Network Healing Centre
November 2007
Important Dates to Remember!
Sunday, November 4 – Daylight Savings Time
Sunday, November 11 – Remembrance Day
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NETWORK SPINAL ANALYSIS GIFT CERTIFICATES
Have you given the gift of optimal health and well-being to a loved one, friend, co-worker. . .?
NSA has proven benefits in stress reduction and pain relief.
Inquire with Veronika about receiving additional gift certificates for a complimentary initial visit with Dr. Michael (a value of 45$)!
Hurry! The Gift Certificates handed out in October are due to expire on November, 30th!
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Far-Infrared Sauna
Beat the coming winter chills! Help to detoxify your body and improve your general health.
Enquire with Veronika to book your complimentary session in our sauna. Purchase a package of 10 sessions and receive an additional complimentary session. Don’t delay!
Patterns of Defensive Posture
Contributed by Dr. Michael Tucker, DC.
Humans have some primitive response strategies that are still active in this day and age. Defence posture and stress physiology were originally meant to assist us in escaping danger. Activated by stress, these strategies alter our physiology and create defensive postures in our bodies.
Take, for example, the fight or flight response. Most of us think that’s fine for an encounter with a saber tooth tiger where the body automatically prepares us for a fierce battle, or your personal best sprint. What we fail to notice are all the daily triggers that activate our stress physiology, affecting our health, well-being and enjoyment of life.
Strategies activated by stress in days past were very beneficial. In the stressful grind of modern living we now have conditions like burnout, chronic fatigue and depression resulting from what was once the different postures and the physiology that accompanies them.
Slouched with head forward.
A body in this posture 8 to 12 hours a day changes structurally and becomes stuck in a slouched posture with the head held forward. Every degree the head protrudes forward from vertical increases the force exerted on the neck muscles by 30 pounds. The person will probably suffer from neck and shoulder pain, shallower breathing resulting in lung problems, infections and digestive disturbances. This posture may lead to seeing our selves as helpless and simply not good enough.
All wound up.
For some people this state is a daily phenomenon. This person is in fight or flight mode and an excited tense holding in posture. His blood pressure is up, triglicerides are released into the blood for energy, breathing decreases and muscles are tensed and ready to defend. Only there is no physical danger, the stress does not go away and there is no phase to rest until we return to normal. Imagine the health implications!
Blowing your top posture.
When this defense strategy gets locked into the nervous system, it greatly reduces the range of responses and experiences a person can have. Does this man appreciate the little things in life or take the time to see the humour in the moment? Will he be able to switch gears when he gets home and be loving with his wife and kids? Is the whole world out to get him?
Same _(BLEEP!)_, different day.
Our everyday lives cause responses that greatly limit our ability to respond to life resourcefully. The effect of defense posture on our nervous systems is like a bug that makes a Pentium 4 computer operate like a Commodore 64. We have such limited responses because anything greater would overload the system. The potential for the perfect response is there, yet we have only a slower basic reaction available to us due to this bug.
Network Spinal Analysis gets your nervous system to recognize the bug and remove it. It uses light touch to alert the body of defense posture and creates responses that bring the body to safety. When our bodies move from defense posture into safety, we regain the full power of our nervous system.
CranioSacral Restrictions
Contributed by Rosemary Brown-Tucker, CST
According to CranioSacral philosophy postural alignment is dependent on a free and open connective tissue system throughout the body. Connective tissue surrounds and supports all of the structures of our body and when it is restricted can cause tugging and pulling on these structure which can result in postural misalignment.
Restrictions can be caused by trauma, both physical and emotional, or by habitual holding patterns in the body due to stress and dis-ease. CranioSacral therapy helps in locating and gently releasing these connective tissue restrictions, freeing the trauma or holding patterns, allowing for free movement and overall well being.
A typical CranioSacral session lasts about an hour, with the patient lying comfortably on a massage table fully clothed. The CranioSacral therapist uses his or her hands to gently free restrictions in various parts of the body. The work is very soothing and relaxing in nature and the effects of a session can often be felt right away, although sometimes they are not fully apparent until hours, or even days later.
Posture: A Balancing Act
Contributed by Erin Whyte, RMT
It’s easy to understand why we hurt when we have painted all weekend, tripped and fallen on the ground, played a demanding sport, or been in a car accident. It’s easier to equate pain with trauma or injury. It’s also easier to acknowledge that are muscles are working for us when we are in motion i.e. running, skating, chopping wood, swimming. But keeping our bodies upright is not a benign exercise. Something has to keep us from flopping over at the waist or allowing us to keep our head up! Our posture is maintained throughout the day by the use of our muscles and that is a daily stressor in and of itself.
Not all muscles are created equal. Beyond the idea that we have some muscles that are stronger than others or that we have large and small muscles, there is a differentiation that can be made in order to understand why simply standing or sitting for long periods of time can cause our bodies to ache. It also then leads us to realize why posture really is important and how we can help to maintain it.
There are two primary categories of muscle functions; postural and phasic. Phasic muscles are responsible for movement, contain mainly fast twitch fibers, and respond to disuse or stress by weakening and lengthening. Examples of these are your glutes (bum) muscles, abs and mid-back muscles. Postural muscles on the other hand help to maintain an upright position of our bodies. Fibers are slow-twitch which means that they are good for endurance and fatigue slowly. They respond to disuse or stress by shortening. Examples of these are the quadriceps, hamstrings, calves, low back and many neck muscles. Most muscles have both functions but usually one predominates.
Now let’s create a balancing act. If you consider again that some muscles are weakened when they have to maintain a certain position and some shorten then that can make for an imbalance in the equation. A great example of explaining postural imbalance is looking at the upper body. Keep in mind that it can be either disuse or stress (and by that I mean a load of some type, not just feeling ‘stressed’) that contributes to this cycle. Imagine sitting at your desk for 3 hours before you get a break. The mid-back muscles start to fatigue trying to maintain a position that requires endurance when they really just want to move. As they tire, they weaken and rather than being able to hold your shoulders back they lengthen out allowing the shoulders to roll forward and the back to hunch over. At the front, the pectorals (upper chest muscles) then become shortened pulling the shoulder around even more. This, in turn, makes jut out which puts strain on the neck muscles both in the front and back. This initial imbalance has now set the stage for postural strain; headaches, mid-back, low back and neck pain to name a few. It also creates a bodily environment that is more susceptible to other types of injury, ones that may involve more movement. Consider too that this is what is happening to your body EVERY DAY.
The above is only one example of typical postural strain. One can look at the entire body starting from the feet in order to ascertain different types of asymmetry that cause our body to change or adapt.
When adaptations, compensation and change occur due to posture then soft tissues (muscles, ligaments, fascia) can be treated to help lengthen shortened tissue. When such changes occur due to a structural issue whereby the bones have an altered shape then the soft tissue can be treated to maintain tissue health even though the overall condition in unalterable.
Massage is an excellent form of therapy to address postural strain. It brings an overall awareness as to what you may have to change but also fully addresses the musculature imbalance that can exist from head to toe. You can help relieve some of those nagging symptoms of prolonged computer work, drawn out days of standing, sleepless nights and everyday daily tasks by taking the first step toward your health. Your body is going to see you through to your final days; you might as well be good to it so it can be good to you!
Thought of the Month
SAY YES!
When your heart is opened to its truest longing,
Even by a tiny crack, say yes!
When the mind stops its incessant judging,
Even for a single moment, say yes!
When suddenly you’re overcome with wonder,
Don’t take time to think; say yes!
When your body wants to sway and dance,
Let it pulse and move with joy; say yes!
When tears fill your eyes and want to spill out
With absolutely no warning, say yes!
When the soft earth invites you to lay down
And risk getting your clothes dirty; say yes!
When the redwood tree is asking for a hug,
Throw your arms around her giant waist; say yes!
When the dazzling rose invites you to her fragrance,
Bury your lonely nose in her blossom; say yes!
When you want a taste of honey with no bread,
Let your tongue awake to sweetness; say yes!
When you’re walking and a song just wants
To sing out loud, and people are around, say yes!
When a stranger looks at you, even if you’re not
Quite sure, just smile, and let your eyes say yes!
When your lover gazes tenderly with yearning,
There is always time for love; say yes!
When God is knocking on the door inside your heart,
Please don’t keep her waiting, just say yes!
And when it’s time to give your life, your breath,
Your aging body back to its true Source; say yes!