So many people come to me with knee pain. They may have had the somewhat misleading diagnosis of "bone on bone". Why misleading? Because the bone isn't actually grinding on bone, there is always some cartilage left to cushion, and also the lubricating synovial fluid of the knee. With a 'no way out' diagnosis like that, it feels like the only option is steroid injections and then inevitable joint replacement surgery. Steroid injections may help the pain; but they increase the

Take a moment to become aware of your jaw. What does it feel like from inside your mouth? Bring your hand up and feel along your jawline and under and around your ears. Any tender or tight areas? Very few of my clients have no degree of jaw tension, tightness, or tenderness. Why is that significant? For most people, holding tension in the jaw area is completely unconscious. So is clenching or grinding teeth at night. The dentist will prescribe a night guard, but it doesn't do

Massage does NOT create or flush toxins. The liver and kidneys deal with toxins. Massage increases circulation and lymph flow so that metabolic waste products move out of the tissues more easily and can be eliminated normally. Aim to drink about 16 ounces of water a few hours before your session and another 16 ounces shortly after to support muscle recovery. Why Hydration Matters Before the session: Hydrated muscles act like a soft sponge, making them easier to loosen and red

BFF PRODUCT HISTORY It was born out of my dissatisfaction with the concentration, price, and quality of natural anti-aging face serums and moisturizers for mature skin. Formulated after extensive research and experimentation, in consultation with my cousin, who was a pharmacist/cosmetic chemist. That was back in 2009. It was an instant success, and I sold internationally. Life changes forced me to quit making it in 2019, but this year it is coming back! WHAT MAKES IT STAND

Regular massage helps ease anxiety by lowering stress hormones like cortisol and boosting happy brain chemicals like serotonin and dopamine. This physical touch calms your nervous system, slows your heart rate, relaxes tight muscles, and helps you sleep better. When anxiety is caused by a specific event, a massage helps you come back into your body. When anxiety is a trait, or chronic, regular massage helps to ease out of the habit. Depending on the severity, talk therapy and

Lots of storms are passing through this week. Barometric pressure is low and fluctuating. We generally ignore this, but that doesn't mean it doesn't affect us. We scoff at the old-timer jokes about "my rheumatiz acting up" on gray days. But it's a fact of life on earth. Low pressure effects: Joint and Arthritis Pain: Lower pressure allows joint tissues to swell, putting pressure on nerve endings and causing pain or stiffness in people with arthritis or old injuries. Headaches

Nadi: Refers to the subtle energy channels in the body where vital force (prana) flows. Shodhana: Means cleansing or purification. James Nestor, Author of Breath, The New Science of a Lost Art, advocates alternate nostril breathing (Nadi Shodhana) as a powerful way to hack the autonomic nervous system. According to research, our bodies naturally alternate which nostril dominates every few hours throughout the day and night. Each nostril is a control valve for brain function,

SOAP notes are clinic notes, or charting written by therapists. Not all massage therapists use charting; it depends on the venue. Spas and massage chains usually do not. SOAP notes are written after the client leaves; they help us to review the session and keep track of what we have done, what works and what doesn't and it is a place to record client preferences. (i.e., 'likes heated table and deep pressure...) From the National Institutes of Health: SOAP notes are a structu

Everywhere I've worked, from spas to hospitals to sports clubs, my colleagues always started a massage face down, working the back first. I start every massage face up, feet first, and people sometimes wonder why. I have always done things a little backwards, which is my nature. However, this inclination has a lot of common sense and science behind it. Why starting a massage face up and working the feet first, is beneficial: Face up: you might be unsure of getting a massage.

Using the term "masseuse" is considered wrong or outdated by licensed professionals because it carries historical baggage tied to illicit businesses, is explicitly gendered, and diminishes the extensive medical and anatomical training required to become a modern healthcare provider. It is often the term used to request a 'happy ending' kind of massage. Reasons to Avoid the Term Unprofessional connotations: The word was historically appropriated as a code or innuendo for illic

Why does your massage therapist insist on treating your entire body when it's only your neck, or thumb, jaw, or left hip that is bothering you? The Foot Bone's connected to the Ankle Bone and the Ankle Bone's connected to the Shin Bone....That's your body's kinetic chain. Yes, indeed! Movement is seldom isolated to one joint. Instead, movement occurs as a series of actions called a kinetic chain. We can think of kinetic chains as the interconnected system of bones, joints, mu

This is a replay of a "Health and Wellness" activity that I wrote for Wolakota-Life Skills for Teens, Book One. Although it was written for Lakota/Dakota/Nakota teens, I think it is relevant to all. Life is...the breath of a buffalo in wintertime... - Chief Crowfoot Traditional Lakota breathing practices center around the sacred connection between breath, spirit, and life force. Traditional culture emphasizes habitual nasal breathing for daily endurance and overall health,

Breathing! How banal is that? “In a single breath, more molecules of air will pass through your nose than all the grains of sand on all the world’s beaches—trillions and trillions of them. These little bits of air come from a few feet or several yards away. As they make their way toward you, they’ll twist and spool like the stars in a van Gogh sky, and they’ll keep twisting and spooling and scrolling as they pass into you, traveling at a clip of about five miles per hour.” -J

This is an excerpt from a new book on bodywork by Drew Freedman. I love it because this is how I work and how I strive to be in session. It's so much easier in my own place! The book is based on the evidence-based premise that what the therapist brings to the massage table (their best self, hopefully) influences the client and their receptivity to meaningful change. Mashing muscles doesn't tenderize them-the brain has to decide that it is OK to release! So effective massage i

Copyright AAWells, Earthenware, 26"diameter, Collection of Jun Kaneko INTEROCEPTION and Why It Matters to Your Wellbeing. What is interoception? It is our awareness of internal sensations in the body. We are constantly receiving internal signals. These signals indicate our physical state (heartbeats, respiration, pain, and whether we are hungry or have to pee... and feelings such as ease, anxiety, fear, tension/discomfort... What does it do? These sensations influence our t