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TENS machine not effective for back pain
from CNN: Bad back? Nerve stimulation won’t help By Denise Mann A popular pain-relief treatment that uses electricity to stimulate nerves isn’t likely to benefit the millions of Americans who live with chronic low back pain and shouldn’t be recommended for that purpose, new guidelines say. Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation, or TENS, is delivered using…
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Is running bad for your knees? Maybe not
from Time Magazine: By Adi Narayan Perhaps because it seems intuitively true, the notion persists that running, especially when done long-term and over long distances, is bad for the joints. Indeed it would be hard to think otherwise when, with each foot strike, a runner’s knee withstands a force equal to eight times his body…
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UBC researchers: we hear with our skin
from New York Times: People Hear With Their Skin as Well as Their Ears, By Henry Fountain We hear with our ears, right? Yes, but scientists have known for years that we also hear with our eyes. In a landmark study published in 1976, researchers found that people integrated both auditory cues and visual ones,…
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Sports Massage Gains Popularity among Amateur Athletes
from New York Times: By Christopher Percy Collier WHEN Jessi Stensland, a professional triathlete, enters the Athletes’ Performance training center in Tempe, Ariz., she usually goes through the door labeled “Work” and into the wing of the building filled with treadmills, elliptical trainers and free weights. But once a week, Ms. Stensland, 22, carries her…
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Talking about Crohn’s disease with kids – new Vancouver book
from canada.com: Erin McPhee, North Shore News Kellie Robinson’s younger brother Jeff was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at age 10. In the 23 years that followed, he underwent 26 surgeries and spent countless stints in the hospital. “But he always had the most amazing spirit,” says Kellie. To honour her brother, who passed away six…
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Fibromyalgia — scans show it’s a real disease
From Washington Post: By Kathleen Doheny MONDAY, Nov. 3 (HealthDay News) — Researchers have detected abnormalities in the brains of people with fibromyalgia, a complex, chronic condition characterized by muscle pain and fatigue. “We showed in our study that the functional abnormalities observed were mainly related to disability,” and not to anxiety and depression status,…
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‘Virtual massage’ can relieve amputees’ phantom limb pain
From New Scientist: Amputees who experience phantom limb pain could find relief in a surprisingly simple way – by paying more attention to the people around them. Phantom limbs occur when an amputee feels the often painful sensation of touch arising from a limb that is no longer present. Working with combat veterans, Vilayanur Ramachandran,…
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Massage for Children, Teens, and Seniors
From massagetherapy.com: Helping Children Find Focus: Massage Calms ADHD Kids by Cathy Ulrich Imagine lying on a massage table. As your massage therapist sets to work, you feel your body relax. Your muscles soften, your nervous system calms. Now, imagine how you feel when the massage is over–relaxed, alert, calm, and content. Anyone who has…
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The right massage can provide therapy by the fingertips
From The Georgia Straight. Includes interview at, and photos of, Vancouver School of Bodywork and Massage : By Craig Takeuchi Is the Holy Grail of relaxation finding the perfect massage therapist? Possibly. But whether that’s your goal or whether you’re a massage newbie, there are steps you can take to make the most of your…
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Massage Therapy for Senior Citizens
From isnare.com: By Stephanie Macintosh Massage therapy can offer senior citizens a number of benefits that will greatly improve their sense of health and wellbeing. As the population continues to age, it is important to consider ways that we can work to improve the lives of those affected by the passing of time. A number…
