Hypermobility and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction - article re shared by Tanya Houpt

Hypermobility and Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

You might wonder, “What does this have to do with my pelvic floor?” Well, everything in the body is connected, and the pelvic floor – a network of muscles, ligaments, and connective tissue supporting the pelvic organs – is no exception. In hypermobile individuals, this system may struggle to provide adequate support, leading to issues like pelvic organ prolapse.

Interestingly, many hypermobile people experience both laxity and tension in the pelvic floor. While it may seem contradictory, this is the body’s attempt to create stability in an otherwise unstable system. This can result in pain, difficulty with bladder or bowel function, and discomfort during intercourse.

The relationship between hypermobility and the pelvic floor is complex. While increased laxity can make it harder to support pelvic organs, the body often compensates by over-tightening the pelvic floor muscles, leading to issues like pelvic pain, stress incontinence, constipation, or painful intercourse.

It’s important to remember that a hypermobile pelvic floor doesn’t necessarily mean it’s “loose.” In fact, many hypermobile individuals have chronically tight pelvic floor muscles that struggle to relax fully. A holistic, whole-body approach is crucial when addressing pelvic floor dysfunction in these individuals.

Recognizing Hypermobility

Hypermobility often goes undiagnosed, especially in previous generations, like our parents and grandparents, who may not have been aware of the condition. Since hypermobility has a genetic component, you might recognize some of these symptoms in yourself or other family members, including your children. Some signs include:

1. Frequent joint sprains or dislocations

2. Chronic pain, especially in joints or back

3. Easy bruising

4. Stretchy or velvety skin

5. Digestive issues

6. Dizziness or fainting (due to autonomic dysfunction)

7. Chronic fatigue

8. Poor proprioception (difficulty knowing where your body is in space)

9. Anxiety (which can be related to the physical symptoms of hypermobility)

If you’re checking off multiple items on this list, it might be worth discussing with a healthcare provider. Remember, hypermobility exists on a spectrum – you don’t need to be able to contort yourself into a pretzel to be considered hypermobile.

It’s also worth noting that hypermobility can present differently across genders and ages. Women tend to be more hypermobile than men, and symptoms can change throughout life, often becoming more noticeable during hormonal shifts like puberty, pregnancy, or menopause.

Supporting Your Pelvic Hypermobility

Now, let’s talk solutions. If you’re hypermobile and dealing with pelvic floor issues, don’t lose hope. While we can’t change our genetic makeup, we can absolutely work with our bodies to create more stability and comfort. Here are some key strategies:

1. Master Your Breath: Proper breathing techniques are crucial for managing intra-abdominal pressure, which directly impacts your pelvic floor. Focus on breathing into your ribcage in all directions, not just into your belly. This 360-degree breath helps coordinate your diaphragm with your pelvic floor, creating a more stable core.

2. Build Body Awareness: Hypermobile folks often struggle with proprioception – the sense of where your body is in space. Practices like mindful movement and body scanning can help you reconnect with your body. Start by simply lying down and noticing the points of contact between your body and the floor. Can you feel your sit bones? Your low back? Your shoulder blades? This awareness is the foundation for better movement patterns.

3. Strengthen, Don’t Stretch: While it might feel good in the moment, excessive stretching can exacerbate hypermobility issues. Focus on building strength and stability instead. This doesn’t mean you should never stretch, but be mindful of your limits. When you do stretch, focus on active, controlled stretches rather than passive, static ones.

4. Address Your Whole Body: Remember, your pelvic floor doesn’t exist in isolation. Pay attention to your feet, knees, hips, and thoracic spine. Proper alignment throughout your body can significantly impact pelvic floor function. For example, if your feet tend to pronate (roll inwards), this can affect your knee alignment, hip position, and, ultimately, your pelvic floor. Working on foot strength and alignment can have surprising benefits for your pelvic health.

5. Be Patient and Consistent: Healing takes time, especially when we’re working with connective tissue. Consistent, mindful practice will yield better results than sporadic, intense workouts. Think of it as a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix.

6. Manage Your Load: Be mindful of how much pressure you’re putting on your pelvic floor throughout the day. This includes things like heavy lifting, high-impact exercise, and even chronic constipation. Learn to lift with good form, using your legs and core to support the load. If you’re constipated, address it promptly – straining on the toilet can put excessive pressure on your pelvic floor.

7. Prioritize Sleep and Nutrition: Good sleep and proper nutrition are crucial for tissue healing and overall health. This is especially true for hypermobile individuals, who may be more prone to fatigue and inflammation. Focus on anti-inflammatory foods and ensure you’re getting enough protein to support tissue repair.

8. Consider Supportive Gear: While we don’t want to rely on external support long-term, tools like compression garments or kinesiology tape can provide helpful proprioceptive input as you’re learning to better control your body.

Original article written and published by:

Hypermobility and Pelvic Floor Health | RYC

Training Fascia - An interview with Tom Myers, Anatomy Trains author. Article re-shared here by Tanya Houpt

This interview with Anatomy Trains author Tom Myers first appeared in the Huffington Post.

What is the most plentiful tissue in the body — and the most ignored?

The answer is fascia — the gooey, gliding stuff that holds you together. Fascia is a broad term for the extracellular matrix of fibers, “glue” and water surrounding all your cells, and wrapping like plastic wrap around muscle fibers and muscles, organs, bones, blood vessels and nerves — and finally as a second skin around your entire body.

“Fascia is like the Cinderella tissues of the body,” says Tom Myers, a leading thinker in integrative anatomy and author of Anatomy Trains. “It has been the most ignored of all the tissues in the body — at least up until recently. Yet, fascia is critical to understanding the body and what it takes to keep your body functional and healthy all life long.”

In recent years, the interest in fascia has surged. In 2007, fascial researchers and practitioners banded together to initiate the biennial Fascia Research Congress, where researchers and health practitioners can share new discoveries.

Understanding the elusive Cinderella tissues offers an important glimpse into important, yet not widely known, aspects of bodily health and function. Here are four fascinating facts about fascia:

1. All You Learned About “Muscles” Is Wrong

A primary lesson emerging from new research into fascia is that all we learned about muscles is wrong.

“That illustration in your doctor’s office of the red-muscled human body is a body with its fascia cut away,” says Myers. “It’s not what you look like inside, but it’s a lot neater and easier to study. And, it’s the way doctors have been taught to look at you.”

We commonly speak about the musculoskeletal system, and the muscles attached to the bones of the body. But according to Myers, muscles in fact don’t attach to bones. Fascia does.

“Muscle is like hamburger; it can’t attach to a bone,” says Myers. “There’s fascia going around and through the muscle. And when the muscle runs out, that fascia from the outside and the middle of the muscle spins into a tendon, just like yarn.”

It may be useful for our thinking mind to dissect the body in to some 600 muscles and their tendon attachments to bones. However, the body doesn’t think in terms of 600 individual muscles.

“Your brain does not think in terms of biceps and deltoids,” says Myers. “There is one muscle that exists in 600 fascial pockets. Ultimately, the brain creates movement in terms of large fascial networks and individual motor units, not our named muscles.”

2. Much More Than a Wrapping Material

Fascia is not just a passive wrapping material, but a live, biological fabric, which directs the traffic of forces around the body, and responds and remodels itself as forces change.

Some researchers, like Helene Langevin of the University of Vermont, suggest that the connective tissue network may function as a whole-body communications system, which influences the function of all other physiological systems.

How exactly such a whole-body network would be communicating within itself is as yet unknown, and there may be several pathways. Langevin has developed evidence, for example, that the fascial network may correspond to the network of acupuncture points and meridians. In this framework, acupuncture needles produce cellular changes that propagate along connective tissue planes.

A similar effect is created by the stretching of the connective tissue created by yoga poses or externally applied stretch and pressure during bodywork and massage.

3. Redefining Chronic Pain

In its healthy state, the fascial network stretches and moves without restriction. However, age, injuries, repetitive stress, poor postural habits and even emotional trauma can cause fascia to lose its flexibility and become tight and restricted.

This helps stabilize the body in the short term, but unfortunately, it also locks you into a chronic strain pattern that can be hard to correct. Think of it like wearing a thin silk suit. If you pull on one part of the suit, the tension patterns will show up throughout.

Fascial strain patterns translate through the entire body, and affect the structural network of the entire body. They may lie at the root of chronic pain issues like migraine headaches, chronic back pain, or fibromyalgia, or other pesky pain problems that just won’t go away.

For this reason, bodywork techniques focusing directly on the fascia, such as Rolfing and myofasical release therapy, can sometimes stimulate tremendous physical and/or emotional release where other modalities come up short.

4. A New Understanding of Fitness

While we usually think in terms of fitness as strong muscles and cardiovascular endurance, we ignore fascia at our own peril. Having an integrated and well-trained fascial network is important not just for anyone engaged in sports, but for anyone wishing to retain a healthy and functional body throughout life.

When you train the body, the fascia is trained as well. However, it may not be the way you would want to train it. If your fitness routine involves mainly machines, you will not end up with a fascial network that is as strong, versatile and capable as you’d like, but rather a one-dimensional network that may respond less efficiently to challenges.

“Exercise machines are great for building individual muscles and terrible for training your fascia, because they train the fascia in one particular direction, one particular vector,” says Myers. “You end up training fascia, which is not prepared for life, because life doesn’t come at you right straight down the same vectors that the machines do.”

In terms of training, Myers says, favour movement forms that involve a lot of variety in direction and load, which builds versatile balance and stability into your body. Yoga asanas are particularly useful for stretching the long chains of fasica in numerous directions ways, offering the kind of system-wide engagement it needs. Training too hard or repeating the same routine without variation can lead to fascial adhesions or injury.

TE WHARE TAPA WHA - a blog post by Tania Woolford, Naturopath

Te Whare Tapa Wha is a health model developed in 1984 by Dr Mason Durie. It sees our health and wellbeing as a wharenui (meeting house), where we are impacted by the four walls. These four walls are:

• Taha tinana, our physical wellbeing

• Taha hinengaro, our mental and emotional wellbeing 

• Taha  taha whanau, our family and social wellbeing 

• Taha wairua, our spiritual wellbeing

The foundation represents our connection to the whenua or the land. Nourishing each is an important part of living and feeling well. 

Our foundation or whenua encompasses nature, people and animals surrounding us, our ancestors and future generations. It also relates to our place in the world including our safe spaces, where we feel comfortable and have the ability to be our authentic selves, such as with family, friends, our communities that were involved in such as sports teams or learning environments and our workplace. 

Taha tinana is related to our physical body, how we treat it and how we experience our body. This differs for everyone as we all have different capacities. Your relationship and how you nurture it is key, as this impacts our experience in our body. 

Nourishing our body can include: 

• Quality sleep

• Regular movement that we enjoy

• A balanced diet including hydration 

• Managing stress

• Limiting or avoiding harmful substances such as alcohol or nicotine

Taha hinengaro is our mental and emotional health, which includes our mind, feelings, thought patterns and our inner voice. It encompasses how we are feeling in the world, plus our thinking and expression. 

Nurturing our emotional well-being: 

• Staying connected with family, friends and our community while maintaining healthy boundaries

• Setting goals into manageable steps and celebrating wins

• Seeking guidance and support when needed

• Practicing stress management and being present

• Learning to express ourselves creatively in whatever form

• Prioritising things that fulfill us

Taha whanau values meaningful connections with whanau, social circles, workmates and our community as part of our wellbeing. These relationships provide emotional and practical support, plus inspire shared responsibility in life which significantly impacts our sense of belonging and self-worth. This all works to support our wellbeing.

Ways we can invest in our Taha whanau:

• Cultivate healthy, supportive relationships by being supportive, communicating openly and showing appreciation

• Prioritise quality family time and ensure that children grow up in an environment where they are valued, safe and loved

• Foster a healthy and nurturing environment at home and in spaces you spend your time

• Deal with conflict in a constructive, respectful way being open to varied ways of seeing situations and finding common ground

Taha wairua emphasises spiritual health and connection. It includes those things that provide meaning and purpose in life, such as our beliefs and values plus our connection to our world, such as ancestry, culture, environment and community. These connection varie for us all and can be spiritual or religious beliefs or our relationship to our culture, past and ourselves.  

Nurturing our relationship with taha wairua:

• Explore and connect with our beliefs 

• Spend time in nature

• Make time for whanau and loved ones 

• Considering our goals and values

Te Whare Tapa Wha and naturopathy both have a holistic approach, focused on the person as a whole and the interconnection of all aspects of the individual’s life that impact our wellbeing. Addressing the four walls of physical, mental and emotional, family and social bonds and spiritual world plus our relationship with our surroundings and nature has a positive impact on our health. And as we can see they are all interconnected, impacting each other. Definately a journey that we can chip away to make changes slowly day by day. 

If you’re looking for support on your journey, you can book a naturopathic appointment with me at Body of Work.

Naturopathy and Nutrition with Tania Woolford

Naturopathy is a holistic approach to our health that recognises the individual, how we each have different needs to promote wellness and prevent health issues. It recognises that all aspects of our lives feed into our health, including physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and community, so works to treat the whole person. 

Naturopathy promotes optimal vitality and wellness by treating the root cause of one’s symptoms and supporting the body, with the use of nutrition and lifestyle changes, plus supplements, herbal medicine and other tools when needed. A thorough consultation explores all the factors that may be causing your symptoms and empowers you with education and a treatment plan outlining changes that will help restore and manage health. 

Nutrition is an important element of naturopathy, playing a key role in restoring and maintaining health by providing nutrients that support our bodies to function well plus prevent and maintain health. 

Eating nourishing foods encourages digestive health, which is highly important to the functioning of our whole system. Because a healthy gut ensures what we eat is absorbed and our body can use it where needed including as building blocks for tissue and hormones, to help manage inflammation, stress, mental health and cater to any nutrient deficiencies that can be contributing to our health picture . 

By eating a diet that nourishes us, we are promoting more stable energy levels and quality sleep to counteract fatigue and encourage vitality. What we put into our bodies can ensure that the immune system is well supported, reducing the risk of and assisting it to fight off illness. 

Please get in touch if you are needing help with your health.

I am available at Body of Work for Naturopathic appointments on Mondays.

Overview of MSTR® McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release - Nicole Auger

Overview of MSTR® McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release®

Have you ever considered the impact of your scars and how they affect you? Beyond the initial healing of an injury or wound, scars remain as a lasting testament to our body’s resilience. These scars can have significant effects on various aspects of our health and well-being that may not seem immediately related. Issues can include:

• Restrictions in the fascia

• Reduced blood and lymph flow

• Weakened muscle strength

• Decreased energy flow

• Limited joint movement (range of motion)

• Hypersensitivity (e.g., touch, pressure, pain)

• Nerve damage (e.g., nerve-related pain, burning, tingling, itching, numbness)

Addressing scar tissue is crucial for overall health. Through MSTR® McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release®, I offer an innovative, pain-free, and natural approach. This technique uses gentle fingertip pressure to alleviate restrictions in the scar tissue. No force is applied, and the treatment is always conducted within your comfort level.

It’s important to understand that MSTR® McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release® is about more than just cosmetic improvements. The focus is on what lies beneath the surface. While the scar itself will remain, many clients experience noticeable, quick, and long-lasting changes after just one or two sessions.

Scars can be both physically and emotionally challenging, often linked to the events that caused them. At Body of Work, I am dedicated to helping you achieve vibrant health through MSTR® McLoughlin Scar Tissue Release®. If you’re ready to explore how this treatment can benefit you, please feel free to reach out.

Join Our Team

Join us at Body of Work

We are looking for more Practitioner’s to join our team for 2024.  Body of Work is entering its 7th year of business, bringing wellness services to Lower Hutt.  Currently our team consists of 4 Massage Therapists; 2 Acupuncturists; a Naturopath and an Exercise Therapist.

We would like to add to these services in a complimentary way, so if you are an Osteopath, Acupuncturist, Massage Therapist, Physiotherapist, Podiatrist, Chiropractor, Yoga specialist/therapist, body worker or similar we would love to hear from you. You will need to be eligible to work in NZ, be a sole trader and enjoy collaborating with others for improved client outcomes.

Spaces available include a studio space for small group or 1:1 movement sessions; a fully supplied Massage clinic, a fully supplied Acupuncture clinic and another clinic room.  For more information on which rooms are available and when, please email Ali -  ali@bodyofwork.co.nz

Hypermobility with Tanya Houpt

What is Hypermobility? - written by Tanya Houpt

For the past two years, Tanya has been working with hypermobile clients, particularly those with Hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS).  She recently completed a course specifically for hypermobility and hEDS, the Integral Movement Method, (IMM), arguably the only one in New Zealand to do so.  If you have ever wondered if you might be hypermobile then read on…

Are you Hypermobile, what is Joint Hypermobility and Instability?

Joint hypermobility means that a person’s joints have a greater range of motion than is expected or usual. Some people have joint hypermobility that does not cause them pain or other issues. However, some people with joint hypermobility also have joint instability. Joint instability occurs when the bones of a joint aren’t held in place securely. This can lead to joint subluxations, dislocations, sprains, and other injuries. Joint instability can cause both acute and chronic pain and interfere with daily life.   

How do you know if you are hypermobile?

• Are you super flexi … can you do ‘party tricks’ with your body!

• Get a lot of stiffness and pain in joints and muscles

• Sprain and strain joints often

• Feel your joints popping or moving out of placement

• Get tired, even after resting

• Have poor balance or co-ordination

• Have early onset of arthritis

What is EDS?

The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are a group of 13 heritable connective tissue disorders. The conditions are caused by genetic changes that affect connective tissue, which is everywhere in the body.  This collagen-based defect of hypermobility can affect each person differently. Each type of EDS has its own set of features with distinct diagnostic criteria. Some features are seen across all types of EDS, including joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility, and tissue fragility. 

Symptoms of hEDS

• Joint hypermobility

• Loose, unstable joints that dislocate easily

• Joint pain, clicking joints

• Fatigue

• Bruises easily

• Digestive issues

• POTs, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome

• Internal organ issues

• Migraines

What is the Integral Movement Method (IMM)?

The IMM method is unique and powerful, being quite different to mainstream mechanical movement therapy based on building awareness through movement.  When in pain and or stressed, we respond by guarding and protecting our minds and bodies.  IMM is a no pain, no strain strategy, allowing the body to release stress and tension, replacing it with a calm nervous system and efficient movement patterns.  Pain and discomfort, often stuck in the body for years, can often disappear.  This method also has excellent results for those experiencing PTSD, mental health issues, and chronic pain.

IMM teaches six important principles of living within a hypermobile body:

1. Breath

2. Relaxation

3. Proprioception (including both nociception and interception)

4. Stability (vs mobility)

5. Balance

6. Posture

The overall outcome is to use movement to unwind, explore, assess, refine, and reflect on how your body moves and serves you best.

Please contact Tanya if you are interested in working with her.

Structural Bodywork with Mark Gray

What is Structural Bodywork? - written by Mark Gray

Structural Bodywork - what is it and how can it help?

Structural Bodywork also known as Rolfing/Hellerwork, is a hands-on approach that recognises we are patterns that perpetuate themselves.

Our body is designed to adapt to repetitive use, this means that embedded patterns that no longer serve their purpose can be undone, but it takes time, and repetition of new patterns.

The primary goal of Structural Bodywork is to encourage you and your body to recognise that new patterns are possible, then apply specific hands-on methods and self-care strategies that support these.

A typical session starts with a body reading, then palpation and range of motion tests. Then application of a range of Myofascial Release techniques and other methods including Muscle Energy Technique & Positional Release where appropriate.

My approach to Structural Bodywork involves looking for where space and movement in your body is less than optimal and simply restoring it. Not that it’s actually that simple!

For more information you can contact Mark or book an appointment with him online.

Cell Danger Response

An article by Gina Sarten, Naturopath

Cell Danger Response

Many people have been hit with the Covid virus or other colds and flu’s this winter, it finally caught up with me too. Not Covid according to the couple of RAT tests I did, just a cold, and it felt like a cold – a slow onset: sore throat, headache, low fever, and sinus congestion. I haven’t had a cold for quite a few years, so I actually enjoyed the novelty of doing little more than watching Netflix and reading books, I now feel quite rested and have a sense of energy emerging throughout my body. However, I’ve recently been working with clients who have had Covid or other viral infections, and they still don’t have sufficient energy levels weeks or even years later.

So my question is what is it that alters the body’s ability to recover quickly from illness?

One answer is a cell danger response (CDR), a term coined by Robert K Naviaus MD, PhD, Professor of Genetics, University of California. Essentially CDR is when the cells of the body respond to a single or group of threats to the body, by reducing function in the form of low metabolic state or hibernation. The body will generally work to resolve threats with a range of responses from multiple body systems, but if the threat persists the CDR will continue and result in a change in metabolism, alteration in the gut microbiome, and potentially chronic disease. In some people CDR may resemble chronic fatigue or chronic pain, while in others it could turn into food allergies, irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia, anxiety disorders, asthma, ADHD, or many other disorders.

CDR can be triggered by interactions with chemical, physical or biological threats, including viruses, parasites, fungus, toxic pesticides, heavy metals, inhaled toxins, poor nutrition, stress, lack of sleep.

Consider someone who pushes themself physically and mentally, stressing if they don’t achieve well, perhaps they regularly eat foods that cause bloating and pain, they don’t sleep well and have hay fever. Then they contract a severe case of Covid or Glandular Fever and months later they’re still recovering.

Is the illness more severe because they already have multiple stressors affecting the body?

Are they able to take the time to allow a full recovery or do they push through and continue to work or study or manage the children?

Unravelling and answering these questions becomes part of the treatment, everything that occurred prior to the illness has to be resolved – remember the reactions to food, plus the stress, insomnia,and hay-fever – understanding the multiple triggers is vital. In some clients this will be enough to gain significant improvement, but there is more investigation required for others, this is where we look further at cellular and body functions.

If you’d like more information about cell danger response and how I can help with recovery please

contact Gina Sarten, Naturopath, gina@bodyofwork.co.nz

Five reasons why Teenagers should learn Mat Pilates

Tanya Houpt- Exercise Therapist

Five reasons why Teenagers should learn Mat Pilates

1.        Pilates provides total body conditioning and is arguably the fastest growing exercise system

·      Toning, strength, muscle endurance, mobility, flexibility, efficient movement, and of course Pilates mat work is the ultimate in core workouts. 

2.         Teaches correct movement

·      Teenagers’ bodies go through many varying growth stages affecting bones and muscles.  It is extremely important to educate and provide the tools to execute movements correctly, ensuring the body is not negatively compromised.

3.        Posture and body alignment

·      Pilates is big on posture and correct alignment…thank goodness there is something to negate the effects of prolonged device use and sitting times.  (See my earlier blog on Smartphone use.)

4.        Injury prevention

·      By keeping muscles in balance, strengthening your core and – perhaps most importantly – enhancing your body awareness, coordination, and mental concentration.  A must for sport performance.

5.         Mind, body, and spirit connection

·      Pilates was developed with the intention of helping to integrate and elevate the body, mind, and spirit.  The mind, when housed within a healthful body, possesses a glorious sense of power.

Insite Therapy is offering a Teenagers Fundamental Pilates Program at Body of Work

Thursdays at 11am

Starting 3rd November 2022

Running for 6 weeks

Cost $195.00

Spaces are limited to 8

Please contact Tanya Houpt if you are interested, insite@bodyofwork.co.nz Ph: 0274435293.

Shoulder Bridge: The Magic Exercise That Targets Every Muscle

By Exercise Therapist, Tanya Houpt

Shoulder Bridge is a dynamic, versatile exercise that targets the whole body.

This move is an anti-aging remedy for the spine and an amazing way to strengthen the body.

Why is this move so effective?

Shoulder Bridge works on the entire posterior chain, including the hamstrings, pelvic floor, abs, glutes and back. Most notably, there is activation of the erector spinae, (the tiny muscles along our spine), which are critical to good posture and spine movement. For our clients who sit a lot, when done regularly, this exercise is key to staying free from back pain.

A must for runners and walkers!

This one exercise also builds incredible stability in the pelvis. The muscles in your pelvic region control balance, transfer force loads between your lower and upper body, and enhance energy efficiency during the gait cycle…which is important when running or walking.

The best thing…not only is this exercise easy to do, but it can also be done anywhere….and gives great toning to the legs and butt!

Challenge: Why not try doing 10 reps, everyday for a week and see if you can feel the difference.

Hot Stone Massage

Tania Woolford - RMT, is now offering Hot Stone Massage at Body of Work

What is Hot Stone Massage?

The benefits of heated stones to support health have been used by many cultures throughout history.

It can be traced back around 5000 years ago, when used as a tool in India by Ayurvedic practitioners to ease muscular discomfort. Later, they were incorporated into traditional healthcare by the Chinese, Hawaiians and Native Americans.

Hot stone massage is known to be one of the most relaxing styles of massage therapy. The basalt lava stones are a lovely natural tool to enhance the benefits of massage and heat can be ever so soothing.

It can benefit anyone whose experiencing muscular aches, insomnia, or stress.

Book in to add some of this goodness to your week.

Dry Needling

Trina Woodcock

What is dry needling?

Dry needling is gentle treatment that can be especially effective for releasing myofascial and muscle tension. It involves the use of a solid filament needle that stimulates a local twitch response within the muscle, allowing the body’s biochemistry to produce a natural analgesic (pain relief).

Dry needling aims to treat myofascial trigger points within the body that present as a hyperirritable spot with the muscle. It is usually painful to touch, temperature changes on the skin, and may refer pain elsewhere. There are many causes of trigger points which may include, trauma, overuse, repetitive straining, and/or muscle imbalances. Prolonged chronic tension is a common cause of trigger point activation and without stimulation, these can cause a snow ball effect in the surrounding structures.

What does it feel like?

There are many techniques that can be used when dry needling, but the vast majority will only produce a tightness or pulling sensation rather than any actual discomfort. Communication with your therapist is vital, as with any modality, feedback is needed to ensure that client comfort is achieved. If at any time before, during or after you feel nervous, uncomfortable, ‘odd’, nauseous, or feel any pain, then TELL your therapist. Post treatment soreness is likely to occur, along with a slight headache (if treatment was within the upper thoracic region), however, movement and heat can help to alleviate this.

What are the benefits of dry needling?

• Accelerates your body's natural healing processes

• Promotes circulation to the treated area

Increasing blood flow and oxygen to the treated area

• Balances pH levels within the treated area

• Releases trigger points

• Reduces the sensitisation caused by the trigger points by promoting a release of natural

analgesics.

What is the difference between dry needling and acupuncture?

While both practices use the same type of needle, they differ in technique and theory for how they are used. Dry needling is focused on using stimulation directly into the muscle to encourage a release.

Acupuncture, on the other hand, uses channel theory on meridian lines. These lines represent the body’s organs and they are based on ancient Chinese medicine, encouraging balance and restoring proper flow of energy throughout the body.

What would a dry needling treatment look like?

Most dry needling treatments included some soft tissue work either pre or post needle insertion. The aim is to reduce the sensitivity in the area which may decrease the intensity of the local twitch response or decrease the post treatment soreness which may occur post needling.

Depending on your previous experience with dry needling will determine the type of application performed. The treatment can ALWAYS be stopped if there is any discomfort.

If you have any more questions regarding dry needling and whether it may be right for you, please don’t hesitate to contact me on trina@bodyofwork.co.nz

You and Your Smartphone — PART 2

You + Smartphone = ?

Part Two

Written by Tanya Houpt

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After reading part one of my blog, I am sure you now know the answer to this question,
You + Smartphone = ?

…bad posture and pain?!

So, you now realise, the time you are spending on your smartphone, is not good for you. If you must use your phone for an extended period, try the following:

• Stand rather than sit

• Use two hands to hold and execute tasks

• Lift the phone up to your face (gaze)

• Limit your texting time

• Don’t text while walking

• Use a headset if possible

• Take email, games, and social media off your phone

OR better still, have a phone free day…or two!

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What can you do to fix ‘smartphone posture’?

1. Become aware of your ‘smartphone posture’, it’s 90% of the fix

• Take a photo of yourself or get another person to do so, when you are using your phone

• Observe others using their phones

2.    Change your posture…if you can

• Stand or sit erect – get taller

• Reach the crown of your head to the ceiling/sky

• Keep your chin up (parallel to the ground)

• Open your chest

• Lift your ribcage  

• Gently pull shoulders down and back

3. Add the following corrective exercises to your day
(3–5x daily if you really want to make a change)

The following are three simple exercises that you can do anywhere, taking minimal time with good results.

Seated head/neck retraction (chin tuck)

1. Sit upright in a chair with a straight back

2. Look straight ahead and relax

3. Move head backwards as far as you can manage

4. Keep the chin parallel to the floor, no tilting down or up

5. Hold for a few seconds and release gently to neutral

6. Repeat up to 10 times, trying to go further each time

Standing chest stretch

1. Stand in an erect position

2. Retract the head a little

3. Clasp hands together behind opening the chest

4. Lift the arms as high as you can without bending them

5. Hold for 5 seconds and release gently

6. Repeat 5 times, trying to go further each time

Seated thoracic and neck extension (and incidental chest stretch)

1. Sit in an upright chair with a straight back

2. Place fingertips behind your head and support the neck while opening the elbows wide

3. Retract the head a little

4. Arch the upper back, open the chest, and lift the chin gently to the ceiling

5. Hold for 5 seconds and release gently

6. Repeat 5 times, trying to go further each time

It takes time for your body to take on a bad posture so expect time and repetition to fix it. You are also breaking a habit — which is about 30 days without doing ‘that thing’.

Okay, so you change your posture and try the exercises but…

• What is the new posture meant to feel like?

• Should it fix your symptoms instantly?

• Should the new posture feel uncomfortable?

• How do you know if you have ‘put’ yourself into the correct posture?

• Are you doing the exercises correctly?

• What if I feel worse?

It is essential the postural changes you make are done correctly. If you are in doubt, seek assistance from an Exercise or Clinical Pilates Therapist, a Physiotherapist, or a Mackenzie trained therapist. The Mackenzie method works extremely well for correcting postures and dealing with more advanced neck pain.

Feel free to contact Tanya for more information at insite@bodyofwork.co.nz

Neck and Smartphone Use — PART 1

You + Smartphone = ?

Part One

Written by Tanya Houpt

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What do these things have in common?

• Headaches

• Shoulder pain 

• Neck pain

• Painful breathing

• Upper back pain

• Numbness and tingling of the arms

• Mid back pain

• Arm pain

• Thumb and wrist pain

Your smartphone!

…and how many symptoms do you experience?
 

Abnormal postures, caused by smartphone use, have various labels, Text Neck, Text Postural Dysfunction and Smartphone Syndrome, to name a few.  Regardless of the name, repetition of forward flexion, (bending), of the head and neck, cause overstretching of the upper back, mid back, and neck muscles, while the chest muscles over contract.  With time, our posture changes and unintentionally, we find ourselves with a maladapted abnormal posture.

So, what’s the big deal if our posture changes?

Mmmmmm!  Where do I start?!  Firstly, we were cleverly created with specific curves in our spine to help transfer the load on the spine correctly.  Maladapted postures, at the very least, cause strain, irritating soft tissue, (muscles, tendons, ligaments etc), and cause inflammation and pain.  At the worst, incorrect postures can lead to disc movement, pinched nerves, and nerve root inflammation. We need the ‘natural’ curve of the neck!

Of course, the amount of time, and the way you use your smartphone, will dictate the extent of postural changes. On average, we spend 3 hours and 15 minutes daily (1186hrs yearly) on our smartphones, and one in five uses average 4.5 hours daily (1642hrs yearly).  For our younger population, these numbers are at least doubled!!!

The average person spends 3 hours and 15 minutes on their smart phone each day

So, what is it that we are actually doing, that causes the damage?

Our heads weigh more than you might think. The further we flex, (bend), our necks, the heavier our heads become. Imagine your neck trying to hold a 27kg head up for 3hrs a day, it’s just too heavy. The weight of the head hangs from the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones in the neck, ouch! Just try bending a finger back as far as you can and holding it for 30mins – no doubt you will feel the strain and pain well before 30mins is up.

Sitting vs standing… Sitting is worse!

• There is an increase in forward head movement and flexion when sitting

• The shift in the head and neck angle is greater than if standing

• The ‘watching’ distance is generally closer than when standing

• When two handed typing the phone is closer than when standing

• Generally sitting will produce more neck flexion resulting in more neck and upper trapezuis pain than standing

Texting while sitting is worse than if standing.  In fact texting has the worst neck flexion angle, more so than webrowsing and video watching

One or two hands… Two is better

• Two handed use has less flexion and side movements than one hand

• In general one hand, (assuming most are right dominant), has more left lateral flexion than two hands

• Watching and reading while standing using one hand increases left lateral flexion

General

• For those who already have neck and shoulder pain, there is significantly more muscle activity in the neck and upper trapezius muscles, than those without pain

• For those with low back pain, (LBP), there is likely to be an increase in thoracic kyphosis (rounding of the upper spine) than those without LBP

• Texting while walking is the most physically demanding task on the neck muscles

References

Spinal pelvic alignment associated with LBP

Musculoskeletal symptoms among adults

Musculoskeletal disorder and pain associated with smartphone use

Text Neck Syndrome in Children and Adolescents
 

Look out for Part two, which will cover correct smartphone use and corrective exercises.

Metabolic Syndrome - Gina Sarten, Naturopath

Lets talk about Metabolic Syndrome

This is a group of common health conditions but in combination they tell us that we are at a higher risk of moving towards a serious health disorder/event. 

Individually these are:

·       elevated blood pressure or taking blood pressure medications

·       elevated blood sugar levels

·       elevated cholesterol levels

·       large waist circumference

Do you have one or more of these?

There is a higher risk of metabolic syndrome if overweight, obese and inactive.  Another factor is Insulin resistance which is a condition where our cells don’t respond normally to insulin, more and more insulin is released but the cells don’t pick it up, which raises blood sugar levels.

Many people think “It’ll be ok, I can lose the weight”, or “I’ve been stressed lately so my blood pressure is higher than normal”.  When faced with one of these items we can manage, but if we don’t do something our health can get out of hand – weight becomes difficult to shift, or we just lose it to then regain it in a few months, or stress continues without a break leaving us tired, grumpy, and without the energy to make a change.  It might be time for a general health check where we analyse your food and other lifestyle factors (sleep, exercise, stress management) and map out a plan towards improved health. 

One tool I’ve been utilising when looking at metabolic syndrome with clients is an HTMA, a hair tissue mineral analysis.  This provides accurate information on the level of minerals in the hair tissue – different to a blood test as the blood attempts to stay as healthy as possible, while the excess of a nutrient is pushed out to the tissues like the hair, it’s like a prewarning about the levels of our nutrients providing valuable insights.  Certain patterns occur that can indicate a blood sugar imbalance, or an adrenal and/or thyroid imbalance, or when there is a lower quantity of magnesium compared to calcium, magnesium should soothe the heart muscle forcing it to relax in response to calcium which stimulates the heart muscle to contract (that’s a very simplified explanation of the process!).   

Stress is certainly a factor, but then, personally, I think stress has a part in all of our health challenges!  Most of us don’t do enough to actively reduce the amount of stress, or more importantly – to better manage the effect stress has.  Have you come across adverse childhood experiences (ACE)?  The original study occurred in the 1990’s in California, New Zealand had its own study with results released in 2019.  ACE events are things like physical and emotional abuse, neglect, caregiver mental illness, separation or divorce of a parent, parent or partner a problem drinker or alcoholic, household violence.  The more ACE’s a child experiences the more that child is likely to suffer later in life due to the excessive activation of their stress response, resulting in things like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, substance abuse, poor academic achievement.  Think of it as a high-performance car motor being revved repeatedly over weeks or months without a break.  Not that everyone with one or more ACE events will get metabolic syndrome, but the risk is increased.  When I ask clients about their level of stress, I’m very aware that more than half of New Zealand children will have an ACE before they’re 4 ½ years old.

If you’d like to book in for a Health Check please contact me on gina@bodyofwork.co.nz

As a disclaimer since I’m not providing this information following a full consultation, please note that this information provided is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Sleep - How to help ourselves naturopathically this week - Gina Sarten, Naturopath

Lets talk about sleep

How many out there get a good night sleep?  Every night?  That means settling to sleep within 30 minutes, and if you do wake returning to sleep quickly – the biggest indicator is how do you feel when you wake in the morning?  The majority of my clients when they first come to see me feel tired when they wake each morning – how do you feel?

There are many different sleep disorders, insufficient sleep is quite common – that is inadequate time spent in bed to gain enough sleep. 

·       Do you sleep longer when you don’t need to get up for work?

·       Does your bedtime vary over the week?

·       Is your bedroom quiet, dark, cool, comfortable?

·       Do you get woke by other members of the household, including pets? 

·       Do you have a need to sleep during the day?

·       How long has your sleep been inadequate?

Many parents of young children get used to inadequate sleep so they don’t recognise the need for more. However insufficient sleep is associated with anxiety, depression, panic, inflammation, reduced memory, reduced reaction time, impaired decision making.

What do we need to get a good night sleep?

·       To set circadian rhythm sleep times and wake times should not significantly vary between days of the week/weekend (less than 1 hour). 

·       Light in the morning – stimulate with sunlight/full spectrum light in first 1-2 hours of wake to increase melatonin at night, breakfast on the deck, walk in daylight before getting to work.

o   Get 10 minute bursts of light every couple hours – research shows people sitting near a window in the office sleep better than those further inside the building.

o   Caffeine – could be responsible for anxiety

§  Effective in about 20 mins, active for 8 hours

§  Sleep effects of caffeine: delayed sleep onset, decreased sleep time, decreased sleep efficiency

·       Dark in the evening – reduce blue light exposure, consider that the end of the day with sun going down shows a yellow/red spectrum.

o   If you fully extend your arm and can still see your fingers – this is enough light to affect melatonin and stimulate wakefulness.

·       Create a wind down time

o   Put your thoughts to rest – spend 10 minutes 1-2 hours before bed writing down the thoughts that tend to arise at night (even on the train travelling home from work, or in the car using a voice recorder)

§  Then in the night if your mind starts circling tell yourself “I already thought about that and will have time tomorrow, now’s the time for sleep”.  This limit setting with yourself establishes that you are off duty during sleep time and begins to insulate your sleep from intrusive thoughts.  It’s a skill that gets better with practice!

o   Take a few minutes to wind down, relaxing activities in low light, avoiding tasks, you can’t expect to sleep immediately if not winding down from a busy day, the goal is to be in the parasympathetic state (not fight/flight) to allow sleepiness to emerge

o   Its normal to take 30 minutes to fall asleep

o   Create strategy for sleeping – create a story, retell a favourite story from childhood, reimagine a favourite event/holiday.

·       Make your bedroom ideal for sleep

o   A device in the bedroom is associated with worse sleep – could be woken by phone, EMF’s

o   The ideal room is quiet, cool (<18 degrees), dark, comfortable, clean, consider no pets (research on sleeping with pets indicates that those who sleep alone are better sleeping with a pet, while those sharing a bed do worse when adding in a pet).

§  Cool – even a difference in 1-2 degrees can make a difference to a good sleep, alcohol can drop the body temperature so that it is easy to drop into a sleep, but the body can quickly resettle to a normal body temp and wake again.   Do you see that relationship between waking soon after going to sleep and drinking at night?

·       If waking during the night – use cognitive sleep practice to resettle, soothing thoughts, gratitude, story-telling strategy

Getting enough sleep is critical for the healing effects on the body/mind.  Regular lack of sleep increases the risk for diseases like obesity and dementia as the body/mind remains in an inflamed stressed state. 

If you need help with sleep or with other health issues contact Gina at gina@bodyofwork.co.nz

As a disclaimer since I’m not providing this information following a full consultation, please note that this information provided is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals

Digestive problems? How to help ourselves naturopathically this week - Gina Sarten, Naturopath

‘My stomach expands so much – by the end of the day I look pregnant!  ‘

‘It’s like I go up a size between morning and night! ‘

‘The bloating is so painful, the wind is embarrassing… ‘

Many of my clients have mild to moderate digestion difficulties – bloating, discomfort, pain, gas, cramping, constipation, diarrhoea, … maybe its only occasional, although sometimes it’s every day.  They suffer silently and just put up with it. 

Digestion is a complex process!  Consider that digestion starts when you think about food, when you dream about lunch or dinner, try it – sit back quietly and think about your favourite meal and notice how you mouth fills with saliva.  If you chew each mouth-fill enough, that mix has a better chance of reaching your stomach mostly digested, but if you only give it a cursory chew it will make its way to your stomach in undigested pieces and sits … fermenting … while the hydrochloric acid works to break that food down – Ok so that’s a simplistic view but you get the picture 😊.  There is a lot more to the process involving enzymes, bile, the oesophagus, pancreas, liver, gallbladder, small and large intestines and colon, but essentially if food is not digested properly the nutrients from that food can’t be absorbed effectively.  Possibly why many with digestion issues feel so fatigued!

I’ve mentioned fast eating but there are other causes of poor digestion including:

a)     low levels of hydrochloric acid (hcl) which sadly may reduce when we’re older, acid levels reach adult level from age 2 but may decline due to chronic gastritis, an Inflammation of the gut lining, caused by stress, infection, alcohol, drugs (NSAID’s).

b)     stress has a significant impact since the digestive function is compromised during a fight/flight response

c)     food sensitivities and allergies

d)     infections – small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), Helicobactor pylori

e)     nutrient imbalance: low fibre, high sugar, too much fatty food, low nutrients

Keep a food and symptom diary for a few days and see if you can identify what causes your stomach complaints.  Does it occur after you eat that cheese scone, that cup of milky tea, or those hot chips?  Or is it stress based, are you a comfort eater or food avoider when under stress? 

I offer food sensitivity testing and have seen all types of food cause symptoms, with the main ones being dairy and wheat.  Contact me at gina@bodyofwork.co.nz if you’d like help to discover the cause of your symptoms.

As a disclaimer since I’m not providing this information following a full consultation, please note that this information provided is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals

Osteoarthritis and how to help ourselves Naturopathically - Gina Sarten, Naturopath

To help ourselves naturopathically this week:  

Those suffering osteoarthritis are not alone, there are an estimated 10% of adults in New Zealand who experience osteoarthritis symptoms of painful joints due to the thinning then eventual breakdown of cartilage around the joints. Naturopathically there are options to consider, and diet is at the top of the list for a couple of reasons.

1.     Inflammation - reduce the intake of foods that promote inflammation (like sugar, alcohol, red meat, processed foods, fatty foods).  Instead eat plenty of vegetables, plus some fruit, wholegrains, protein (a small amount of meat is encouraged, just not every day, plus other sources of protein like fish, poultry, legumes/beans, eggs, quinoa, nuts, seeds).   Inflammation can be seen in joints even before changes are evident in an X-ray

a.     a 16 week trial in the UK showed that those following a Mediterranean diet (high in vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, fish, (with less red meat than usual) reported improved knee and hip rotation.

2.     Another reason diet is important is for those who carry excess weight, as excess weight puts more pressure on joints resulting in the possibility of increased joint pain. Replacing the intake of inflammatory foods with healthier anti-inflammatory foods (along with movement and exercise) can help to reduce weight.

There are some supplements that may help, everyone is different so what works for one person may not work for another.  

I always suggest to clients that they ensure they’re taking a good quality omega 3 oil, as these can reduce inflammation.

Anti-inflammatory herbs include turmeric, ginger, celery, garlic, rosemary, cinnamon, nettle.

Consider making a daily turmeric latte heat 1 cup of almond milk with 1 tsp root turmeric, 1 tsp root ginger, ¼ tsp cinnamon, and a grind of black pepper.  Add vanilla essence and/or maple syrup to sweeten if required.

Substitute with ¼ tsp turmeric and ¼ tsp ginger if the fresh roots are not available

There have been mixed results whether glucosamine and chondroitin are effective at reducing pain and inflammation, some trials show positive benefits while other trials do not – if you find these substances work then continue with them.

These are some of the suggestions I make to clients who have arthritis symptoms.  Most report some improvement, particularly once they change their diet.  

If you would like to know more please contact me on gina@bodyofwork.co.nz

As a disclaimer since I’m not providing this information following a full consultation, please note that this information provided is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals

Tension headaches and Massage - Tania Woolford, RMT

Tension headaches are all too common, reported by more than 70% of some populations worldwide. Whether they occur occasionally, often or are chronic, they can really impact ones quality of life and be outright exhausting. Symptoms are often described as a constant pressure and tightness that builds over time. They are felt on the head, neck or behind the eyes, with a pain level from mild to moderate, sometimes severe, with some sufferers experiencing a heightened sensitivity to noise. While there can be many factors that cause a tension headache, stress is the most common trigger, either as a direct cause or indirect, where stress is effecting the musculoskeletal system, that then triggers a headache. 

These muscles around the jaw, head, neck and shoulders can be involved: 

Masseter: jaw muscle connecting the jaw to the cheekbone. It can be especially headache inducing for those of us who clench their jaw. Its involved in temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD). 

Temporalis: this muscle fans out over the temples, is involved in closing the jaw and TMJD alongside the masseter.   

Suboccipitals: a group of muscles that attach from the base of the skull to the top of the spine.  They help support the weight of the head. They feel oh so good when supported with massage. 

Levator scapulae: attaches from the neck vertebrae to the shoulder blade. This hardworking little muscle is so commonly fired up and asking for attention. 

Sternocleidomastoid: another hardworking set of neck muscles that attach from the middle of the chest behind the ears. 

Scalenes: a muscle group sitting on either side of the neck that help to support our spine and are involved in breathing.  

Trapezius: a large trapezoid pair of muscles that extends from the base of the skull to the spine in our mid back and reaches out to the shoulder blades. 

Any of these muscles can be specifically targeted during a massage session to help encourage them back to comfort. There’s something so satisfying about having that achy discomfort listened to and focused on. 

How to tell the difference between tension, migraine and cluster headaches?

Knowing the difference can help target treatment for faster relief and prevention. It’s worth discussing potential migraines or cluster headaches with your health specialist. 

Massage can help to ease the pain and discomfort of tension headaches by addressing the muscles involved and exploring preventative measures. It also provides stress relief, by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system, to promote a relaxation response and releases endorphins, those feel good hormones. 

We treat holistically and tailor all sessions to the individual client, so can help you explore what’s responsible for any tension headache type pain being experienced. 

Always feel free to contact me with any questions.