Hormone Replacement Therapy

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a therapy for men and women who have reached or passed menopause, which often is frequently to as "the change of life." HRT affect grabbing little doses of one or two female hormones, estrogen and progesterone.

Along with this therapy, generally, a medication process is also prescribed to the patient by the doctor. In the case of a woman, the medication is designed to counteract the effects of menopause. These medications even contain female hormones like estrogen and progestin. In fact it is a man-made version of the naturally occurring progesterone.

Estrogen and progesterone are manufacture by nature by the ovaries until the period of menopause; at the time their production increasingly slows down and in the end ends. The one as well as the other of these hormones are needed for the peculiar operation of a woman's reproductive method. Estrogen has many other valuable roles in the body as well.

Menopause is a normal part of aging and every women experiences hormonal variation such as surges or declines in her hormone levels before and during menopause. This is accompanied by a variety of symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness and this the time when HRT comes into play to help women deal with these graveling changes effectively and also to help protect them against osteoporosis, a common disease resulting from insufficient calcium absorption after menopause, Alzheimer's disease and macular degeneration. Usually the hormone therapy is used to treat women; however, a kind of hormone treatment is also available for men and it is used to treat low levels of testosterone. 

Although millions of women take HRT, this may not be the appropriate alternative for every person. Health care professionals inform women to collect as much knowledge as they can and consider the individual benefits and peril.

Hormone replacement therapy is a commonly prescribed medication to help women cope with the discomforts and symptoms of menopause. Even though the use of synthetic hormones has been shown to provide favorable results and substantial improvement in women health, total reliance on HRT is yet to be established. Hormone Replacement Therapy is accompanied by both its benefits and side-effects that should be discussed in detail with your doctor before implementation.

Even though HRT is being increasingly employed by women to relieve themselves of these symptoms, for long term usage the therapy has yet to be proven cent percent safe. HRT comes along with a handful of risks and the extent of these risks affecting each woman depends highly on her individual health and fitness and more importantly her lifestyle. If you are taking any hormones then make it a point to get yourself checked regularly and the hormones re-evaluated after every six months by your doctor for best results.

Worried About What Your Massage Therapist Sees?

Some people avoid getting a massage due to worries about what their therapist might see. As a practicing therapist, I would like to try to allay some of those concerns...

1) Are you looking at my wobbly legs/belly/arms?

Nope. I do not see a body-part as big/small/flabby/cellulite-marked or otherwise. I see a lovely set of muscles. Muscles fascinate me; my job is to make muscles feel good. Differently sized and shaped people provide me with new challenges. If I didn't enjoy working on all shapes & sizes, I would not be doing this job. I could tell you tales of wonderfully unusual body-parts (but of course I never break confidentiality), let's just say that I really have seen it all before and I can promise you that I have never once encountered a person I did not enjoy working with.

2) Men get erections on the massage couch, don't they?

Sometimes. As the body relaxes, the parasympathetic nervous system activates and this can cause a partial or full erection. This has nothing to do a personal reaction to the therapist; it's from the same batch of involuntary responses as drooling or passing wind whilst on the couch. Fear of an erection happening really is no reason to avoid getting a massage. Let me explain why not... therapists are taught how to drape a body in towels, so that only the part of the body being worked is 'on show'. I triple-drape the middle of the male body as this has several advantages; it keeps the client warm, makes them feel secure and it also makes it virtually impossible to see details of their body underneath. When I ask clients to turn over (from front to back), the triple-layered towels rumple up and there is no way for me to tell what is (or is not), going on.

3) I haven't shaved my legs...

The length of your body hair makes no difference to your massage, except if you have just shaved; in which case, your skin may be more sensitive than usual. In my view, it's better to have a bit of stubble than sore skin. Massage oil is a viscous liquid and it's very difficult to feel leg-stubble through it. As a straw-poll, I recently asked seven massage therapists whether their last female client had shaved her legs or not. Not one of them could remember noticing either way.

4) My underwear is tatty/going grey...

Thank goodness! That means I won't ruin good clothes with massage oil. If a client hops on the couch in a posh pair of pants, I worry about oil-stains reaching the material when the client moves. By the way, I don't actually 'see' your pants, just the very edges across your back, and at your hips, as I tuck in your towels (to prevent an oil-ruination scenario).

Remedial Massage in Work Related Stress, Pain and Discomfort

In modern society with high rhythm life style and stressful work environment, for many people, work poses primarily psychological and emotional demands, instead of physical demands, and the pace of work is more and more dictated by patients, clients, customers and so on. Work related musculoskeletal injuries have become a serious problem in workplace in different occupations such as healthcare professions, police and teachers. Existing researches have provided strong support for the effects of remedial massage for chronic low back pain, shoulder pain and headache.

The practice of massage therapy has been defined as the assessment of soft tissue and joints of the body and the treatment and prevention of dysfunction, injury, pain and physical disorders of the soft tissue and joint by manual and physical methods to develop, maintain, rehabilitate or augment physical function to relieve pain and promote health. Massage therapy had been describe as having 4 principal goals of treatment:

1. to promote relaxation and wellness;
2. to address clinical concerns;
3. to enhance posture, movement, and body awareness; and
4. to balance and "move" subtle energy.

Some researches reported that people who received massage therapy had significantly reduced back pain symptoms comparing with the control group. Massage therapy is recognized as a safe therapeutic modality without risks or adverse effects. However, there are contraindications, such as applying massage over an area with acute inflammation, skin infection, nonconsolidated fracture, burn area, deep vein thrombosis or active cancer tumor. So it is important for a massage therapist to take a detailed case history and determine the best form of treatment before performing the massage for the clients.

How Acupuncture Treats Insomnia

Hormones and the autonomic nervous system have to be balanced in order to initiate and maintain sleep. Many studies have shown that acupuncture treatments can help maintain the balance of biological chemicals in the central nervous system and promote the recovery of homeostasis.

1. Acupuncture can help your body produce more melatonin:

In an article published in the Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, Spence et al. explored the relationship between melatonin and acupuncture treatments. They observed a significant increase in endogenous melatonin secretion in all of the 18 patients suffering from severe insomnia who were given acupuncture treatments twice a week for 5 weeks. Records of electrical and muscular states during the entire sleeping time indicated that, after acupuncture treatments, the patients took less time to fall asleep, had fewer occasions of waking up during sleep, and experienced increased total sleep time and deep sleep time. Anxiety, depression, and fatigue were also decreased. Interestingly, alertness in the morning was reduced as well.

2. Acupuncture can improve blood flow to improve sleep quality

Hecht and his colleagues studied the relationship between the blood flow to the brain and insomnia. They noted that an insufficient blood flow to the brain could lead to low sugar levels and spontaneous waking from sleep. Dr. Omura explored the effects of blood flow to the brain on the dysfunctions of various organs. When blood pressure in the head was very low (less than 30 mmHg on both sides), a majority of the subjects experienced sleep disturbances: mainly insomnia but sometimes excessive sleepiness, difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness of recent events, and various degrees of irritability. Even with normal or higher arm blood pressure, one can still have low blood pressure in one's head. It has been reported that electroacupuncture stimulation of the points ST36 and GB20 (just inferior to occipital bone, between the trapezius and sternocleidomastoid attachments) can treat insomnia by increasing the blood flow to the brain.

3. Acupuncture can decrease effects of aging:

The weakening of parasympathetic function results in the familiar signs of aging, including increased and irregular heartbeats, constipation, insomnia, erectile dysfunction, fluid retention, and systemic inflammation. These consequences may in turn contribute to many of the common diseases associated with aging, including Type-II diabetes, Alzheimer's, arteriosclerosis, and cancer. The maintenance and restoration of parasympathetic function may boost the functions of the internal organs and slow the aging process. Acupuncture generally enhances the parasympathetic nervous system.

Can Acupuncture Cure Infertility?

If you've been wondering if acupuncture can help cure your infertility, I would like to share with you my experience with acupuncture, how it helped me overcome my infertility of many years, and what I've learned.

I was clinically diagnosed with infertility for multiple years, and spent tens of thousands of dollars on traditional western medicine treatments such as IUIs with Clomid and IVF both fresh and frozen rounds - all in vain as I tried to get pregnant.

It was only after I began receiving acupuncture treatments, that I was able to overcome my unexplained infertility, quickly get pregnant and deliver a healthy baby.

I Used to Be a Skeptic.

I have to admit I was a skeptic of the whole acupuncture to cure infertility idea. My thoughts were that if the western doctors, some of the finest fertility specialists with impressive degrees and their multi-thousand dollar treatments, could not get me pregnant... How could inserting a series of tiny little needles all over my skin get me pregnant?

Seeing the wonderful effect that acupuncture had on me and how I was able to cure my infertility by adding acupuncture treatments, I believe the only reason why I regarded acupuncture as "alternative medicine" is that it is not based on western knowledge.

Acupuncture Helped Me Cure Infertility.

In my experience, acupuncture provided me with effective, real results in my quest to cure infertility. It wasn't until I began using acupuncture and Chinese holistic treatments (which also helped me control my stress levels) - that I was able to get my body in the right place to be able to get pregnant and stay pregnant.

Knowing When It's Time To Consider Acupuncture Services

Everyday more and more people are turning to alternative forms of medicine as a way to heal from pre-existing health issues and to become more healthy. People are more conscious of liking a healthy and balanced lifestyle and are now more open to new forms of health care and ways of living. One form of medical treatment that continues to grow in popularity in Canada and across North America is acupuncture.

Acupuncture is an alternative form of medicine that originated more than a thousand years ago in China with the use of stones. The treatment is based on the idea of "chi" or energy needs to flow freely through your body in order to create a healthy balance. If there is a blockage in your body (i.e. an injury, disease, or health condition) it needs to be corrected. This is done inserting tiny needles into specific areas on your body where energy centers exist. This process will open up the energy in this area and remove the blockage, which will help to improve your health condition.

There are many different reasons why people are turning to this form of treatment to help them improve their healthier. Here are some of the most common reasons:

• They want to try something new: Many people turn to acupuncture simply because they want to try something new, especially if their current health solutions are not providing them with the results they want. You never know what is going to work until you try it and people are being more open-minded about how they approach health care in general.