Stevenswood Wellness

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Literally Standing Up at Work

From: www.xeniumhr.com
By: Mathew Simonton

With all the health and wellness trends out there, one that tends to be overlooked by many is simply standing. In addition the exercise ball, standing desks are peaking their way into the home and office. Why? The health benefits are immense.
Below is a snippet from a New York Times article expanding on the particulars of the body while sitting:
“Electrical activity in the muscles drops — ‘the muscles go as silent as those of a dead horse,’ … — leading to a cascade of harmful metabolic effects. Your calorie-burning rate immediately plunges to about one per minute, a third of what it would be if you got up and walked. Insulin effectiveness drops within a single day, and the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes rises. So does the risk of being obese. The enzymes responsible for breaking down lipids and triglycerides — for ‘vacuuming up fat out of the bloodstream,’ … — plunge, which in turn causes the levels of good (HDL) cholesterol to fall.”
A study by the American Cancer Society found that men who sat six or more hours a day had a 20% higher death rate than men who sat three or less hours a day. And for women? A 40% higher death rate.
There are a number of actions you can take a business leader to encourage a healthier workforce. Below are some suggestions by David Clemens of the HR Café.

Encourage employees to get up and walk around instead of always responding via email
Encourage employees to stand during a phone call or webinar
Encourage employees to stand during a meeting
Invest in adjustable or standing desks (note: transforming your desk into a standing desk can also be an easy and affordable DIY activity.)

Image courtesy of user Victor 1558 via Flickr Creative Commons.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Massage: More than a treat, a healing therapy for the body and soul

From: VOXXI.com
By: Amanda King

Do you think of getting a massage as a guilty indulgence? Maybe you get a gift certificate to the spa for mother’s day, and feel like you’re doing something naughty. The truth is, getting a massage is more than just a special treat. The Chinese have been using massage therapy as medicine for thousands of years, and recently, proponents of Western medicine are realizing that there is more to massage than we once thought. While everyone knows that getting a massage feels good, few are aware of the numerous associated health benefits.

Health benefits of massage therapy

Relaxation – probably the most commonly recognized health benefit of massage. Studies show that massage helps to relieve anxiety and stress. It lowers levels of cortisol, a hormone related to stress that can be responsible for an increase in blood sugar, suppression of the immune system, and weight gain. Massage has also been shown to increase neurotransmitters that reduce depression.
Back pain – Studies show that massage can relieve back pain and reduces the need for narcotic pain relievers by as much as 36 percent.
Headache – When you have a headache, the source of the pain usually originates in the muscles of the neck or shoulders and can be alleviated by massage. Massage has also been shown to reduce the frequency of migraines in sufferers.
Cancer – Massage can help to reduce problematic cancer symptoms, such as pain, stiffness, swelling, fatigue and nausea. It also helps to improve mood and quality of life for cancer sufferers, reducing depression and anxiety over the illness.

massge therapy Massage: More than a treat, a healing therapy for the body and soul

Massage can help to reduce problematic cancer symptoms, such as pain, stiffness, swelling, fatigue and nausea. It also helps to improve mood and quality of life for cancer sufferers, reducing depression and anxiety over the illness.

Blood pressure control – A study out of the University of South Florida followed people with high blood pressure, determining that hypertension patients who received massage therapy over a three week period showed significant improvements in blood pressure level. This improvement is probably due to stimulation of the action of the vagus nerve, which is a nerve that connects directly to the brain and is responsible for regulating blood pressure.
Immunity boost – The hormone cortisol actually kills cells that are important for healthy immune function, which is why chronically stressed out people get sick more often than their relaxed peers. Massage reduces cortisol by as much as 50 percent, which can ward off colds and other illness.
Reduction of inflammation and osteoarthritis – A recent gene study confirmed that massage reduces inflammation and prompts growth of new mitochondria in skeletal muscle. Athletes have long testified to the feel-good properties of receiving a massage after strenuous activity, and now there is scientific evidence to give credence to their claims. Simon Melov, PhD, who was responsible for analyzing the samples from study participants said, “Our research showed that massage dampened the expression of inflammatory cytokines in the muscle cells and promoted biogenesis of mitochondria, which are the energy-producing units in the cells.” He also added that the pain relief experienced via massage was scientifically similar to using anti-inflammatory drugs.

massage Massage: More than a treat, a healing therapy for the body and soul

The research seems to favor all types of massage evenly, so no matter whether you’re treating yourself to a Swedish, Shiatsu or deep tissue massage, you’re sure to reap countless health benefits and help yourself on your way to a happier, more relaxed and pain free life. (Shutterstock photos)

Infants can benefit from massage, too. Adults aren’t the only people who find relief at the hands of a masseuse. Infant massage can help your baby sleep better, reduce fussiness and alleviate colic and constipation. Like in adults, it also can boost a baby’s immunity, keeping them from getting sick at an important juncture in development. Tiffany Field, PhD and director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine explained in Parents Magazine, “When you give your baby a massage, you’re actually stimulating her central nervous system. It makes her brain produce more serotonin, a feel good chemical, and less cortisol…. As a result, your baby’s heart rate and breathing slow down, and she becomes more relaxed. “
The research seems to favor all types of massage evenly, so no matter whether you’re treating yourself to a Swedish, Shiatsu or deep tissue massage, you’re sure to reap countless health benefits and help yourself on your way to a happier, more relaxed and pain free life. You also now have several reasons to incorporate massage into your life on a basis more regular than every mother’s day!

Visit: http://stevenswood.com/spa/spa-menu/ for a list of Stevenswood's massage treatments - performed by certified massage therapists, available seven days a week, year round, appointments available: phone 1-800-421-2810

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Optimum Nutrition for the Aging Brain

August 10, 2012

by: Michael Colgan, Ph.D. from: CSackman.isagenix.com

For the first time in history, over 1,000 scientists in the 130 universities involved in the Human Brain Project, have accurately counted the neurons in the brain. It is much, much higher than we thought, at least 89 billion neurons. It shows why even the best super-computers, such as IBM’s Deep Blue chess-playing computer, which is equivalent to about 200 million brain cells, still have less than one-millionth the power of the human brain.

With such a magnificent machine operating every single activity of your mind and body, it makes good sense to nurture it every day. Yet most of us seem to take our brain for granted, and take less care of it than we do of our teeth. Not a wise strategy because, during aging, the adult brain suffers changes that impair cognition, caused primarily by oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. Recent controlled research on people aged 35 and above, documents progressive declines in memory, learning, attention, and decision making. Balance and motor movement also decline.

These findings from recent research are so strong that, in April 2011, the US National Institutes of Health made its first revision in 27 years to the criteria for cognitive impairment, stating that it is not a condition that occurs only in the elderly, but is a progressive decline of brain function that begins decades before it shows. Official intervention has now changed its focus to optimizing health lifelong.

Brain Imaging Links Cell Loss to Cognitive Decline
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of the human brain confirms cell losses in discrete areas of the brain (illustrated above) that accompany specific cognitive impairments. Especially relevant are cell losses in the prefrontal cortex, a crucial area for attention, decision making, and working memory. New research shows that the integrity of the pre-frontal cortex is highly dependent on its neurochemical environment, especially its nutrition and oxygenation.

Linked to the prefrontal cortex by multiple networks of neurons is the hippocampus, whose neurons produce the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, essential for the formation of new memories. Neurotransmitters are chemicals made in the neurons that transfer information from neuron to neuron. When cells that produce a particular neurotransmitter die, the neurotransmitter flow declines, and the flow of information ceases. As acetylcholine declines with aging, formation of new memories becomes progressively more difficult.
Also linked to the prefrontal cortex, and to the motor cortex behind it, is the substantia nigra (black body), whose neurons produce the neurotransmitter dopamine, critical for attention, decision making, working memory, balance, and motor movement. Loss of dopamine cells with aging results in declines in all these cognitive functions.

Optimizing Brain Nutrition
In collaboration with Isagenix scientists, my research has focussed on brain nutrition. We reviewed more than 1,000 recent animal studies and human clinical trials that have identified a number of individual nutrients that support different parts of brain function. A few of these trials have found combinations of nutrients that work synergistically. That is, combining the nutrients multiplies their power to support brain function beyond the use of individual nutrients alone.

Unlike other companies, who have focussed on one or two individual nutrients to support one or two brain functions, we have sought the best synergistic combinations. From the most significant research we have devised synergistic combinations of eight nutrients to provide potent and wide ranging support of the multiple brain structures and functions discussed above.

We have completed 60-day pilot clinical trials on normal human subjects with the best three formulations we could devise. Using standardized tests of mental focus, concentration, decision making, and memory, all three trials showed positive effects. One formulation proved slightly better, and we selected that as the basis of the new Isagenix Brain Support. It is designed to provide optimum brain nutrition. It is also specifically designed to complement IsaLean Shakes, Ageless Essentials with Product B, and the new Isagenix Sleep Support. There is no other product comparable to Isagenix Brain Support available anywhere.

About Dr. Colgan
Dr. Michael Colgan is a world-renowned research scientist, leading expert in the inhibition of aging, and a member of the Isagenix Science Advisory Board. Dr. Colgan has provided nutrition, training and anti-aging programs to more than 11,000 athletes, including many Olympians. He is director of his eponymous Colgan Institute, a consulting, educational and research facility concerned with the effects of nutrition and exercise on athletic performance, along with prevention of chronic degenerative disease, and prevention of degeneration of the brain.
To read more articles by Dr. Colgan, click on one of the following links:

You Can Prevent Sarcopenia

From: CSackman.Isagenix.com
By: Michael Colgan, Ph.D.

Loss of skeletal muscle mass and function with aging is called sarcopenia. It is deadly. Sarcopenia includes loss of muscle quantity and quality, loss of motor neurons that enable muscles to contract, loss of strength and especially muscle power, and a steep decline in muscle repair and recovery. In addition, there is a progressive increase in oxidative stress, chronic inflammation, and pain.

Because muscles supply the immune system with the glutamine required to make immune cells, loss of muscle also causes a loss of immune function (1). By complex effects, including a decline of oxygen to the brain because of reduced muscle contraction, sarcopenia is also linked to death of brain cells and loss of cognition and memory with age (2). Frequently, being overweight masks the appearance of sarcopenia, and only adds to the problem.

Since 1989, when it was first measured accurately, sarcopenia has grown to epidemic proportions in the US and Canada (3-6). In otherwise healthy people over 40, it can be as high as one in every four tested. Researchers on aging generally agree that it is a self-inflicted outcome that is almost 100 percent preventable.

The Right Protein
Here are the two simple steps to prevent sarcopenia lifelong: First, you have to have sufficient high-quality protein in your diet to maintain lean muscle. Because muscle protein synthesis becomes less efficient with age, only first–class protein will do it. Numerous studies, the latest just published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in May 2011, show that whey protein, similar to that found in IsaLean Shake, is the best (7). It stimulates muscle protein uptake better than other proteins common in shakes.
Research shows that for people over age 40, the Recommended Dietary Allowance for protein [0.8 grams per kilogram] may not be sufficient. A controlled study found muscle was not maintained in subjects fed the RDA (8). Following this type of research since the 1990s, the Colgan Institute has recommended increased protein, especially for those who exercise regularly (which we hope is everyone). Consequently, in addition to protein in meals, we generally recommend a minimum of two protein shakes per day. Each shake should contain 20 to 25 grams of whey protein, one taken upon rising in the morning, and one within 30 minutes after working out (these are the times when the body most needs it).

The Right Exercise
The second step to maintain your muscle power for life is the right type of exercise. Sorry to say that jogging or aerobics classes will not fill the bill. Numerous comparative studies now show that resistance exercise is the only effective way (9-11). But it has to be the right resistance exercise. Many gym programs use slow, restricted machine exercises to increase strength and muscle size. I suggest they do not work to prevent sarcopenia, because the major loss in sarcopenia is a neuromuscular loss of power. Power is strength multiplied by speed in free movements. Usual gym strength training does not increase power (12-15).

Balance exercise is a key component to preventing falls in old age.

The Colgan Power Program was developed specifically to train power in athletes, and we have since adapted it for general muscle training to inhibit the sarcopenia of aging(14). There are many factors involved, so I can mention only a couple of the most important here. To get a full explanation you can consult the book (14).

First, as you age, gravity gradually compresses your spine. Most back problems stem from that compression, not from disease. After age 30, you do not want to do a lot of resistance exercise that adds to that compression. So, our first rule for lifelong resistance training, is to do exercises that lengthen the spine while contracting the muscles. We have developed hundreds of these exercises, now used by many thousands of people worldwide.

Our program gets people into the habit of working out daily for 30 minutes, with two protein shakes, one in the morning, and one immediately after workout. Many people who have adopted this simple routine over the last two decades, are physically more robust than their peers, enjoy better health than their peers, and are measurably aging more slowly. For them sarcopenia is not an issue.

The second factor I will note is balance. As part of sarcopenia, kinaesthetic and proprioceptive senses decline, and balance and coordination decline with them. That is why the biggest risk for healthy older people is a fall. Their balance systems no longer register the falling until it is too late. With the right resistance training, with a balance component, you can prevent loss of balance lifelong (16).

References

Colgan M. Optimum Sports Nutrition. New York: Advanced Research Press, 1993.
Johnston AP, De Lisio M, Parise G. Resistance training, sarcopenia, and the mitochondrial theory of aging. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2008;33(1):191–199.
Hughes VA, Frontera WR, Roubenoff R, Evans WJ, Singh MA. Longitudinal changes in body composition in older men and women: role of body weight change and physical activity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;76(2):473–481
Sehl ME, Yates FE. Kinetics of human aging: I. Rates of senescence between ages 30 and 70 years in healthy people. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001;56(5):B198–B208.
Roubenoff R. Sarcopenia and its implications for the elderly. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2000;54(Suppl 3):S40–S47.
Vandervoort AA. Aging of the human neuromuscular system. Muscle Nerve. 2002;25(1):17–25.
Pennings B, Boirie Y, Senden JM, Gijsen AP, Kuipers H, van Loon LJ.Whey protein stimulates postprandial muscle protein accretion more effectively than do casein and casein hydrolysate in older men. Am J Clin Nutr. 2011 May;93(5):997-1005.
Campbell WW, Trappe TA, Wolfe RR, Evans WJ The recommended dietary allowance for protein may not be adequate for older people to maintain skeletal muscle. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2001 Jun;56(6):M373-M380.
de Vos NJ, Singh NA, Ross DA, Stavrinos TM, Orr R, Fiatarone Singh MA. Effect of power-training intensity on the contribution of force and velocity to peak power in older adults. J Aging Phys Act. 2008;16(4):393–407.
Peterson MD, Gordon PM.Resistance exercise for the aging adult: clinical implications and prescription guidelines. Am J Med. 2011 Mar;124(3):194-198.
Miszko TA, Cress ME, Slade JM, et al. Effect of strength and power training on physical function in community-dwelling older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003;58(2):171–175.
Macaluso A, De Vito G. Muscle strength, power and adaptations to resistance training in older people. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2004;91(4):450–472.
Bottaro M, Machado SN, Nogueira W, Scales R, Veloso J. Effect of high versus low-velocity resistance training on muscular fitness and functional performance in older men. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2007;99(3):257–264.
Colgan M. The New Power Program. Vancouver: Apple Publishing, 2001.
Henwood TR, Riek S, Taaffe DR. Strength versus muscle power-specific resistance training in community-dwelling older adults. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2008;63(1):83–91.]
Orr R, Raymond J, Fiatarone Singh M. Efficacy of progressive resistance training on balance performance in older adults: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Sports Med. 2008;38(4):317–343.

Dr. Colgan

Dr. Michael Colgan, a world-renowned research scientist and leading expert in the inhibition of aging, recently joined the Isagenix Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Colgan has served as a consultant to the U.S. National Institute on Aging and is widely recognized for several best-selling books on health and nutrition, including Your Personal Vitamin Profile, (New York: William Morrow, 1982), a definitive guide for accurate, scientifically researched nutritional information that has been in continuous print for the last 28 years. He is also the author of numerous research papers in a wide range of journals including Science, The Journal of Experimental Psychology, New Zealand Medical Journal, The Olympic Scientific Congress, and Nutrition and Health. As director at his eponymous Colgan Institute, a consulting, educational and research facility concerned with the effects of nutrition and exercise on athletic performance, along with prevention of chronic degenerative disease, and prevention of degeneration of the brain, Dr. Colgan has provided nutrition, training and anti-aging programs to more than 11,000 athletes, including many Olympians.
Related Posts

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Study Shows Frequent Massage Sessions Boost Biological Benefits

From: medicalxpress.com

Massage is purported to have an array of benefits, including alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, back pain, asthma, fatigue, and even HIV. A new study shows there are sustained, cumulative beneficial effects of repeated massage therapy. The effects persist for several days to a week, and differ depending on the frequency of sessions. Results of the study were reported on line in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-frequent-massage-sessions-boost-biological.html#jCp

(Medical Xpress) -- Massage is purported to have an array of benefits, including alleviating symptoms of depression, anxiety, back pain, asthma, fatigue, and even HIV. A new study shows there are sustained, cumulative beneficial effects of repeated massage therapy. The effects persist for several days to a week, and differ depending on the frequency of sessions. Results of the study were reported on line in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine.

Read more at: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-frequent-massage-sessions-boost-biological.html#jCp

Sports Massage Is an Integral Part of the Olympics

From: Integrative-healthcare.org
By: Nicole Cutler, LAc.

August 6, 2012

Sports massage therapists can be a part of Olympic history by helping world-class athletes excel.

The Olympic Games offer a unique opportunity for skilled massage therapists to blend their passion for healing with a love of sports. Considered to be the pinnacle of competition, the internationally studded Olympic stage is the ultimate event for sport lovers. For practitioners of sports massage, there is no greater honor than helping Olympic athletes bring their A game. Its prominence at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games is testament to the value elite athletes place on massage therapy.

Massage for Olympians
Massaging muscles in preparation for their being stressed to the maximum is not a new idea. In the first Olympic games of 776 BC, athletes received massage before an event. Afterwards, the competitors would take a dip in a hot bath, receive massage and then dip in a cold bath to prepare their muscles for the next event. However, massage therapy did not become an official component of the Olympics until Athens in 2004 where it was categorized under recreation, sharing a building with social lounges and computer labs.
The worth of sports massage during the biggest global sporting competition has finally been acknowledged this year. Because it is crucial to the well-being and performance of the athletes, the 2012 Games in London have included massage therapy under the medical category. After applying to be an Olympic games massage therapist and enduring interviews and trainings, those lucky enough to be among the chosen to be a volunteer at London's Summer Olympic Games are able to make a legendary contribution to the world of sports.

Sports Massage
A growing specialty for massage therapists, sports massage is a necessity for many professional athletes. Boosting an individual's competitive edge, the performance and wellness advantages afforded by sports massage is highly sought after. There are three main goals of sports massage:
1. Assist the athlete in achieving his or her peak performance
2. Prevent or reduce the risk of injury
3. Help with injury recovery when needed

Sports massage can occur in a variety of different settings and administered at different times with different goals. In general, there are four times to administer sports massage:

1. Pre-event Massage - Pre-event massage typically occurs at the sports event, 20 to 30 minutes before the event. Encompassing techniques such as friction to help warm muscles up, compression to increase circulation in specific muscles and range of motion to assist in joint mobility, pre-event massage focuses on the muscles that will be stressed most during competition.

2. Post-event Massage - Also administered at the event site, post-event massage is aimed at helping the athlete recover from muscle soreness or cramping while reestablishing range of motion and circulation. Post-event massage might consist of compressive effleurage for calming the nervous system and pushing fluid, stretching and petrissage to relieve muscular tension, compression for spreading muscle fibers and restoring blood flow, broadening strokes to lengthen tight muscles, and reciprocal inhibition to relieve muscle cramps.

3. Maintenance Massage - Administered in between competitive events, a sports maintenance massage is part of an optimal wellness program that targets an athlete's strength, flexibility, coordination, biomechanics, posture, stress patterns, scar tissue and existing injuries.

4. Rehabilitation Massage - Because muscles worked to their limit cramp, tear, bruise and ache, even the most cautious athlete could benefit from rehabilitation massage. While sports massage should only be administered in unison with proper medical care, rehabilitative work can dramatically speed healing and ease pain. Rehabilitation sports massage techniques could include effleurage, neuromuscular therapy, compression, cross-fiber friction, lymphatic drainage and trigger point massage.

Sports massage is a satisfying and growing field, as professional athletes are grateful for the service. Since their bodies are in top physical condition, injury recovery time is dramatically reduced. Professional athletes' careers depend on their body's ability to function optimally. Especially because the benefits of sports massage are recognized immediately, professional athletes have a very high likelihood of treatment compliance.

Recommended Study:
Common Sports Injuries
Lymphatic Drainage Massage
Neuromuscular Therapy & Advanced Deep Tissue
Sports Massage
Trigger Point Therapy
Understanding Sports Massage

References:
http://blogs.globeuniversity.edu/2012/08/01/what-are-the-best-massages-for-olympic-athletes-and-you/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-are-the-best-massages-for-olympic-athletes-and-you, What are the best massages for Olympic Athletes and you?, Maria Leonard, Retrieved August 5, 2012, Globe University, 2012.
http://holliston-hopkinton.patch.com/articles/hopkinton-massage-therapist-part-of-olympic-medical-team, Hopkinton Massage Therapist Headed to the 2012 London Olympics, Sean O'Donnell, Retrieved August 4, 2012, Patch, 2012.
http://thebodyworker.com/massage_blog/, Becoming a Sports Massage Therapist, Julie Onofrio, Retrieved August 4, 2012, thebodyworker.com, 2012.
http://www.amtamassage.org/articles/3/MTJ/detail/1772, How to Get Involved in Professional Sports, Retrieved August 5, 2012, American Massage Therapy Association, 2012.
http://www.integrative-healthcare.org/mt/archives/2005/12/sports_massage.html, Sports Massage Adds a Performance Edge, Retrieved August 5, 2012, Natural Wellness, 2012.
http://www.massagetoday.com/mpacms/mt/article.php?id=12037, Massage Therapists Find Olympic Experience Rewarding, Retrieved August 1, 2012, Massage Today, November 2004.
http://www.myrecordjournal.com/southington/article_9b07804e-b37a-11e1-97f6-001a4bcf887a.html, Southington massage therapist taking part in Olympics, this time for opening, Farrah Duffany, Retrieved August 4, 2012, MyRecordJournal.com, 2012.
http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x1425378504/Taunton-massage-therapist-to-work-at-the-2012-Summer-Olympics, Taunton massage therapist to work at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Marc Larocque, Retrieved August 1, 2012, Gatehouse Media, Inc., 2012.
http://www.theisrm.com/olympics.php, Medical Volunteer Roles, Retrieved August 1, 2012, Institute of Sport & Remedial Massage, 2012.

Saturday, July 21, 2012

How to keep your Lymphatic System Healthy

From: HawaiianExperienceSpa.com
By: Mariposa, L.E., M.T.

Our lymphatic system is our body’s first line of defense, and keeping our lymph flowing is crucial. Our lymph, unlike our blood, does not have a pump to keep it moving. If you get swollen lymph nodes or swelling in your extremities this may be a sign of stagnant lymph. There are some simple yet effective self care methods to help your lymph flow properly that I would like to share with you.

Dry Brushing: Dry brushing has been used primarily by Europeans for decades and is one of the most understated simple ways to a healthy lymphatic system. A dry brush, like the name implies, is always used dry with no water or lotion on your skin. It is best done right before your shower or bath. Brush upwards in light sweeping or circular motion going up on extremities and clockwise on the abdomen. Your neck is the only place you brush down towards your heart. Dry brushing is an excellent way to encourage your lymph to flow and also removes dead skin cells leaving your skin soft and supple.

Infrared Sauna: infrared saunas that go deep into your tissues and helps to sweat out toxins relieving the lymphatic system.

Rebounding: Bouncing on a rebounder (mini trampoline) is the best form of exercise to jump start your lymphatic system. You do not need to jump high but rather focus on your heels and feeling your body reverberating. You can also do this exercise in a pool.

Qigong tapping and bouncing: Qigong is an ancient Chinese form of energy work. Tapping along meridians is similar to an acupuncture effect. Bouncing is much like rebounding with specific hand movements and can have powerful effect on your overall health.

Being mindful of tight shoes and clothing that constrict your lymph flow is important as well as staying hydrated with pure water.
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From Connie, Spa Director: Stevenswood Spa Resort offers complimentary use of our infrared sauna to our lodging and spa guests.