Author Archive
Muscle knots? Pack on the Heat!
We all know a hot bath, hot water bottle or other source of heat feels good on the body. Heat is both soothing to our sensory system but also penetrates deeply into sore, achy muscles. Heat appears to make the soft-tissues more pliant, releasing tension, and the combination of...
Do you know the differences in massage techniques?
Part 1 Relaxation/Swedish Massage has the goal to relax the entire body. Muscles are massaged with a combination of long gliding strokes, kneading, friction, percussion, compression and stretching. Hot Stone Massage skillfully uses heated river stones with massage strokes to key points on the body, creating sensations of comfort...
Sunshine, Vitamins and the ‘Sunshine Vitamin’
by Dr. Claudia Aguirre, The International Dermal Institute For a star that’s been around for billions of years, the sun sure knows how to stay in the news. A recent headline claimed that sunshine can prevent cancer. This sort of news may seem paradoxical to our understanding of the...
Summer Skin-Saving Tips
1. Sunscreen Is A Must-Have! Should you bring sunscreen? It’s a common question that many of us consider before walking out the door on a sunny summer day. Rather than trying to figure out if you should or shouldn’t, if there will be clouds or shade or not, etc.,...
How Massage Therapy Can Help Reduce Job-Related Stress
Businesses and corporations provided robust employee benefit plans during North America’s economic boom to retain skilled workers. Although there is motivation during present times to reduce those plans during economic recession, wise companies choose to support the health and well-being of their workforce. Workplace benefit plans help businesses mitigate...
Workplace Stress, Worker Health and the Bottom Line – Part I
In the era of downsizing, Canadian workers have increased their workloads to keep up with diminishing budgets and fierce competition in all industries. There are physical, mental and social costs to these workers, with resultant financial and human resource costs on employers’ bottom line. According to data from the...
Healthy Eating; Healthy Skin
The common saying ‘you are what you eat’ doesn’t only apply to our bodies overall health, but what we eat really impacts how our skin appears and feels. Our skin is the largest organ of the body and can really benefit from eating a nutritious and balanced diet. ...
Massage Therapy – Safe, Ethical, Effective Care for Your Well-Being
Your experience of massage may be one of soothing nurturance, but did you know how much training and credentialing your massage therapist has received? In Ontario, Registered Massage Therapists are one of 21 regulated health professions, defined under the same Regulated Health Professions Act as physicians, nurses, physiotherapists, chiropractors,...
Hot Stone Massage Therapy
Massage is perhaps the oldest form of hands-on healing known to humans, easily pre-dating written records. For millennia, people from virtually every culture have used a combination of touch, heat (thermotherapy) and stones as therapeutic tools. The three main cultures which have heavily influenced how modern-day Hot Stone Massage/Stone...
How Massage Can Benefit Your Heart
Did you know regular massage can reduce the risks associated with stress, such as cardiac arrhythmias? Your heart is a huge muscle in your body. It can get sore and tight from being stressed out and always on the go. Think about how your heart feels when you are...