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Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, Skin Care Through Seasons, Hot or Cold for Injuries?

Tom Saulnier — Sat, 04 Sep 2021 01:02:00 +0000

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Bodywork Treatment Proves Successful

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…(To read “The Rest of the Story”, please click here Autumn21Newsletter

10 Reasons You Should Gift Yourself a Massage

Tom Saulnier — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 01:43:37 +0000

10 Reasons You Should Gift Yourself a Massage

The season for self-care starts today!

– by Karrie Osborn

Over the years, we’ve often reminded you in these pages that sharing a gift of massage with others is a wonderful way to show you care. And while that is still an important message we hope you will share this season, even more important is reminding yourself that you’re worthy of that gift too . . . now, and all year long. Here are 10 reasons why you need to gift yourself a massage.

1. IT’S A HEALTHY WAY TO INVEST IN YOURSELF

Now, more than ever, self-care needs to be a priority. Show yourself some love by investing in yourself. Research shows touch is a necessity, a basic human need. If a child is deprived of human contact, they fail to thrive and have issues with social attachments. Isolated elders have shorter lifespans. Touch is important to our human DNA, no matter where we fall on the lifespan timeline. Therapeutic touch, with all its intention, is even more powerful and is a loving gift you need to honor yourself with more frequently.

2. IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR BODY

When it comes to the physiological benefits you can reap from massage, researchers are constantly adding more and more value to that list. A few of the most impactful massage benefits research has proven include:

Improved immune system function
Improved muscle and tendon recovery
Improved sleep and reduced fatigue in cancer patients
Increased pain relief without the side effects of narcotics
And don’t forget all its preventive benefits either!

Truth is, massage may feel like a luxury, but it is actually a sound investment in your health. In fact, hands-on therapies have an incredible return on investment.

3. IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR MIND

In addition to the peace and well-being that naturally blossoms from a cared-for body, many forms of massage and bodywork have specific restorative effects on the mind. While your body is getting its therapeutic attention, your mind has a chance to go quiet—something that doesn’t come easily in today’s world—and you get to double up the therapeutic benefits.

Massage can work at a deeper level too….(To read “the rest of the story”, please click here BSwinter2020

Vision & Muscle Tension, Enzyme Power, Don’t Get Sick

Tom Saulnier — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 02:04:09 +0000

Is Your Vision Causing Muscle Tension?

Mary Betts Sinclair

Do you have tension headaches or chronic tension in your upper body? How about neck and shoulder stiffness? Maybe you experience strain in the temples, forehead, neck, shoulders, or back, especially after a long period of working at a computer or reading a book? If so, your tension could be related to how you look at the world.

Healthy vision is comfortable, efficient, and relaxed for the viewer, while poor visual habits can interfere with free and easy movement, making the body chronically tense. We use our eyes much of the day, and if we strain to see, we create tension in the face, neck, shoulders, and back muscles. Squinting and straining when we have trouble making something out, or stiffening our entire neck, spine, and pelvis every time we look up can affect the entire body.

Most of us develop these vision habits without even being aware of them, but there are other health factors that can play a role. Up to 5 percent of children are born with some kind of visual abnormality, or develop one in the first few years of life. A lazy eye, for example, may cause a child to hike up one eye or one shoulder, or twist the neck to look out of the better-sighted eye at all times. Being sensitive to light might cause a child to develop the habit of hanging the head forward. Injuries to or near the eyes can also cause chronic tension in the muscles of the eyes or structures near the eyes. And finally, emotional stress can cause us to hold our muscles tight while we look out at the world.

What To Do

Step One: …(To read, “the rest of the story”, please click here Summer 2020 Newsletter)

Reduce Your Skin Cancer Risk, Fit Feet, Dry vs. Dehydrated Skin

Tom Saulnier — Tue, 31 Dec 2019 01:54:41 +0000

Fruits & Veggies Fight Skin Cancer

According to findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Dermatology, people who eat foods containing high levels of vitamin A have a 17 percent risk reduction for getting cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma—the second-most common type of skin cancer among fair-skinned people. According to Eunyoung Cho, associate professor of dermatology and epidemiology at Brown University, “Skin cancer, including squamous cell carcinoma, is hard to prevent, but this study suggests that eating a healthy diet rich in vitamin A may be a way to reduce your risk, in addition to wearing sunscreen and reducing sun exposure.

Our study provides another reason to eat lots of fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy diet.” Vitamin A-rich foods include apricots, broccoli, carrots, kale, spinach, and tangerines, to name a few.

Read the full study at www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/07/190731125417.htm.

Test the Waters

Is Your Skin Dry, or Dehydrated?

By Alex Caspero

Chapped lips, itchy skin, redness, and peeling are all common dry-skin symptoms as winter’s brutal cold and sharp winds settle in for the season. And, while many assume these issues are related to dry skin, it may be more perennial dehydrated skin.

DRY SKIN VS. DEHYDRATED SKIN

As a general definition, dehydration means your body is taking in less water than it’s losing. Therefore, dehydrated skin lacks water—compared to dry skin, which typically lacks natural oil. More simply put, dry skin is a skin type, while dehydrated skin is a condition usually related to other lifestyle factors. Dehydrated skin can affect anyone, regardless of skin type, pore size, or genetics.

Unlike other factors that may contribute to dry skin, like psoriasis or eczema, these conditions don’t cause dehydrated skin. Dehydrated skin can also cause dullness, darker under-eye circles, increased appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and shadows around the eyes.

LIFESTYLE FACTORS

The usual suspects of prematurely aged skin also play a role in dehydrated skin: smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and too much sun exposure. As both alcohol and caffeine are considered diuretics, reducing (or eliminating) these will benefit both skin appearance and hydration status.

A diet of high-sodium, processed foods and low-water plant-based foods is more likely to (If you’d like to read “the rest of the story”, please click here BS Winter 2020)

Bodywork & Exercise, Cultivating a Gardening Habit, Farm Fresh Skin Care

Tom Saulnier — Thu, 04 Apr 2019 00:39:19 +0000

Bodywork & Exercise

Increase Body Awareness While Increasing Your Activity

Ruth Werner

You have to give us credit: as a culture, Americans are incredibly interested in getting fit. We invest every year in new diets, exercise programs, and supplements for weight loss and improved energy. Low-range estimates suggest that Americans spend about $2.6 billion each year on gym memberships alone.

We also tend to pitch full speed into any given commitment. If we’re going to get fit, by golly, we’re going to do it now, regardless of how long it took us to get into our current state. We don’t do things by half measures, and moderation is not in our nature. So how do we keep ourselves injury-free while honoring our commitment to exercise and get healthy?

Does It Have to Be All or Nothing?

We all know that starting an exercise program doesn’t actually mean we’ll finish it. When we throw ourselves into an ambitious new routine, we are likely to overdo it and get hurt. Then, we get discouraged, and may give up entirely, only to start the cycle over in another year or so.

Overdoing things in the gym or on the sports field seems to appeal to our competitive spirit–especially when we’re surrounded by others who all seem to be doing better than we are. Combine this kind of human drive with poorly trained athletic trainers who give bad advice about form, pacing, and effort, and we have a recipe for potential problems.

Exercise is only effective when…(To read ‘the rest of the story’, please click here Spring 2019)

Bodywork, Essential Oils, Sun Care

Tom Saulnier — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 22:40:10 +0000

Bodywork Sampler

Ten Types of Somatic Methods, All Awaiting You

Nora Brunner

A rich garden of bodywork exists, to benefit you at the different ages and stages of your life. Getting the advice of your massage therapist, doing some research on www.massagetherapy.com, and seeking methods to which you are intuitively drawn are your best guides to finding what works for your body and spirit. No need to wait for a medical problem or a new high on the stress-o-meter to get on the table and into the hands of your massage and bodywork therapist.

1. Swedish Massage

This technique is typically the starting point for most massage training and client receiving. It involves five kinds of touching and is delivered to soft tissues by the therapist’s hands, which are moisturized with massage oil or lotion. The kneading, rolling, vibrational, tapping, and percussive movements all work inward toward your heart and will stimulate your circulation. Among many benefits, Swedish massage will hasten healing of injuries, reduce swelling, and help dissolve scar tissue adhesions.

2. Deep Tissue

Often integrated with other massage methods, deep-tissue work is exactly what it sounds like. Once the outer muscles have been relaxed, the work goes deeper into the fascia, the deep, dense, connective tissue that helps join your body parts together. Deep-tissue work is an excellent remedy for chronic muscular pain, injury rehabilitation, and reduction of inflammation-related pain caused by arthritis and tendinitis.

3. Sports Massage

Whether for professional athletes, active kids, or weekend warriors, sports massage has benefits for participants in the active life. For most people, sports massage is handy after muscle exertion…(want to read more?…please click here Summer 2018

Implications of Bodywork, SmartPhone Smarts, Handwashing

Tom Saulnier — Sat, 30 Dec 2017 00:07:34 +0000

The Implications of Bodywork

Human Touch Has Powerful Results

By Cathy Ulrich

Whether in giving or receiving, touch is as essential to human survival as is food. Infants deprived of touch, even when they are getting adequate nutrition, will fail to thrive. Elders isolated by loss of partners and friends become depressed not only because of the absence of social interaction, but also because of the simple loss of physical contact.

We calm our pets by stroking them, we greet each other with a hug or a handshake, and we soothe our children by holding them. No other form of connection is as powerful and universal as touch. Taking a look at how this sensation is connected to the brain provides insight into the significance of bodywork.

Skin and the Brain

The adult human lives inside an envelope of about 18 square feet of skin. Every inch houses thousands of nerve endings and various kinds of sensory receptors, all working to tell the brain about its surroundings. The cold of an ice cube, the softness of a cat’s fur, a warm breeze, the caress of a loved one–all of these feelings are possible because of our skin. Our skin tells us about our environment and ourselves. When we touch something with our fingers, we’re not only sensing the object, we’re also feeling our own skin, our own boundaries.

In the first few days of an embryo’s life, the cells that eventually become a fully formed baby divide into three layers. The brain and skin come from the same layer, and they develop together, not only before birth, but well into the first year of life. When a baby is held, cuddled, and breast-fed, she’s getting crucial stimulation to build neural connections between her skin and her brain that will ultimately last her entire lifetime.

Study after study has shown that touch is not only important for development, but is crucial to survival. James H.M. Knox of Johns Hopkins Hospital reported in 1915 that babies left in orphanages and given proper nutrition died at a rate of about 90 percent. Other studies of the same era confirmed…To read the “rest of the story”, please click here Winter2018Newsletter

Skin Conditions: Care, Seasons & Health

Tom Saulnier — Mon, 28 Aug 2017 19:23:07 +0000

Spotting Skin Conditions
– John Otrompke

Being aware of the first signs of skin conditions will help you know when it’s time to visit a doctor. Here is a short refresher on five of the most important signs you might see.

1. Butterfly Rash
This is a facial rash characterized by its shape: the middle part of the butterfly is on the bridge of the nose, with “wings” extending onto the cheeks. “It can signify a range of diseases, from milder conditions like rosacea, significant acne, eczema, and psoriasis, all the way to serious autoimmune connective tissue disorders such as lupus,” says Joseph Jorizzo, MD, professor and founding chair of the dermatology department at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Salem, North Carolina.

2. Infections
“Look for any sign of infection, such as a cold sore, which is characterized by a painful bump or blister on the face or nose,” says Jill Weinstein, MD, clinical instructor of dermatology at Northwestern University in Chicago. “This may be caused by herpes simplex.”

Both viral and bacterial infections may appear as pustules, or tender lesions. They can sometimes look like acne, but may also be bigger or more isolated than a pimple, Weinstein says.

3. Patchy Hair
Be alert for round, patchy areas of hair loss, which can be a sign of an autoimmune disease called alopecia areata, Jorizzo says. “Alopecia is associated with thyroid disease, but it can also be upsetting to the patient in and of itself,” Jorizzo explains. “Prognosis is very good if there is just one little circle, but if they lose their eyebrows or eyelashes, or if it goes around the bottom of the scalp, the condition is likely to be more chronic.”

4. Symptoms on the Nails

Nails may also offer evidence of a medical condition. “Signs on the nails include a condition called clubbing, where there’s body under the cuticle that changes the angle of the nail, so that it’s like an upside down V,” Jorizzo says. Clubbing is sometimes accompanied by edema, and the cuticle area may feel wet. It can be a symptom of several lung conditions, ranging from chronic bronchitis to lung cancer.

Pits in the nails can be a sign of arthritis or psoriasis. Pits resemble a mere dent, perhaps 1 millimeter across. Jorizzo explains, “In psoriasis, the outer layers of skin turn over very quickly, and when they come from under the cuticle, little patches fall off, so you get a pit.” Finally, a single dark black streak in the nail that comes up on to the cuticle can be a sign of melanoma.

5. Skin Cancer
The most common source of skin cancer deaths is melanoma, which may be identified using the ABCDE criteria:

Asymmetry. The mole is an unusual shape, not round.
Border Irregularity. The edges of the mole may be jagged, scalloped, or wavy, or very sharp in one area.
Color. The mole shows variation in color from one area to another. There may be multiple shades of tan, brown, black, white, blue, or red.
Diameter. The mole is greater than 6 millimeters in diameter.
Evolving. The mole is new, or an existing mole has changed in size, shape, or color.

(to read the entire article, please click here Summer-2017-Newsletter

Winter, Skin Protection, Say "No" to Hybernation

Tom Saulnier — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 20:33:11 +0000

The Face of Winter
How to Protect Your Skin in the Dry, Cold Months
Barbara Hey
Winter can be tough on skin, but there’s much you can do to defend against the assaults of the season. The skin’s primary role — to protect the body — is ever more important in extreme weather, and in most locations, that means extreme cold outside and dry, over-heated air inside during the winter. Your epidermis must “weather” these drastic fluctuations in temperature, and often the result is chapped, scaly, flaky skin.

Facing the Frost
The biggest wintertime concern is dehydration. In colder climates, you definitely need to increase the protection quotient. “You must over-treat skin to keep it hydrated,” says Barbara Schumann-Ortega, vice president of Wilma Schumann Skin Care in Coral Gables, Florida. That means a shift from lighter skin care products used during warmer months to winter-weight products, such as thicker, cream-based cleansers and moisturizers. These will provide stronger barriers against the harsh environment of winter months. And this is especially important for the face. And if much time is spent outdoors skiing, snowboarding, or walking, for example, your complexion needs heavy-duty protection from brisk wind and winter sun as well.

“People often forget about sunscreen in the winter,” says Schumann-Ortega. For regular outdoor time — a few hours a day — a sunscreen with an SPF of 20 should be sufficient. But if a winter trip on the slopes or shore is part of the plan, sunscreen with a higher protective factor is needed, even if your time is spent beneath an umbrella. “Both snow and sand reflect the sun,” she says, so don’t be caught unprepared. Double your efforts to protect the parts of the face particularly prone to display the effects of dryness: The lips and the area around the eyes need a continual shield against the elements. Ask your skin care professional which products are appropriate for your skin type and effective, seasonal moisturizers and sunscreens. To continue reading this article or to view the entire Newsletter, Click Here Win16Newsletter

Animal Massage, Exercise, Skin Care

Tom Saulnier — Tue, 24 Jun 2014 05:28:02 +0000

IN THIS ISSUE: * Animal Massage * Bodywork & Exercise * 3 Skin Care Remedies

Animal Massage – Celebrate Your Furry Friends with Caring Touch By Sophie West

For ages, pets have helped us handle stress and center ourselves. Whether employed as therapy animals or simply providing us with companionship and unconditional love, pets ease our minds and souls.

Pet owners have long suspected that our furry friends are perhaps more closely related to us than they look. They seem almost perfectly in sync with our every thought and feeling, so much so that it sometimes feels as if they can speak our language. And to a degree they can! Studies have shown that dogs can understand more than 100 words of human language.

Although pets will never have the opportunity to tell us what’s really on their minds, a study by the MTA-ELTA Comparative Ethology Research Group in Hungary (recently published in Scientific American) confirms that dog and human brains process the sounds and emotions of others very similarly. In fact, dogs are wired in much the same way we are and can understand what we feel based on the sounds we make. The affection and deep emotional connection
we have with our pets is real and it flows both ways.

HEALTHIER LIFESTYLES

Knowing that our pets have the ability to sense emotion and perceive stress, we can appreciate how our four-legged pals might benefit, both physically and emotionally, from many of the same health and wellness treatments we use.

The pet wellness industry has remained one of the most recession-proof shopping sectors. Perhaps it’s due to mounting acknowledgement of the importance of a healthy lifestyle, a refocusing on prevention over intervention, and a growing interest in integrative medicine. Whatever the cause, pet owners have become increasingly aware of the need to create healthier,
less stressful lifestyles for their companions, too. …Click here for full Publication Summer 2014