided an easy to use introduction.  Please read, explore, and call if you have any questions.

What is EFT?
EFT is a powerful self-help method based on research showing that emotional trauma contributes greatly to disease. Clinical trials have shown that EFT is able to rapidly reduce the emotional impact of memories and incidents that trigger emotional distress. Once the distress is reduced or removed, the body can often rebalance itself, and accelerate healing. Here's how you can experience this for yourself:
  • Try EFT yourself by downloading a free starter package which includes starter manual @www.eftuniverse.com,  It gives you all the basics and allows you to test drive EFT on your own issues (although at a beginner's level). If you like what you see and want to learn more or try a session give me a call. You will also find clear and simple instructions in the EFT book series. Caveat: For people who are emotionally or physically frail, qualified health professionals should be consulted before using any health procedure, including EFT.
  • Read some of the many studies and papers on EFT that have been published in peer-reviewed psychology and medical journals, summarized in the EFT Research section. They demonstrate the wide variety of conditions which EFT has been shown to improve, and ranks EFT studies using the "evidence-based" standards of the American Psychological Association's Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) Task Force.
  • Read the exhaustive list of actual cases on the website. These are written by clients, therapists and physicians and allow you to see EFTs possibilities through the eyes of both newcomers and professionals. Note the wide variety of successes. This is why we encourage you to, "Try it on everything."




Five Benefits of Massage.
While there are many benefts here are five good reasons to get a massage for yourself or give a gift to the one in your life you would like to thank. As a matter of fact with the Holiday Season approaching a gift certificate for a massage is the perfect way to simply say thank you or I love you.
Relieves Stress
Improves Posture
Improves Circulation
Improves Flexibility and Range of Motion
Relieves Headaches
One hour massage regularly $60 now $48, save 20%
(Limit one per person may buy one additional as a gift)
Offer available until December 20th, 2012
Certificate is valid for one year from date of purchase
Click here to purchase to your gift certificate(click the services button and choose your Gift Certificate).

Healthy Tidbits
  • According to Dr. Oz  there are four major factors that contribute to longevity and avoiding half of the diseases that typically affect us. They are: Maintain a healthy weight - Don't smoke - Eat a high fiber diet - Exercise
  • Eating broiled and baked fish lowers risk of heart failure, but fried fish increases the risk by nearly 50%
  • Experts estimate that in the past decade, sugary sodas have contributed to 6,000 deaths, 14,000 cases of heart disease, and 130,000 new cases of diabetes.
  • People with atrial fibrillation who regularly practiced yoga had a 50 percent reduction in episodes of irregular heartbeat.
Tired, Irritated, Puffy Eyes?
Natural remedies include:
  • Raw potato slices laid on sore eyes reduces heat and redness
  • For puffiness, any tea bag (herbal is better, especially Eyebrite). Slightly cooled, place on eyes while you rest.
  • For tired or bloodshot eyes, soak sterile cotton balls or soft cloth in cold skim milk. Place over eyes for ten minutes. Rinse entire face in warm then cold water.

Refer to the Tapping Chart below to tap on the correct acupuncture points. Just use two fingers and tap lightly on each point for five to seven seconds.



Now in Northern KY
Monday 10am -7pm
Call me for more information513-324-3211

The Holistic Wellness Center
562 Buttermilk Pike # A
Crescent Springs, KY 41017-1674







Wednesday, July 25, 2012

News You Can Use - Headaches and Trigger Points




While there are many causes for headaches, one contributing factor is the presence of myofascial trigger points and the referred phenomena they produce. Clients commonly report this referred phenomena as a headache or head pain. (more below)



Headaches and Trigger Points

While there are many causes for headaches, one contributing factor is the presence of myofascial trigger points and the referred phenomena they produce. Clients commonly report this referred phenomena as a headache or head pain. The causes for the initial formation of myofascial trigger points and the perpetuating factors that influences them over time varies. Research studies by Drs. Simons and Travel have documented the general region within the tissues where trigger points form and the referral patterns they produce.  Most trigger points can be treated using a combination of sustained pressure for thirty to sixty seconds.  Some very stubborn trigger points may require injections and other forms of treatment, but these are the exception rather than the rule.

Upper Trapezius
This is the most common trigger point in the body. Trigger points can form from postural stress like a forward head posture and also play a roll on the high shoulder side. Pain is referred from trigger points in the upper fibers of trapezius into the back and side of the neck and into the angle of the mandible, behind the ear, and into the temple. (Fig 2)


Figure 2

Sternocleidomastoid. The sternocleidomastoid muscle has two divisions each producing its own unique pain patterns. Trigger points in the clavicular division can produce frontal headaches, earaches and dizziness. (Fig 4) This trigger point can form in the clavicular head of the muscle for example as part of a high shoulder pattern.


Figure 4

Fig 5: Trigger points in the sternal division of the sternocleidomastoid can produce pain into the forehead, behind the eye, the anterior cervical region, and can produce throat pain, discomfort or tightness. While trigger points in the sternal division of the sternocleidomastoid refers pain into the forehead, the anterior (front) cervical region, and can produce throat pain, discomfort or tightness. Other referral patterns include: the back of the head, into the cheeks, into the eye and distally (back) into the sternum. (Fig 5) These trigger points may be the result of a rotational pattern in the body that must be addressed to fully eliminate and prevent the trigger points from returning.

sternal division of the sternocleidomastoid
Figure 5


Suboccipitals. Referral pain from these four suboccipital muscles radiates pain deep into the head from the occiput toward the back of the eye. (Fig 6) These trigger points are commonly caused by forward head posture, sustained upward head tilt or sustained head rotation with tilt.


Figure 6


EFT has been in the news a lot lately, and many clients ask me how I use it in my practice.  Below I have provided an easy to use introduction.  Please read, explore, and call if you have any questions.

What is EFT?
EFT is a powerful self-help method based on research showing that emotional trauma contributes greatly to disease. Clinical trials have shown that EFT is able to rapidly reduce the emotional impact of memories and incidents that trigger emotional distress. Once the distress is reduced or removed, the body can often rebalance itself, and accelerate healing. Here's how you can experience this for yourself:
  • Try EFT yourself by downloading a free starter package which includes starter manual @www.eftuniverse.com,  It gives you all the basics and allows you to test drive EFT on your own issues (although at a beginner's level). If you like what you see and want to learn more or try a session give me a call. You will also find clear and simple instructions in the EFT book series. Caveat: For people who are emotionally or physically frail, qualified health professionals should be consulted before using any health procedure, including EFT.
  • Read some of the many studies and papers on EFT that have been published in peer-reviewed psychology and medical journals, summarized in the EFT Research section. They demonstrate the wide variety of conditions which EFT has been shown to improve, and ranks EFT studies using the "evidence-based" standards of the American Psychological Association's Division 12 (Clinical Psychology) Task Force.
  • Read the exhaustive list of actual cases on the website. These are written by clients, therapists and physicians and allow you to see EFTs possibilities through the eyes of both newcomers and professionals. Note the wide variety of successes. This is why we encourage you to, "Try it on everything."



 



Just in Time for Mother's Day
25% off a Sixty Minute Massage

Mom's always put their family first. This Mother's day celebrate your love for her with an instant message gift.
Better yet get one for you and mom!
One hour massage regularly $60 now $45.
(Limit one per person may buy one additional as a gift)
Offer valid until May 13th, 2012
Click here to purchase to your gift certificate(click the services button and choose your Gift Certificate).


 
Healthy Tidbits
  • the aroma of peppermint has been shown to boost memory, focus and concentration.
  • children whose moms  got plenty of omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy are less likely to have allergies.
  • eating a mediterranean diet halves the risk of Parkinson's.
  • drinking two cups of hibiscus tea daily can help prevent kidney stones.
  • folic acid, 5mg per day, reduces hot flashes in menopausal women.
  • peppermint oil (10% in alcohol) dabbed on the temples and forehead  relieves tension headaches
  • the human brain uses roughly as much energy as a 10 -watt light bulb.
Now in Northern KY
Monday 10am -7pm
Call me for more information 513-324-3211

The Holistic Wellness Center
562 Buttermilk Pike # A
Crescent Springs, KY 41017-1674



 
 































































Refer to the Tapping Chart below to tap on the correct acupuncture points.
Just use two fingers and tap lightly on each point for five to seven seconds.