8 Ways to Make Your Resolutions Work for a Great 2012

    Each year we begin with the best of intentions, wanting to improve ourselves. Towards a healthy body and mind, better relations, more wealth in our lives, we make resolutions to improve. Unfortunately, we often overestimate what we can do and underestimate the time needed to make the changes for our healthy body. Making demands on a body that it isn’t ready for can show up quickly as pain problems. Also, we can be continuing our old pattern of over committing ourselves to activities and under serving ourselves in taking care of our bodies.

   A physical therapist with multiple clinics told me the first quarter of the year had guaranteed income from rehab from all the people trying to complete their yearly resolutions in the first 2 weeks. Sometimes we may need to reduce our activity level or seek care so that we can start off with a clean slate, injury- and restriction-free.

1.      If we remember that our new year’s resolutions are for the year and not for the first week or two, we’ll have a good chance of avoiding injury and pain problems. We’ll have a better chance of completing our resolutions instead of discarding them in the first month.

2.      Give yourself a clear reason why you want-to achieve your resolution, make sure you know why you might-not-want-to and see how the two measure against each other. Too much might-not outweighs too little want-to.

3.      Make sure you ask your friends to help, to give you positive feedback as well as constructive criticism. If you can have someone to be your accountability partner, so much the better for you.  

  

4.      Make sure you have a plan and even ask the experts in the field to help with it. You’ll set yourself up to succeed with these ideas if you believe in yourself and them.

5.      Please give yourself a schedule that uses steps of improvement, for incremental or step-sized change is change that lasts. Starting slow and working up is no crime. No matter if you want to walk/run farther, lift more, swim faster, taking it in bite-sized chunks can be a big factor in your success. If you worry you won’t make enough progress, remember that increasing just 10 percent per week means you’ll be doing more than 500 percent more at the end of the year. Not so bad, eh?

6.      You may be reading this article after you’ve begun overdoing your activity resolutions and have already begun experiencing pain and disappointment. Don’t worry and don’t try to push through the pain.

 

7.      Go see your local Bowenwork practitioner or other wellness practitioner for a tune-up and recovery session to get you back on the road to success.

8.      Be sure about your healthy start and take advantage of my bonus packages available on my website to support your new year’s investment in yourself.

Pain at the End Range of Joints- While the Range Changes the Pain May Not

   In working with a client who is in pain in a particular movement, we must assess their range-of-motion and establish starting points for any change in order to be able to demonstrate improvement. Our client may not realize their improved movement has taken them to the point of pain.

   When we take our movements to the end range of the joint we can encounter pain, which is a feedback mechanism to protect our joints, muscle and tendons.
End range can be:
Structural:

• The limits of the bony surfaces, tendons or ligaments

Physiological:

• In response to overtraining, underuse, lack of stretching or trauma and injury
  

   When we are working with our clients it's important to explain the difference between the two and to emphasize that pain from either can be acute. Typically the client will demonstrate the restriction in movement marked by pain at the limited end range as the reason for the office visit, a sort of “test-to-pain”.


   It is vital at that point to measure or provide for the client a reproducible reminder of their end range. After we work on the area(s) there can be a significant increase in pain-free range-of-motion. This increase may not be noticed by the client as they are eager to “test to pain”. If they find the same pain at end range without being shown the difference in range they can assume there has been no improvement.


   Before the client begins their “test-to-pain” demonstrate the initial end range to give them a point of reference to assess the changes that have taken place. We may have restored 20%, 30%, 50%, even 80% of normal structural motion, but unless we help them to see their starting point, we will never convince them of the journey they have taken.


   We also will be challenged in getting them to continue on their healing journey without that proof. Asking the client to move slowly from the beginning of their range-of-motion can give them a clear idea of their enhanced status. Focusing on the new capacity and emphasizing that new movement habits are being built will serve to stabilize progress and prevent re-injury.


   These ideas are key to helping our client properly evaluate our value to them and maintain them on their healing path.

Cellular Response- What a surprise

   I am in a mild state of euphoria over my continuing work with a new(to me) technique called Cellular Response.It was developed by Dan Yamaguchi, a therapist on call with most of the NFL teams. It is a gentle energetic and structural therapeutic form that has produced some amazing results with my clients and in our practice workshops.Some of what I have witnessed with the technique

• Participated in straightening a clients moderate scoliosis in 20 minutes. 
• Reset a shoulder that has not only been separated and healed incorrectly but was affected by a stroke 20 years previously, restoring motion that hadn't been available in the 20 year period.
• Relieved thoracic outlet syndrome in a few sessions
• Restored postural alignment in less than a minute.
• Reset shoulder and rib imbalances in moments
• Relieved low back strain in a session.

  All of this was done with little effort and minimal or no discomfort to the client. I hope that more people can share this technique. It is available to anyone who is interested in learning it.
I can refer you to upcoming classes and practitioners in California if you are unable to see me.

Holiday Distress or Destress?

De-Stress Your Holidays-
Give Yourself and Those You Love the Gift of Health
   We are called by many outside voices to give, give, give … "Find the right present for my daughter, my wife, my grandmother, show everyone how good a giver I have to be." We are told to be generous to everyone ... except ourselves.


   The tensions of family get-togethers, end-of the year expenses, looking outside ourselves for satisfaction and validation for a job-well-done can take a heavy toll. We find the gift either wasn't appreciated or wanted. We may even find it sold-out before we try to buy it. We are looking for satisfaction and finding frustration. No wonder the holiday season can have the opposite effect we expect.



   We enter the "most wonderful time of the year" following riots in stores over $4 waffle irons, pepper-spraying those who would cut in a checkout line and walking over a dying man to get to a sale item. Perhaps the focus on material items has gotten out of hand? When we put ourselves and others at risk in order to buy a holiday present, it seems our priorities may be just a bit out-of-whack.



   We may feel sore and stressed-out, empty and dissatisfied. Is it the season or the idea of giving that is the problem? No, the problem seems to come when we look into the nature of the gift. Are we genuinely giving what mirrors our love and concern for the recipient? Or are we falling into the "thing trap"?
I'd like to believe that we want the best for our fellow man and woman as well as our family and friends and we are merely under too much pressure to consume, buy and spend by retailers. Push has definitely come to shove and we need to step back and reconsider.



   Finding some quiet time for ourselves to reflect on what is really important can be very helpful.



   What can we give that shows we care, that we want the best for the receiver? What can we enjoy giving, knowing that our gift will be well received? How about the gift of health, of comfort in the morning, easy breathing and movement during the day, pleasant sleep at night?



   How can we do that for those we care about? Promise to be an exercise or diet partner so they can develop a healthy regimen. Offer them an appointment or set of appointments with a health practitioner so they can bring back balance and comfort into their lives. Just as we can do for ourselves.
Taking care of ourselves and those we care about doesn't have to be so hard on us or on them, just give the gift of health.
© Kevin Minney 2011


Special Holidays Offers- 
Free De-stress Kit from Heartmath Institute- 
email me a request and I'll send you one right away



20% off on all sessions and gift certificates booked in December

I Have a Wonderful News
For You Cellular Resonance

A powerful new technique I have waited a year to learn

Let me share the amazing effects with you
I am offering  50% off a session of Cellular Resonance through October

 

Please contact me at my office to set an appointment

Back Pain -A Misdiagnosed Epidemic with Safe Pain-free Answers?

Image by JD'na via Flickr

Low Back Pain- A Misdiagnosed Epidemic?

   Low Back Pain is a problem that is said to affect 80% of the United States population at some time through their lifetimes. Even the common cold would be pleased to reach that many people. There are billions of dollars in lost productivity, medical expenses ranging for prescriptions of anti-inflammatories through the strongest painkillers to Physical therapy, exercise, chiropractic and osteopathic therapies and even surgical intervention. Yet there is no clear understanding in mainstream medical practice of the real causes of low back pain. 
 
   Modern MRI imaging can show us the picture of a bulging or herniated disc with the physician’s focus being on the repair or removal of the injured tissue.  The disc injury has the potential to mechanically press on a nerve root and its herniated material is inflammatory and toxic when in contact with the nerve, resulting in pain and debility for the client but the treatment for the injury often does not address the cause of the disc injury or the lack of recovery after the disc injury has been addressed.
 
   The explanation of how and why the disc came to be in that state is usually omitted.  An analogy might be when our front tire shows abnormal wear, getting the tire replaced without seeing if we have an alignment problem that is causing the wear. We can continue to replace our tires or have on-going therapy, epidural injections and even surgery without addressing the issue that fundamental to our problem. 
 
   Our spine not only carries the central communication cable of our nervous system, the spinal cord, it is the structural “suspension bridge” for our body. As the central structural member, it is intrinsically linked to our lower body movement components, the legs, through the pelvis and sacrum, and to our breathing and upper body support, the ribcage. These links mean it is susceptible to influence from an imbalance in the pelvis, sacrum and ribcage. 
 
    In the case of the pelvis an imbalance can mean that the halves of the pelvis are not level leaving the lower back to have an uneven force acting on it, tipping it as if standing sideways on a hill. This puts a force on the lumbar vertebrae and opens up more space on one side of the spine than the other providing a space for the disc to herniate into. 
 
   In the case of the sacrum it can rotate to support the spine but fail to return to neutral, putting a torquing force into the lower back. 
 
   The ribcage can sustain an injury or restriction that limits its normal movement during breathing. While the body is taking its 11-13,000 breaths each day a side-bending or torquing signal is sent through the spine with each breath.
 
   In very few cases are these basic inputs to the imbalance and injury of the spine considered, let alone addressed. The result is greater costs for the client in terms of continuing pain and debility and in increased medical costs.
 
  Addressing all of the areas mentioned with minimal intrusion on the body is what are called for. Hanna Somatics re-educates the body to proper sequential function, Strain-Counterstrain relieve imbalances throughout the torso, pelvis and legs. Bowenwork  addresses the spine and its cooperative actions with the pelvis, sacrum and ribcage. Using functional restorative exercise like Muscle Balance and Function will provide for stable continuity of these systems. Providing a comprehensive method of quickly and powerfully addressing low back pain for long-term relief and significantly reduced costs is what these modalities can do.

-Kevin Minney

Restless Leg- Time to give it a rest?

   Restless Legs syndrome is a very uncomfortable affliction affecting somewhere between 3% to more than 15% of the population. It is painful, but more seriously it is a sleep thief, keeping sufferers from having comfort and uninterrupted sleep. Cumulatively this can harm health, concentration, relationships, driving safety and work performance. Restless Leg Syndrome  (or RLS) is hard to diagnose. There can be a variety of issues involved, including an associated illness. The overall symptom is discomfort in the legs that appears after beginning any rest.   
   Sufferers have a strong urge to move their legs, which they may be unable to resist. The need to move can be accompanied by sensations that have been described as “creeping”, “itching”, “pulling”, “creepy-crawly”, “tugging”, or “’gnawing”. Symptoms start or increase when resting, the longer the rest, the greater chance the symptoms will occur and the more severe they are likely to be. Symptoms are worse in the evening; postures that can be bothersome during the night are not a problem during the day. Symptoms can reduce when legs are moved, with complete or partial relief coming for as long as the movement continues.       
   RLS often runs in families. It can appear as the result of an underlying condition such as peripheral neuropathy, kidney failure, Parkinson’s and diabetes. Successful treatment of the underlying disease can provide relief of the RLS. Anemia and low iron levels can contribute to worsening of the condition. ADHD is common in children and adults with RLS. More than 80 percent of people with RLS also experience a more common condition known as periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). PLMD is characterized by involuntary leg twitching or jerking movements during sleep that typically occur every 10 to 60 seconds, sometimes throughout the night.    Unlike RLS, the movements caused by PLMD are involuntary-people have no control over them                                                                        
    There has been no research done on the myofascial nature of RLS, as that is not a road that pharmaceutical companies can make a profit on. That said there is ample physical evidence for a fascial basis for RLS, with it cutting across age, gender, and illness lines. The fascial tissue of the body is a common point. 

    If the fascia can be released of excessive tension, then the need to move can go away. And that, with Bowenwork, is what it does. While there have been no controlled clinical tests done using Bowenwork on RLS and PLMD, anecdotal evidence from around the world points to Bowen as having a simple drug-free solution to RLS that can give from 6 months to several years of relief.
References: www.rls.org/NetCommunity/Page; www.ninds.nih.gov/disorder/restlessl_legs/detail_restless_legs.htm

Please check on www.bowenwork.com for practitioners located around the world.

I'd love to hear what you think of this post and any requests you have for future posts.

Thanks

Kevin Minney 2011