Sep06
New stock of Gaiam ball chairs – with a new low price! A great way to manage your posture and strengthen you core… http://fb.me/vVNwaNoM
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Sep02
We occasionally like to give a heads-up for upcoming competitions. In June of 2011, there is a triathlon in Wamic, Oregon. From the registration site at Active.com:
Overall and age group awards for the Sprint Triathlon, overall and finisher’s medallions for the Pumice Man, and wrist bands for all finishers. This is a friendly event in a beautiful, pristine country setting just east of Mount Hood.
For more information, visit Pine Hollow Tri Homepage. $20 Early Registration discount between now and October 30th.
Sep02
Hops are found to be useful for liver detox and fibromyalgia care! And sorry, but even the hoppiest beer will not achieve these effects. Sweet irony. For a hops-based Metagenics supplement that supports gentle cleansing and detoxification, see Ultra-Clear Renew.
Metagenics researchers have formulated a specific hops extract to target its beneficial properties. This extract can be applied to different supplements to amplify various effects. From this article:
The Californian nutraceutical developer says it has linked the ingredients to helping support against inflammation in a host of health conditions, including osteoarthritis, autoimmune disease, low bone mineral density and metabolic syndrome.
Jul23
ART is a patented treatment that uses soft-tissue manipulation to break up tissue adhesions, freeing your muscles to function more smoothly and efficiently. It helps to improve flexibility and athletic performance, in addition to healing certain types of injuries more quickly.
Muscle Tissue Structure
This technique works best with injuries stemming from overuse, such as tears and strains of myofascial tissue. During an ART session, the practitioner will use “precisely directed tension” in combination with “very specific patient movements” in order to release the bonds of abnormal tissue within and around the muscle or connective tissue being treated (according to the ART website).
Here is an Olympian’s testimony from the ART website:
Olympic Gold with ART®
“Over the last few years while playing for the Dallas Stars, I have been receiving ART (Active Release Therapy) by Dr. Troy Van Biezen. ART helps keep me on the ice performing at a high competitive level. No other treatment has been as effective as ART. Dr. Van Biezen has been a tremendous help in keeping my muscles free and clear of scar tissue with ART and helping me recover so rapidly. Thank you Dr. Van Biezen!”Brenden Morrow,
2010 Winter Olympic Gold Medal Champion and Captain for the Dallas Stars Hockey Team
2010 Winter Olympic Gold Medal Champion and Captain for the Dallas Stars Hockey Team
As far back as 2002, professional athletes were successfully using ART to enhance performance. This article contains a testimonial and clear explanation of the treatment mechanism involved in ART:
The Active Release Technique approach considers many variables.
Injuries to soft tissue (ligaments, muscles, blood vessels, fascia and nerves) result in inflammation and swelling of the tissue. The body responds to this inflammation by laying down scar tissue (cross fibers on the tissue) in an attempt to stabilize the affected area. This scar tissue:
– Restricts motion.
– Reduces circulation.
– Inhibits nerve function.
– Causes ongoing friction and pressure.
– Usually results in the production of more cross fibers and
adhesions.To effectively treat any injury these soft tissue restrictions must be addressed.
Effective treatment of soft tissue injuries requires an alteration in tissue structure, usually effected by breaking up cross-fiber adhesions and restoring normal function to the soft tissue. This process substantially decreases healing time, treats the root cause of the injury, and improves performance.
Over time, many methods have been developed to remove these adhesions. As clinicians, we have tested and used many of these techniques. Unfortunately, most of these techniques fail in the critical area of identifying the exact location and direction of these adhesions. ART addresses these issues, providing effective means for identifying, locating, and removing adhesions across soft tissue.
With ART, a considerable amount of tension (not compression) is applied to free up the restrictions on these structures. This is especially effective if the adhesion has altered blood circulation. Decreased blood flow results in a decreased amount of oxygen getting to the soft tissue, a primary factor in the production of new scar tissue.
Rehabilitation remains an important part of the ART procedure. After the ART procedures, we have patients ice, stretch, and strengthen the to prevent re-occurrences. We also have them test our treatments by returning to their workouts. This is what we call dialing in the body. We validate the effectiveness of the treatment by checking the ability of the patient to complete the task that caused the injury.
An article that includes ART research studies can be found here, on the Vanderbilt University website.
If you’re interested in further reading, check out these references from the article:
George, J. W., Tunstall, A. C., Tepe, R. E., & Skaggs, C. D. (2006, March/April). The effects of Active Release Technique on hamstring flexibility: A pilot study. Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, 29(3), 224-227.
Howitt, S. D. (2006). Lateral epicondylosis: A case study of conservative care using ART and rehabilitation. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 50(3), 182-189.
Howitt, S., Wong, J., & Zabukovec, S. (2006). The conservative treatment of Trigger Thumb using Graston Techniques and Active Release Techniques. Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 50(4), 249-254.
Jeffels, A., & Abelson, B. (2002, August). Improved skating performance with Active Release Technique. Skating and ART, 0(1).
Schiottz-Christensen, B., Mooney, V., Azad, S., Selstad, D., Gulick, J., & Bracker, M. (1999). The role of Active Release manual therapy for upper extremity overuse syndromes – A preliminary report. Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 9(3), 201-211.
Jul15
Dr. Amy Lennon is off to Bolivia to work with Centro Medico and won’t be back until August 5th. We’ll all miss her but are excited for her involvement with this great organization!
From their website:
Centro Medico Humberto Parra strives to improve the health and well-being of poor rural Bolivian communities.
Centro Medico provides free primary healthcare, medication, health education and other health services to people who would otherwise not be able to afford them. The clinic works in partnership with the surrounding communities to enable them to lead healthy lives. Centro Medico is primarily staffed by volunteer American and Bolivian physicians and is entirely funded by private donations from Bolivia and the United States.
Below is a brief entry by Amy along with a few photos.
Bolivia
This summer my son & I lived in Bolivia for almost a month and I hope we will return again & again. The trip was bitter sweet because Gus got very sick, which scared us back home a bit early. Overall, we loved Bolivia, but next time we’ll get out of the big city of Santa Cruz more quickly!
We were there to see my16 year old son off, to attend a month long intensive soccer training camp called Tahuichi. Additionally, we were to go into the jungle and help out at a medical clinic, Centro Medico, which serves the indigenous people in the region. Bolivia is a very poor country and healthcare is difficult to deliver.
We flew into Santa Cruz & while there I lived with 2 different families. Luckily, my 7 year old is Spanish speaking, so he could interpret while I practiced my Spanish. Most conversations eventually were directed at Gus, within a few minutes, since my Spanish is limited! Santa Cruz is a huge city in the tropical lowlands. Our host family warmly welcomed us but within a day the weather turned very cold. In Bolivia, the people said they had not had temperatures that low in over 100 years…lucky us. We literally could not get warm; it was like camping in the cold, wet mountains, even when we were indoors because no one is prepared for this kind of cold so there are no heaters. And of course, I packed lightly – for the tropics.
The soccer experience was amazing for my older son, Hogan and the players managed to stay warm during the cold front by training over 6 hours a day. They work out on all of Bolivia’s’ varied terrain- in the river, up the sand dunes, in the high mountains, at the stadiums & villages nearby and on the Tahuichi campus. Each athlete stays with a family for the month; mostly, they just eat & sleep with the family, because their focus is 100% soccer.
The Clinic was really life changing for me. The work that the volunteers do & the services they provide truly inspiring to see. I had a very limited time there and was only able to help a handful of patients, but on a normal day the docs might work from sun up till sun down if needed. And the volunteers will make every patient as comfortable as possible as they coordinate a nearly impossible mission for them (finding a city doc to provide a free surgery, for example, after coordinating appropriate pre-op appointments, blood work & meds).
Overall, we all left the country with a deeper appreciation for the good fortune we have, and a little bit of shame in how much we waste & take for granted. The level of pride people carry themselves with is inspiring. The lack of “stuff” cluttering there life seemed to enrich their day-to-day experience appreciation for what they have. And man are these folks resourceful- not much need for recycling because they find a new use for just about everything until it’s completely used up. The lifestyle was beautiful and simple, unless of course, you needed to get something important done quickly!
There are animals everywhere; it’s not uncommon to see monkeys, tree sloths, tree frogs and dozens of different bird species, just in the clinic back woods. My son got to see a lemur scamper away from him while strolling in the woods and a tree sloth floating up high, swinging for handfuls of leaves. I would recommend a volunteer travel experience to anyone healthy and capable.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of photos.Below: In & Around the clinic.
