Brain Waves – What do they do for us?

Beta, Theta, Alpha waves- they sound more like fraternities than important activity in our brain. However, these brainwaves seriously affect our ability to cope with stress, our sleep patterns, our immunity and our anxiety levels. In our busy world many of us have a deficiency in alpha and theta waves. So what are the different brainwaves?

1. Beta – keep us alert, help us to work
2. Alpha – helps us relax, reflect, daydream
3. Theta – deeper state of relaxation where we often get a free flow of ideas
4. Delta – our sleep and dream waves

Ever notice how energetic and carefree children can be and wish you could be a bit more like them? That’s because they spend way more time in alpha and theta wave activity. Of course as we become adults we have to spend more time in beta activity because we don have many responsibilities in regards to work and family. However, we can often get stuck in that brain pattern and the result is our thoughts race and we cannot quiet our mind. We don’t sleep will, we get sick more often and our tolerance levels go way down. This is where Cranial Sacral Therapy can help. With this treatment there is a marked increase in alpha and beta brainwave activity. CST helps us quiet our mind and reduces insomnia. Our immune system also gets a boost and we increase our overall energy and youth. So try a cranial sacral treatment and feel your tension melt away as you relax not only physically but mentally too!

The Psoas muscle, in my opinion, is overlooked in many treatment rooms. The first time I realized this was when I went to Edmonton to see  Body Worlds and  saw the psoas muscle on real human bodies. It is a HUGE muscle, with is primary action being hip flexion. Think about it we are in hip flexion most of the day sitting at desks.  The psoas is constantly firing during  road riding, down hill skiing, mountain biking,  kayaking and running.

In the course I recently took I learnt a few tools on how to release the psoas muscle. It might possibly be the most uncomfortable muscle to get massaged, but sometimes it just needs to be done!

The Psoas muscle is a large muscle that attaches onto the lumbar spine. If you removed all your organs in your stomach and looked right through from the front you would be able to see it. It then attaches onto the femur at the lesser trochanter.

Zuzana

Low back and hip pain are  common health complaints. Almost everyone will experience low back or hip pain at some time in their life. Many conditions can cause low back and hip pain however the most common cause is muscle or ligament strains. Zuzana’s treatment will be based on assessment and movement analysis of the hip and will be customized to everyone’s specific needs. A variety of deep tissue massage techniques will be used, such as trigger point release, myofascial release, transverse friction massage, and others that aid in mobilizing the hip and low back by lengthening the tight muscles. The treatment will end with PNF and active stretching techniques.

At least a 60 minutes treatment is required. Book your appointment today.

Special Offer for YOU: 90 min. Foam Roller Workshop $39.00

Almost everyone has a foam roller collecting dust in the corner of the living room…it’s time to learn how to use it! The foam roller is a powerful tool for releasing deep myofascial chains – the bands of connective  tissue that support the body. It is also effective at isolating and enhancing spinal and core stabilizers. This 90 min. workshop will cover a full-body massage as well as stabilization exercises taught by the skilled instructors of re:focus PILATES.

Back At It Massage and Acupuncture has teamed up with re:focus PILATES to offer you this useful workshop.

“Foam Rollers are the Poor Man’s Massage Therapist”

• Get adequate amounts of sleep.
• Stay hydrated – with water.
• Eat a balanced diet – whole foods, vegetables and fruits. A diet high in antioxidants, minerals and vitamins.
• Dress properly – warm appropriate clothing. Cover the back of your neck. There are superficial meridians that run along the back of your neck and when exposed to cold weather they become easily invaded and the body can begin to develope signs and symptoms of a cold.
• Echinacea tea and/or oil of oregano – daily or every other day, as we transition into winter.
• Probiotics – healthy intestinal fora promotes a healthy immune system. Take as a supplement, or incorporate yogurt into your diet.

Home Remedy

For very initial cold signs and symptoms such as fatigue, scratchy throat, body aches, slight chills.

• 5 slices of ginger – about 3mm. thick (can leave skin on)
• 5 blubs of green onion – about 1-1.5 inches

Boil in 2 litres of water for about 5-7 min. (no longer than 10, as these are fragrant herbs and over cooking them will cause them to lose their healing properties). It is okay to add a little brown sugar or honey if you’d like. Do your best to drink the whole decoction in one sitting, and wrap yourself in a blanket to promote sweating.

Do this AS SOON AS you feel a cold coming on. If you have had the cold for a few days already this will not work.

Kitchen Cupboard

Cold type cold

Symptoms – Body aches, more chills, runny nose

Herbs – ginger, garlic, perilla leaf, cinnamon

Heat type cold

Symptoms – Feverish/sweating, stufffy nose, sore throat

Herbs – Peppermint, eucalyptus, chrysanthemum, mulberry leaf

If you are feeling any of the above symptoms, you can incorporate these herbs into your diet or drink as tea.

Any questions – sara.dtcm@gmail.com

Are Leggings Bad For You?

By
Joanna Douglas

Leggings are one of those garments you either love or you hate, but we think they’re awesome. They’re great for the gym or hanging around at home, but they’re equally wonderful with a tunic and boots or layered under a dress for warmth in the winter. And while they’re beyond comfortable and seem to hold all your jiggly bits in place, they may actually be bad for you. Say it
ain’t so!

British physiotherapist Sammy Margo says that while leggings feel slimming and wonderful, they’re making your muscles lazy. “They hold in and support the quadriceps (thigh muscles), buttocks and core muscles in your tummy, and do the job the muscles are supposed to do,” Margo told the Daily Mail. “As a result, the muscles are allowed to relax and switch off, so when we reveal our bodies for the first time as summer approaches, they are not as svelte or firm as they otherwise
would be.”

Wow, so while we got lazy about fashion, our bodies got lazy too? Margo added that by wearing leggings all the time we’re just ignoring the problem. “Leggings hide the bits of our bodies we don’t like, such as the cellulite on our legs or our ‘muffin top’ so we are able to ignore the problem and we are less motivated to exercise these parts.” Crap, she might be right.

So in other words, a winter full of leggings will make our bodies worse off for swimsuit season. Could this mean the end of leggings? And JEGGINGS? The Daily Mail suggests walking around in ankle weights and doing core exercises with a string around your waist (what?), but we’re going to hit the gym after work. Just in case.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ux1crFTxL6A&feature=related]