Blog
Some Apps to help you manage your health!
As a massage therapist I am expected to be a model of good health for my clients. Or at least be working on my health challenges, so I can empathise with my clients as they face their own. I have a few challenges - heck, I stopped working in an office because of my...
Toxins, Schmocksins, Fructose and FODMAPs
It's the time of year when we return to the gym full of New Years resolution! We read up on all the articles dissing "Detox plans" and feel smug that our colon, liver, skin and kidneys will make us feel better if only we eat right, rest well and exercise properly. And...
Can a London Massage Therapist socialise with his clients?
“Keep your relationships with your clients clean and simple!” we are told. With good reason: it can ruin the therapy, be bad for business and compromise the therapist. Does this apply in London to massage therapy as much as talking therapies though? My clients may see...
One Man in Four gets a hernia! And don’t always trust your therapist (part one)!
Ahhh hernias! The staple jokes in the Carry On films, involving a truss and a workshy labourer! My, how we laugh....till we get one ourselves! To save the sensibility of readers, NO illustration accompanies this article! So what is a hernia? It is a weakness in the...
So what is Myofascial Release? A personal view
THIS ARTICLE REFLECTS THE PRIVATE VIEWS OF THE AUTHOR AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A MEDICAL REFERENCE.. In my previous Fascia articles, I introduced the cobweb of connective tissue that shapes us, what goes wrong with it and how we look after it. This article looks...
What is fascia made of?
So what forms human connective tissue? From bone through to blood, with cartilage, ligaments, periosteum, tendons, muscle, loose areolar and adipose tissue as the markers on the way - we make artificial categorisations, to highlight variations, but in reality, these...
How do I look after my fascia?
THIS ARTICLE REFLECTS THE PRIVATE VIEWS OF THE AUTHOR AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A MEDICAL REFERENCE.. Eat well This is obvious. Your fibrocytes need nourishment to do their job. But do you honestly get your 5-8 portions of fruit and veg EVERY day? Manage Stress and...
So what goes wrong with Fascia?
Featured Image taken from "Strolling under the Skin" Living Fascia DVD by Dr. Jean Claude Guimberteau. Can be purchased at http://tinyurl.com/yd9t67a THIS ARTICLE REFLECTS THE PRIVATE VIEWS OF THE AUTHOR AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A MEDICAL REFERENCE.. Adherence...
What is Fascia? More than the just the gristly bits!
THIS ARTICLE REFLECTS THE PRIVATE VIEWS OF THE AUTHOR AND SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED A MEDICAL REFERENCE.. Coming from the latin, fascia originally meant a "band" or "frame" (Pocket Oxford English Dictionary). About 30% of our bodyweight is made up of connective tissue....
Massage & bodywork research and reading 1
Remedial therapies are increasingly challenged to PROVE their effectiveness and reference research in treatments. Having much less resources than pharmaceutical companies, much research is small in scale, and very limited in scope. But it is always worth pointing...
Massage for Relaxation
So you want a "relaxing massage"? That is in no way a trivial outcome! Have you ever wondered why a massage is relaxing? Physical Relaxation On a physical level, many people find the stretching of muscles helps them relax, and that massage can stretch muscles at...
London Trigger Point Therapy
Neuromuscular Therapy – sometimes called Trigger Point Therapy – involves releasing Trigger Points in muscles & fascia, and encouraging flexibility in muscle and connective tissue. Intermittent pressure is applied to each of these Trigger Points, until the sensation diminishes. It is assumed a release of tension relieves pain and increases mobility. It is thought greater blood flow may allow the healing process to resume.
London Masseur or Massage Therapist?
A rose by any other name – The public call them masseurs (or masseuses) and massage therapists, and they call themselves massage therapists and bodyworkers. All the same thing really! You choose the therapist to suit your outlook and objectives. But check their qualifications, insurance and experience with people in your situation. That is more important than what they call themselves – the name is mostly just marketing.
What is Sports Massage Therapy?
Sports Massage Therapy is popular with athletes, but also with the rest of us mortals too! Office work can be a physical and mental workout, but usually without proper warm-up beforehand and stretching afterwards. Often a lot of stress is involved: holding muscles rigid for long periods (which creates hypertonia) and repetitive strain ( which creates overuse injury). If you work at a computer all day probably you are familiar with the tight neck and shoulders from holding yourself tense while you stare at the screen.
Ice Therapy for Strains and Sprains
Ice therapy aids contracting the branching blood vessel capillaries, allowing pressure to reduce and allowing movement of fluid into the lymph ducts, forcing blood and debris from the area and allowing the lymph to filter this fluid, and get rid of debris, hence speeding recovery from Strains and Sprains.
Soft Tissue Repair Process
An article explaining the three stages of soft tissue repair process.
Massage for Health & Wellbeing!
An article about the negative effects of stress on our health and how massage therapy can help you.