Make the best of your treatments~
plan to not go back to work after,skip the gym, don't take a long run that evening, drink lots of room temp water and don't partake in alcohol. Most importantly let yourself to to bed early so your nervous system can restore very deeply!! You treatment will last much longer.

Prepare and Recover with Sports Massage!
We know that you can run though pain however in order for you to have a long career as a runner it is not good to not help your body recover and heal.  The longer you leave your pain or injury uncheck the longer it will take you to heal from the damage.  

Our Sports Massage Therapists can help you increase blood flow for greater reduction in swelling and increase capacity for healing.

Common Injuries that we work with during marathon training and competition season:

• Runner's knee  is a wearing away of the back of the kneecap, causing pain in the knee.
  
• Iliotibial band syndrome, a.k.a. ITBS Marked by a sharp, burning knee or hip pain, ITBS is a very common running injury among marathoners. Indeed, it's responsible for as many as 80% of all overuse pains on marathon day. Massage is GREAT for this!!!!
  
• Shin splints The most common type of shin splints happen on the inside of legs.
• Plantar fasciitis is also known as pain in the middle of arch of the foot.
• Achilles tendonitis is a running injury that typically occurs from abnormal foot strokestroke in push-off and too-tight calf muscles
• Muscle Pulls for example hamstring, quads, or any other muscle, pulls come from not being flexible and/or overexerting specific muscles.

Read more about a Sports Massage treatment with an Inner Connections practitioner.

As fall turns into winter, many people experience a mild form of depression also know as seasonal affective disorder (SAD).  In addition to feeling depressed, people may experience irritability:

•  headaches, 
• extreme fatigue and lethargy, 
• increased appetite, 
• carbohydrate cravings, 
• an inability to concentrate, 
• and decreased libido. 

It is thought that people with SAD produce too much melatonin.  Our brains produce this hormone during the hours of darkness and it helps regulate sleep, body temperature and the release of hormones.  Too much melatonin disrupts our internal body clock leading to depressive symptoms. Other factors contributing to SAD may include diet, genetics, hormones, and stress.

Acupuncture, often considered for its effects on pain control, can be helpful in treating depression.  From a western medical perspective, preliminary research studies have shown that acupuncture releases serotonin and noradrenaline-norepinephrine in animals, common stimulants used in the treatment of depressive disorders.

Acupuncture, combined with other modalities such as light therapy, diet and exercise, can indeed help bring the body back to balance. Light therapy includes dawn-simulating alarm clocks and light boxes that help the body maintain its circadian rhythms.  There may be a tendency to become more inactive and isolated in winter, but it is important to keep active.  Consider outdoor activities, especially when the sun is shining.  Indoor stretches and exercises such as swimming, yoga, or tai qi, are excellent ways to keep a healthy mind and body. Special care should be taken to ensure a healthy diet in winter months. Researchers in Britain looked at depression and diet and found that people who ate a junk food diet — one that was high in processed meat, chocolates, sweet desserts, fried food, refined cereals and high-fat dairy products — were more likely to report symptoms of depression.  The good news is that the people who ate a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and fish were less likely to report being depressed.

It’s also important to appreciate the natural changes in the seasons and within ourselves.  Allow yourself to rest more and spend some time with your thoughts during this season.   By addressing your physical and mental needs in the winter, you naturally adopt a healthy balanced lifestyle.  

I love the Organic Serenity Pillow.  I have been referring clients to this pillow for years and only hear one response...THANK YOU!  I have given this pillow to the most finicky necks and most painful headaches and have heard nothing but great responses.  

I am not one to sell products I just want to share great resources and help the aching necks and sore morning shoulders of the world.  

Here is the description of the pillow from The Comfort Store's website:
Serenity Pillows use organically grown cotton fabric, certified organic buckwheat and millet hulls, and organic wool or Eco Wool because they're best for your health and the health of the environment. You'll sleep better with a pillow free of any contaminants or noxious off gassing and feel better knowing that it has been made with care for your total well being.

The Rejuvenation Pillow provides a great solution for side sleepers who need between 4" - 6" of pillow height and stable support. Most pillows don't give you that much which is why so many people wake up during the night to punch and fold their pillow!

I recommend a local Columbus company that ships the product for free.  

The Comfort Store
Phone Toll Free 1 888 867 2225

http://sitincomfort.com/orsepiwomibu.html

May you finally sleep great!
Suzi

We have all heard of Fibromyalgia (FMS), perhaps because of someone we know or love.  At this time about 2% of all Americans, or to put it another way 4.8 million people, suffer from this debilitating syndrome.  Yet what is it exactly?

These are the characteristics of Fibromyalgia: migrating, widespread pain affecting muscles, joints and connective tissues, chronic headaches, impaired immune function, exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, and disrupted (non-restful) sleep. Symptoms can last for weeks, months and in many case years. Unsurprisingly, many Fibromyalgia sufferers also grabble with depression.  A medical diagnosis of FMS (similarly with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) is usually arrived at by a process of elimination.  When all other possibilities have been exhausted, Fibromyalgia is what is left.  

No one yet knows exactly what causes FMS.  Case histories have shown that the majority of sufferers have had a triggering event such as the physical shock of a car accident.  Other common triggers are psychological trauma and viral infections.  Sleep disturbances and hormonal imbalances can also play a part.  According to the Annapolis Center for Effective CFS/Fibromyalgia Therapies in Maryland, FMS cannot be pinned down to just one cause.

This can be very confusing and frustrating for the patient.  Particularly as it means doctors are often unable to offer them a treatment plan. 

What does seem to help is a regime of bodywork, exercise, proper nutrition and rest. Specifically, properly performed massage therapy.  I use italics because it is critical to listen and appropriately respond to the client with Fibromyalgia. Sometimes a client will feel the pressure can’t get deep enough, other times the lightest touch will bring agony.  

Working with Fibromyalgia is a special love of mine.  In my practice, I use a combination of massage and movement.  I have found myofascial release to be very effective in the treatment of FMS.  This is a subtle and less forceful approach that enables me to work deeply into the connective tissue and musculature with minimal discomfort for the client.  In those instances or in areas where the any manipulation is too much, I use Reiki techniques (light holds which bring healing energy).   Clients report that this gives them feelings of calm and a sense of release.  Some have stated they felt a relief from the emotional anguish resulting from chronic pain.

Many studies confirm that an exercise routine is absolutely required for Fibromyalgia sufferers.  As I am also a certified yoga instructor, I have worked with many clients to create yoga classes that are specific to their needs.  How vigorous or restorative the sequence depends entirely upon the individual.  My goal is to help them establish a practice that they can do at home.  It has certainly proven to be helpful not only with pain management, but depression as well. Improvements in flexibility and balance helped one particular woman feel “less disabled”.  

Something I also like to suggest for those who are unsure of their mobility is a Thai Yoga Massage.  These sessions are performed on a thick floor mat.  The client is passive while I stretch and massage their limbs, gently moving them through modified yoga postures.  Pillows and props are used to stabilize and support.  This is an especially good way to get a read on one’s flexibility.  Most are pleasantly surprised at how much flexibility they actually have! 

The key to the success of any of these therapies is consistency.  It takes more than just one or two sessions.  Bodywork, as part of a healthy lifestyle, is reported to be the top therapy for providing short-term relief and long-term improvement of the symptoms of Fibromyalgia.  

Further information on any modality listed above is available at www.innerconnect.biz or at my personal site www.bodysattvatherapies.net.  If you have additional questions, feel free to contact me directly at tarahedgeslmt@gmail.com or via phone at 614-561-6867. 

To Your Health!

Tara Hedges, LMT, RYT

I love putting people in connection with great resources!   Lately the question of meditation practice has been coming up from our clients and I have found another great resource to point out.  Cynthia Clingan at http://mindbodyspiritacademy.org
is a Life Coach and trained Counselor.  Her insight and instruction will help you either begin your meditation practice or deepen into a layer of supported practice.  I urge you if you are new and timid about meditation to GO to her practice.  There is no commitment, no expectation to be perfect.   Just show up as you are and being to change your nervous system and revitalize your health one breath at a time.

~Namaste~ Suzi Wilkoff


Meditation Practice and Discussion

All levels of practice welcome
Tea and chairs provided
Bring cushion or blanket if needed
Free (suggested donation $2)

Tuesday Evenings
7-8:30pm

6797 N. High St.
Suite 223
Worthington 43085

Call Cynthia Clingan
For details
(614) 205-6411