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‘HEALTH & FITNESS’

Swedish is the most common style practiced among massage therapists. The modern form was developed in Sweden around the beginning of the 19th century, though the origin is disputed. Many attribute the usual techniques to Per Henrik Ling, a Swedish gymnastics instructor who developed the style for athletes. Others give credit to a Dutch-born physician by the name of Johann Metzger. Read the rest of this entry »

Originating in India over 2,500 years ago, this healing art spread to Siam (ancient Thailand) with the spread of Buddhism. Once performed by monks as part of elaborate healing rituals, it formed one part of traditional Thai medicine. Read the rest of this entry »

Though the roots of Shiatsu massage go back centuries, the practice first became widely popular around the beginning of the 20th century. Then in 1940, the Shiatsu style of massage got a big boost with the founding of the Japan Shiatsu College. Read the rest of this entry »

Many massage techniques that later became popular in various parts of Asia actually originated in ancient India. One of the oldest is marma-point massage. Used for thousands of years, it has now made its way into Western spas where it’s a great favorite of clients. Read the rest of this entry »

American missionaries invaded the Hawaiian islands in 1820 and, as ships came and went with supplies (and sometimes natives eager to leave), the native massage practice spread to the west. That art is called Lomilomi. Read the rest of this entry »

Certainly, human males can’t get pregnant. (Not yet anyway.) But couples often say ‘We are pregnant’ when announcing their joyous news to friends and loved ones. So, sometimes, it’s helpful for the man to consider himself as expecting also. One of the things his mate may be expecting, besides a child, is a good massage. So, in the interest of harmonious relations, it’s a good idea to know something about the subject… Read the rest of this entry »

Massage is an ancient art. Though no one knows exactly when it became a formalized system of touch and pressure, several forms go back to at least 1500 B.C. in India. Often associated with spiritual practices and beliefs, the therapy itself is fully grounded in physiology. Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone who has had the pleasure will verify that a good massage feels terrific. It leaves you feeling relaxed, refreshed and re-energized. But the effects are often far more than just a pleasant afterglow. A good massage can provide a definite boost in health. Read the rest of this entry »

The human body is an amazingly complex system, and the massage therapist has to know it well. Read the rest of this entry »

It used to be that mailmen and athletes were the two major professions that suffered neck and shoulder aches. Nowadays, with virtually everyone using a computer for long hours every day, the problem can affect anyone. Fortunately, a partial solution can be provided with a few simple, easy to learn techniques. Read the rest of this entry »

There’s a good reason massage therapists charge what they do. They’ve undergone intensive, long-term training that involves learning anatomy and physiology. They’ve practiced for months or longer, hours per day, to develop the understanding and the skills to detect body problems. They’ve learned a demanding trade. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether trigger points even exist is still a matter of some controversy. Proponents on both sides will argue and reach no definite conclusion. To explore working them, will require a slight detour into some simple muscle physiology. Read the rest of this entry »

Swedish massage and similar techniques seek to stimulate the surface and relax muscles that are readily accessible. Deep tissue massage tries to go further, to get down to layers where trigger points (muscle knots, localized pain areas) and other problems may reside. Read the rest of this entry »

Picture a massage. What comes to mind are images of someone lying on a table, partly covered with a sheet, being kneaded. But one of the newer and now equally common forms doesn’t use a table or mat at all. The recipient isn’t even prone. He or she is sitting. Chair massage has come of age. Read the rest of this entry »

Among the many health benefits of massage is one that will surprise the novice: the ability to manipulate fascia. Fascia are body components located between the skin and the underlying muscle. It’s here that inflammation and injuries can produce damage that can be encouraged to heal by a good massage. Read the rest of this entry »

Effleurage is one of the most common massage techniques employed. Using a succession of light or deep stroking or gliding motions, the masseuse or masseur floats across the contours of the body. The therapist uses a flat surface, such as the hand or forearm. He or she moves with low-friction over large expanses of skin, applying moderate pressure. Read the rest of this entry »

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils and other plant extracts as part of a therapeutic session. Read the rest of this entry »

Anywhere from 5-25% of women who give birth get some form of post-natal depression. One reason for the wide range in the numbers is the difficulty of pinning down exactly what it is. But women who have had it know too well what it feels like. Read the rest of this entry »

Pregnancy can be uncomfortable in many ways throughout the nine months period. But some aspects are within normal range, others can signal serious issues. Read the rest of this entry »

Mothers report that few things are as painful, or as rewarding, as giving birth. How much pain, for how long and when varies enormously among individual women. Read the rest of this entry »

Expectant mothers, especially those pregnant for the first time, often have doubts about when labor begins and what it feels like. That’s natural. Read the rest of this entry »

It can be difficult to know exactly when labor begins in earnest. But some signs are unmistakable. One such occurs when your new baby’s head exerts pressure on the amniotic sac and it breaks. When your ‘water breaks’ (the liquid isn’t just water, but amniotic fluid), labor is imminent. Read the rest of this entry »

Once labor begins, you’ll need to prepare yourself mentally for the day. For some women, especially after a first child, this is a very easy task. For others, anxiety builds and builds. The best way to relieve that tension is to find out what to expect on that golden day. Read the rest of this entry »

Once the first stage of labor is passed, the placental sac has broken, the cervix has dilated and contractions are regular and frequent, the second stage of labor – actual delivery – begins. Read the rest of this entry »

Vaginal childbirth, in which the new baby emerges through the uterus and vaginal opening, has been the most common method of childbirth for millennia. But Caesarean sections – delivery by creating an opening through the abdominal wall – has been used for centuries, too. But no matter how long each practice has been used, every new mother will wrestle with the same issues, both physical and emotional. Read the rest of this entry »

For centuries giving birth was strictly an affair between the pregnant woman and a midwife. Though not always present, a mid-wife would frequently aid in the birthing process. Read the rest of this entry »

There are a variety of tests that an expectant mother can have performed to gain information about the health of her growing fetus. Some, like amniocentesis, have been around for over 100 years. Read the rest of this entry »

Inside the uterus, surrounding your growing baby, is a liquid called ‘amniotic fluid’. A long needle is inserted through the abdomen to extract a small sample of that fluid. Using it, doctors can perform tests that indicate potential problems and provide information about the health of the gestating fetus. Read the rest of this entry »

Some women understandably wish from time to time that a baby could be delivered by Fed Ex. After nine months of hormonal changes, carrying extra weight and reduced movement many will want to just get it over. But the race is won at the final leg and Lamaze, Bradley or other options can help carry you over the finish line in optimal shape. Read the rest of this entry »

As many couples know, becoming pregnant is not simply a matter of having intercourse near a selected date. Fewer than two-thirds of couples trying to conceive succeed within six months. Fortunately, 90% of women trying to get pregnant do so within 18 months. Read the rest of this entry »

Everyone is familiar with the nausea and other conditions that sometimes accompany pregnancy. How common are they, and is there anything an expectant mom can do to relieve them? Read the rest of this entry »

Pregnancy presents a time of big changes in every dimension. There’s the obvious weight gain and changing shape. Over time, it will be more difficult to maintain a regular exercise regimen of the same type as before pregnancy. Less obvious changes are taking place, too. Estrogen and progesterone levels are increasing. Read the rest of this entry »

Pregnancy involves a range of issues, both physiological and emotional. Though complex, dealing with physical issues is very well understood. Read the rest of this entry »

Many women enjoy a healthy lifestyle that includes regular exercise and a good diet. It can be tough to maintain that lifestyle when she becomes pregnant, especially during the later stages. But it is possible, and in fact preferable, to maintain an exercise regiment at least up until the last month. Read the rest of this entry »

Any expectant mother will want first and foremost to optimize her health and that of her growing baby. Proper nutrition is a major key to that effort. Read the rest of this entry »

Making the right choice of doctor to deliver your baby is one of the most worrisome things for any newly pregnant woman. But you can reduce that anxiety by dividing your questions into two sets. One list will involve objective factors, the other will cover issues that are not so easy to quantify. Read the rest of this entry »

In days past it would often take weeks to get the results of a pregnancy test, after a visit to your doctor. Today, you can have the answer in minutes. Read the rest of this entry »

Smoking is strange behaviour.  Almost every smoker knows that it’s bad for his health, but many smokers continue the habit for decades, each year experiencing a further decline in health and well-being. 

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Health insurance coverage varies greatly, but basically it is a type of insurance policy that pays a pre-negotiated percentage of a policy holder’s covered medical treatments.

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There is no doubt that smoking is addictive.  It doesn’t seem to affect everybody the same way though.  Some people have great difficulty quitting smoking, while others give it up with almost no effort.

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Health insurance coverage and associated costs vary greatly based on whether the insurance is an individual policy (for the self-employed/unemployed), for a small businesses (from 2 to 50 employees), or for a large group.

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Almost everybody knows that smoking is bad for the health.  Images of blackened lungs line school hallways and hospital waiting rooms, but despite this people continue to take up smoking. 

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Do you know what things to consider in choosing a good health insurance plan? With so many different options, it’s difficult to know just what to look for.

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Proper weight management is about much more than simply focusing on a single number, your weight. There are other, very important, objective measurements to add to your intellectual toolkit – BMI, waist circumference, body fat percentage, muscle-to-fat ratio and others – in order to achieve a physical result. Read the rest of this entry »

Nutrition and health science is constantly evolving, and it often seems as if the latest study contradicts earlier ones. It’s hard to know what to believe. Read the rest of this entry »

It seems almost as if there is a new fad diet every week. Many of these contain elements of truth, but on the whole they contain much more good marketing than good science. Read the rest of this entry »

The BMI (Body Mass Index) has become a useful tool in managing weight and body fat percentage in the last 20 years. Calculating it requires only simple arithmetic and can be performed by anyone. Read the rest of this entry »

Few commercialized areas of science are so filled with myths as that focused on weight loss. Everyone wants a simple, safe, no-willpower solution. Someday, we may actually get one. For now there are no magic cures. But there are quite a few myths that need to be exploded. Read the rest of this entry »

You’ve done your research, compared prices based on comparable benefits and now you’re wondering how to apply for health insurance. Whether you apply online or off will depend on your comfort level and also whether you’re applying via a group plan.

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In order to optimize your health a good diet is essential. But, with all the fad diets around it can be difficult to know what is ‘good’. Nutrition science to the rescue! Read the rest of this entry »