October 9, 2009
Fibromyalgia May Be Linked to a Virus
Scientist believe they may have found the cause of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia.
The researchers have discovered a strong link between chronic fatigue syndrome, which is sometimes known as ME or myalgic encephalomyelitis, and an obscure retrovirus related to a group of viruses found to infect mice.
17,000 people worldwide are affected by Fbromyalgia. Many have been labeled as malingerers because many medical authorities have doubted that it was an actual illness. The virus is called murine leukaemia virus-related virus (XMRV). The finding could be a major advance in treatment options such as anti-viral medications and vaccines to prevent people from developing the condition.
Another exciting finding about XMRV is that it was originally found in men with prostate cancer.
If cause-and-effect is established, there would be a new opportunity for prevention and treatment of these diseases," said Professor Robert Silverman, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, who worked on the fatigue syndrome study.
Findings are preliminary. More studies need to be conducted to determine a definitive link between the virus and fibromyalgia. So, no need to run out and ask your doctor for anti-virals yet.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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October 8, 2009
More Than Skin Deep
As massage therapy becomes more accepted as an adjunct to allopathic medicine, therapists will encounter more and more medically complicated clients. As a result, it is becoming more important than ever to be informed about as many pathological conditions as possible. Along with clients who have pathological conditions comes pharmaceutical medication.
If your massage school did not prepare you for this changing customer base, it is up to the massage therapist to become informed about medical conditions and the prescription medications that many clients take, so that you know how to handle them responsibly.
There are plenty of great resources out there to get you started. You may want to begin with a nice review or overview by taking a continuing education course. A good place to start is by looking through professional journals, your state board, or the national certification sites.
There are plenty of books out there to geared toward massage therapists designed to help you get an overview of pathology or prescription medications, and whether massage is okay or contraindicated for a given condition or medication. In fact, I found the Pharmocology in Rehabilitation book for my physical therapy education to be very readable and a great resource that I plan to refer back to.
And don't forget the internet. If you're lucky enough to have an internet connection right in your massage office, you can quickly go to some key site for medical conditions or pharmaceutical information for free. One of the best ways I learned about various pathologies was from having clients come in for a massage who also had a medical condition, say a neuroma on the bottom of their foot. At the end of the day, I would go home and look up the condition so that I knew a little more about it and figure out what my skills would allow me to do with this client to help them. In fact, much of what I found sparked my interest in sharing my information and experiences with other massage therapists and voila, my massage blog was born.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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October 5, 2009
A New Perspective on Gout
Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, has allowed the yet-unreleased chapter from his book regarding gout to be posted for public consumption on the blog of Tim Ferriss.
Gout, an accumulation of urate crystals around a joint that causes inflammation and intense pain, has been known to be an illness of excess, usually afflicting nobility and the wealthy. As civilization has progressed, gout has become more prevalent. With the discovery of allopuranol as an effective treatment for gout in the 1960s, interest in research about its cause has dwindled.
But Taubs proposes a dietary culprit for gout that may be linked to the cause of other diseases associated with metabolic syndrome: hypertension and diabetes, and even kidney stones. Renewed interest in gout may be having a renaissance due to its possible connection with the consumption of fructose.
The “striking increase” in uric acid levels with an infusion of fructose was first reported in the Lancet in the late 1960s by clinicians from Helsinki, Finland, who referred to it as fructose-induced hyperuricemia. Simply put, fructose increases serum levels of uric acid.
As our society increases its consumption of high fructose corn syrup in processed foods and sweetened beverages, the incidence of gout, diabetes, obesity, and all of the health problems that come with over-fatness, will continue to increase. In order to take control of fructose intake, reduce the amount of processed foods that you eat. Cook meals from scratch, using fresh, whole ingredients. Reduce consumption of organ meats, red wine, and other foods high in purines.
For alternative treatments for gout, check out Health 911 for a comprehensive overview.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
Posted by linda | Permalink | Comments (View)
A New Perspective on Gout
Gary Taubes, author of Good Calories, Bad Calories, has allowed the yet-unreleased chapter from his book regarding gout to be posted for public consumption on the blog of Tim Ferriss.
Gout, an accumulation of urate crystals around a joint that causes inflammation and intense pain, has been known to be an illness of excess, usually afflicting nobility and the wealthy. As civilization has progressed, gout has become more prevalent. With the discovery of allopuranol as an effective treatment for gout in the 1960s, interest in research about its cause has dwindled.
But Taubs proposes a dietary culprit for gout that may be linked to the cause of other diseases associated with metabolic syndrome: hypertension and diabetes, and even kidney stones. Renewed interest in gout may be having a renaissance due to its possible connection with the consumption of fructose.
The “striking increase” in uric acid levels with an infusion of fructose was first reported in the Lancet in the late 1960s by clinicians from Helsinki, Finland, who referred to it as fructose-induced hyperuricemia. Simply put, fructose increases serum levels of uric acid.
As our society increases its consumption of high fructose corn syrup in processed foods and sweetened beverages, the incidence of gout, diabetes, obesity, and all of the health problems that come with over-fatness, will continue to increase. Take control of your fructose intake by reducing the amount of processed foods that you eat. Cook your meals from scratch, using fresh, whole ingredients.
Health 911 offers a comprehensive overview of alternative treatments for gout.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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October 2, 2009
Changing Bad Habits
Albert Einstein said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Doing something over and over again sounds like a habit, not necessarily insanity. If you want to change things, then you do need to quit the habit, or change the habit into a different habit.
Zen Habits: Simple Productivity has a cheat sheet for changing habits. It basically takes three major steps:
1. Write down your plan.
2. Identify your triggers and replacement habits.
3. Focus on doing the replacement habits every single time the triggers happen, for about 30 days.
Whether it's kicking a bad habit such as smoking, or acquiring a new habit such as exercising 3 times a week, habits are all changed pretty much the same ways. But it's nice to have a little help and developing a cheering section doesn't hurt either.
I've tried to give up Diet Coke but I'm addicted to the bubbles. I know that artificial sweetener is probably not good for me (though the research studies have yet to emerge that prove that it's really bad). What I've done is to mix seltzer water with grapefruit juice, and that helps offer a caffeine free substitute later in the day. But I still drink one first thing in the morning. It turns out that I replaced coffee (which made me jittery and mean) with caffeinated soda -- effectively swapping one habit for another. I still have a coffee every once in a while; it reminds me how bad it makes me feel.
Obviously, I haven't exactly succeeded at changing this habit, but the article says we learn the most about ourselves by what doesn't work. So, what habit would you like to change? It may take more than one try. You may find it easier to change a difficult habit once you've successfully changed an easy one. Build on your success. But the first step is to try.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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October 1, 2009
High Heel Shoes Cause Foot Pain Later In Life
Here's a teaser for an article that I found: Study Finds Women Wear Shoes That Cause Pain.
Well, no duh. Women wear high-heels. What a waste of research money.
The study surveyed 3,378 men and women and found that men make better shoe choices. Only 2% of men made poor shoe choices that led to foot pain -- I'm going to guess that's about the right percentage of men in our society who would actually wear high-heeled shoes!
But seriously, there is a useful tidbit.
More than 60 percent said that in the past they generally wore high heels, pumps, sandals and slippers, all of which researchers rated as higher risk. Women who wore those were at the most risk of hindfoot, ankle and Achilles’ tendon pain.
I get the impression these problems develop later in life. To read more, check out the October issue of the journal Arthritis Care & Research.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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September 30, 2009
Therapists Can Help People Access Hospice
According to The Guide to Physical Therapy Practice, physical therapists are essential participants in the health care delivery system, assuming a leadership role in programs that promote health, wellness, and fitness. In the Criteria for Standards of Practice for Physical Therapy, by the APTA,
The physical therapist, in consultation with appropriate disciplines, plans for discharge of the patient/client taking into consideration achievement of anticipated goals and expected outcomes, and provides for appropriate follow-up or referral.
In many settings where physical therapists work, they encounter patients facing their final stage of life. Educating patients about palliative care services, such as hospice, is essential for fulfillment of Principle 10 in the APTA code of ethics stating that “a physical therapist shall endeavor to address the health needs of society.”
Only 43% of people eligible for hospice actually receive hospice services (Forcina Hill, 2005)1. Physicians favor hospice referral, believing that hospice staff is better at guiding patients and their families through the dying process and at controlling pain for the terminally ill. However, the primary barrier for physician referral for hospice services is based upon the physician’s difficulty to accurately predict patient death to within 6 months. Other barriers to hospice referral include physician reluctance to signal a loss of hope for the patient, and concern that referral to hospice will be perceived by the patient and their family as a cost-saving measure (Brickner et al., 2004)2.
There are many myths about hospice that may prevent patients and families who would benefit from hospice care from seeking out the support that hospice can provide. Hospice Foundation of America has resources that physical therapists can use to dispel myths3 and reassure patients and their families about the services available regarding palliative care.4 Other barriers to hospice utilization is distrust of the medical system among low-income and minority patients, inability to bridge financial gaps, reimbursement barriers, and limited availability of hospice services in low-income urban areas (Mahoney et al., 2008)5. Physical therapists can assist minority patients in accessing palliative care information, hospice personnel, and social workers.
Can physical therapists refer patients to hospice? Raising awareness that hospice exists, especially for African American and Latino patients would likely raise utilization (Born et al. 2004)6, and this is well within the scope of practice for physical therapists. However, it is the patient, family or physician that may initiate contact with hospice as soon as a terminal disease is diagnosed. But because of the amount of contact time that physical therapists spend with their patients, they may be in a better position to provide palliative care information than most health care workers. A free brochure7 is available to help patients choose a hospice facility. It offers guiding questions about issues such as insurance and payment requirements, expectations of the patient and family, training of hospice caregivers, and bereavement support.
As with any major life transition, stress for the patient, family and caregiver is high. Physical therapists may be in a unique position to assist terminal patients in accessing resources, coping tools,8 and information concerning palliative care. As part of patient/client collaboration, the physical therapist and the patient work together in the decision-making process that is part of the provision of physical therapy services. In this way, physical therapists can meet the challenge put to them by the Criteria for Standards of Practice for Physical Therapy while providing better care for older adults.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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September 28, 2009
Giving Away Your Services
When I was in massage school, we had a class on professional development that dovetailed into business management. A lot of questions that students had involved how to grow your business from the ground up, since many of us were going into business for ourselves. The school suggested putting ourselves out in the community, giving complementary massages at sporting and charitable events. They also suggested advertising, a very expensive option. And finally, offering discount packages.
I took the approach of signing on with a new salon who needed a massage therapy as a service available to their customers. What I didn't know was that the owners, who were fine hairstylists, had no head for business. They kept promising to advertise in the local paper to drum up business for the salon, but when faced with the reality about how expensive advertising is, the ad never ran.
I sat for months with little or no business. I went to a school field day, set up in the teachers tent and gave free seated massages (with a tip jar close by) in hopes of accessing a population that I believed would benefit from massage. I got no takers. I went to the local health fair at the mall and gave free shoulder massages. I even had a free massage as door prize. When I called the winner, he became hostile and hung up on me. The second name I pulled, I left a message on their voice mail -- I never heard back from them.
I joined the local "New Comers Club" which offered door prizes. I put in free massage coupons for months and recipients squealed in delight when they won a massage. Only one person redeemed their door prize and I never saw them again. At my last New Comers meeting, they had a guest speaker arrive and give a presentation. It was a competing massage therapist who also gave away free massages as door prizes that day. I quit New Comers Club immediately and never looked back.
In desperation, I started giving free hand massages to customers who were coming in for haircuts. I figured once they were able to experience how good massage felt, they would opt for the real deal. I always pointed out the difference between how the massaged hand and arm felt in comparison to the one that hadn't gotten massaged yet. People would acknowledge they could feel the difference, seemingly impressed. I had only two massages book as a result after month and a half of unpaid work.
What is so difficult about starting out, is that you don't have any money. You work like a dog and it is difficult to stay motivated when you see little in the way of financial return. I felt like people didn't want what I had to offer even though it was free! I was like Rodney Dangerfield, I couldn't get no respect. At some point I realized that what I was trying to sell myself, so I needed to examine how people might perceive me. I was presenting myself professionally. I was talking about the benefits of massage to anyone who would listen. I was enthusiastic and willing to work. What was going on here?
I eventually moved my table and supplies to another location, a wellness clinic, where the audience was more receptive to the services I offered. In order to keep myself occupied, I answered their phone for free, giving me the advantage of catching any calls that came in for massage therapy. I treated it like an 8 to 5 job whether I had massage work or not. I believe my visibility and availability is what grew my business.
The disadvantage to this arrangement was that my clients took for granted that I would be available immediately when they called. As my business grew and time slots filled up, I began hearing complaints. But I didn't mind and it provided an opportunity to guide people into booking standing appointments. With half a dozen of those kinds of clients, I had enough of a sustainable business that I could pay my rent. The business grew from there and after 2 years, I was making a living wage.
From the start, I created an incentive program for repeat clients. I kept track of the number of sessions that they had with me. After 10 visits, they got their 11th one free. I kept this policy until the day that I closed my door in December of 2007 to attend PT school. I believe this incentive program payed for itself by engendering customer loyalty. Every time a customer brought in a coupon for a free massage, I cheered, knowing that my attitude is important. Also, I was always grateful for the repeat business.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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September 25, 2009
City Planning Initiative to Promote Healthy Foods
It's nice to see policy experts, supermarket executives and City Council members finally pulling together implement incentives for corner markets to stock fresh produce in under-served inner cities.
“This is about being able to walk to get your groceries in those areas that are really, really underserved and basically have no place to buy fresh produce,” said Amanda M. Burden, the city planning commissioner.
In an effort to fight the obesity and diabetes epidemic sweeping the country, many municipalities are trying to take measures to help provide healthier food options. Berkeley and Los Angeles passed zoning laws limiting the number of fast food venues in poor urban areas. Many school systems have banned sugary drinks. Urban gardens are sprouting up on empty lots all over the country.
Not everybody will be happy to see supermarkets moving into neighborhoods. Small business, such as produce vendors on urban streets, will be hurt by the presence of supermarket chains. Personally, I like the idea of potentially forming a relationship with the person who sells me my food.
And while some supermarket chains are pleased with the new legislation, there are some legitimate concerns. Education will be necessary improve nutrition.
“If you force distribution of product to a population that’s not interested in it, or not educated in it, and the grocery stores can’t make a profit,” he said, “they’ll eventually leave.”
Otherwise, people will continue purchasing what they generally do now at corner markets, spending their dollars on bags of chips, sodas and candy bars.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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September 23, 2009
Adequate Sleep Linked to Immunity
Want to prevent the common cold this winter? Stocking up on Vitamin C and echinacea may help, but you might want to sleep on the idea. Poor quality sleep and a person's susceptibility to colds may be linked.
In a recent study for The Archives of Internal Medicine, scientists followed 153 men and women for two weeks, keeping track of their quality and duration of sleep.
The they exposed subjects to rhinovirus (the bug responsible for the common cold).
Those who slept an average of fewer than seven hours a night, it turned out, were three times as likely to get sick as those who averaged at least eight hours.
I'm highly protective of my sleep. Lack of quality sleep affects my mood, concentration, and general quality of life. I try to get to bed by 10 and wake around 6:30. As I get older, I find it harder to sleep through the night. This long stretch of rest time usually covers most of my night time disturbances (noise, too hot, too cold, a full bladder, Il Duce the cat, etc.). Now I have another reason to guard my precious sleep.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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September 22, 2009
A Blogger's Experience With Physical Therapy
Blogger, Sara Foss, loves physical therapy. Following wrist surgery, she now sports "hardware" that is holding the bones in her wrist together. Slap a little heat on it and do some range of motion -- it's simple.
But Sara has only been to two PT sessions. If her doctor was proactive and sent her to PT a day or two after surgery, she still has enough range of motion in the wrist that moving it isn't difficult. With proper pain medication before her therapy session, she should be able to do her exercises with a tolerable amount of discomfort. If everything continues well, she should be rehabilitated without incident, her therapy a success.
But sometimes rehab doesn't go so smoothly. And physical therapists get called physical terrorists for doing their job. If there is a problem with the surgical site, such as incomplete healing (dehiscence) or infection, rehabilitation is delayed. This result in a loss of normal range of motion due to scarring, joint capsule fibrosis, and muscle shortening. the most important range to recover in knee and elbow surgeries is the ability to fully straighten the limb (extension). It's not a comfortable process, but without it, other problems in function and pain will develop over time.
So, kudos to you Sara. I hope your physical therapy continues to be "fun." And may your new hardware give you superpowers, such as setting of metal detectors in airports.
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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September 21, 2009
Keep Your Pets Healthy
It may be hard to believe, but one of the best ways to keep your pets healthy this season is to wash your hands. It's also an important way to keep yourself healthy. This is especially true regarding methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
“There are a number of papers coming out now showing that pets pick up MRSA from us,” Dr. Elizabeth A. Scott said, “and that they shed it back into the environment again.”
Owners need to be more attentive to their pets’ health. Many people don't recognize when their animals are ill. Also, if your pet has a wound, they need to be evaluated. You wouldn't have another member of your family walk around with an unattended wound.
According to a study conducted by Dr. Scott published in The American Journal of Infection Control, owning a cat increases your risk of having MRSA by 8 times. A critical factor is the intimate relationship that people have with their pets.
But there is no need to go overboard and get rid of "Fluffy" or "Fido." J. Scott Weese, a veterinary internist and microbiologist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, believes MRSA infections transmitted between people and animals are relatively rare. “But when you consider how many MRSA infections are occurring in North America at the moment, if they’re a minor component of a major disease, that’s still something we need to be aware of.”
tags: massage massagetherapy wellness massage therapy bodywork health
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