Having been a massage therapist for 13 years now I have never had an injury to my arms, wrists or hands.  You can use these simple exercises to ensure a long life in whatever job you have that requires extensive use of the hands and forearms.

Take computing for instance, there is no other way you found this information, how many hours a day do you spend on the keyboard, the mouse, or just hunched over in that nice chair?  Now, how many minutes a day do you spend providing regeneration to the injured/over used tissue.  Now, what is your plan for pain free longevity in this position you so love?

You may be the type of person who just prefers having a massage to treat aches and pains, great, I’ll take your money.  However, do you realize that hard earned money you invest in therapy will go so much further if you take some responsibility?

Take 5 minutes and follow me through on these exercises, if you need a band contact me and you can stop by, or I will ship one.

Stay Tuned…

Traditionally, the benefits of steaming include increased energy, decreased incidence of infections, and fewer colds and flus. Many regular steam or sauna bathers have experienced that a good long sweat bath at the early onset of a cold or flu can help ward off the disease before it manifests as actual symptoms.

How does steam work?

The heat from a Steamy Wonder™ treatment raises your core body temperature, inducing an artificial fever. During a fever, the production of white blood cells is increased, as is the rate of their release into the blood stream. White blood cells are the primary agents of the immune system. As the generation of antibodies speeds up, so does the production of interferon, an anti-viral protein. In this manner, your body’s immune system is strengthened as it works to combat the fever.

At the same time, sweating helps eliminate toxins and waste products from the body. After detoxification, your immune system has less “housecleaning” to do and can focus on protecting your body from more serious health threats. produced by sweating, overall health and resistance to diseases is increased.

Scientific Research:

Mayo Clinic researcher, Dr. Wakim, cites findings that the number of white blood cells increased by an average of 58% during an artificially induced fever.

Steamy Wonder Canopy available at Stay Tuned Therapeutics

Why steam is better than wrapping

Dr. John Welbes, Director the college of Massage Therapy in Omaha, Nebraska recommends steam baths in the treatment of cellulite, finding it superior to body wraps in raising tissue temperature. “Body wraps are very slow,” says Dr. Welbes, “it may take an hour to achieve the same temperature increase that you can get in about 10 minutes in a steam bath.” According to Dr. Welbes, the heat helps loosen the fatty tissue so that it is less solid and can more easily be broken down.

Potential Dangers to Wrapping:

The wraps and electric blankets that are commonly used to heat clients during a body wrap are often made of plastic. Plastic releases toxins when heated, which can then absorbed by the body, creating more toxicity. The blankets also create an electrical field effect which many people believe is not healthy.

Weight and Cellulite Loss Benefits and Steamy Wonder™

A moderately conditioned person can easily sweat off 500 grams of sweat in a sauna-the equivalent of running three to four miles or 475 to 600 calories. While the weight of the water loss is regained by re-hydration, the calories burned are not.

How steam and treatment packages help you lose weight and reduce cellulite

As you relax in the Steamy Wonder™, your body is actually working hard to eliminate toxins and burn fat. Weight loss becomes possible because body fat becomes water soluble at 110 degrees and the body can sweat out fats, toxins, and heavy metals. During a heat treatment your heart works harder pumping blood at a greater rate to boost circulation, supplying the conditioning benefits of continuous exercise. Heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate increase. Because the metabolism rate increases during the Steamy Wonder™ treatment you are burning calories, not just water!

Scientific Research

As the body works to cool itself, there is a substantial increase in heart rate, cardiac output and metabolic rate. Blood flow during whole-body hyperthermia is reported to rise from a normal 5 to 7 quarts per minute to as much as 13 quarts per minute.

This benefit was recognized in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association as long ago as August 1981: “Many of us who run do so to place a demand on our cardiovascular system, not to build big leg muscles. Regular use of a sauna imparts a similar stress on the cardiovascular system, and its regular use may be as effective, a means of cardiovascular conditioning and burning of calories as regular exercise.”

According to a study published in The American Journal of Medicine, sauna bathing is well tolerated, safe and has therapeutic value for most healthy people, as well as for most patients with stable coronary heart disease.

Researchers examined the benefits and risks of sauna bathing for healthy adults and children, as well as for patients with coronary heart disease, hypertension, and congestive heart failure. This comprehensive review of the world’s biomedical literature (1966 to the present) was carried out by investigators from the Department of Internal Medicine and University of Oulu, Finland, and the Division of Cardiology, Washington Hospital Center, Washington D.C.

Relief from Joint Pain

Steam therapy has been used for hundreds of years by many cultures in the treatment of arthritis, rheumatism, joint stiffness and muscle spasms.

How does it work?

The deep heat of the Steamy Wonder™ helps to relieve pain by causing the blood vessels to dilate. This causes increased blood circulation and allows more oxygen to get to soft tissue injuries and sore muscles. This helps to reduce pain and speeds up the healing process. Increased blood circulation carries of metabolic waste products and delivers oxygen rich blood to oxygen-depleted muscles, so they recover faster. Muscles relax most readily when tissues are warm.

Scientific Research:

Sauna bathing has been used as a thermal therapy to treat pain and other symptoms of rheumatic disease. In studies based on interviews of 0ver 200 patients, 40% to 70% of participants reported that sauna bathing alleviated pain and improved joint mobility.
(Source: The American Journal of Medicine February 1, 2001, Volume 110)

Muscle Pain Relief

Steam therapy using the Steamy Wonder™ has been found to significantly reduce muscular pain and spasms. Pain is found to be alleviated in just one session and the benefit can last for several days after the treatment. Regular steam treatments 2 to 3 times per weeks have shown to have profound relief for those having muscle pain due to injury, menstruation pain, headaches, fibromyalgia and low back pain.

How steam works

As heat penetrates the muscles, capillaries dilate and there is an increased flow of oxygen to sore muscles. Muscles and tissues become more pliable and relaxed helping to increase mobility and reduce stiffness.

Scientific Research:

Sauna bathing has been used as a thermal therapy to treat pain and other symptoms of rheumatic disease. In studies based on interviews of over 200 patients, 40 to 70 percent of the participants reported that sauna bathing alleviated pain and improved joint mobility. (Source: The American Journal of Medicine, February 1, 2001, Volume 110.)

In addition, a New Jersey Medical School Researcher found that heat therapy was more effective than analgesics for low back pain. Several different types of pain including the lower and upper back and menstrual pain can be treated with low-level heat therapies.

The results showed that the low level heat therapy provided significantly more pain relief beginning on the first day of treatment than the oral analgesics and the effects lasted more than 28 hours after the treatment was completed.

Contact Missy or Geoffrey today for a consultation or to book your session!

Stay Tuned Therapeutics offers musculoskeletal work for pregnancy in Flagstaff, Arizona.  Here’s why…

ScienceDaily (Mar. 12, 2007) — Despite the high prevalence of musculoskeletal pain during pregnancy, few women in under-served populations receive treatment for their low back pain, according to a February 2007 study in the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics (JMPT).  Moreover, researchers found that pain in a previous pregnancy may predict a high risk for musculoskeletal complaints in future pregnancies.

“Based on the findings of this study, doctors of chiropractic and other health care professionals need to expand the musculoskeletal care available during pregnancy, especially in underserved populations,” Dr. Skaggs said.  “As a proactive step, health professionals should consider including back pain screening as part of early obstetrical care to help identify musculoskeletal risk factors and allow for early education and/or treatment.”

Researchers surveyed more than 600 women at a clinic that serves predominantly an uninsured, underinsured or Medicaid-insured population.  Surveys were offered to all obstetrical patients and were designed to collect information about pregnancy-related pain and quality of life issues.  Of those women who responded to the survey, two-thirds reported back pain and nearly half of all women reported pain at two or more locations, including pelvic pain and mid-back pain.

The study findings suggest that pregnant women with back pain are predisposed to sleep disturbances.  In the survey, close to 80 percent of women reporting sleep disturbances had back pain, whereas only 8 percent of women without pain reported problems sleeping.  More alarming was the significant relationship between reports of musculoskeletal pain and the use of pain medication.  Three-fourths of the women who reported pain also described use of pain medication.

“We saw a direct association between sleep deficiency and back pain,” the authors said.  “These results raise the question of whether or not the high incidence of pain medication use reflects a lack of education about potential risks of medications or more an inability for the pregnant women to cope with the pain.”

The study’s authors also found a relationship between pain in a previous pregnancy and pain in the current pregnancy.  Similar to the results of other studies, researchers found that 85 percent of women who experienced pain in a previous pregnancy reported pain during their current pregnancy.

The study was the result of on-going collaboration between Logan College of Chiropractic and the Department of Obstetrics at Washington University School of Medicine.

USA Men’s Championship field will compete for $25,000 prize purse October 4

MINNEAPOLIS – (September 17, 2009) – Three-time Olympian Abdi Abdirahman will return to defend his 2007 USA Men’s 10 Mile title that he picked up at the Medtronic TC 10 Mile (there was no USA Men’s 10 Mile Championship in 2008). Challenging Abdirahman will be 2009 USA 15K champion and fellow U.S. Olympian Anthony Famiglietti (left, PhotoRun), 30, who is looking to take home $10,000 as national champion on Sunday, October 4.

Abdirahman, 32, owns the Medtronic TC 10 Mile course record from his 2007 race, (set on a temporary course) when he finished in a quick 47:34. “Abdi” and “Fam” face tough competition from recent USA 20K Championship runner-up Mohamed Trafeh and Team USA Minnesota favorites Jason Lehmkuhle and Patrick Smyth.

“We are pleased to host the USA Men’s 10 Mile Championship again this year, especially with the talented field coming in from all over the country,” said executive director of Twin Cities Marathon, Inc. Virginia Brophy Achman. “This will be a tough competition with a very deep men’s field, many who’ve competed in this event before, some who will move on to compete for the USA Men’s Marathon Championship in New York later this year.”

2008 Medtronic TC 10 Mile champion Josh Glaab returns to defend his race title and to compete in the national championship as well. The overall national championship purse is $25,000.

Early USA Men’s 10 Mile Championship Top Ten Seeding List (PRs related to 10 mile or closest distance)
ATHLETE / Age / Residence / PR
Anthony Famiglietti, 30, Knoxville, TN, 27:37, 10,000m (track)
Abdi Abdirahman, 32, Tucson, AZ, 27:16, 10,000m (track)
Mohamed Trafeh, 24, Flagstaff, AZ, 59:51, 20K
Jason Lehmkuhle, 32, Minneapolis, MN, 47:78, 10 mile
Patrick Smyth, 23, Minneapolis, MN, 28:25, 10K
Mike Sayenko, 25, Bellevue, WA, 29:07, 10,000m (track)
Morgan Thomas, 28, Bowling Rock, NC, 22:36, 8K
Ian Burrell, 24, Flagstaff, AZ, 28:42, 10K
Josh Moen, 27, St. Louis Park, MN, 28:26, 10K
Jordan Horn, 24, Flagstaff, AZ, 29:02, 10K

The USA Men’s 10 Mile Championship is a USA Track & Field national championship event that starts with the open Medtronic TC 10 Mile field at 7:05am, Sunday, October 4. Also known as “The Shortcut to the Capitol” the race starts near the HHH Metrodome, and follows the last seven miles of the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon route before finishing in front of the State Capitol.

About Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon Weekend
The Most Beautiful Urban Marathon in America® recognized as one of the top marathons and great road races and registration is currently underway, and the tradition continues October 2-4. The three-day weekend celebration of fitness includes the inaugural TC 10K, a 5K run / walk, children’s fun runs, pasta dinner, health and fitness expo and Medtronic TC 10 Mile, in addition to the marathon. Medtronic is the title sponsor of marathon race weekend events. Visit mtcmarathon.org for more information.

By: Jim Estes, USATF

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – (September 20, 2009) – Matt Tegenkamp (Portland, Ore.) and Amy Yoder Begley (Portland, Ore.) won the respective men’s and women’s titles Sunday at the USA 5K Championship in Providence. Tegenkamp, 27, the reigning U.S. champion at 5000 meters on the track won his first U.S. road title in 13 minutes, 57 seconds, while Yoder Begley, 31, the 2009 USA 10,000 meter champion on the track and USA 15K champion, ran 15:27 to add the 5K road title to her collection of 2009 crowns.

As a field of more than 10,000 runners toured downtown Providence for the 20th CVS Caremark Downtown 5K, the lead men’s pack passed the first mile in 4:30 with Ben Bruce (Eugene, Ore.) leading defending national champion Anthony Famiglietti (Knoxville, Tenn.), Tegenkamp, Bolota Asmerom (Oakland, Calif.), Jordan Horn (Flagstaff, Ariz.) and Ian Burrell (Flagstaff).

By two miles, the lead group had thinned to about ten men with Asmerom assuming the lead ahead of Famiglietti and Tegenkamp.

Making the final turn off Canal Street and up the only major hill on the course, Tegenkamp made his move around Famiglietti and Asmerom to kick to a one-second win over Asmerom. Famiglietti was timed in 13:59 for third as Horn and Burrell captured fourth and fifth (U.S.) in 13:59 and 14:01, respectively.

In the women’s race, three-time Olympian Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, Calif.) led a deep field of women through the first mile in 4:54. As the lead women passed two miles in 9:50, the contenders were narrowed down to Yoder Begley, Rhines, Rebecca Donaghue (State College, Pa.) and Sara Hall (Mammoth Lakes).

With about 800 meters to go, Yoder Begley made her move, but Donaghue and Rhines held on until Yoder Begley had last push at three miles to pull clear for the title. Donaghue held off Rhines by one second for the national runner-up position, running 15:30. Hall took fourth in 15:33 and Katie McGregor (St. Louis Park, Minn.) finished fifth U.S. in 15:50.

The USA 5K Championship was the eighth stop on the 2009 USA Running Circuit (USARC) and paid $30,000 in U.S. prize money with Tegenkamp and Yoder Begley taking home $5000 each as national champions plus $3000 as overall race winners.

The 2009 USARC, a USA Track & Field road series featuring USA Championships from one mile to the marathon, attracts the best U.S. distance runners. The 2009 USARC has ten events each for men and women. Magdalena Lewy Boulet (Oakland, Calif.) currently leads the women’s standings with 59 points, while Famiglietti tops the men with 49 points. For more USARC information, go to: USATF.org

20th CVS Caremark Downtown 5K: USA Championship
Providence, RI, Sunday, September 20, 2009

MEN
1) Matt Tegenkamp (OR), 13:57, $8000
2) Bolota Asmerom (CA), 13:58, $5000
3) Anthony Famiglietti (TN), 13:59, $3000
4) Jordan Horn (AZ), 13:59, $1500
5) Andrew Lemoncello (GBR), 14:00
6) Ian Burrell (AZ), 14:01, $1000
7) Bado Worku Merdessa (ETH), 14:05
Stu Eagon (WI), 14:07, $900
9) Aucencio Martinez (CO), 14:09, $700
10) Phillip Reid (CA), 14:10, $500
11) Ben Bruce (OR), 14:12, $300
12) Mohamed Trafeh (CA), 14:14, $100

WOMEN
1) Amy Yoder Begley (OR), 15:27, $8000
2) Rebecca Donaghue (PA), 15:30, $5000
3) Jen Rhines (CA), 15:31, $3000
4) Sara Hall (CA), 15:33, $1500
5) Mary Cullen (IRL), 15:48
6) Katie McGregor (MN), 15:50, $1000
7) Molly Huddle (RI), 15:52, $900
Renee Metivier-Baillie (CO), 16:02, $700
9) Amy Mortimer (RI), 16:05, $500
10) Salome Kosgei (KEN), 16:10
11) Amy Hastings (CA), 16:11, $300
12) Lindsay Allen (AZ), 16:23, $100

Full race results at: www.cvsdowntown5k.com

Massage Therapist Tait Yoder added to Athletic Lab Staff

Athletic Lab is proud to announce the addition of Tait Yoder to its staff. Tait will serve as our in-house massage therapist. Prior to joining Athletic Lab, Tait worked with the University of North Carolina Women’s Soccer Team in 2005, assisting them to two National Championships. Since then, Tait has worked with numerous Olympic, National Team, and under-20 National Team Soccer Players.  Currently, Tait is the only sports massage therapist for Duke Track & Field. He supports them during the regular season and at both ACC and NCAA championships.  Tait is also responsible for providing bodywork to the UNC Men’s soccer team, the UNC Swim Team, and the Carolina Railhawks Professional Soccer Team.

In his 13 years as a bodywork therapist, Tait has worked with top-placing collegiate decathletes, high-jumpers, long-jumpers, distance runners, sprinters, and throwers.  His clientele also includes professional and collegiate tennis players, a women’s 2009 Professional Soccer League champion, and three Olympic Gold Medalists.  He is well attuned to the needs of varying athletes and understands the adjustments necessary in his technique as it relates to preparation, post-competition, quick recovery, and off-season training.