With only 4 months left until the end of this calendar year, you may wish to plan booking your massage and shiatsu appointments now.  If December marks the end of insurance year and you still have some unused coverage dollars for this year, why not spare yourself the stress of squeezing in appointments at the end of this year?

To arrange your appointments please call our front desk at 416-929-6958.  We will be happy to assist you.

Acupuncture literally means needle-puncture. Moxibustion is a form of heat therapy on acupoints.  In countries such as Japan and China, the practice of acupuncture is referred to as shinkyu (or zhenjiu), meaning AcupunctureMoxibustion (one word).  Acupuncture and Moxibustion have been administered in tandem since ancient times.  In Ontario, however, not many people have been treated with moxibustion, partly due to the fact that many acupuncture training programs offered locally were taught mainly the needling part, not moxibustion in depth.  It is traditionally believed that acupuncture used in conjunction with moxibustion profoundly enhances each modality’s effects. Learn more about Moxibustion.

By Melissa Lee BSc. (Hon.)

As we head into September, our lives seem to pick up once again: work gets a little busier; our children or we as students go back to school; or our vacations have ended.  With active schedules, it is important to consume nutritious foods which nourish us as the season changes.  To help with this transition, try this delicious, wholesome fiber rich cookie.  

Directions:

1. Set the oven rack in the middle and preheat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside.
3. Mix the wet ingredients together in the order listed and set aside.
4. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.
5. Add the cranberries, nuts, and chocolate chips to the mixture.
6. Using a tablespoon, spoon the dough onto a cookie sheet.
7. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 12- 15 minutes or until brown.
8. Makes 24-30 cookies. 
9. Enjoy with a nice cup of coffee in the morning or a glass of almond milk.

Don’t be a Prune!

Plums are harvested in mid-August and are dehydrated into prunes.  Prunes can be a delicious snack or further processed into purees, juices, paste and powders.  Adding prunes or its purees and juices can have many health benefits.

For instance, prunes support gastrointestinal health.  They contain both soluble and insoluble fibers (6g-16g of fiber per 100g of prunes), which help soften the stool and increase its bulk to enhance mobility.  Prunes also contain a sugar called sorbitol.  In excess, sorbitol can cause flatulence and diarrhea, but in the right amounts it helps to absorb water to also soften the stool.  Despite its known laxative effects prunes also have a role in bone health.  With a mineral content of 50mg calcium, 80mg phosphorus, 2.2mg of boron in 100g of fruit, prunes are a great snack to support bone structure. On top of that, prunes benefit the cardiovascular system as well.  Since prunes contain the soluble fiber pectin, prunes can assist in lowering plasma LDL cholesterol concentrations. 

These are just a few benefits of prunes, so the next time you’re snacking or baking, add a little prune in your life.

Baking tip: prune puree can be used to add moisture and sweetness; but also replace fat.

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Melissa Lee is currently a 4^th year intern at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic (which is based out of the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine).

References

Stacewicz- Sapuntzakis, M., Bowen, PE., Hussain, EA., Damayanti-Wood, BI., Farnsworth, NR.  Chemical Composition and potential health effects of prunes: a functional food? Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2001); 41(4): 251-286.

Here are some of the comments we received recently from our clients.  We would like to express our thanks for their positive feedback and their kind publishing permission.

“I am very happy to have found The Pacific Wellness Institute.  I have a medical condition and since I started having massage therapy my emotional and physical well being have improved dramatically.  I highly recommend this clinic to anyone who is looking to improve their health.”

Monica

“The atmosphere at Pacific is very professional and at the same time comfortable + relaxing.  Although my plan was to search for a new RMT, I chose to return to Pacific because of the atmosphere + the excellent work of the therapist.”

JP  (re:  Rahel)

“I had the best massage so far in my life from Martyna.  She made me feel very comfortable, asked me all the right questions and performed the massage accordingly.”

Go-Go Gmams

“Excellent service.  Going back in 3 days!”

Troy Fullerton, J

“Truly an amazing experience, I feel so much more refreshed and relaxed thanks to my reflexology treatment.  My feet are feeling the best that have ever felt!”

Justice  (re: Emily)

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PUBLISHER  The Pacific Wellness Institute, Tim H. Tanaka, Ph.D., Director

CONTRIBUTORS FOR THIS ISSUE  Melissa Lee, HBSc., ND (Candidate)

THE PACIFIC WELLNESS INSTITUTE  80 Bloor Street West, Suite 1100, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2V1  T. 416 929 6958 F. 416 929 6365 

info@pacificwellness.ca  www.pacificwellness.ca

Vol. 23 May 2011 Issue

In this issue:

1. Get in Shape for Summer with UltraMeal Special
2. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
3. Massage Therapy and Gestalt Therapy
4. Dr. Tanaka Presented His Paper at The ICMART 2011 World Congress
5. FAQ – Do you have other locations?
6. Seasonal Recipe
7. Comments

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Buy 4 containers of UltraMeal and get
2 complimentary Body Composition Tests (worth $39)!

“Do It Yourself 8-Week Body Shaping Program” will energize you and help you shed off those extra few pounds!  It is easy as 1, 2, 3:

1. Buy 4 containers of  UltraMeal
2. Book your 2 free Body Composition Tests:  one at the beginning and one at the end of the program
3. Follow the guideline booklet provided with UltraMeal

Or sign up for our complete weight management program:

Visit http://www.pacificwellness.ca/weightmain.html

Similarities and Differences

“Hello John”

“Hi Rahel”

John looks different today. He’s walking slowly as we head into the clinic space. I walk behind him to check for any altered Gait. I also happened to notice when we said hello that his face looks strained. He’s holding in pain, I’ve seen pain many times before and I can recognize it.

We enter the treatment room, and face each other.

 “How are you feeling? You look like you’re struggling today? That’s a change from our last appointment…what happened?”

“Yeah, just yesterday, I threw my back out. I can hardly move. I’m desperate.”

“How did this come to be?”

“Well, you know me. Always lifting boxes, I never pay attention and I don’t bend from the knees like you said I should. I guess my Back finally gave up on me.”

I want to say, you gave up on yourself. Actually I want to pit his resignation and effort against each other in a two-chair cage match and my top dog wants to bet $100 on effort. On a less I-it note I want the two to come together and hug it out. I wonder if my client’s physical suffering might be better suited to such a treatment, instead of a massage. Who’s to know? I can’t go there. Not in this role. Not at the risk of toppling the CMTO (college of massage therapists), a fragile house of cards…and the regulatory body of my profession. But, excuse me for I digress (it’s a primary interjector thing).

With some further assessment I inform John of my goals regarding treatment and how I intend to reach them. Though I’m almost sure by the glazed look on his face that some of my treatment plan sounds like, garbled gook, he unquestioningly nods yes. This makes me feel uncomfortable.

I leave momentarily so he can undress and get on the table, face down.

 One of my favourite things about the job, a small thing, is the variation in response I get upon re-entering the treatment space:

“Come in”

“Yes?”

“Ready”

“Come on In”

Some people use different inflection. Some don’t say a thing. I project that it has to do with how a client owns the space, and owns their treatment.

John says “I think I’m ready” he’s the type to wait for things to happen to him (resignation?) maybe.

 I turn the lights down, increase the soothing sound, and approach John. I always like to start by introducing my hands to a client’s body which is also a method of assessment. I sheer my hands over the entire body and feel for any discrepancies, any where that is not integrated.

 I can tell when something is not integrated from varying factors. The tone of the tissue, its temperature, the texture of the tissue, its responsiveness to my touch or to guided movement, and if any of these things together or apart are appropriate within the context of their location. These factors can be sensed through my hands, sometimes my eyes, even the sounds the client makes, or the sound of cracking etc.

Then there’s something else. There’s something intuitive. Though all the above indicators dictate the areas I am to work on, it is my intuition that determines how I do that work.

It is essential to working in the “here and now” because a person such as John might come in with usual areas of tension, but needing different pressure or styles of technique from time to time.

And speaking of John…

After my hands-intro/assessment, I decide to start from the neck and work down. His neck is stiff like a group of full water hoses. This leads into his shoulders, down the middle of his back along the sides of his spine, and into a mass of hard tension that forms a constrictive band across his low back. I imagine a giant has John in the palm of its grasp and is squeezing fiercely. I imagine that wouldn’t be very comfortable, and almost a total loss of control (or a giving up of control? hehe sorry I can’t help myself…maybe I’m a primary projector?..hmm)

 When I begin firmly kneading John’s neck the first thing I notice is resistance from the tissue to my pressure (Quel surprise/eye roll, Gee something about other people’s resistance really makes me smug…)

This means as is usually the case, that I cannot just dive in, I must softly enter from the side, getting deeper as the tissue warms to me.  That’s cool. We’ll get nowhere if I am attached to my version of what John needs and I don’t involve him.

 In fact this is the only way I can truly be creative. My creativity is indelibly connected to all the techniques I am capable of and aware that I have, as well as the needs that call them. So the tool box is open, the state of John’s tissue in each moment, and my sense of what’s needed dictate how the techniques and which tools I use, flow from my hands to/with him. We create a symbiotic fulfillment. A harmony or balance where both our needs are met all the while our integrity is maintained. To do my job, I must afford this commitment to all the client’s I work with. I always pull out all the stops. No matter who the client is, I am committed to balance and integration. Worst case scenario, I refuse to treat someone.

 Slowly, on a moment to moment basis, the path to balance is revealed. The sounds John makes have become warmer and softer, and flow like his oxygenated, lively tissue. His breathing is deeper, and rhythmical. His body reminds me of the environment in which it lays. As it turns out, we have dealt a large focus to his upper back, neck and shoulders. His Low back received attention of course, but by the time we got there, it had relaxed itself. Sometimes this will happen if I focus on compensatory structures first. Curious is it not?

Though there is still some residual tension, we stop for now.

The hour has just about finished. Enough time remains for John to change, and for him and me to address his current state of being.

I leave the room and let him do so.

Shortly after this, he opens the door fully dressed, a relaxed expression. He says “wow” and thanks me. I am split between joy and discomfort. Joy at his obvious harmony, discomfort at his obvious gratitude. We did it together…

I enter the room and close the door for this last piece of work. I explain what was discovered, and he tells me he is no longer in pain. I recommend a treatment next week for the residual tension, and advise him not to overdo it. Then I give him some homework to accentuate the treatment, and I escort him back out to the foyer.

 In Massage Therapy, as in Gestalt, the role of contact is dynamic. There is opportunity for freshness around each turn. What I love about being a Therapist in all forms and variations is the opportunity to work with Universal manifestations of stuckness, so as to co-create wholeness. I’m pretty good at massaging through all the knots. 

Rahel Kay, RMT, CR, CYI is a Registered Massage Therapist, Certified Reflexologist and Yoga Instructor.  She has been studying Gestalt Therapy at the Gestalt Institute of Toronto to expand learning and add depth to her practice.  She is available for Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, trigger point, lymphatic drainage and reflexology treatments at The Pacific Wellness Institute.  To arrange your session with Rahel call us at 416-929-6958.

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