Hey folks, top o’ the morning to you.  I have fallen off the eating wagon recently and have succumbed to the junk food in isle 11 again.  News flash: Wheat thins are not good for you?  If that was a question or a statement I am still not sure. In any event, I decided to skim the magazines at the grocery store looking for health suggestions and I stumbled across this magazine “Eating Well”.  This particular edition has a section called “delicious 3o Minute Dinners” and they have fabulous ideas for your kitchen.  I am starting to feel sluggish from the hydrogenated oils plus carbohydrates that I have been consuming and this looks like a good way out.  

I can not stress enough that massage is not the only mechanism for keeping your tissue healthy.  We must put decent food in our body if we expect our systems to run properly.  Check out this magazine or you can go to www.eatingwell.com  You won’t be disappointed.

Please share with me any ideas you have for healthy eating.  Thanks to all and Enjoy

Elizabeth L.

A few months back I watched an interview with a woman on the Today show who was diagnosed with MS and decided that giving to others was a means for healing her disease.  I made a mental note that I had to share Cami Walker’s story when I found the opportunity and spread the  word about her book ”29 Gifts”.  In lieu of my involvement in helping people out of pain I am always intrigued by the various techniques we use to heal our bodies and I am forever trying to learn from others willing to share their own experiences.

It’s interesting how wonderful I feel whenever I have the opportunity to give to others.  Nothing makes me happier than paying someone a compliment or simply holding the door for a person although I may not know their name.  Giving is one of the true simple pleasures of life and it seems clear to me that giving is a path on the road to healing.  I highly recommend that each of you take five minutes and look at the 29 gifts website.   Give, give, give, give.  Isn’t giving what life is all about?  29gifts.org

Valentine’s Day is not just another day to have a romantic dinner with your sweet heart. It’s a day to remember your heart, the muscle located in your chest cavity between the lungs responsible for pumping blood throughout your body to the beat of 100,00 times each day.  The human heart takes a beating from the stress we impose on our bodies.    Massage is a fantastic approach for reducing your stress  level and jump starting your path to a healthy heart.  

I discovered this article article written by the staff at the Mayo clinic discussing the effects stress can have on the human heart and several tips for managing that stress. Don’t let this Valentine’s Day pass by without making a solid commitment to ensure the health of your heart.  Your loved ones will thank you for years to come. Happy Valentine’s Day and enjoy.  

Good for your heart

Elizabeth Laurino

The last few weeks have brought blasts of cold weather through the Carolina’s and have left us feeling sluggish.  Now is the perfect opportunity to begin our journey to melting  away some of those extra calories that have accumulated during the holidays. If you are looking for a leg up on your fitness program,  hibernating is not an option.  I came across this stimulating article that will surely rock your butt off the couch and give your mind a recipe for a healthy body. 

I would love to hear from anyone willing to share their own secrets to a fit lifestyle. Enjoy!  Zen Article

I bet you would and the super size too!!!  Let’s be real here for a moment.  You come into our office and complain of back pain, fatigue, and you are feeling like you need a pick-me-up.  Sound familiar?  We get this complaint daily.  We put you on the table and knead you from limb to limb until you feel like you are experiencing sheer bliss.  You say “Oh, I feel so much better”.  “Now I can work late tonight without triggering my usual evening headache.”  I know you are all with me here folks.  You leave the office and proceed to go home and eat the easiest thing you can grab or stop at the local grease pit to get your dinner.  And hey, I see you going for the chocolate shake for dessert.  HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!!

Continue reading Would you like a burger and fries with that massage?

We thought this question/answer was well worth sharing.

Dear Hands on Health massage therapists,
Have you had any experience working on someone with anterior compartment syndrome? My physical therapist seems to think that is what I have since I am not responding to physical therapy which I have been going to for 2 months twice a week (for shin splints).

My PT wants me to go have the test done where they test the pressure in your muscles before and after exercise and potentially have a fasciotomy to release it.

But, I figured I would ask since you are so damn smart!
Donna

Donna,
Anterior Compartment Syndrome is a very serious condition as is another similar condition, stress fracture. Both of these, if not treated aggressively can lead to tissue necrosis (tissue death). In this case, I most certainly would get the test for anterior compartment syndrome and would ask about whether stress fractures might be involved. I would not start treating this with just massage as massage may not be aggressive enough to get blood flow back to an area blocked by so much edema. Massage during the aggressive process is indicated but it is not enough to take care of these conditions quickly enough. Believe me; you want to take care of this ASAP. If research shows fasciotomy is a good approach then do it, if steroids, then do it!

Just to scare you into taking aggressive action: I worked with a woman years ago who would come in once every 3 or so months for shin splint massage. She was an weekend warrior athlete and it turned out that it was actually stress fractures in both legs. She let it go on so long that she ended up 6 months in a wheelchair such that the tissues could heal. Did she blame me for giving her massage? No, but I never forgot and always take shin splints very seriously and warn people to be sure to take action when there is any possibility of these two problems.

Ultimately, you’ll likely be able to prevent further occurrence with education, massage, ice plunges, and stretching.

Best of Care,
One of the “Hands” at Hands On Health

I can’t recall a time in the last ten years when someone who has asked me what I do for a living is not perplexed or hungry for more information based on the simple words “massage therapy.”  The world of massage has become a standard for many but is still considered an enigma for quite a few.  Well folks, let’s talk massage.  There is no mystery here.  At our office we simply massage your muscles at a pressure that is comfortable for you and reduce the pain you feel in your body or the stress you feel in your muscles.   It’s plain and simple.  A relaxing and professional environment where a client can come to get away from the craziness of the world and leave feeling refreshed.  No voodoo, chanting, or mysterious magic in this office.

Okay, are you still puzzled?  Without going into the physiologic explanation in this blog and boring you with terms that are in Latin, our muscles love to be touched.   A thorough rub down of the major muscle groups can get the oxygen you need into your blood stream so you feel like ”heck yea” I can go to work today!  Who needs caffeine anyway?

I would love to hear your questions and comments.