I was talking to a friend the other day and she mentioned that she had bought her mom a gift certificate for a massage three years ago and she has never used it because she was afraid the therapist would be grossed out by the moles on her back and not want to work on her.
I was shocked! Not by the moles, they’re perfectly normal, but surprised that someone would think a health care professional would look down on someone the way she had imagined.
Sadly, this is not the first time I’ve heard of folks being ashamed about their body in some way that got in the way of them seeking treatment from an RMT. We all have body parts we’re not happy with, (knees are just plain weird looking for example) but we’re all human and have more in common than not.
I’ve had clients apologize about their body hair, their weight, their aging skin, stretch marks, pimples, dimples and the way their broken bones healed as if I was holding them to some golden standard of human perfection. And these are the folks that mange to come in! But I don’t judge. I truly believe all bodies are unique and wonderful just as they are.
When you’re in the treatment room, you’re in a non-judgemental zone. We’re focused on your body on your terms, with fully clothed massage being an option if that is what you’re comfortable with, you’ve got bodily autonomy.
Did you know massage therapy has actually been found to help people improve their relationship with their body? It encourages bodily awareness and introduces the sensation of touch in a non-threatening way.
“Our experience of touch forms an important foundation for our sense of self,” writes Thomas Pruzinsky in Body Images: Development, Deviance, and Change.
(The Guilford Press, 1990)
Since touch is a powerful method of communication, “a change in one’s sense of self may be facilitated through therapeutic touch.” If you want to see that in action, there’s a great case study by Linda Maxfield and Dr. Fiona Holland that you can check out. It outlines the changes in a young dancer’s thoughts about her body over the course of just four massage therapy treatments.
RMTs are here to treat you with the reverence and respect we believe all people deserve. Creating a safe space for us to work through your treatment goals and supporting you in your journey to optimal living is our objective. So don’t let that gift certificate go to waste if you’ve got one laying around. Come on in and see how much better you can feel physically, and strengthen the relationship you have with your body at the same time!
A FAQ that many of our massage clients ask our Registered Massage Therapists during their treatments are what self-care practices they can do post-treatment or in-between treatments to maintain optimal mobility. Our team of massage practitioners are big advocates of using RAD mobility and massage tools to help your body function and perform at its best. So what makes these products as rad as their name?
At PBH, we carry an assortment of RAD tools that are designed by experts and serve to: improve body movement and propel radial lives through innovative tools and education. To help you discover which RAD tool is right for your needs, we have created an easy breakdown below of the products that we carry in-clinic.
RAD Roller
RAD Rollers have been coined as the most functional massage and release tools ever designed. They are meticulous enough to target each of your muscles and are compact enough to be portable. Not to mention, the Rollers are effortless to use. They come in three firmness levels: Original, Stiff and Soft.
The Original RAD Roller has a texture that is soft enough to use on tender areas like your neck, yet firm enough to unbind more complex muscles like your back and legs. The Stiff is built for athletes or those who want a firmer texture. This Roller is less bendable in the middle, so you can turn it sideways and work on areas, such as your pectoral and inner leg muscles. The Soft, on the other hand, is catered towards beginners who wish to work with a more gentle touch on more sensitive areas of the body, such as the neck or scalp.
RAD Rod
The RAD Rod is a thin myofascial release tool that allows you to control the level of pressure. This product is made with high-quality materials and has a steel-core centre surrounded by a soft outer shell. It’s slender design and concentrated release enables you to relieve tight muscles and built-up toxins.
RAD Centre
The RAD Centre is an inflatable ball that is solely designed for visceral release, meaning it will break up tension inside your organs, specifically those found in your abdominal walls. Additionally, it’s soft touch will help you scan over your whole body to target delicate areas without inducing pain and flush out any sore muscle.
RAD Atom
The RAD Atom comes in handy when you aren’t in need of the accuracy of a point release tool, but you are in need of compression and circulation in your large muscle groups, such as the glutes and hips. You can either use this tool for your basic rolling or get deeper compression by inserting one end of the RAD Rod into its centre hole. This essentially creates a self-directed, crowbar-style tool that opens up any muscle you target.
RAD Helix
The RAD Helix steps up your rolling game from the traditional foam roller. Its anatomy reflects the shape of a double helix, which makes it a solid companion in unlocking stiffness on two planes and increasing your back’s range of motion by flushing out toxins. This product is also designed to give relief to your calves, quads, hamstrings and hips.
RAD Rounds
RAD Rounds give you three times the relief with their small size and firm density to selectively mobilize muscles in unlike other tools. The RAD Rounds come in three different sizes with varying densities: Large, Green Round; Medium, Blue Round; and Micro, Black Round.
The Large, Green Round is smaller and softer than the Original RAD Roller and offers pinpoint precision on hamstrings, hips and calves, neck and shoulders, and feet. The Medium, Blue Round gives concentrated release to tiny, tense muscles within the face, hands, and feet – perfect for runners and high-heel lovers. The Micro, Black Round unlocks the most minuscule of muscles in the face, hands, and feet. It is recommended to warm up with either of the larger Rounds and then follow up with the Micro Round. For those who wish to heighten the amount of control and focused release, they can pair the RAD Rounds can be coupled with the RAD Block.
RAD Recovery Rounds
RAD Recovery Rounds are softer rollers that work to stimulate fascia and heighten tissue resiliency. You can use these massaging rounds anywhere on your body to wake up your muscles, stimulate your nervous system and achieve a new level of recovery.
RAD Axle
Like the Rad Helix, the RAD Axle takes foam rolling technology to the next level with its combination of modern form with multifunctional features. Its shape is built specifically for serving the spine and legs and is a great way to warm up and flush out every part of the body.
RAD Block
The RAD Block is a multi-purpose prop that not only secures and stores the RAD Roller and RAD Rounds, but also raises their height to give you better leverage in hard-to-reach places and stabilizes your tools so that you can isolate pressure without the roll.
If you wish to learn more about creating a RAD self-care routine for your body, any of our RMTs can answer any questions about the products and show you how to use them!
Are you currently paying out of pocket to visit your local therapist or receive treatment not covered by our provincial plan or your group plan? Would you have to pay out of pocket should an emergency arise? Most Canadians would answer yes to this question and, if you did too, then personal health insurance could be right for you.
Why Personal Health Insurance?
Did you know the Provincial medical system only covers acute hospital care and you are responsible for further recovery treatments? Many Canadians believe that they won’t need to pay anything for medical expenses until it is too late and the consequences of not having any protection can have a serious impact on finances.
Consider something common such as a pulled muscle. It’s likely that you wont even need to go to the hospital, but a doctor will most likely recommend a series of physiotherapy and massage therapy treatments. If you were to go to each of these practitioners twice a week for a two-month recovery time, then you would be looking at expenses over $3000. Now consider the effects of something long term, more severe or requiring further treatment, and you can see how quickly this can become unmanageable.
The secret is that you can get coverage that, in many cases, has a lower monthly premium then just one practitioner visit!
What is Personal Health Insurance?
Personal Health Insurance provides affordable coverage for health and dental expenses, medical emergencies and many other services which are not covered by provincial plans. These insurance plans can include coverage for:
Paramedical Practitioners such as: acupuncturists, chiropractors, naturopaths, osteopaths, physiotherapists, podiatrists/chiropodists, psychologists, registered massage therapists and speech language pathologists
Prescription drugs
Dental
Medical equipment and ambulance
Emergency Travel
Vision Care
Who Can Benefit from Health Insurance?
All Canadians should have some form of health protection through either personal health insurance or group insurance. Because of this, personal health insurance is ideal for individuals who don’t meet the employment status, those who are working for a company that doesn’t offer benefits, entrepreneurs, self-employed professionals, contract workers and seasonal employees. It can also be used in addition to a group plan for families that need increased coverage room above their existing plans.
Is It Hard to Apply For?
As far as insurance applications go, personal health insurance is one of the easiest to apply for! Applications are short and can be done online by visiting www.sunlife.ca/patrick.boyd or I can assist you over the phone at 250-385-1471 extension 2262.
The Fertility Diet is based on solid scientific data from an eight-year study of more than 18,000 women – part of the landmark Nurses’ Health Study. These guidelines are not only for couples seeking to improve IVF, GIFT, ICSI outcomes. It can be used by anyone who is trying to get pregnant now or in the future (such as with egg or embryo freezing). The Fertility Diet can work on its own or help augment assisted reproduction technologies.
Why Improve Pre-Conception Health?
Improves chances of a successful IVF, IUI, Embryo transfer or any reproductive technology.
Benefits the heart, bones, and rest of the body throughout pregnancy and after.
Offers a healthy start to a pregnancy for mother and child – which means less complications for child birth and delivery later.
To Improve Your Pre-Conception Health:
1: Avoid inflammation promoting trans-fats, the artery-clogging fats found in many commercial products (cookies, crackers, cereals) and fast foods (deep fried) because they impact hormone regulation in a negative way.
TIP: Use omega – 3 oils found in fish, flax, nuts and seeds instead to support hormone production.
2: Eat more vegetable protein to support the good bacteria which improve nutrient absorption, immune and reproductive health.
TIP: Eat beans, nuts, legumes (50 % of protein). If they give you gas, consult a healthcare provider to have your bowel function improved.
3: Eat less animal protein which has pro-inflammatory arachidonic acid and saturated fat.
TIP: reduce 50% or less of your protein intake from animal sources.
4: Eat full fat dairy for the beneficial bacteria, calcium, magnesium and other minerals which feed the nervous system – and support reproductive system.
TIP: Have ½ cup of full-fat yogurt every day (with no sugar, no fruit)
5: Avoid “low fat dairy” this has a negative effect on insulin regulation – which interferes with ovarian hormone production in women seen in conditions such as PCOS.
TIP: trade in skim milk and low or no-fat dairy products for their full-fat versions by keeping a food intake log or diet diary
6: Get your body into the “fertility zone” for weight and physical activity. Think of time in 3 month chunks and not month to month especially for those doing cycle monitoring and working with a fertility clinic.
TIP: Keep a physical activity log and monitor your interest in sex. For women, sexual interest heightens close to their ovulation time. Subtle cues such as buying new clothes, wearing more makeup, going to the spa, having your hair done, flirting, dressing more sexy are often related to ovulation hormonal fluctuations we are not conscious of.
7: Express gratitude and uphold a positive mental attitude. Learn to manage stress levels in a healthy way through exercise, mindfulness, walking, socializing, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy is well studied for addressing and removing mental blocks between thinking, action and desired outcome.
TIP: Keep a thought record or diary reflect how much of your thoughts are rooted in real experiences vs. habitual reactions to situations
8: Get adequate rest – rather than limiting yourself to a number, ex. 7 or 8 hours, do what feels right for your body. Where there is no rest, there is no healing.
TIP: Relax and allow your nervous system recovery time rather than being “on” all the time. Practice sleep hygiene (low lights, quiet time, silent prayer, no media zone, use bedroom for rest and sex only)
9: Hydration: Are you someonewho pees a lot when you drink more water? If so, you are not absorbing water. It is just going through you. Hydration is not drinking more water, but making sure electrolytes get into cells. This depends on caffeine consumption, activity level, how much you sweat and your bowel health.
TIP: Add ½ tsp of himalayan salt to 1 L of water. Reduce caffeine to 200 mg per day or less (1 cup max) Avoid hard liquor (beer and wine is fine) max 1 per week.
10. Supportive Therapies: Consider massage for stress reduction and improved circulation throughout the body and in the reproductive organs. Acupuncture can help with removing blockages to chi and balancing yin and yang energies in the body.
Reference: Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D., Walter Willett, M.D., and Patrick J. Skerrett
Do You Need Fertility Support?
There are many nutritional and lifestyle changes you can do on your own. Sometimes it can get too overwhelming and you may need the support of a trained and experienced Naturopathic Doctor to:
Receive treatment for grief and the apparent emotional set-back of an unexpected loss.
Identify food sensitivities and receive a framework and support for eliminating offending foods. Chronic inflammation interferes with hormone regulation. Many have had success simply by eliminating offending foods. Inflammation down = better hormone regulation.
Have you been exposed to heavy metals? Heavy metals tend to be stored in the body fat after exposure. Heavy metal toxicity (lead, aluminum, arsenic, mercury, uranium etc) interferes with cell communication. It can also cause mineral deficiencies of essential minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc which are important for metabolic function and hormone regulation. Hair mineral analysis is the most effective way to find out.
Have your adrenals, thyroid, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels and their metabolites checked. The best method is DUTCH hormone testing, which provides useful information on which pathways are blocked and not functioning optimally, leading to symptoms. DUTCH hormone testing pinpoints exactly which hormone supportive therapies will benefit you the most, taking the guesswork out of nutritional and herbal supplementation.
What about Men’s Health?
Lastly, New research shows us that men’s health (stress, diet, nutrition, hormone levels) are as important in conception as female health. A bird needs two wings to fly so to speak. Two of you are in this together, so optimizing your partners health gets you in 100%. By working together, you can support healthy changes for each other.
Dr Angeli Chitale is a Naturopath with additional training in hormone health with extensive experience with pre-conception treatments. Dr Chitale is now certified in Cognitive Behaviour Therapy or CBT. CBT is a psychological tool used to help people work through and change their hard-wired pattern of thinking, feeling, and action so it is aligned with what they want in life (their goals).
Want to find out more? Ask the expert on us! Book your FREE 15-min meet and greet appointment. Contact Pure Body Health: (778) 265-0043.
Have you noticed any changes in your health and energy in the last month or so? Spring is in full bloom here in Victoria, BC. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) theory, each season has it’s own unique connection with all aspects of our wellbeing – mental, emotional and physical. Spring is associated with the Wood element, the East, wind, the colour green, and the Liver-Gallbladder system. The Earth’s, and our energy is moving up and out – bringing all sorts of things to the surface, from flower buds to skin rashes and old emotions.
Emotional & Physical Balance
Spring is associated with the emotion of anger. When the Qi (pronounced “chee”) or vital energy in our bodies is not moving smoothly, it can stagnate. This leads to feelings of frustration, irritability, and anger. When the Liver -Gallbladder system is out of balance you may also experience vivid dreams, depression, indigestion, sciatica, discomfort and tension around the ribcage and neck and shoulder area.
To keep the Qi moving in your body, try brisk walks, shaking your arms and legs wildly for a minute or dancing to your favourite song. Acupuncture and cupping are also wonderful ways to get the Qi circulating, calm the mind, and relax body tension.
The Liver-Gallbladder system is also connected to the eyes, and in turn, our vision for the future and our ability to gain a fresh perspective or outlook. Spring is an opportune time for journaling, goal setting, and creative pursuits. Spring is the season of movement, change, transformation, new beginnings and new ways of looking at the world.
Eating for the Season
Do you change your eating habits from season to season? According to TCM food therapy, for optimal health and wellness it is best align your food choices to your individual constitution and pattern first (you can talk to a TCM practitioner about this) and to the season second.
The season of spring is traditionally a time to cleanse from a heavier winter diet. However, be cautious if you tend to have digestive problems. Raw, frozen, cold temperature and cold natured foods (such as fruit juices, cucumber, avocado and tomato) can weaken ‘digestive fire’ resulting in bloating, abdominal pain and loose stool. Ease into seasonal salads and smoothies if you tend to these symptoms.
Time to transition from the slow and low cooking methods of winter and begin to use shorter cooking times and higher heat; poaching, blanching, steaming, sautéing and stir-frying are ideal.
To give your Liver-Gallbladder system some love, avoid greasy, deep-fried foods, alcohol, peanuts, processed foods and limit your intake of dairy and spicy foods.
Foods that support and cleanse the Liver-Gallbladder system include: greens, sprouts, fennel, beets, carrots, onion, garlic, mushrooms, radishes, beans, quinoa, seaweed, blackstrap molasses, lemon, lime, plums, blackberries, raspberries, basil, sage, anise, nettles, turmeric, chamomile, and chrysanthemum herbal teas.
Seasonal Allergies
This is the time of year where I start to get my seasonal allergy patients back in clinic. Acupuncture, cupping and food therapy are used to reduce the frequency and severity of allergy symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, headaches, and a foggy head.
Do you have allergies or are you prone to catching colds in the fall? This is an opportune time to get preventative treatment, as in TCM theory, it is best to treat seasonal issues two seasons before.
Acupuncture, cupping and food therapy can be extremely helpful during seasonal and life transitions. If you have any questions please connect with the wonderful team of acupuncturists at Pure Body Health.
Stress can manifest in many forms: such as hair loss, anxiety disorders, digestive issues, and muscular pain, something we’re all familiar with. In my clinical practice I’ve often seen patterns between emotional stress and physical pain.
When experiencing stress, our body’s nervous system fires up causing a cascade of internal events. A common example of this is clenching our jaw muscles, which can lead to headaches and stiff neck muscles. This is something most of us do without even noticing! Although we may not “feel” stressed, our nervous system can take longer to process emotions which can lead to undiagnosed pain that won’t go away.
This can be confusing for both the client and therapist as there isn’t an obvious physical impairment. As an RMT it’s our duty to provide care and find the best course of action for our client’s health. However, there are limitations to providing emotional support due to the nature of the therapeutic relationship, and this can sometimes be a barrier to helping our clients. If you feel you are suffering from unremitting pain it may be worth trying the counselling route, or managing your pain through indirect therapies such as meditation and mindfulness.
At Pure Body Health, we offer many services that indirectly manage stress both efficiently and effectively. One of which is a unique form of therapy that you may have never heard of before called Access Consciousness BARS®. The BARS® is described as, “gently touching points to release the electromagnetic charge of all thoughts, ideas, attitudes, decisions, and beliefs that may have limited you in the concerned life areas.”
If you would like to learn more about Access Consciousness BARS®, please contact our Registered Acupuncturist, Diana Alvarez, who will be happy to share her experience and insights.
If you frequently find yourself up waking up at 3-4 am, there may be a simple answer…you are stressed. Fortunately for most – there is a solution, but first we need to understand why you wake up.
Why Stress Causes You to Wake Up at 3-4 am
Stress causes the adrenal glands to fire off adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline gives you a burst of energy to deal with stressful situations (the well known “fight or flight” response. Adrenaline also raises the heart rate, increases respiration, dilates the pupils, slows down digestion and causes muscles to contract. It’s like caffeine on steroids!
A Common Concern for Many
Understandably, if you are stressed or upset it can be impossible to fall asleep, but why does it always wake you up at 3-4 am? We are all goverend by the circadian rhythm (the day / night cycle set by the movement of the earth around the sun). According to Chinese Medicine 1- 3 am is when your liver regenerates. To do so, it needs glycogen (storage form of glucose). The problem is that adrenaline surges day and night cause your cells to use up glycogen. So if you are often stressed, your body may not have enough glycogen for the liver to regenerate at 3am. If your liver cannot get the glycogen it needs, your adrenal glands will compensate by releasing adrenalin, which is why you are wide awake and ready for action, not exactly a state you want to be in at 3am.
Chinese Medicine 24-Hour Organ Clock
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, our internal organs work to a 24 hour ‘clock’, with certain times of day being peak times for that organ. This is the time that the organ will carry out its most essential functions.
Large intestine: 5am-7am
Stomach: 7am-9am
Spleen: 9am-11am
Heart: 11am-1pm
Small Intestines: 1pm-3pm
Bladder: 3pm-5pm
Kidneys: 5pm-7pm
Circulation: 7pm-9pm
Endocrine system/pancreas: 9pm-11pm
Gallbladder: 11pm -1am
Liver: 1am-3am
Lungs: 3am-5am
I Don’t Want to Wake Up at 3am – An Easy, “Do It Yourself” Remedy
If you always wake up at 3am or have trouble sleeping, this simple home remedy has changed peoples’ lives so why don’t you give it a try?
Adrenal Cocktail Recipe
½ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed from ½ an orange)
½ teaspoon cream of tarter (available at any grocery store)
½ teaspoon Himalayan or Celtic salt (available at any grocery store)
Directions
Just mix all the ingredients and drink before bed or make a double batch and keep by your bedside.
*You may also do this in the morning to deal with stress throughout the day, but always be sure to drink it before bed as well.
The Science Behind it: Why The Adrenal Cocktail Stops You From Waking Up at 3am-4am
The Adrenal Cocktail is made up of ingredients that replenish vital organs (liver, pancreas, cell electrolyte balance) and stabilize glucose levels to keep you from waking up at 3am.
Freshly squeezed orange juice: gives the liver glucose it needs to regenerate.
Cream of tartar: High source of potassium, an essental element for maintaining the sodium/potassium balance in cells, vital organs (liver), muscles, nerves, and the digestive system.
Himalayan salt delivers 84 essential minerals and elements found in the human body, nourishing the adrenals and maintain the body’s sodium/potassium pump (inside each cell).
To get a better idea of whether or not you may have adrenal fatigue, take your FREE, mini Adrenal Fatigue Quiz HERE!
Questions?
Ask the Expert on us! Book a FREE 15-min Meet & Greet Consultation with Dr. Angeli Chitale, ND, to find out how Naturopathic Medicine can Restore your Adrenal Function.
When you first heard of the words essential oils, you might have thought of these products as either woo-woo or too intimidating to learn about. Whichever the case, essential oils are a form of alternative medicine that is backed by clinical and experimental scientific research.
What Are Essential Oils?
To put it in simple terms, essential oils are oils that have been extracted from plants via mechanical pressing (ex. cold-pressing) or steam/water distillation. What makes them “essential” is that they contain the “essence” of plant fragrances. Synthetic essential oils, on the other hand, are not considered true essential oils.
Why Use Essential Oils?
Essential oils are used to improve and maintain our physical, mental, and/or emotional wellness. They can aid in immune system and function support, respiratory system support, digestive health, free radical damage protection, cardiovascular system support, body detoxification, and nervous system support to name a few health benefits.
Recent research by doTERRA scientific experts have provided insight on the ability of essential oils to promote protective cellular responses, induce healthy structural remodelling, influence gene expression, and even the biological activity of essential oils in a human skin model.
How Are Essential Oils Used?
Essential oils can be used in three application methods: aromatically, topically, or internally.
AROMATIC— Diffusing essential oils is one of the most traditional and favoured ways to enjoy their aromatic benefits. A few drops of essential oils can either be diluted in water in a diffuser and, when diffused, a fine mist is dispersed, or put into your palms and then inhaled from cupped hands. This method of application has the power to purify the air around you and/or influence your mental, emotional, and physical body.
TOPICAL— The topical application of essential oils involves applying them directly onto your skin, or mixing them with carrier oils or other personal care products in order to safely penetrate your skin. Applying essential oils to the bottoms of your feet is a great way to get the oil into your body since the largest pores on your body reside there! This method of application is beneficial for soothing your mind and body.
INTERNAL— Ingesting essential oils may be involve adding them to a drink, cooking with them, placing a drop of essential oil under your tongue or on the roof of your mouth, or taking them in capsule form. This method of application can have a positive impact on the digestive, respiratory, and immune systems.
It is important to note that some essential oils cannot be applied in all three ways – some oils are only for topical use, while others are not digestible. So, when shopping for essential oils, take the time to learn whether the oil(s) in question support which method(s) of application.
Choosing the Right Essential Oils
While essential oils are widely known for their healing properties, it is important to emphasize their purity, quality and reputation.
Many essential oil producers claim that their oils are “pure”. However, terms like this, are not universally established due to the quality and composition of each brand of essential oils varying greatly. As a result, they hold very little weight.
One credible essential oil producer that we support is doTERRA. Without an accepted standard for essential oil quality, doTERRA created its own Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade (CPTG) testing process. The CPTG process certifies that there are no added fillers, synthetic ingredients, or harmful contaminants in their essential oils that would reduce their effectiveness. doTERRA also uses innovative research methods and cutting-edge simulation technology never previously used to investigate essential oils and their biological pathway.
At Pure Body Health, we carry doTERRA essential oils as well as our own homemade essential oil blends using doTERRA essential oils. When you’re in our wellness clinic next, don’t hesitate to ask our staff for information and advice on our essential oil products!
There are many ways to understand the body and your health, one of which is by using a microsystem. You might have heard of such approaches as foot or hand reflexology. Well, in Chinese Medicine, we use the microsystem of the ear as a representation of the whole body. The use of a microsystem allows each part of the body to be accessed with a corresponding point or area on an external part of the body – in this case, the ear.
Source: acu-clinic.com
Why the Ear?
The ear is directly connected to some of the 12 cranial nerves stemming from the brain, so it is quick to relay a message back to the brain and create a change. The ear also has a unique capacity (because it is such a thin membrane of tissue) to access and stimulate the nervous system. Specifically, the sympathetic nervous system, related to our “fight or flight” response, and the parasympathetic nervous system, related to calming responses. Yes, this is an intelligent sense organ!
How Is Ear Acupuncture Done?
To stimulate the ear point, an ear seed, magnet, or very thin acupuncture needle is placed in a specific spot which relates to the area of the body or internal organ function that needs to be addressed. There are 90 ear points listed that relate to limbs, head, bodily function and senses to treat conditions internally and externally.
Source: gpcacupuncture.com
However, ear acupuncture is not just for physical pain. It also stimulates emotional and mental wellness, as one of the most common points used is to calm the mind and reduce anxiety and stress.
What Does It Help Treat?
Ear acupuncture is commonly used to treat sciatica, low back pain, OCD, smoking and other addictions, digestive disorders, brain trauma, chronic pain, hormonal conditions, migraines, insomnia, and depression. All of these conditions and more can be effectively assessed and treated when using the ear.
Modern Day Use of Ear Acupuncture
The United States is known for an approach called the NADA protocol. It is an ear acupuncture approach used for trauma, addiction and stress. The five points used in the ear immediately stimulate the body to shift from being on high alert to a less agitated state. It is widely put into practice in high stress aid relief situations. For example, after people have witnessed something traumatic such as an earthquake, where a whole community may be affected. Ear acupuncture is being used as a first aid response, and is a helpful way for those affected to find their way back to balance.
In Europe, Germany is especially well known for it’s research and use of Auricular Acupuncture (ear) to treat pain and break the pain feedback loop. Used by over 14,000 German physicians, it has been shown to work so well that body acupuncture is actually the less common approach used in Europe!
My Own Experiences With Ear Acupuncture
As an acupuncturist, I have seen ear acupuncture work well for anxiety, obsessive thinking, insomnia and depression. One of my clients who suffers from panic and racing thoughts was transformed in just one visit. His mind calmed down, his physical fidgets reduced and facial skin tone shifted. Seeing him for consecutive sessions really helped get him back to a more peaceful place.
Another client came to see me due to her stressful job and a lifetime of living with both depression and anxiety. After the session she looked rejuvenated, a quiet overcame her mind and her body, and she was no longer holding the tension she came in with. Ear acupuncture is a safe, effective and accessible approach and is being used all over the world with good results.
Come into Pure Body Health and book in with myself, Melissa or Brook and see what ear acupuncture can do for you! Hear hear to good health!
As a registered massage therapist, my friends are often curious about what it’s like to come in for a treatment and what exactly to expect, so I’ve written up a guide that takes you through an initial visit with an RMT and how to get the most out of your visit.
Fill out our required intake forms, including health history forms that allow your massage therapist to create a treatment plan specifically designed for you, as well as direct billing consent forms if you have coverage and want the wellness center to direct bill on your behalf.
If your schedule allows it, take a shower or bath before your massage appointment (or call to book a sauna session) to relax your muscles a bit before coming in.
Eat a light meal up to one hour before your massage. It can be difficult to lay face down if you’ve just had a large meal but have something in your system so you don’t feel light-headed after getting off the massage table.
Show up a few minutes early to your appointment so you can drink some water, use our washroom facilities and make sure we have all of the information we need from you.
Your RMT will greet you in the waiting room, introduce themselves and take you to their treatment room.
Your RMT will review your health history form with you and ask questions to get a good idea of what you’re coming in for and how you can achieve your health goals together. This is a good time for you to ask questions too. If you are unsure of anything, from the necessary level of undress needed that day to how you’re to lay on the massage table, do not be afraid to ask for clarification!
To begin your treatment, your therapist will undrape the area that they are to work on, one body part at a time to keep you warm and comfortable. Most often, your RMT will start the massage using light pressure and build up to a therapeutically comfortable depth at your discretion, checking in with you along the way in case some areas are more tender than others. You are in control of your session – you have the right to speak up if you want the depth, area treated or any aspect of the massage to change.
When your appointment is nearing its end, your RMT will often ask if you want to learn any home-care techniques. These are specific stretches, exercises, or hydrotherapy techniques that are specifically chosen and adapted for your comfort and ability level to help you achieve a greater range of motion, decrease pain, or strengthen muscles in relation to our clinical findings that help you improve between treatments. Your therapist will ask you to get dressed so we can go over them together, leave the room and ask that you open the door when you’re ready to go over your home-care together. This is important so we can make sure you’re doing the prescribed activities properly, assess your ability and make amendments to ensure the best modifications for you, and go over your goals and treatment plan for future visits if necessary.
Take it easy for a while after your massage. Take a few minutes at least to get yourself grounded, most folks feel a little sleepy or get an endorphin rush and feel woozy so feel free to have a glass of water and relax in the waiting room until you feel safe to drive or walk back home, or off to your next activity.
One of our friendly receptionists will go through billing if you haven’t already and ask if you want to book another appointment. If your RMT suggested another modality such as acupuncture, the receptionist will be able to answer any questions you may have regarding those kinds of treatments and book your appointments at that time, or if you prefer, you can use our online booking system found on our website!
I hope this guide has been helpful! If you have any questions or would like to book an RMT treatment, email us at purebodyhealthvictoria@gmail.com or call us at 778-265-0043!
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