Lymphatic Drainage Massage- Feel what you are missing.

 Has the cold or flu been leaving you feeling run down or tired lately? Can’t seem to find the energy to be at your best? Are you recovering from a recent or long standing injury that doesn’t seem to be healing very quickly? Your lymphatic system may be tired or over worked. Having a lymphatic massage may be just what you need to give your body that extra immune boost and head on down the road of recovery.

What is the Lymphatic system and what does it do?

Our lymphatic system is an important part of our immune system and acts like an alarm system by filtering through a set of natural drains and watersheds all over our body. Lymph is actually derived from the more liquid portion of our blood called plasma. When our heart beats it puts pressure on the vessel walls which causes leakage of plasma to be released. This plasma is absorbed into the lymphatic vessels and nodes close by and thus refiltered at a slower pace back into the bloodstream.

Have you ever had swollen or tender lymph nodes? When we get a cold or flu our lymphatic system alerts our body of the presence of an intruder through our lymph nodes. This then relays a message to our body’s immune cells to fight it off. Like all drains, however, they have their limit and can become overloaded or backlogged.

Image from http://www.alexandriabodysculpting.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/lymph-massage.jpg

What is lymphatic drainage massage?

Lymphatic massage focuses specifically on boosting your immune system naturally by helping your lymphatic system to function at top capacity. It is a gentle and slower massage targeted to move lymph and swelling, which can cause pain and malaise. Because the flow of lymph is slower than that of blood is it can be restricted or blocked more easy. When this flow is blocked, your body’s ability to get rid of those toxins and repair more quickly is slowed. Lymphatic massage techniques help to alleviate those blockages and get the lymph moving again, giving your body a better chance to heal itself.

With all those stressors out there it’s natural for our body to start to feel worn down. If you’re recovering from an injury, having joint pain or swelling, or even if you just want an immune boost, having a lymphatic massage is a healthy and natural way to do so. Talk to your registered massage therapist today about the benefits that lymphatic massage can offer. Your body will be glad you did.

Article by - Ashley Rocheleau (RMT)

Have questions? – Please feel free to write me an email at ashley@back2health4you.com

Want to book a massage? – We would love to hear from you.

By phone: (613)237-3306 or by email at reception@back2health4you.com

Blood Testing Services Offered at Back to Health

                                                            Why Blood Testing?

At Back to Health Wellness Centre, we like to think of ourselves as a “head to toe health care centre” offering patients a variety of services to help them attain optimal health. One such service is that through our Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Kathy Van Zeyl, we offer patients a variety of blood testing services.

In November of 2012, the Ontario Medical Association changed their guidelines for the frequency of physical exams and routine bloodwork performed by family doctors from yearly to only once every two years.  This change in combination with the number of patients in Ontario without a family doctor (15.5% of Canadians aged 12 and over as of 2013) has left a huge gap in preventative screening and early intervention of health-related concerns.

Fortunately, Naturopathic Doctors are trained to offer these same services including extensive physical assessments and the ability to order and interpret bloodwork.  By being able to screen early for changes in bodily functions, we can often catch certain illnesses before they become problematic and arrive at a proper diagnosis to enable more comprehensive and accurate treatment.  

Common Types of Blood Testing Offered

Common routine bloodwork testing offered through our Naturopathic Doctor includes:

1. Complete blood count

2. Cholesterol panel

3. Fasting glucose

4. Ferritin

5. Vitamin B12

6. Vitamin D

7. Thyroid panel

8. AM & PM Cortisol

9. Kidney Panel

10. Liver Enzymes

11. Celiac Disease Panel

In addition, the following tests not normally performed through a medical doctor’s office, can be ordered:

1. IgG Food Sensitivity Testing

2. Adrenal Function Panel

3. Salivary Hormone Panel

                                    Specialized Testing

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is a growing concern amidst the population and involves chronic complications due to persistent bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi.  This is most commonly transmitted through a tick bite, especially in wooded areas.  Symptoms may begin with skin changes or a “bulls-eye” rash (which is not always present) and are often followed by flu-like illness including fever, chills, fatigue, headaches, swollen lymph nodes, joint and muscle pain.  If the disease is not detected and treated early it can lead to chronic skin, heart, and nervous system issues on top of the other symptoms previously listed.  This panel involves a blood test analyzed by a specialized lab in California which focuses primarily on Lyme Disease assessment.

Please book an appointment with our Naturopathic Doctor, Dr. Kathy Van Zeyl, ND, if you wish to discuss having one of the bloodwork assessments. 

  

Genetic Testing

Would you like to know what your DNA says about you and what your risks may be for any number of conditions and illnesses? The more you know about your DNA, the more you know about yourself! Please speak to Dr. Barbara Rodwin to find out more and be referred for genetic testing. 

Basic first aid - Why R.I.C.E.R. is important?

Basic First aid – Why R.I.C.E.R. is important?

Regardless of the season or how safe and careful we are while doing our activities, accidents happen. For this reason it’s always a good idea to be up to date on how to take basic care of an injury after it’s happened. It’s also the best way to help that injury heal faster and helps us to get back on our feet. 

What happens to our body when we have an injury?

The first thing our body tries to do when we get injured is to protect itself from further injury. Our nervous system, our circulatory system and even our muscles and skin work together to isolate the sight of the injury by causing our blood vessels to expand and dilate. This causes the heat and inflammation and pain that we normally see in an injury. Inflammation is actually a safety response to help stop the area from moving and possibly getting injured any further and also to allow healing cells and nutrients in the area to start the healing process. In this immediate stage of healing it is very important to perform R.I.C.E.R. - a basic form of medical treatment to help with the symptoms from the injury.

What is R.I.C.E.R.?

It’s an acronym that is easy to remember in an injury situation:

Rest – It’s always best when we have an injury to try to keep the limb and our bodies as comfortable as possible. This way our body can focus on the task at hand, healing the injury. Even after the main injury has been tended to, getting as much rest as possible will speed up healing overall.

Ice – Ice will help with the pain that will come from the injury as well as the inflammation that follows. When applying ice it is best to have something that is light and yet malleable, like a bag of peas or a light gel pack.

Compression – Compression will help with stabilizing the area to prevent further injury. Now our body again will already start that even before we apply a hold or a bandage on top of the injury. What’s important is helping that process so that the body can relax and do what it needs to – heal. This also will help to prevent muscle spasms that can follow an injury.

Elevation – It is always best if possible to elevate the limb or area affected with the injury. This helps the inflammation to cleanse itself returning to the body to filter out any damaged cells that may of happened with the injury. This however depends on the injury. It’s too painful to move the area it’s always best to hold it when comfortable and in which position provides the least amount of pain and effort.

Referral or Rehabilitation -  It’s always important to never underestimate an accident or injury. If your left with doubt to the extent of the injury always seek medical attention. Our bodies will run on adrenaline, part of our fight or flight response to give us the boost we need to get through an injury... but after a while this goes down we can feel more pain or more areas injured that we didn’t think or feel before. So again it’s better safe than sorry. 

The next step after any injury is the rehabilitation process. Having your chiropractor, massage therapist or physiotherapist evaluate the injury afterwards with you is important to help you get back on your feet.

Healing of an injury is a multiple stage process but being aware of what to do in the first stages is important to securing better healing not only in the moment, but in the stages further on.

No matter what your fun activity will be this season, being prepared should always be a lifelong goal. Looking after your health and the health of your loved ones no matter where life takes you. Happy adventuring!

-

 By Ashley Rocheleau – Registered Massage Therapist (RMT)

The Lower Back

THE ANATOMY OF THE LOWER BACK
The lumbar spine is made up of 5 vertebrae. Below the lumbar region are 5 fused vertebrae of the sacrum and the 5 fused vertebrae of the coccyx. A facet joint joins each pair of vertebra (i.e., the one above to the one below). Like hinges, the facet joints guide the movement of the spine, while also stabilizing the vertebral column.  

Ideally, the joints in the spine are lined up so that the back can twist and bend with little friction between the vertebrae. Between each pair of vertebrae lies a flat, circular inter-vertebral disc. The outer part of the disc, the annulus, is strong and hard. The inner portion, the nucleus pulposus is soft and absorbs shocks to the spine during movement. Many times degenerative disc disease or other problems involving the disc can lead to unbearable back pain. This can be due to damage to the nerve. 

The vertebrae surround and protect the spinal cord, a column of nerves running down from the brain. Nerves branch off from the spinal cord and with their roots passing through the vertebrae, extend all over the body. As a result, pain from a back problem may also travel to other parts of the body. This can cause numbness, tingling, pain, burning into the hips, legs, knees, feet, and even around to the abdominal region! One example is Sciatica.

CORE EXERCISES

Core exercises are excellent for aiding with problems of the lower back. Unfortunately they can cause issues with the lower back as well, if not performed properly and not the right type! People often will make use of the psoas muscle, hip flexor, too much and they also use the lower back joints when doing core – which places pressure on the spinal segments. Studies have indicated that people are aggravating their back when performing core exercises

The abdominal muscles can be engaged when sitting, standing, walking and running. If you think about placing your lower back/hips in ‘neutral’ alignment you are able to activate your core properly in these postures. Just think while doing any of these activities you can be working your core!

Please see the front bulletin board for instructions on how to obtain this neutral alignment! You can also ask Dr. Barbara Rodwin how to do this.

The lower back – the muscle (in red) is the psoas

SITTING CAN CAUSE LOWER BACK PROBLEMS

As technology advances, we are spending more and more time sitting, often in front of a computer. People are also being less and less active. Sitting all the time wreaks havoc on your posture and can cause pain, stiffness and discomfort in the lower back, hips, and neck.

Sitting all the time can add excessive compression on the joints of the lower back. Many people think that sitting is better for the lower back than standing, but sometimes sitting can be worse than standing. When you sit down, all of your upper body weight is supported by your pelvis and lower back. However, if you are standing, the weight of your upper body is supported by your pelvis, lower back, hips, knees, and ankles.

Standing and sitting can both put pressure on the lower back but through slightly different mechanisms. In standing, if you have poor posture or poor core stability you may feel discomfort in your lower back, but sitting (especially with bad posture on a hard surface) will put more pressure on the joints of the lower back.

We do have a posture sheet explaining how to use your chair and sit properly!

LOWER BACK PROBLEMS

Lower back pain means relatively short-term pain, stiffness and/or muscle tension anywhere along the back, starting below the ribs and extending to just underneath the buttocks.  If you are having lower back issues it is important that you have it examined by a Doctor of Chiropractic. A biomechanical exam will be performed which will determine if the problem is a lower back vertebrae/joint, muscle, and/or disc issues. Also we will determine if it is due to sitting, standing, lifting, walking, running, and/or sleeping habits.  

During the course of the day if we use our back, abdominal, hip and trunk area properly we place very little pressure/stress on this region. If we are not using this area properly studies have indicated that we can put upwards of 150% greater force on the lower back. This extra force will over time lead to fatigue of the back and can cause spinal degeneration/arthritis in the lower back due to the repetitive stress placed on the vertebrae.  

When this degeneration occurs to the vertebrae and discs this causes the lower back vertebrae to lose some of their normal motion. Our body then adapts by tensing the muscles to hold this area tighter. This will lead to stiffness in the long back muscles, also known as the erector spinae. You will feel this along the sides of the spine. All of this can then cause issues with the nerves that exit at each vertebrae.

Lumbar degeneration 

LUMBAR VERTEBRAE, NERVES, DISCS, JOINTS 

Some people with lower back problems then feel it in their buttocks, backs of their legs, into their thighs, knees, shins and even into their feet!

As you can tell the lower back is very complex and involves many structures that can cause your lower back discomfort.