Category Archives: environmental factors

Therapeutic Massage II

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How long will it take to feel better?

This is an often asked question that is not always easy to answer because it is contingent on so many different factors. Firstly younger bodies usually heal faster than older bodies because cell growth and repair happens faster in the young. Secondly the severity and duration of your muscle or joint problem must be taken into account, a muscle that has been repeatedly injured has more internal scarring than a new mild to moderate problem.

During the initial acute phase of treatment you may need to get more than one treatment a week and then as your condition improves your visits will need to be less frequent. The issue of consistency does not just apply to to massage therapists,- acupuncturists, osteopaths, chiropractors and physiotherapists can all achieve better results with regular visits.

It is very easy to forget what it is like to feel “normal”, it is an easy trap to fall into thinking all your aches and pains are the unavoidable consequence of getting older. Obviously a 20 year old  will almost always be fitter and more lithe than a 60 year old, if you have a negative set of expectations about ageing you might think it just is not worth the effort of not even trying massage or maybe you just give up after only one or two treatments.

The next time you see a person with grey hair and wrinkles on their face but they still are fit, agile and upright you are probably looking at someone who did not give up on themselves too soon. Good genetics help but regular attention to body maintenance and exercise usually counts more. Regular effort helps you more than luck alone.

Some therapists are more proactive about showing you preventative and rehabilitative exercises than others. You can get better and faster results through learning  how to help yourself. I have been showing my clients easy and effective ways that they can massage their bodies as well as showing them exercises for a few years now. The clients who follow these instructions require fewer treatments and save themselves money.

Another strategy you might try is to do a massage course and swap massage treatments with your fellow students, it is a nice thing to share with your friends and can encourage you to see more of them.

Some health insurers don’t give you much cover for massage therapy, you may need to shop around and ask them questions about what they are prepared to offer you.

Summer

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In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) summer is believed to have particular affects on our health. The heart for instance is said to have an affinity with summer, many people with weak hearts  find summer heat a burden and even distressing. Many good exercise routines go by the way-side during the summer heat and vacationing often means more booze, rich food and disruptions to healthy routines. By the time we return to our normal lives again going back to the gym can feel like we are starting all over from scratch.

Headache sufferers often find summer a bit of a trial, particularly with migraines, in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) migraines are seen as a problem of internal rising heat that can be triggered by an increase in external heat. ‘Warming’ food and drinks like alcohol, coffee, chocolate and chilli are associated with more frequent headaches in TCM.

In TCM summer has an affinity with accidents like drowning. People tend to travel more for pleasure (sometimes under the influence), doing physical things like camping and playing sport  are more likely to lead to wild life encounters- all of these things help increase the chances of you visiting the emergency department of the local hospital.

Hot weather can interfere with your normal sleep, sap you of energy and make you less productive as a result. Some psoriasis sufferers find their skin is worse. Summer heat also causes “rushes of blood to the head”, 

There was a health study conducted many years ago that showed people were at their most belligerent in a room temperature of 92 degrees Fahrenheit (about 35 degrees Celsius). Is it any wonder that some go a little crazy at this time of year.

Fortunately there are simple things we can do that will mitigate summer health hazards like drinking more water and avoiding full sun exposure. Many of us drive longer distances on roads we are unfamiliar with at this time of year so some realistic planning of how long our trips are can help you avoid accidents due to driver fatigue.

The body metabolises drugs and alcohol differently day and night particularly in summer. Uppers like speed, methyl ice and ecstacy have a stronger affect on you during hot days partly because a more rapid pulse further heats your body. This includes alcohol, so drinking some water between alcohol drinks can help you avoid dehydration. Alcohol suppresses anti diuretic hormone which stops you from peeing too much so you need extra water.

It’s not all negative though, stretching exercise is usually much easier and more enjoyable to perform in warmer weather, so is hiking and swimming. Wearing your bathing suit can help motivate you to cut down to a healthier body weight. Camping out in a tent can help leg strength and flexibility because you are getting up and down off the ground more than you otherwise might at other times of the year. Osteoarthritis symptoms tend to be less severe in the summer too.

Please avoid running at the hottest part of the day, muscle melt down can kill you.

Exercise and Work

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It is usually much easier to convince an office worker than a manual labourer that they need to get regular exercise, after all if you have been climbing up ladders, digging threnches, laying pavers and loading/ unloading vehicles all day you shouldn’t need regular physical exercise should you?, Wrong!.

The way you use your body when you do most jobs is very different to how you use your body when you exercise. When you work you are focused on the task at hand, if you are right handed you will use it to operate power tools for instance because it is more productive and safer than using your left hand, so a right handed worker will usually have much more muscular development in their right hand, arm, shoulder and upper back than on their left side, this right/left muscular strength imbalance can give you a crooked spine and cause premature wear and tear on that side of your body. When you exercise, the body is used in a much more ambidextrous way which keeps your spine straighter by fostering even right/left sided muscular strength.

Work can help make you physically stronger in a task specific way but it is unlikely to do so in a way that will give you good stature and proportion. As far as stretching exercise is concerned how many occupations require you to actually stretch your muscles in the course of executing your duties?, unless you are a Yoga teacher (for instance) leading the class by demonstrating exercises, who ever stretches at work?

Watch a person who is exercising with good technique, the way they lift weights is much different to how a worker might unload bricks from his ute, exercise is as much about technique as it is about effort, in order to exercise properly you must be posture conscious and aware that you give all your major muscle groups a good even workout, the focus of physical effort at work is about achieving tasks so you get paid, the whole mission is different in focus and execution.

If you have a manual occupation and feel too physically tired after work to exercise you may need to do it before work and make a point of exercising on the weekend too, a strategy to accomodate exercise no matter what your circumstances is important and will have a direct consequence on your health in the medium and long term future. If you are a resourceful person you can make opportunities to exercise, you don’t need a state of the art gym to exercise, you can use 5 minutes in your morning tea break to stretch your legs or do some neck stretches sitting in your car waiting for the lights to change, you will probably find many inventive ways to exercise if you go looking for them.

Work and exercise are different activities with different purposes and objectives and should be viewed as such, labour is no substitute for exercise.

Spring

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Winter has gone and with it the layers of clothing hiding our imperfections. New Gym memberships peak at this time of year, bicycles and surfboards get dusted off,  walking tracks fill up, garden clean-ups and make overs are heralded by the buzz of mowers and chain saws and camp grounds fill up too- all of these things have one thing in common, the use of dormant muscles that let you know they have not been used for months.

Whether improved fitness is your goal or simply the by-product of having fun it is sensible to have a realistic approach and plan to avoid injury and other misadventure.

*It only takes a few days after exercise to start losing physical condition, don’t restart exercise or sport at the level you last did it, start modestly and gradually work up to where you want to be.

* If you like exercising outdoors doing it at the hottest part of the day not only increases the risk of dehydration and sunburn it saps your energy faster and therefore limits the time you can spend doing it and achieving the results you seek.

*Running is free and a fast way to achieve weight loss and cardio fitness, doing it on grass and sand is way friendlier on your joints than running on roads and pavement, an injury to your knee or calf muscle can set you back weeks or even months.

*All continents except for Antarctica have a tic population, Lyme disease can seriously effect your energy levels for years after you get it, whether you are gardening or in the bush insect repellant, protective clothing and sticking to the beaten track will help you enjoy Spring and Summer alot more.

Whatever extra  physical activity you undertake listen to what your body tells you, sometimes we can stubbornly work through the pain barrier and find we are ok afterwards, sometimes after the body’s own pain-killers wear off a few hours later we can be full of pain and regret….alcohol can mask the damage too!

Getting a massage is  good preparation for Spring, I get regular massage and I invariably discover muscles that I did not realise were stiff or sore, the massage not only helps prime the muscles for exercise, it acts as an early warning system- stiff muscles tear more easily.

It is often wise if you are unsure where to start to get some professional instruction if you want to get fit, it is not wise to assume that the exercises you did playing junior sport are still going to work for you now (men are particularly bad offenders at doing this).

*Google the exercise and fitness sites, do some research.

*An instructor close to your own age may have better insight and understanding about what will work for you than a younger instructor who has never had to cope with age related injury before.

*The best exercise regimes should include cardio, resistance and stretching exercises.

*Be consistent and be patient for results.

Stress and happiness

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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is effective in assisting people with stress related problems because it has recognised the effect of emotions on physical health for a long time. Part of the TCM paradigm is the idea that it is  normal and healthy to feel all of the emotions in more or less even measures and to be calm in between.

In TCM even joy should have it’s limits, it is great to feel happy but it doesn’t teach humility and acceptance like grief does, nor teach us courage like fear does and it doesn’t make us question ourselves like anger does.

The not-so-pleasant emotions can be energising when they are consciously channeled, fear, anger and anxiety are a part of life, it is up to us what we do with these feelings.

Anger and aggression can be positively channelled into sport and exercise, making us physically fitter in the process. Anger can be defined as the fear of not having control and it can be a fuel for us to take back control of our own lives, it can also impel us to fight for the rights of others who cannot fight for themselves. A person who is habitually angry certainly does not need more of it but a person who is timid or lacking in confidence could benefit greatly by channeling aggression into assertiveness.

The healthy expression of anger need not be confined to physical exercise, it can be positively expressed in dance, music, writing or visual arts through colour, words and sounds, it does not need to be “good” art, just an honest expression of yourself. Sometimes having a good shout with your windows up driving around the block can help too.

Fear can be energising, getting a sense of your own mortality can be a real wake up call, it is hard for anybody to appreciate what they have without the fear at some stage that he may lose it all. A close call to disaster whether it is real or imagined can give us the necessary impetus to get a healthier life style and pay closer attention to the relationships that matter most to us. Surviving a scary situation can certainly break the monotony of a dull existance and make us more interesting people with compelling stories to tell.

Perhaps more than any emotion, grief can make us recognise how deep we can love another person, knowing grief makes us more compassionate and appreciate just how precious life is. Like the other emotions grief should be expressed and given some purpose, some truly moving writing, music and art have been inspired by it- experiencing such inspired art can help you to  do your own overdue grieving. There is something cleansing about grief, sharing grief with another can help us forget our petty differences with them and help us focus on what we have in common with them.

Having a rich mixture of emotional experiences makes us adaptable and keeps life interesting, all the things that make us better people are never easy when they are happening.

TCM has some very interesting perspectives on not only how emotions can effect us but also on how we can use and change them.