Dynamic Balance

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Merry Christmas - Happy Hanukah - Happy Holidays etc etc

I hope all of you enjoy this time of year for the joy  and smiles it brings to those you love

Well it is the holiday season, the time of joy, peace and love your fellow man. I have heard many say that just being nice in this season is phony when people are rotten throughout the year. But i would go the other way, and thank-god there is a least one part of the year when people are nice. It is nice to see people becoming intoxicated with the season that they can't help but be a little nicer.

Christmas season around our house is also house cleaning - we require the kids to give the old toys they don't play with, before Santa would even think of bringing them something for being good

Christmas also is a time of the holiday meal - my personal favorite. The smell of turkey cooking that fills the house, seasonal pies cooling on the counter, stuffing, (i am hungry already!)

Hope to see you all in the new Year, happy and healthy                  

Did You know?

antioxidants like vitamin E can protect brain cells from damage caused by the consumption of large amounts of alcohol? - They are also the only way noted to reduce the destructive effects of excitotoxins (msg, artificial sweeteners, etc) ripe in seasonal cooking

Body Balancing Massage Therapy

Tis is the season to be jolly...

The holiday season is upon us, people are a little nicer, smile a little easier, and give up their parking spot. (ya right, well 2 out of 3 ain't bad)

But this is the time of year where people tend to slow down their health routines, and buy for others. How many people around you do you see that you have thought of over the last year that needed a massage, but never got one such as the Neighbor, Hair Dresser, business associate, or friend?

Not sure what to add to the Christmas party, or an added bonus for your employees who are working harder to keep business afloat in these difficult times. Take some stress off their respective shoulders DO chair massage one afternoon - you will be amazed at the difference.

Keep in mind that the boss is also very stressed in these times, get them a massage.

 I offer a bonus gift certificate offer at this time of the year. buy 10 gift certificates which is normally $700 you get them for $350 - that is 50% off. The catch on this is they have to be used as gifts and not for personal use.

Tis truly the season of giving - give them a professional Massage or bodywork session from Body Balancing Massage Therapy

Got jowls? Recent part of my lymphatic research is showing that much of the "jowls" visible on people is from a build up of fluid in the submandibular area (under the jaw). Much of the sinus and face drains from the tear duct of the eyes to the outside of the chin, under the jaw line back to just under the ears and down to the notch between the collar bones. SO congestion in any part of this line would back up the drain. (see diagram left)

That nice big muscle  showing so prominently from the ear to the collar bone is the SCM (sternocleidomastoid). It is the one that so often gets chronically tight from things like being on the computer a lot or breathing shallow. So a blockage created from the SCM could block off fluid flow from the sinuses, face, ears etc. This information by itself does not stand until you involve practical application. Release of tension in both heads of the SCM with subsequent Lymphatic Drainage techniques produces results for the practitioner and the patient. While the SCM is not the only muscle that could create this back flow, this months muscle of the month the zygomaticus could be involved on people who don't smile J Nonetheless the practitioner can feel the difference in the tone of the muscle and the patient can feel the fluid moving in the skin and down the throat, visible signs usually do not show up until the 2nd or third session.

Now, Jowls aside. Last week I worked on a young lady who had a sinus infection for 3 weeks to a month, had gone through 3 courses of antibiotics, was getting headaches, no relief from the sinus infection, and was beginning to suffer from vertigo. After the first treatment described above the vertigo eased dramatically, she had to deal with a cough due to the sinuses draining, but she could feel that she was getting better. Does it only take one session, no! It depends on the situation but generally about 3-4 sessions. But the same approach resolves seemingly different problems. Clear the sewer pipes  health and beauty follows

Did you know that it takes 4 muscles to smile.... and 62 muscles to frown

Truth be told there is no agreement on how many muscles are involved the truth of the statement is the underlying message

Muscle of the month - Zygomaticus

"The smile Muscle" the zygomaticus (zI-go ma-ticus) The zygomaticus is a muscle of facial expression. The Zygomaticus extends from each zygomatic arch (cheekbone) to the corners of the mouth. It raises the corners of the mouth when a person smiles (or bares his incisors (fangs)).

Information from the trigger point workbook reports these TrP's can cause allergy symptoms such as runny nose, sneezing and itchy eyes and may contribute a significant part of your "sinus" pain or tension headaches

You can also see from the diagram on the left that TrP's in this muscle refer along the lymphatic drain line notated for the sinuses. So not only can it block this line from TrP activity but the subsequent swelling from the backup of lymphatic fluid could sensitize the tissue and make it contract more - nasty circle!

You will often notice beginnings of jowls in this spot on peoples faces in the early stages. You will have noticed the pink dot on the diagram to the left as well. That is acupressure point Stomach 4. So you can see where a variety of approaches for the same thing intersect in the same general area. So while the zygomaticus really does not do much in the grand scheme its placement makes it more than the sum of its parts.