Thursday, August 19, 2010

Massage – A Tried and True Method - Part 1

According to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, massage therapy is a practice dating back thousands of years. References to its uses have been found in ancient writings from Greece, Rome, Japan, China, and Egypt.

Massage therapy first became popular in North America in the mid-1800s. It was done for a variety of health reasons, and complemented with the mineral essentials of natural hot spring resorts so fashionable at the time. In the 1930s however, because of advancements in other medical treatments at the time, massage therapy fell out of general favor. However, in the 1970s it made a return, due in part to athletes who discovered its benefits in preparing for, or recovering from, strenuous workouts.

Massage is used in both conventional and alternative medicine therapies. There are more than 80 different types of massage therapy.

The well-known Swedish massage uses long strokes, kneading, and finger pressure on tight or knotted muscles. Trigger point massage uses deeper, more focused pressure on knots that form in muscles. Shiatsu massage applies varying, rhythmic pressure from the fingers on parts of the body that are believed to be key to the flow of vital energy called chi.

In all types of massage, therapists apply pressure and movement mostly with the use of their hands and fingers. However, forearms, elbows, and feet may also be a part a therapist's technique.

Why Massage Therapy?

Experts estimate that nearly ninety percent of disease is stress related. Now more than ever it's imperative that people make the most of self-care options to help decrease and manage stress levels. Massage, the application of soft-tissue manipulation techniques to the body, has been shown to reduce stress and fatigue while improving circulation.

People are often stressed in our culture. Stress-related disorders make up between 80 to 90 percent of the ailments that bring people to family-practice physicians. One of the complaints heard frequently is that physicians don't touch their patients any more. Years ago, massage was a big part of nursing. Now nurses for the most part are as busy as physicians.

In a Massage Journal interview, Dr. Joan Borysendko states, "I believe massage therapy is absolutely key to the healing process not only in the hospital environment but because it relieves stress. It is obviously foundational in the healing process anytime and anywhere."

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Kinesio taping

At this time of the year we have several runners and triathletes coming in with an assortment of injuries. Most of these injuries involve the legs, low back or shoulder, a treatment modality we have been using with some success is Kinesio taping. Below is a short write up we found.

Kinesio tape...It's magic tape to several of my patients!
By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY
There is an entirely different school of taping. It uses just a few strips of placed elastic, cotton tape. No encasing.Called kinesio taping, it originated in Japan about three decades ago. There are kinesio taping procedures for all sorts of muscle and joint problems. The tape is meant to be left on for several days.Kinesio taping for lower back pain, for example, involves two vertical strips on each side of the spine and one horizontal strip over the strained area."There is a method to the madness," says John Jarvis, director of the Kinesio Taping Association, a division of Albuquerque,-based Kinesio USA, a company which imports kinesio tape from Japan for sale in the USA and Canada.Jarvis says kinesio taping "corrects muscle function, improves circulation of blood and lymph, repositions the joint and relieves pain."The placing of the tape along muscles is aimed at assisting movement. "As the muscle fibers contract, Kinesio Tape supports the contraction by pulling and stimulating the skin and muscle back towards the origin," the Kinesio Taping Association says in its literature. It says the lifting of the skin by the tape (which has adhesive activated by body heat) allows lymph to drain more freely."It's completely different from what they (athletic trainers) were trained to do." says Jarvis. "They were going to immobilize something. This is encouraging range of motion."Kinesio USA originally had tape that came in hot pink and blue. It has added beige and black to accommodate teams that don't want it to clash with their colors.In his 2003 book Every Second Counts, Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong noted his team used "a special hot-pink athletic tape that came from Japan and seemed to have magical powers."Armstrong added: "Sometimes we'd be so wrapped up in hot-pink tape that we'd look like dolls, a bunch of broken dolls But the tape worked, so we kept it, because it could fix things."Jarvis says, "The Lance thing really helped us" and that kinesio taping has the attention of athletic trainers.

If you think Kinesio taping maybe of benefit to you, please call to book in an appointment at 905-209-1005

Monday, May 31, 2010

What's NEW at Balanced Living?

Spring is always a busy time at Balanced Living. We have provided Massage Therapy and Naturopathic Medicine at several special events including; Fit for Heart, Angus Glen 10 mile run, Legacy run and regular talks at local buisnesses.
We have also made some changes in the clinic. We have added a new luxurious massage table, which will only enhance the already amazing pregnancy massage threatment. We have also changed around Room 2 to make the Naturopathic visits seem more relaxed and functional. Ask about our Acupuncture treatments and Homeopathic remedies that may enhance your health and healing. The best way to know what would suit your needs is to make an appointment with Gail Sauer Naturopathic Doctor.

Jennifer Corey RMT has returned from maternity leave and is treating patients Tuesday to Saturday for the summer. Don't be disappointed, book in with her today!

Stay tuned for details on our BIKE REPAIR CLASS we will be offering in the next few weeks.

Helping you find balance one treatment at a time.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

More pics from the last few days.





































Feb 17th











Another day in paradise! Yesterday our racing and training on the men's and women's alpine courses was cancelled again, not because of warm temperatures, but because of the amount of snow we received.


So after a short break, several of the medical team members and I went powder skiing on Blackcomb. Let's just say this Ontario boy needs more practice skiing powder. Later in the day I went to watch "Fiest" in concert at the medals plaza, and on my way out I was invited to the Austria house by the medical team from the sliding centre. Many of the larger countries have gathering places or houses for their followers. The Austria house is an eco-friendly house built for the event, and after the Olympics will be donated to the town of Whistler. Last night the house was packed with Austrians celebrating there gold medal in men's biathlon.
All the staff where dressed in traditional clothing, with an Austrian band playing in the background and great food for all.
Today is another day off for the men's course, as the women's downhill is being run. Thursday will be training runs for the super combined race, which combines a downhill race and a slalom run.
I will try to post more pics of training on Thursday if I get a chance.

Sunday, February 14, 2010

Feb 14th, Sorry for not posting more!

Everything here in Whistler has ground to a halt for the last few days for alpine skiing. Due to the warm weather we have been having, the snow has become really soft. In an effort to prevent the course from being beat up, they have postponed everything. The men's downhill will be held early Monday morning then women's combined training run held after that.

The last few days have been a huge blur. Due to course maintenance going on, we have to provide around the clock medical coverage for the course workers. I have had to start at 4am, on the hill, I've never been up so crazy early! Then we sit in a heated hut at the top of the mountain waiting for the sun to rise over the mountains. We then need to work 'till around 3pm as we stand by on the hill for the training runs to finish. These training runs have been fairly lengthy, with several delays due to the cloud and fog rolling over the course. The cloud and fog has been so bad at times that we can't see the next gate down the hill.

Yesterday we had hoped for the women's training runs to happen, but they were called off early. However, we still has our regular training session, but this time it was my turn to be first in on a pracice session (I will try to post more pics tomorrow). It is really amazing to be working with such a great team of providers, and working with all the best equipment including the helicopter/hets crews. It's an experience that I will never forget.

The village has had a noticeable change over the past few days, the crowds have grown, and the excitement is at a new high. With the races being delayed everyone is gathering in the village. I'm surrounded by so many nations, in line I have coaches and racers in front of me and behind. The national pride of those watching is great! Today I had a chance to watch the men's luge, at the sliding centre. There were flags everywhere and for at least a dozen countries, including India!

The internet here is really expensive, over $15 a day, so I have been searching for free coverage. Today I was able to get into the media centre for Whistler/Blackcomb, but could not use my own computer, so no photos today. I have been able to uplaod photos directly to my facebook page, so if you get a chance, look me up.

I hope to get on again tomorrow.

Monday, February 8, 2010













Well I have arrived in Whistler! I have been working on the hill for two days now. These first few days are spent getting to know the course really well, placing toboggans in locations that will allow us easy access to the course and injured athletes, practicing scenarios, and learning the key procedures to be used throughout the Olympics.
I will also be providing medical coverage for the medal ceremonies that are held here in Whistler. There will be 4 ski patrollers and 1 medical doctor at the ceremony where they will start with presenting medals (Gold for Canada!!!) then a concert. They are going to have a number of great bands like Blue Rodeo. This venue is expected to have over 5500 people each night (I have included a couple pictures of this venue).
It really is quite surreal to be walking through the village, or standing in the lift line and see athletes and coaches from 5 to 10 different countries at a time. Today as we were placing the last of our toboggans on the course, meanwhile coaches of several teams were out taking video of the course, and using gauges to measure to snow temperature, to assist with picking the perfect wax for race day.
Tomorrow we will be spending a lot of time standing on the side of the hill behind 3 rows of safety fencing and watching racers scream past us at up to 100km per hour! Oh, did I mention the air they will be getting?! In the afternoon we will continuing with more training scenarios, but this time we will be including the helicopter.
In the event of an injury, a ski patroller will go to the scene and let our chief of patrol (c.o.p.)know what's happening, the c.o.p. sends a doctor and extra patrollers to the scene to assist as well as the helicopter. A helicopter is set up for a HETS rescue. HETS stands for helicopter external transport system, the helicopter has a 100ft + rope hanging from the bottom with a rescuer attached, the helicopter lowers the technician to the ground, them moves away. What a rush, to hang 100ft below a helicopter on a rope. The hets rescuer assist in the packaging of the patient, then calls the chopper back in, he hooks on to the rope hanging from above, then has the chopper leave the scene and take the patient to the medical trailer in the finish area, or directly to the medical clinic. The only time the chopper is not used, is if the accident is near the bottom of the course, or if the weather is so bad and the chopper can't be used safely. I hope to have several pic of this tomorrow.

Go Team Canada Go!

Thursday, February 4, 2010

Less than 2 days till I leave for the Olympics!














Well the packing has now started, I leave on Saturday for Vancouver. I hope to update this blog for all our patients, that way you can share in my excitment, and the experiences that will last a life time.



A bit of background, I applied to volunteer at the Olympics 2 1/2 years ago through the Canadian Ski Patrol System, and VANOC. I found out at the last minute that elegibility for Olymic selection required World Cup experience, preferably at the World Cup in Whistler as it was the testing event for the Whistler Olympic venue. Applying late for the position was not easy as all the spots had been filled. I was put on a waiting list, and a friend of my wife's (thanks Alex ) was able to pass on her recommendation for me to be part of the team. Two weeks before the event started, I got the call asking if I was still interested, and could I be there in two weeks.



The World Cup race was a great experience, we had great team leads, the training was second to none, and I had a few opportunities to ride in a helicopter. I was even the victim for a practice scenario where I was attached to a backboard and flown from the bottom of a long rope below a helicopter to the medical clinic :) make sure you check out these photos.