By Administrator 0 Comments Brampton, Health Tips

Menopause and Exercise

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Menopause is a physiological change that every women experiences usually after their 40s. The majority of women who are in menopause may experience some mood swings, weight gain, fatigue and  loss of sleep. It is also associated with increased risk for developing osteoporosis (weakening of bone) and heart diseases. For many women, these changes can be uncomfortable. The research shows that regular exercise can help prevent and/or recover from detrimental effects of the menopause. Consult with your healthcare professional before commencing or participating in any exercise program, especially those who are suffering from pre-existing medical conditions and taking medications.

Physiotherapists are qualified exercise professionals who prescribe patient-centred exercise programs for post-menopausal women. The intensity and type of exercise varies for each woman and depends on the individual’s fitness level, interest and convenience. The exercise can include low impact aerobics (cycling, swimming, walking) exercise to improve cardio-vascular endurance, strengthening exercises to improve strength in pelvic floor and other muscles, mobility and stretching exercises to improve flexibility, balance exercises, breathing exercises and yoga.

Contact Form and Function today to see how a combination of lifestyle choices can help improve your symptoms of menopause.

By Administrator 0 Comments Brampton, Health Tips

Inflamed Muscles

Have you ever come home from a long day of work and feel like your body is in pain?  Most people would go directly for the heat pack, but before you do that it is important that you check the temperature of the area first. Using the back of your hand, compare the painful area to another area of your body. If the painful area feels hotter than the rest of the body then it’s a good indication that your muscles are inflamed. This is typically caused from overuse and friction usually brought on by repetitive movement.

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It would be a better idea to use cold compress on the area bringing the inflammation down before you heat the muscle. Take a cold pack and wrap it in a light towel, place it on the resting muscle for 5min on and 2 min off. This will decrease the inflammation in your muscle allowing the pain to decrease as well.

By Administrator 0 Comments Brampton, Health Tips

Acute Effort Migraine

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The acute effort migraine is precipitated by short periods of vigorous activity such as sprinting. It has been described following such sports as netball, hockey, cycling, swimming, and weightlifting. It is commonly unilateral, severe, usually preceded by an aura, and accompanied by nausea and often vomiting and neck stiffness. Acute effort migraines typically are throbbing or pounding in character, and recovery may require hours or even a full night’s sleep. A past or family history of migraine is often present. Treatment of the acute attack may include ergotamine preparations, oral or injected sumatriptan, analgesics and antinauseants.

By Administrator 0 Comments Brampton, Health Tips

Risks of High Levels of Mercury

Mercury is one of those elements we are told to be careful of, but the question remains why? To answer this, we first need to examine what mercury is and how it gets into the foods that we eat.

Mercury is a metal that comes in many forms. It is most commonly used for dental tools and manufacturing partials in factories but is predominantly present in the pollution we produce from emission gases.  When it rains, the water collects the metal and drains it in the same water. When it reaches the water, many fish absorb the element.

Now that we know what it is, we can look at the effect of having this metal in our system. Mercury directly affects our nervous system and heart.  Even small amount of mercury in infants can cause developmental issues. For this reason, women who are pregnant are not recommended to eat fish to ensure full nervous development of infants. In adults, it can weaken our immune systems and cause heart irregularities.

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Some of you may be saying that our bodies will just digest the food and eliminate the Mercury – however, amounts greater then 40ml can stay in your system for 30-40 days making it very difficult for your body to quickly eliminate the element before it does damage.

By Administrator 1 Comments Brampton, Health Tips

What is Rotator Cuff Tendinitis?

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Rotator cuff tendinitis happens due to swelling or inflammation of tendons of the shoulder joint. This could happen due to any injuries like heavy lifting, pulling, pushing or any repetitive activities.

It is more common in people who play sports due to high impact activities.

Most of the athletes can regain full function depending of the extent of injury.

Symptoms: Pain and swelling of shoulder tendons, pain with outstretched arm or reaching behind the back , decreased ROMs and strength.

Physiotherapy treatments: Manual Therapy, Exercises and stretching will help to decrease pain and swelling. Electrotherapy helps to decrease swelling and pain.

Contact Form and Function today for your assessment!

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

Water After a Massage

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We have all enjoyed the great benefits to massages, but most of us forget to drink water after being treated. Massages are dehydrating, kneading and working the muscles gets fluid pumping out of the soft tissue and into your circulatory system, where it heads toward your kidneys. That’s why many people have to pee right after a massage. You have to replenish all that lost water, by drinking more.
Then there’s the issue of metabolic waste which is produced by muscles in the course of everyday function. When your muscles are tight or you have a major knot, it constricts circulation in those areas inhibiting the body’s ability to flush out this waste. Since tight muscles are probably what prompted you to make a massage appointment in the first place, chances are you’ve got some compromised circulation happening. Massage relaxes the tension, releasing the circulatory pathways and allowing nitrogenous metabolic waste to dump into the system. Drinking provides your kidneys with the water they need to effectively eliminate the newly liberated waste.

By Administrator 0 Comments Brampton, Health Tips

Benefits of Vitamin C

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We have all been told that consuming vitamins is essential for keeping your body healthy and to avoid colds. Did you know that Vitamin C in particular is essential for our daily life? Here are some of the many benefits you can get from Vitamin C:

  1. Stress: Research has shown that vitamin C was beneficial to individuals whose immune system was weakened due to stress. Vitamin C is one of the nutrients sensitive to stress, and is the first nutrient to be depleted. Having Vitamin C in your system will help you keep a more positive attitude and reduce the anxiety associated with stress.
  2. Stroke: Did you know that people with the highest concentrations of vitamin C in their blood are associated with 42% lower risk of getting a stroke than those with the low concentration. In these cases Vitamin C helps maintain proper circulation.
  3. Bodily Repair: You need Vitamin C to repair your tissue, skin, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, and blood vessels. It’s essential for healing wounds, and also aids in repairing bones. It is clear that without Vitamin C in our systems our bodies would not be avail to sustain proper functionality.
By Administrator 0 Comments Brampton, Health Talk

Health Talk: Benefits of Massage

There are tremendous benefits to be achieved through regular massage therapy treatments from a Registered Massage Therapist.  Whether your need is a moment of relaxation, reduction of muscle tension or relief from chronic pain, a therapeutic massage can enhance your overall sense of emotional and physical well-being.

Massage therapy can be used for the treatment of both acute and chronic conditions. RMTs can work with a wide variety of patients, of all ages, in the treatment of illness, injury rehabilitation and disability.

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Regular visits with your therapist can help with more than just muscle tension and relieving stress. Massages help regular the fluids in your body so no swelling occurs. This is very important for anyone who does repetitive motions or who sits for a long period of time. Fluids can accumulate in joints that can cause pain. This is also a great benefit to anyone who has poor circulation or is often cold. Circulating your blood and fluids can create a warmer body.

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For some people, moving your joints can be very tasking at times when injured and are unable to get some mobility back because of the buildup of scar tissue. Your massage therapist can help you regain that mobility and remove the scar tissue from your joints giving you relief and more range of motion.

Contact Form & Function today to get on your way to relaxation and relief!

By Administrator 0 Comments Brampton, Health Tips

Stretching Tips to Avoid Injury

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Before any activity, it is important to make sure that you stretch your muscles to avoid any tearing. This typically will occur when people jump into an exercise or even stretch while their muscles are still cold. The reason behind this is due to the fact that when muscles are tight they do not have any elasticity so when you ask them to perform and difficult task the muscle does not have the adequate room to contract properly and tears as a result.

To properly stretch your muscles take 5 seconds to go into the stretch, hold the stretch for  25 seconds then 5 seconds to release the stretch. If it hurts to hold your stretch for 25 seconds then bringing our count down to 10 seconds. You should do your stretches 3 times in a row. Without holding your stretches for at least 25 seconds you will not properly release the muscle for activity.