Acupuncturists Without Borders and Pathways to Wellness will head to Haiti on February 3 to help with international relief efforts. They will be offering treatments for pain relief, trauma, exhaustion and acupuncture anesthesia. As well they will More information on the project is available here.
As of January 26, they had raised $10,000 in cash and $2400 in supplies. They still need to secure another $7400 in donations and could use your help
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition that affects more and more people today. It is especially prevalent among people that spend a lot of time on the computer and can make work stressful. It is treatable and its treatment will be discussed in further articles.
The carpal tunnel of the wrist is made up of all the carpal or wrist bones which form an arch over the tunnel. On the other side is the flexor retinaculum, a strip of fascia which forms the floor of the arch, securing either end of the arch. The 2 components form a tunnel that allows nerves and blood vessels through. Of particular importance is the median nerve which passes through the tunnel and supplies the thumb, index finger, middle finger, and half the ring finger with nerve impulses. At rest, the pressure inside a healthy carpal tunnel is 2.5 mm Hg. When there is carpal tunnel syndrome, the pressure inside the tunnel is more than ten times the normal amount: 32 mm Hg.
This extra pressure compresses or pinches the median nerve affecting the functioning of the fingers it supplies. These fingers might feel tingling, numbness or in extreme cases, weakness.
Approximately 1% of the population suffer from carpal tunnel syndrome, but numbers are rising. There is a genetic component to it, but the majority of people suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome get it from repetitive motions at work. Occupations that involve lots of repetitive motions with the hands have higher incidences of carpal tunnel syndrome:
Carpal tunnel syndrome may also arise from:
I am surprised yet again to find that change keeps happening at the speed of life. At the end of last year, in a sudden move, I decided to leave Body & Spine. And just a couple of days ago, I decided to leave Back in Motion. In the span of less than a month I went from 3 clinics to one and all it took was a couple of conversations. Both splits were amicable. I thoroughly enjoyed working at both chiropractic clinics. This made the decision to leave especially difficult and probably delayed the decision by months. I simply left because I needed to work less, enjoy life more, and take care of myself. It is a shame. I will miss both clinics and the people there. It seems strange to imagine somebody else working there or the clinic operating without me. I guess that means they were really good places to work.
I found myself on the sure path to RMT burnout. In school, we were taught very early in the program that the average RMT’s career is 5 years. That’s it. 5 Years. School for 3 years, work for 5 years and then the next career. It sounded impossible. They explained that part of it is due to the emotional burnout of always giving and caring to so many different people. The other reason is the physical burnout. The wear and tear of repetitive strain injuries on our bodies leads to carpal tunnel syndrome, tennis elbow, and chronic neck, shoulder and back pain. Again, we heard their warnings without heeding them. Without having massaged for more than 4 hours a week, we had no idea what it was really like. Who could predict that the chronic injuries would grow so slowly? Almost silently the body adapted to the constant strain of massage work. One month you might have a sore thumb which gets better. A few months later, your wrist gets sore and then heals. Perhaps later still, some tennis elbow. They all seem transient and just a minor hassle that comes with the job. But left unattended, they stay for a while.
I have survived the trigger thumb and the tennis elbow scares. Right now, for the first time, I am suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome. Another scare for RMT’s. The signs came quietly at first: Some mild discomfort, a clicking sound with certain wrist movements. But this time, after hearing from my chiropractor that her official diagnosis of my condition was in fact carpal tunnel syndrome, I finally listened. I decided on a few changes. I quit both chiropractic clinics. By concentrating on my private practice I could replace my clinic hours with half as many private hours without feeling any financial pinch. I also decided on a 5 day work week. It sounds insane, but I spent most of last year working a 6 day work week. And before the 6 day work week, there was the 7 day work week. It sounds like absolute insanity and stupidity in retrospect, but at the time, I felt invincible. I am going to limit my treatments to 4 treatment hours maximum per day until my carpal tunnel is resolved and possibly up it to 5 per day after that. I know RMT’s that work 7 or 8 hours of treatments a day and are no worse for wear. I don’t know how they do it. I have great respect for them, but I have to respect my body and the fact that it is turning 40 this year.
I guess that this is my first official public whine. I hope to be an RMT for a good long time. I love the profession and I love the positive impact I make on people’s lives and don’t want to give it up for anything. So hopefully with these steps I will be able to enjoy the most amazing profession for a little longer.
At current I am not working at Body & Spine any longer. I will still be available at Back in Motion until February 13. After that date, I will only be available for treatment at the Pape & Danforth location.
I just got back from vacation and I’m already taking time off again. What a lush I’m turning into.
It’s not exactly a vacation though. After spending half my time in Cuba working on articles for my blog, taking time off this weekend to attend a training course is the next logical step. Some day I will learn how to really kick back, but for now, I will be crammed into a classroom for about 24 hours over 3 days learning the intricacies of cranio sacral mobilizations.
I have always been interested in craniosacral technique as it is such a vastly different approach to healing. I also like how gentle and subtle the technique is. In a typical treatment, you feel like almost nothing is happening. The changes are so quiet that you really need to get into your body to experience it.
The course will be taught at the Southern Ontario College of Osteopathy from Friday to Sunday. The enrollment cost is around $750 with taxes in. The reason I chose to take the course here is that it will be taught as part of the 3 year program for becoming an osteopath. The course is open to people that are not enrolled in the osteopath program at the college and is offered as a stand alone module. The smorgasbord approach is so much more flexible. I am not sure that I want to become an osteopath but I like the idea that this course is potentially part of a larger plan.
If you would like a taste of what a session might feel like, be sure to book in next week.
When we think of Cuba, certain incongruous images come to mind: sandy beaches, salsa music, and poverty. But while the typical visitor to this little island nation is busy soaking up rays and drinking one too many Cuba Libres, poor little Cuba has been quietly accomplishing something that few western countries have been able to do: Develop a health care model that provides free universal health care blending and balancing western medicine with eastern, natural medicine.
Cuba’s health care system has always been a priority for Castro’s government. Article 50 of the country’s constitution states: “Everyone has the right to health protection and care. The state guarantees this right by providing free medical and hospital care by means of the installations of the rural medical service network, polyclinics, hospitals, preventative and specialized treatment centers; by providing free dental care; by promoting the health publicity campaigns, health education, regular medical examinations, general vaccinations and other measures to prevent the outbreak of disease.”
Here are some stats: The average life expectancy in Cuba has risen from 63 years in 1955 to 78 years in 2007. The infant mortality rate has dropped from 1960’s 54 deaths per 1000 children to 6.5 per 1000 in 2007. In 1957 Cuba had 128 physicians and dentists per 1000 people. In 2005, those numbers had swelled to 627 doctors and 94 dentists per 1000. To put that into perspective, the USA in 2005 had 225 doctors per 1000. In fact, Cuba performed better on all 3 criteria when compared to the USA.
But as a massage therapist and acupuncturist, I am more interested in how alternative or natural medicine was integrated into their health care model and offered free to all. The idealist in me would like to believe that Fidel or Che hatched up the idea while savouring a perfect cigar and planning their utopia on earth, but their medical miracle was born out of disaster and necessity. In 1992, the USA increased its trade embargo against Cuba by passing the Democracy Act which made it illegal for foreign subsidiaries of US companies to sell goods to Cuba (it was already illegal for American companies to sell goods to Cuba). It also forbade ships that had docked in Cuban ports from docking in any US port for 6 months. This, combined with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Soviet support and trade as well as Cuba defaulting on its foreign debt in 1986 made it very difficult for Cuba to purchase medical equipment, supplies and medicine.
The Chinese character for disaster is comprised of two other characters: one is the character meaning danger, the other means opportunity. With aspirin and other western goods being either unavailable or unaffordable, Cuba adopted a natural approach. Dr Fé Bosch had been sent to Sri Lanka and Vietnam in 1984 to study eastern medicine and the possibility of incorporating elements into the national health system. In 1992, the Ministry of Public Health approached Dr Bosch with a new proposition: develop a training program in acupuncture and natural medicine for the country’s doctors. In less than 2 years 20,000 health care professionals had been trained and Cuba was on the road to integrated health care.