In April 2012 a few of our therapists will be changing their schedules slightly. Here is an adjusted look at what days our therapists will be working. Exact days and hours are subject to change.  Please call the clinic for a therapists availability on any given day.

Karen Fleming, RMT: Mon/Tues/Wed 10:00 am til 5:00 pm. Fridays from 9:30 am ’til 2:30 pm

Estelle Cormier, RMT: Mon/Wed/Thurs/Fridays 9:00 am til 6:00 pm.  On holiday for April 2012.

Marilyn Chang, RMT: Mon/Fridays 10:00 am til 6:00 pm. Thursday afternoons from 1:00 pm til 6:00 pm.

Margaret Bacon, RMT: Wednesdays 9:00 am til 4:30 pm.

Jessica Yee, RMT: Tuesdays/Thursdays 9:00 am til 6:00 pm.    Alternating Saturdays from 8:00 am til 3:00 pm.

Ray Ranger, RMT: Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays 10 – 5, and every Saturday 9:00 am ’til 3:00 pm. Additional times and days are available.  Please call the clinic to verify times.

Yvonne Connors, RMT:  One Saturday per month (to be determined; please call) 9:00 am til 3:00 pm.

Just a reminder this Sunday, November 6th, 2011 is the end of Daylight Savings time (2am local time) where you turn your clocks back one hour. A quick way of remembering this is in the fall, we fall back an hour; in the spring, we spring forward an hour.
When Daylight Savings Time Ends, it is a time when people start to feel blue in the season especially in Vancouver due to the rainy days and the early dark evenings. Due to our biology, our natural tendency is to want to curl up and sleep. If you have noticed this pattern recurring you may be among some Canadians suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is a form of depression triggered by lack of light in the winter. Many that suffer from it experience symptoms severe enough to seek treatment and many more remain undiagnosed or suffer from a less debilitating form of it.
A diagnosis by a doctor is usually made if people who have SAD experience symptoms such as depression (for more than a few days, weeks or even months), trouble sleeping, lethargy, overeating, irritability, loss of libido and a weakened immune system.
Fortunately there are many treatment options available. Light therapy is the most common and is 85% effective in most cases. Massage may be the best choice of alternate therapies for SAD sufferers because it releases endorphins, creating a euphoric feeling to help fight depression. It also lowers blood pressure improving circulation, stimulates nerve endings, removes toxins and improves energy and concentration. Taking a vitamin D supplement and going out for walks also helps to raise endorphins and rejuvenates your energy levels.
SAD sufferers receiving regular massages at least twice a month, experience less intense symptoms and gain a more positive outlook that helps them through the winter months.

Glycation is considered one of the primary causes of aging. It is the process where a sugar molecule attaches itself to one of your amino acids that form the protiens, that in turn form part of you. That protien could be in your skin, arteries, internal organs, enzymes or blood. The product formed formed by this bonding is called AGE (Advanced Glycation End-Product). AGE’s form bonds between the proteins of the body – a process known as cross-linking. The type of cross-linking generated by glycation is random, causing the connective tissue to become rigid.

Glycation in the arterial walls causes stiffness , in the lens of the eye, cataracts, in the skin, wrinkes. Elsewhere, tissues of vital organs become bogged down and unable to function properly.

Understanding how to prevent the excess formation of AGE’s is critical to slowing down the aging process and reducing the risk of degenerative diseases. Fortunately, a proporation of the glycation process is under our control by avoiding certain foods. These include sugars and simple carbohydrates that quickly convert to sugars when eaten.

Although some fruits and vegetables contain the sugar fructose which is also implicated in glycation, it appears that other naturally occuring substances in fruits and vegeatables actively inhibit the process. Avoid the high-fructose corn syrup that is present in many packaged goods and sweetened beverages.

Also to be avoided are foods cooked at a high temperature such as those cooked on barbecues, grills, or toasters. Eating raw foods, or those that are as close to its natural state as possible will reduce glycation and associated aging. Also, Carnosine is a prowerful anti-oxidant made up from amino acids that slows down glycation. It is naturally present in the body but diminshes with age. Good dietary sources are beef, pork, chicken and fish (not cooked at a high temperature).

Follow these rules to a healthy mind, body and spirit!

Yvonne willbe taking a leave of absence from Trikinetic and Massage Therapy for an undetermined amount of timein order to focus on her growing family and persue other opportunities.

We encourage her previous clients to explore a therapeutic relationship with one of our other talented therapists.

We wish success to Yvonne and her family and look forward to her possible return.

– The triki team

Many women often experience painful aches and cramps as a result of their menstrual cycle. Here are a few drug-free ways to help alleviate some of the discomfort.

One yoga position you can try is the “child’s pose”. To start, lie on the floor in a fetal position with your knees and shins touching the floor. Rest your chest on your knees, and stretch your head to the floor. Hold this position while taking several deep breaths. This action will decompress the sacrum. For a greater release, get a friend or partner to sit or apply pressure to the sacrum.

Another way to relieve the pressure in your sacrum is to massage it using ice. Wrap one or two pieces of ice around a towel or saran wrap. Apply a small amount of oil to your lower back, and gently massage this area using the ice.

In addition to the methods previously mentioned, abdominal massage after the third day of bleeding and applying ice to your neck to dissipate heat may also be beneficial.

Do you know of any other methods to help relieve menstrual cramping? Let us know in the comments!

One nerve that regularly causes pain of discomfort in people is the Lateral Cutaneous Femoral. This nerve branches out from your lumbar, located in the lower back, goes along the pelvis to the groin area and then down along the upper thigh. If you have ever felt a numbness or tingling sensation  in any of these areas, you may have had this nerve “pinched”.

There are many factors that may cause this nerve to be damaged such as: Pregancy (increased size in abdomen putting pressure on the pelvis), wearing low riding pants, hip belts that are too tight, abdominal surgery, and more.

Massage Therapy can help individuals with this problem by balancing out the hips and applying visceral manipulation to the abdominal area to relieve discomfort. People suffering from pain on account of the Lateral Cutaneous Fermoral should refrain from walking or standing for extended periods, keeping the pressure off of the pelvic area.

Last Sunday June 19th was Commercial Drive’s annual Car Free Day and Trikinetic massage therapists Karen Fleming, Estelle Cormier, and Ray Ranger were at Open Door Yoga giving away free massages and goodies! Like us on Facebook to check out more pictures from the event and get up to date on the latest Triki news.

For more information on past and future Car Free Events in your area check out: http://www.carfreevancouver.org/

Did you know whiplash is the most common injury in motor vehicle accidents? In fact, nearly 70% of all bodily injury claims from ICBC involve whiplash injuries, and total over $600 million in annual economic costs in BC alone.

Whiplash is a type of injury that occurs with a sudden change in the position of the neck. Not surprisingly, the most common way people experience whiplash injuries is in a car accident where they have been hit from behind. Whiplash can result in damage to the muscles, nerves, discs, ligaments, and in severe cases, broken bones. This can cause pain and decreased movement in the head and neck, and include headaches, dizziness and a tingling sensation in the arms.

Even so, most whiplash injuries can be prevented by properly adjusting the headrest in your vehicle. To do this first position your seat properly at an incline angle of less than 20 degrees. Then adjust, the height of your head restraint. The centre of your head should be at the centre of the headrest. Use the middle or top of your ears as a guide. Finally adjust the readrest so that is is less than 10cm from the back of your head.

Massage therapy can be an excellent way to allieviate the aches and pains of whiplash injuries, but taking steps to reduce your chances of being injured is always the first place to start. Visit www.whiplashprevention.org for more information on how you can prevent whiplash injuries.

- The Triki Team

Did you know that using good bending form may be one othe most effective things you can do to reduce the rounding effect that gravity has on your spine over the years? Here are some reminders on how to carry items without damaging your fragile back and leg muscles.

Bad Bending Moves:

• Feet too close together: If your feet are closer than should width apart, you’ll have poor leverage, will be unstable, and will tend to round out your back
• Keepings knees and hips straight, with your low back rounded forward. This is the most common and stressful lifting, especially if done while twisting the trunk.
• Tensing and arching the neck up: This crams the neck joints and becomes a pain, especially if maintained for awhile or during heavy lifting.
• Avoid lifting and carrying an imbalanced load
• Lifting and bending too much in a short period of time: If you start getting tired, you’ll start slumping, which causes increased compression and strain
• Lifting objects that are too heavy for you. This will typically result in a jerk-lift and/or to lift in a slumped or overached. If you can’t lift slowly and smoothly in good alignment, don’t attempt it!
• Lifting heavy objects right after sustained sitting, especially if you’ve been slump sitting: This is a bad, dangerous combination!



Good Bending Moves:

• Place feet and knees at least should width apart or front to back in a wide-step position. This helps you to bend at the hips, keeping the back relatively straight and unstressed.
• Lean over or squat with the chest and buttocks sticking out. If done correctly, your back will be straight and the neck will balance in a relaxed, neutral position
• Take weight through one or both arms. As you squat down or push back up, prop your hand or elbow on your thigh, the furniture, a wall, etc. This good move take some of the strain off the low back.
• Balance your load on either side, or switch sides so that both sides are equally stressed
• When reaching overhead, keep the chest up, and/or used a step stool to keep the low back and neck in neutral alignment

Pictures and information taken from “The Back Pain Book: A self-help guide for Daily Relief of Neck and Back Pain” By: Mike Hage, MS, PT.