Jen's Journal
Sunday, November 30, 2003
Repeating a yoga mantra or repetitive prayers may benefit your body as well as your mind.
Mantras are words or phrases repeated rhythmically during yoga or other forms of meditation. Recent research has revealed that repeating a yoga mantra may not only have a soothing effect on your psyche, but also it can lower your respiratory rate. A slow respiration rate may have a favorable effect on heart and lung function.
A study done by a group of international researchers published in the British Medical Journal discovered that recitation of the rosary, and also of yoga mantras, slowed respiration to almost exactly 6/min, and enhanced heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity. Baroreceptors are receptors located in the walls of your blood vessels that help regulate blood pressure and heart rate. What had already been known on this topic was reduced heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity are powerful and independent predictors of poor prognosis in heart disease. Slow breathing enhances heart rate variability and baroreflex sensitivity by synchronizing cardiovascular rhythms.
Sunday, November 23, 2003
Hydration is an important component of good health. We're all aware of some of the common signs and symptoms of improper hydration:
Sometimes, the root cause of some or all of these symptoms is an accompanying electrolyte imbalance. Our body's cells need proper amounts of sodium (salt) and potassium inside and outside the cell to maintain proper interstitial cellular fluid. When you exercise, sometimes you lose large amounts of these important electrolytes.
While rehydrating or drinking more water is important, it's equally important to watch your dietary intake of these minerals, sodium and potassium.
Thursday, November 20, 2003
I've been researching piriformis and gluteal muscles lately. I have plenty of clients that are having problems there. So I'm going to visit it again. Here's some information from Massage Magazine .
"Symptoms most commonly felt from piriformis syndrome include pain or paresthesia in the buttock and along the sciatic-nerve distribution, sometimes all the way to the foot. Most muscles of the posterior thigh, anterior and posterior leg, and foot, are innervated by the sciatic nerve. Therefore, compression of the sciatic nerve in piriformis syndrome may produce pain or weakness in many different muscles.
The superior gluteal nerve is responsible for innervating the gluteus minimus and medius and the tensor fascia latae muscles. Since these muscles are all abductors of the hip, compression of the superior gluteal nerve will often cause weakness of the hip abductors. Hip-abductor weakness can be observed with the presence of a Trendelenburg sign.
For example, if you suspect the problem is on the right side, have the client stand on the right leg and then lift all weight off the left leg by bending the left knee. If the pelvis tilts downward to the left side when the left foot is lifted off the ground, there is evidence of weakness in the hip-abductor muscles on the right side. This weakness may be resulting from compression of the superior gluteal nerve by the piriformis muscle.
The inferior gluteal nerve innervates the gluteus maximus muscle. If this nerve is being compressed, weakness may be perceived in the gluteus maximus, the strongest hip flexor. Because of the size of the gluteus maximus, atrophy due to nerve compression may be apparent during observation. If the inferior or superior gluteal nerves are being compressed, pain is likely to be limited to the buttock region. Compression of the sciatic nerve is also likely to produce symptoms down the back of the leg.
Sitting for prolonged periods usually aggravates symptoms of piriformis syndrome. Some other activities may also aggravate the pain if the piriformis muscle is being used extensively. It may be overworked by either excessive concentric or eccentric activation, most often associated with rotary movements of the hip."
Monday, November 10, 2003
Supraspinatus. Abducts the arm, which means, in layman's terms, it lifts your arm over your head. It's one of the rotator cuff muscles and the one most injured.
Trigger points in the supraspinatus can refer down the arm and into the area of the elbow. Primarily though, the pain is in the outside of the shoulder.
Falls are a common cause for injury in this muscle. Repetitive motions over the head and typing on a keyboard with no elbow support for long periods can also cause problems.
Here's a stretch to keep this muscle healthy.
Wednesday, November 05, 2003
I've been reading up on Feng Shui and the use of aromatherapy with people's trigrams. I'm looking at taking some advanced classes in January in aromatherapy wraps, salt glows and massages. This fascinates me.
We're had a great Feng Shui consultant, Diana Garber, come look at some new office space we're considering. She says I'm a water or K'an type. I need Chi moving oils, like cypress, which would help circulation, PMS, stress and prevents colds. Lavender and lemon are also good for me.
I would love to incorporate this into my practice and use essential oils that suit the clients. Take a look at Diana's site...find out your type!
Monday, November 03, 2003
I've been reading about the piriformis muscle again today. I have lots of clients that have piriformis problems. The piriformis is one of the six deep rotators muscles, which means it is one of six muscles lying deep under the gluteal muscles on the buttocks or hip bone. The piriformis originates on the sacrum and inserts on the top border of the trocanter, which is the top of the femur, or thigh bone. The piriformis is the leader of the six muscles in the action of rotating the leg outward. Here's a great picture of the piriformis. The sciata nerve runs around the piriformis in most people. In some people, it drapes itself over the piriformis. In some people, it actually runs straight through the piriformis muscle. No matter what, the sciata nerve is intimate with this muscle. If the piriformis is tight or a trigger point exists, this nerve can be aggravated. The sciata can also be aggravated by sitting on a large wallet.
Fortunately, it looks like massage is promising as a therapeutic solution for piriformis syndrome. It looks like massage may be more lasting than physical therapy and less invasive than surgery, though daily stretching is probably the most effective solution. Here's a great piriformis stretch developed by the folks at Rice University and another developed for snowboarders, but great for all folks. The great thing about the snowboarding stretch...it can also be done from a sitting position, leaning forward.
The pain referral zone for the piriformis...the low back, the buttocks, hips, and thigh. If the sciata nerve runs through the muscle, the referral area can run to the bottom of the leg and foot.
