Herbal Legacy Newsletter October 24, 2007
Published: Wed, 10/24/07
Sponsored by The School of Natural Healing & Christopher Publications
Dear ,
Do you ever get one of those persistent, painful knots in your back or somewhere else on your body? Sarah Greer, Licensed Massage Therapist, shares some ideas on how to avoid and help get knots out.
A big thanks to Lynetta from Richfield, Utah for contributing this weeks recipe. Be sure to try Lynetta's Cabbage Salad.
Until next time, be happy and healthy-
Dr. Christopher's Herbal Legacy Newsletter
ARTICLE: How Can I Get This Knot Out? by Sarah Greer
RECIPE: Cabbage Salad contributed by Lynetta from Richfield, Utah
Contributed by Sarah Greer, Licensed Massage Therapist
Every now and then the average person can get a muscle knot somewhere on their body which just drives them crazy. It can feel like a dull numb pain or sometimes a sharp shooting pain while for other people they might not notice the pain and let it build up for so long that it causes a chronic issue. As a licensed massage therapist I am happy to share some pointers on how to take care of those knots and avoid chronic, permanent pain.
It is first important to understand exactly what a knot is. You might have noticed that when you are stressed out, tired, not eating right, over working yourself, sleeping wrong, etc. that you start developing pain and discomfort that feels like a tight bump of muscles. When a person participates in these straining activities the muscle starts to spasm and then doesn't relax, but instead stays continually "on." This starts causing the Ph scale in the body to become more acid instead of alkaline. The acid that is produced will then just sit in your body gathering to different areas of muscles. This is one of the reasons why it is so important to drink a lot of water after a massage because when a person gets that acid build up broken and worked out then it is important to flush it all out or it will just sit in your body and make you sick!
There are several things that you can do to help avoid and get knots out. First, it is always recommended to have a healthy lifestyle and diet by exercising frequently, drinking water, staying out of stressful environments, eating a balanced diet and getting proper sleep. One important thing to do with exercise is add in a lot of stretching techniques after strenuous work outs like jogging or lifting weights. It is important to lengthen back out those muscle fibers and fascia so a spasm will not start to occur. Yoga or Pilate's is a great exercise technique to practice to help keep your body lengthened and your mind clear.
Massage therapy is a helpful treatment for the muscle knots. Therapeutic massage of this type can be uncomfortable when it is being done, but the patient should feel better later. Treatment in the category called "modality" (heat, cold, ultrasound, and electrical stimulation), as applied by a physical therapist or chiropractor, can help with muscle knots. Injections into the muscle knots, called trigger point injections, are another method of treatment. Acupuncture can have an impact on these areas also.
It is not fun to live with pain and discomfort and a lot of people would be surprised to see how much more they enjoy life and are able to "live" once they get that pain taken care of. It is so important to get these areas treated and to pay attention to your body when it is needing a little extra attention. So many problems like hunch back, carpal tunnel, loss of range or motion and more could be avoided if people would take the time to take care of themselves and get massages and other health techniques done regularly.
I hope this article has encouraged the people that are reading it to take care of themselves and spend time on their health regularly, not just when there is a problem. To get a weekly newsletter of inspirational quotes, stories, health, and massage specials go to www.massageyogahealth.com and sign up on the bottom of the home page.
Contributed by Lynetta in Richfield, Utah
This is a family recipe. It is very simple and easy to make!
Ingredients:
1/2 head cabbage
juice of one lemon
olive oil
sea salt
Directions:
Thinly slice cabbage and put in salad bowl. Drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Add sea salt to taste.
Variation: Raw apple cider vinegar (to taste) can be used in place of lemon juice. Either way is great!
Christopher Publications (http://www.christopherpublications.com) is online and ready to take orders again! They have been upgrading their ordering system and it is ready to go. The School of Natural Healing will be ready in a day or two to start taking online orders again. Keep an eye on this section of the newsletter for more information about this and other developments, including the forthcoming School of Natural Healing affiliate program.
There are just ten (10) days left until the Homeopathy seminar in Provo, Utah. You don't want to miss this historic event - people will be coming in from all over the world to attend this seminar. For more information please visit:
Herbal Legacy
http://www.herballegacy.com
This newsletter is sponsored by:
The School of Natural Healing http://www.snh.cc
Christopher Publications: http://www.christopherpublications.com
Christopher Publications: http://www.christopherpublications.com