10/3/16 Common Cold Season We’ve finally gotten to the transition from summer to fall and I love jacket weather! But it seems like every other client I’ve seen in the past week has had a bad cold, so I’ve begun my boost the immune system routine. I generally do not take many supplements, but rather try to get reasonably good nutrients by eating as smartly as I can. However, in...

9/20/16 Deep Tissue Massage Class I spent last Thursday through Saturday in Des Moines completing my continuing education requirements for relicensure. I attended a workshop in Deep Tissue Massage taught by Dr. James Mally, who’s been a leader in the massage therapy profession for over 40 years. Since I have been practicing deep tissue work, trigger point therapy and shiatsu for many years,...

9/2/16 How Often Should I Receive Massage? It seems your reason for receiving massage and your budget are two primary factors when considering this question. First, what are your reasons for getting massage? Are you in a myofascial crisis? Have you strained a muscle? Are you recovering from surgery? Do you have low back pain after lifting heavy objects while moving? Are you suffering from a...

7/27/16 Summer 2016, Part 1 Summers inevitably go by quickly. This one is no different. I have been busy with shiatsu and massage sessions at the office, have been watching my wife and kids with their activities, and wishing time would slow down a bit. As soon as school was out, my 17-year-old son was off to Ireland with his high school orchestra. They visited Limerick, Killarney, Kilkenny,...

7/15/16 Conditions I’ve Treated Recently With Massage Cervical Dystonia, or Spasmodic Torticollis, a painful condition in which muscles of the neck contract and rotate the head and neck to one side and do not relax. Medical science does not yet have a reason to explain why this happens, and offers little treatment protocol. Massage therapy can sometimes provide temporary relief from...

6/20/16 Remodeling Basement Stairway The wood stairs going down to the basement were covered with old peeling and chipping blue-grey paint. I decided last summer to remove the paint and then stain and finish the wood if it was in decent shape. After determining the paint was lead based, I bought a respirator, took necessary precautions and stripped the paint over the course of 5 or 6...

6/16/16 Tibialis Anterior, Shin Splints, and Drop Foot Tibialis Anterior is a long muscle of the lower leg that sits up against and just outside the shin bone, or tibia. Its origin attachment is the proximal lateral surface of the tibia and interosseous membrane. It travels down the lower leg, crosses over the front of the ankle and inserts at the medial cuneiform and base of the first...

5/29/16 Acupressure For Travelers It’s the end of May, early June. This summer I will be traveling (driving) long distances, and a lot of you are frequent travelers, so let’s look at several acupoints that will come in handy as we make our way to distant places. When I travel, whether by plane or car, I typically have issues with 1) My Head – like headaches, disorientation, fogginess,...

5/16/16 The Challenge of Choosing Continuing Education Classes Choosing continuing education classes has been a challenge for me. I never know quite what I’m getting myself into. My hope is to find classes that will teach techniques that I’m interested in learning about, or that will complement what I’m already doing in my clinic. I typically do focused and somewhat deep myofascial work...

4/28/16 Biceps Femoris Location and Pain Patterns Biceps Femoris is one of the hamstring muscles on the back of the upper leg. Like the Biceps Brachii of the upper arm, the Biceps Femoris has two parts. The long head attaches to the ischial tuberosity, or sit bone; the short head attaches to the back of the femur, and they join together to cross the outside knee joint and attach to the head of...