Adria has been trained in a wide variety of modalities from Deep Tissue to Reiki, as well as Fertility Massage.  She also does hot stone massage, which is just incredible.  I have personally had several incredible sessions with her, and always look forward to the next one.  If you would like to find out more about her background, training and methods, check her out here.

If you would like a massage please call our office for an appointment.  There is a special rate for your first session.

Tony Smith, the Canadian Gymnastics Team coast decided to try it for chronic lower back pain, after nothing else she had tried helped, and was “amazed” at the results.  She is now recommending it to her athletes.  Read more about it here.

In this short video interview Olympic gold, silver and bronze medalist in swimming Daniel Kowalski discusses his use of acupuncture to recover from injuries and general health maintenance.

Another interesting acupuncture story is about a 60 year old acupuncturist named Wei, from Guangxi province, who set out to demonstrate his patriotism, and break a worlds record by inserting 2008 decorative acupuncture needles in his head face and chest.  The previous record, according to the article, was 1790 set in 2004.  That’s pretty amazing considering the human body has only about 350 main points, not including some of the micro-systems used on the hands and ears!

It is an amazing story.  I think many people, eager to quickly get out of pain, will decide to look up an acupuncturist after hearing one of these single-treatment miracle stories from a friend, or reading a testimonial.  But I want to prepare you for a possible let down.

Yes, these one treatment miracles do occur, but they are the exception rather then the rule.  Acupuncture can get extremely good results with many types of pain, but  major results usually come after a set or grouping of treatments, not a single stand-alone treatment.  In China a course of treatments is 10 fairly closely together spaced treatments.

Yet when many people say they “tried” acupuncture, they may mean they went in and tried it once.   Being a nation of instant gratification, many of people think that if they don’t feel any different after one visit then there is no point in continuing.  In many cases of chronic lower back pain,  I usually start seeing hearing patients report notable improvement after treatment five or six.

Now, if your spacing those treatments close together such as 2-3 times per-week, you can get this improvement in 2-3 weeks.  However if your coming in at a leisurely rate of once per week, your looking at well over a month!

If you’ve tried an acupuncture treatment on a cruise or in a spa setting, you’ve probably received a general introduction to acupuncture, and experienced the relaxation that accompanies a good session.  But, if you want to make some real progress on your health, you need to establish a relationship with an acupuncturist in your area, and invest the time to get the lasting results you are looking for.

In the fertility clinic, stress is huge.  Many women, who are already stressed out from daily life, suffer the greatly added stresses of not being able to conceive.  Chinese Medicine understands the role of mood and emotions in the menstrual cycle.  Western medicine recognizes the “hypothalamic, pituitary ovarian axis.”  It is hard to imagine the brain playing no role in our reproductive health.  In fact, stress is often the fertility patients main secondary complaint.

Stress plays a major role in back pain, especially upper back pain and neck pain.  The “fight or flight response” come into play when we feel “under attack.”  We instinctively tighten up those muscles that would protect our vulnerable neck area.  When animals fight, they bite.  I can’t tell you how many times I see “jaw clenching, or grinding” checked off on the intake chart. 

After being set off by stress, one condition gives rise to another.  Tension headaches may follow the previous example.  Tense low back muscles are more easily pulled, and sprained.  These low back injuries may seem to come out of nowhere.

An acupuncturist should factor in stress whenever they create a treatment plan for a patient.  The effects on a patients stress levels are immediate and sometimes dramatic.  Some points have a very direct effect.  Certain acupuncture points have been shown to stimulate the brains secretion of natural opiates  These have a calming, pain reliving effect.  The pulse usually slows and relaxes, and the blood pressure usually goes down.

There is a very profound calming effect from the insertion of an acupuncture needle, that most people will notice shortly after they begin acupuncture treatments.  Even simply treating tender muscle spasms on the back or neck will usually leave the patient melting on the table, reluctant to get up.

Although acupuncture can help mitigate the effects of stress on the body, we ultimately need to counter stress with proper relaxation, recreation, exercise and sleep.  I refer to this method as “relaxation, recreation and meditation,” which will the the subject of a future article.

1. Maintain Good Posture. While sitting, make sure your back gets sufficient support. If you spend long periods of time sitting, be sure to get up and walk around every hour or so. If you stand all day, try bending over to touch your toes every once in a while, be sure to bend at the knees.
2. Lift Properly.We’ve all heard the saying “bend at the knees- not your waist!” Always remember to lift with your leg muscles, not your arms and back. In addition, keep the object you are lifting close to your body. Don’t twist your body, be sure to have a good grip on the object, and lift slowly and smoothly. Do not jerk the load you are working with.
3. Sleep Right. If you sleep on your stomach, try placing a pillow under your stomach to keep your spine in a neutral position. This also works when sleeping on your back if you tuck a pillow under your knees. The best position for sleep is on your side, legs bent, with a pillow tucked between the knees.
4. Stretch. Simple stretches throughout the day can strengthen and protect the muscles. Attempt to do these every hour for 5 seconds each. While standing, place your hands on your lower back and lean backward, without tipping your head back. Stretch your hamstrings by leaning against something for support while standing and bend one leg up, holding your thigh and straightening the leg. While sitting, bend your chest down to your thighs to stretch the muscles and unload the joints at the base of the spine.
5. Exercise. Your back muscles and abdominal muscles work together so proper care of both are equally important in back care. Weak abdominals can lead to excessive spinal arch. Crunches are a great way to safely strengthen your abs. Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day and swimming are other great ways to strengthen your muscles.
6. Lose Weight. If you are overweight, chances are your protruding belly is adding excessive force onto your spine. Losing a few pounds can go a long way.
7. Acupuncture. Maintenance acupuncture visits can prevent back pain from returning. How often you visit depends on individual cases. Severity of the injury, age, and whether arthritis and degeneration are prevalent are all factors to be considered.

By following these prevention tips and making them a part of your lifestyle you will be taking an active part in preventing pain in your back. Don’t let yourself become a statistic! Beat the odds and avoid the pain. Your back will thank you.