By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips, Uncategorised

Movember and Physical Inactivity

November is here and so is the fundraising campaign Movember. For those of you who don’t know what Movember is, it is a campaign that involves growing moustaches to raise awareness and funds for men’s health. Why mustache? They are very visual and meant to start conversions about mens health.

One issue Movember raises awareness and funds for is physical inactivity. Here are some facts:
– Inactivity is the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality
– 41% of men in high-income countries do not exercise enough
– Physical inactivity leads to higher risk of cancer and other diseases

The health guideline for exercise is a three times a week of at least 30 mins of activity. If you are not getting that amount of exercise, you should consider increasing your exercise level. If you have any questions about increasing your activity level, the health care professionals at Form and Function can help set up an exercise plan for you.

Furthermore, If you want to help raise funds for Movember, you can donate here http://mobro.co/manniwong

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Talk, Health Tips

Stay Fit While You Sit!

Join me tonight at 7pm at Cornell Community Centre and Library (3201 Bur Oak Ave, Markham) for my health talk on Staying Fit While you sit!

I’ll go over how sitting is essentially a disease which plagues our society, how this affects you, and how you can counter the negative effects of sitting. I will be taking all the participants through a stretch and exercise period at their chairs as well as a question and answer period afterwards!

Come on out and take charge of your health.

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

Infected Ingrown Toenails: How to Avoid Them

Ingrown toenails have a tendency to curl into the skin on the side of the toenails and cause excruciating pain.  In some cases, an infection can occur, leaving the skin to become red and swollen.  Blood and pus may also be present around the infected areas.

Here are some tips to avoid infections:-

1) Try soaking your feet with Epsom salts and warm water.  This will reduce pain and swelling around the toenails.

2) Make sure to cut your toenails straight across instead of curving them into the corners, which will increase your risk of ingrown toenails.

3) Keep your feet dry at all times.

4) Apply an antibiotic ointment and bandage around the area to reduce your risk of infection around the toe.

5) Wear shoes which allow more room around the toes to avoid adding pressure to the ingrown toenails.

Most importantly, seek the advice of a Chiropodist for more comprehensive advice regarding your ingrown toenails.  Please feel free to contact, Jennifer Lam, the Chiropodist at the Form and Function Clinic for a consultation.

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips, Uncategorised

Ways to Prevent Swollen Feet During Air Travel

When we are heading to our summer destination by plane, our feet are usually enclosed in a tight space with very minimal leg room to move around.  As a result, we end up with swollen feet.

It is vital that we move our legs as much as possible to allow adequate blood flow to and from the legs.  Low cabin pressure and dehydration due to the dry air circulating on the plane can impair our blood circulation to our feet.  Thus, this can contribute to life-threatening blood clots that can have serious impact on our overall health.

Here are a few tips:

1) Reduce your salt intake.  Salt will increase fluid retention to your feet.

2) Drink plenty of water.  This will decrease your risk of dehydration.

3) Walk along the aisles.  Take bathroom breaks to keep your legs moving.

4) Avoid crossing your legs.  This will reduce circulation to your feet.

5) Consider wearing compression stockings.  These stockings will assist with improving the circulation to your feet.

If you are interested in having an individualized consultation about your feet, please feel free to book an appointment with Jennifer Lam, the Chiropodist at the Form and Function Clinic.

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips, Uncategorised

Get up and move!

In a modern society where most jobs are in front of a computer 8 hours a day, prolonged sitting has become prevalent in a lot of peoples lives. What’s wrong with sitting all day? Well, more and more studies are revealing that prolonged sitting increases risk of disease (diabetes, heart disease and cancer) EVEN if you exercise regularly. So, even if you are diligent and exercise before or after work, it seems that it will not to reverse the risks of prolonged sitting.

So moral of the story? Get up and move! Make sure you are never sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time. This also isn’t to say that sitting is bad. Everyone needs to sit and rest sometimes but prolonged sitting is the issue. Remember, motion is lotion so remember to get up and move!

Also, check out our previous post for some tips on avoiding prolonged sitting!

By Administrator 0 Comments Events, Health Tips, Uncategorised

Brace Yourself – Free Brace Fitting

BRACE YOURSELF

Do you have:

  • Unstable Knees?
  • Post Operative Knee Replacements?
  • ACL tear?

Form & Function is having a promotion for Brace Fitting.

Let one of our bracing specialists help you get moving today! We offer a wide selection of over the counter and custom made braces by industry leading brace companies.

Come in for a FREE BRACE FITTING!

For more information click the link — Custom Bracing

 

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

TempoMandibular What? TMJ Disorders, neck pain and headaches

Try this.  Open your mouth as wide as you can.. now position your hand like you are trying to dump a bottle of water on your chest and try to fit the first 3 of your knuckles (index, 3rd and 4th finger) into your mouth. Can you do this? If not, consider the following:

Does your jaw click or pop from time to time?

Do you have any occasional bouts of jaw pain while chewing?

Persistent neck pain, headaches, and pain while chewing harder foods are all hallmarks of temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders.  Headaches, neck pain and jaw pain are intimately tied together and restriction or tightness in one area can cause pain to occur in another.  If this sounds like you, you may have an underlying TMJ dysfunction. TMJ issues are conditions that are affected by the group of muscles and the joint that controls motion at the jaw.

If you think you may have a TMJ issue come in for a complimentary consult or try your best to avoid: gum chewing, biting your fingernails, chewing pens, hard candy or gummies. It’ll only make it worse!

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

How to Take Control of Your Body This Year

With every New Year the process of choosing New Year’s resolutions and seeing them to completion can be a daunting task. But don’t let it be! Let’s approach the New Year with an open and refreshed mind!

This year, take control of your body’s health and have FUN doing so!  You have the power to take care of your body and make real and lasting change.

Often our bodies take a toll with our busy and demanding lifestyles. The key to making real and lasting change is forming new and improved habits. Instilling new habits will require attention and work but change doesn’t occur without action.

workout-motivation-1

START by taking responsibility to perform basic maintenance on your body.

  •  Improve the positions you adopt – Do you sit for most of the day? Take breaks every hour to stand up and move around. When you do sit be aware of maintaining neutral posture (if you would like to learn more, come by the clinic we can show you how). When you stand or walk – monitor the position of your feet, try to keep them pointing straight.

 “KEEP IN MIND – OUR BODIES TEND TO MOLD THEMSELVES INTO THE POSITIONS IN WHICH WE SPEND THE MOST TIME. ”

  •  Improve the health of your body tissues – All it takes is just 10 minutes a day of maintenance work, everyday. Utilize tools such as a foam roller and/or lacrosse ball to address the ‘hotspots’ of your body that are tight and stiff as well as areas around them. Doing so will help improve overall mobility.
  • LISTEN TO YOUR BODY – Your body is your friend, take care of it. Pain or discomfort is a sign that you are in a bad biomechanical position. Consider pain as signals that you need to improve your positions, mechanics and tissue health.
  • Make time for you to succeed – In the midst of our busy and hectic schedules we can find the time to take care of ourselves. Start with just 10 minutes a day. It can be as easy as foam rolling and stretching when watching TV.

 When it comes to performing maintenance on your body, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. Everyone is unique and may require different programs. Book in an assessment today if you’d like a regime catered to you!

If you have any questions about performing basic maintenance on your body, you can talk to any health care professional at Form and Function Clinic. We would be happy to assist you in answering your questions and help provide you with tools to build a healthy body.

 

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

Beware of slacking off during Holidays!

With the holidays coming, I want to urge you to continue exercising and not slack off.

Exercise is crucial for everyone’s health and wellbeing. It is commonly stated by many health professionals that if the benefits of exercise could be reduced to pill form, it will be the most prescribed pill due to the vast amount of positive effects exercises has on our health. Some of these positive effects include reducing stress, increasing muscle strength, improving cardiovascular function, lowering risk of chronic diseases, among others.

So come the holidays, continue to exercise to keep those benefits. Note that it only takes two weeks for muscle to start losing strength/endurance and cardiovascular fitness to decrease so don’t let the holidays derail your health. Take some time for yourself and make exercise a priority this holiday! If you have any questions about exercise, you can talk to any health care professional at Form and Function Clinic. We will be happy to answer any of your questions.

By Administrator 0 Comments Health Tips

To ice or not to ice

Inflammation gets a bad reputation.  Everyone wants to get rid of inflammation.  We have long been told to RICE (Rest, Ice, Compress and Elevate) any acute injury to get the inflammation settled down.  What if this was wrong?

 

Recently Dr Gabe Mirkin, the physician that coined the term RICE, has spearheaded a movement away from icing acute injuries (see link below).  The heart of his message is “Let inflammation runs it course”.  Inflammation is needed for the body to call for healing chemicals/cells in the acute stages of injury.  Why slow that down by icing and reducing blood flow?

 

It is against a lot of traditional thinking but next time you injury a body part and it swells up, try using avoiding the ice immediately.  Rest, compress, elevate and get treatment to maintain muscle and joint function.  The health care professionals at Form and Function can guide you through the acute stages of injury and get you back to normal quicker!

 

For the link: http://drmirkin.com/fitness/why-ice-delays-recovery.html