By: Erin Ziprick, RMT

Is your Resolution in the New Year to take better care of yourself? Instead of focusing on the outcomes, why not set your sights on the process in 2015 and making short term goals throughout the year to ensure you are successful.

Massage is a proactive approach to preventative medicine as much as exercise and eating healthy. You are making yourself a priority and caring for your body, mind and spirit.

By adding massage into your routine it will help increase health and overall wellness. Here are 5 ways massage helps:

1) Stress reduction:
“Experts estimate upwards of 90% of disease is stress related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress.”

This can translate into
      * Decreased anxiety
          * Enhanced sleep quality
              * Increased energy
                 * Improved concentration
                     *Increased circulation
                         * Reduced fatigue

The emotional balance bodywork provides can often be just as valuable as the physical benefits.

2) Back Pain:
Back pain is an important health problem that affects the majority of the public and is the most common medical condition for which people use complementary and alternative medicine practices. Massage as been shown to be an effective treatment for back pain.

3) Strengthens your Immune System:
Massage therapy can strengthen your immune system by stimulating the lymph system, the body’s natural defense. And by using “long strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration, and tapping” will improve the body’s hormonal response and immune function. An increase in white blood cells and naturally killer-cell activity better prepares the body to fight off invading cells.

4) Injury prevention
Regular massage treatments can help you get back to your activity sooner and help prevent any new injuries from occurring. Massage increases circulation to the muscles and tissues. With increased blood circulation, the nutrients are distributed throughout the body. An increase in circulation will then help repair tissues and quicken the healing process. Therefore, the muscles begin to relax and soften, increase joint mobility and range of motion, and decrease spasms and cramping.

5) Migraines and Headaches
“A 2008 pilot study involving 16 participants suggested that massage may be beneficial in reducing the frequency of tension type headaches as well as the intensity and duration of pain.” Massage treatments which are performed on a regular basis, can help keep the body at it’s optimal level of relaxation and stress relief. By focusing on the head, neck and shoulders, massage can decrease the pain and discomfort brought on by a migraine and headache. For more information about Headaches and migraines, please go to the following link. 

Overall, making short term goals and having a plan to incorporate massage treatments into your schedule will help you in feeling your best self throughout the upcoming year. Communicate with your massage therapist to customize a treatment plan that works the best in your schedule and stick with it. Consider it a necessary piece to your health and wellness in 2015!

References:
http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/benefits.php 12/19/14 http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/070411.htm 12/19/14 http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/090110.htm 12/19/14 http://www.massagetherapy.com/learnmore/benefits.php 12/29/14

By: Dr. Courtney Holmberg, ND

Unless you've been living under a rock, I'm sure you've come across the ingredient every product is labelling free-of and every consumer is trying to avoid, gluten. One of the most common questions I'm asked with regards to dietary changes in practice is "should I be gluten-free too?" Stats say roughly 29% of households now have a family member who eats gluten free, and the "Gluten Free" label has become the top 5th label claim since 2011. But when asked, less than a third of respondents (including those who claimed to be gluten free) actually knew what gluten was and where it was found.

     So... what is it? Why is it bad for us? And what's with all the hype anyways?

     There are a number of articles circling the web on either side of the gluten fence. I'm not here to persuade you, but to inform you, so listen closely.

FIRST OFF... WHAT IS GLUTEN?     Gluten, by definition, is a family of proteins, made up of gliadin and glutenin that give bread its elasticity, or ability to rise. The family that seems to be problematic in today's diet is found in wheat, barley and rye. Dr. Tom O'Bryan, a certified gluten practitioner in the US, discusses the reason for its "toxicity". He states that although not everyone may show symptoms of sickness from eating gluten, the human body does not produce intestinal enzymes to break down the gliadin component of the protein [1].

     For someone with celiac disease, this is a serious problem. Their immune system produces an anaphylactic response when exposed to the gluten protein (even in minute amounts)... much like someone would with a bee allergy, but in their gut. These people often carry a gene that predisposes them to this condition, and a gluten-free diet is absolutely essential for them. The interesting fact is that there has been a 4 fold (or 400x) increase in the incidence of celiac disease over the past 50 years [1]. 

That leaves us with the question....

WHY IS GLUTEN SUDDENLY A PROBLEM?     Although wheat hasn't changed, and has been cultivated now for roughly 10000 years, its been only in the last 500 years that the actual content of gluten in wheat-based foods has gone up [2]. This is because gluten helps breads rise and holds food together, making for better texture, and is therefore actually added to foods already containing gluten. It can also be found in cosmetics, hair products, and household cleaners. 

     Its important to note that although only 3% of the those with the celiac gene actually develop celiac disease, roughly 30% of the population carries the gene. So why isn't everyone developing celiac? Tom O'Bryan states this is due to the concept of loss of oral tolerance - meaning over exposure and weakened gut health due to environmental factors may be the key to expression of this gene [3]

The World's Food Habits Chart in 2013, from vox.com