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Hello, and welcome to the March 2016 newsletter! Here Comes Spring! The days are growing
longer, and it won’t be long before many of us are getting busy working in the yard or on any
number of other springtime activities.
Be sure to take things slowly as you increase your physical efforts, so you won’t overtax or
damage your muscles. And get that next massage scheduled to keep your body operating at
peak levels!
This issue’s lead article points out some important ways your regular massages can help you to
keep those muscles in healthy motion. The accompanying article is a good reminder that we can
overwork some of our smaller muscles, too.
Remember, if you have any questions regarding your health and how massage can help you, just
ask.
Keep making massage a healthy priority in your life; see you soon for your next appointment!
Celebrate the coming of Spring with a massage gift certificate
for that special person in your life! Call today to order ...
How massage aids muscle healing
Works like anti-inflammatory pills
Massage helps relieve pain in damaged muscles by sending anti-inflammation messages to
muscle cells, Canadian researchers have found.
Athletes have long sought massages to relieve pain and promote recovery. Despite reports that
long-term massage therapy reduces chronic pain such as back pain, the biological effects of
massage on muscles weren't known.
Now scientists at McMaster University in Hamilton have found evidence at the cellular level that
massage blunts muscle pain in a similar way to anti-inflammatory pills.
The study in ... the journal Science Translational Medicine examined the effects of massage
therapy versus no treatment on the quadricep muscles of 11 young men who were recreationally
active.
Scientists studied samples from the men before they exercised to the point of exhaustion, just
after and then 2½ hours afterwards.
Massage could also help the elderly, those suffering from musculoskeletal injuries and people
with chronic inflammatory disease, although that idea still needs to be tested, cautioned the
study's lead author, Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of the pediatrics department at McMaster.
The study does offer evidence that massage is a safe and viable option to use in medical
practice, he said.
"We know that exercise is a panacea of goodness," Tarnopolsky said in an interview. "Massage
might enhance some of the favourable benefits that we get from exercise."
When the researchers analyzed the muscle tissue samples for tears and signs of damage in the
cells, they found massage seemed to blunt muscle pain using the same route that antiinflammatory pain relievers do.
What's more, Tarnopolsky said, the anti-inflammatory signals released by massage also
improved the ability of muscle cells to make new mitochondria — the furnaces that convert food
into energy.
That could explain how massage seems to speed up recovery in athletes with injured muscles,
the study's authors said.
Tarnopolsky, who normally treats muscular dystrophy and mitochondrial disorders, became
interested in investigating massage after he tore all of his hamstring muscles while waterskiing.
He received massage therapy as part of his physiotherapy following surgery. ...
None of the researchers knew which leg was massaged except the massage therapist and the
leg that was massaged was randomly selected — two experimental steps that add validity to the
findings. ...
"Definitely, [massage] is tiring the muscles out so they can relax and recover," said Jaqueline
Gradish, a personal trainer in Toronto who lifts at least 1,000 pounds a day with her clients.
The study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and
Warren Lammert and family.
Source: http://www.cbc.ca/
Digital eye strain growing—
All the time we spend on computer screens and smartphones is taking a toll on our eyes. A new
survey of more than 10,000 adults shows that 65 percent of Americans experience uncomfortable
symptoms of digital eye strain, such as headaches, dry or irritated eyes, blurry vision, and neck
pain. The condition is most prevalent among Millennials, who tend to use more than one device
simultaneously. Holding small screens less than a foot from their eyes reduces the rate of
blinking, which can lead to eye dryness, irritation, and redness. Digital screens also emit blue
light, which may cause cellular damage deep inside the eye. “Our eyes are not built to stare at
digital screens all day, but the demands of our modern-day world frequently put us in front of a
screen for hours every day,” optometrist Justin Bazan tells MedicalDaily.com. “It’s the problem
everyone has but no one knows they have.” He and other eye experts advise taking a 20-second
break every 20 minutes and looking 20 feet away, which will relax your focusing muscles.
–The WEEK Jan 29, 2015
It's not stress that kills us, it's our reaction to it.
—Hans Selye
People can only treat us in the way in which we allow.
—Jada Pinkett Smith
The content of this letter is not intended to replace professional medical advice. If you’re ill, please consult a physician.
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