Fascinating Fascia ...

Do you know what fascia is?

Most people have never heard of it, yet it’s literally everywhere throughout your body. And the role it plays is an important one.

What is fascia? The World Book Dictionary defines fascia as “a usually thin band of fibrous connective tissue covering, supporting, or binding together a muscle, part, or organ; tissue of this kind.” The word comes from the Latin fascia, meaning a band or girdle.

This connective tissue forms a continuous net throughout the body, from head to toe and from skin to the deepest levels. “If all the other tissues were extracted, the connective framework alone would preserve the three-dimensional human form in all its details,” writes author and bodyworker Deane Juhan in his book Job’s Body.

All of the body’s components that we are more familiar with—the blood vessels, nerves, muscles, etc.—make their way through this maze of fascia. And found in all the tiny spaces throughout the connective tissue is a fluid called ground substance, a viscous liquid resembling raw egg whites.

Ground substance is the medium in which all those cellular body functions—nutrients and hormones being delivered to cells, wastes being carried away, etc.—take place.

So, what does all this have to do with massage and your overall health? Because fascia is a continuous web spreading throughout your body, it can play a major role in how your body functions. Since it’s a gel, ground substance can change in consistency. When a body is active (through work, exercise, stretching, etc.), it generates heat that creates a more ideal condition for the ground substance—one in which it becomes thinner or more liquid. This allows for better metabolic exchange to take place throughout your body, helping your body to better maintain proper health.

If a body is less active, the connective tissues are not as warmed or energized, allowing the ground substance to thicken; the tissues become sluggish and lose their ability to stretch, soften and flex.

One of the health benefits of massage is the positive effect it has on this process in the body. “By means of pressure and stretching, and the friction they generate, the temperature and therefore the energy level of the tissue has merely been raised slightly. This added energy in turn promotes a more fluid ground substance ... in which nutrients and cellular wastes can conduct their exchanges more efficiently.” 1

The substance that gives connective tissue its strength is the protein collagen (derived from the Greek word meaning glue). The collagen molecule is the longest molecule that has ever been isolated. These collagen fibers derive their strength from their ability to form strong chemical bonds with each other. Over the years, these fibers tend to pack more tightly and strengthen their bonds, especially in places with more compression and strain. “These areas of chronic stress in the connective tissue thicken and rigidify, bunch up, lose their range of motion, and impose their limitations on the movement of the body as a whole. ... This unwanted bonding is one of the major factors in the stiffness associated with old age, repeated strain, or poorly healed injuries.” 1

Because fascia is continuous throughout your body, when one area is affected (becomes tight, for example), its effects can manifest in other areas as well. Imagine pulling on a corner of your shirt and the numerous distortions this causes across the length of the fabric. Fascia can react in a similar fashion. Areas of restricted fascia can lead to various complaints, such as postural problems and restricted movement.

So, in addition to massage benefiting your tight or sore muscles while soothing and relaxing you, it also is playing another vital health role. “The pressure, motion, and friction created by deep manipulation raises thermal ... levels far beneath the surface. In addition, the squeezing, stretching, and contorting of the connective tissues creates a cleansing, flushing effect, similar to that of rinsing out a sponge... Large amounts of toxins and wastes ... can be thus moved out of the intracellular fluids and into the bloodstream, from which they can then be eliminated.” 1

This information only scratches the surface on fascia and the roles it plays in your body, but it should give you a better understanding of how your regular massage sessions can benefit you. If you have questions, just ask!

1. Deane Juhan, Job’s Body, 1987

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JUNE - $15 off purchase of any session (hour or longer) with this coupon.

Also checkout the current 'RIGHT TIME, RIGHT SPOT' specials. Found on both FACEBOOK and TWITTER ONLY!

The Brag Wall!

OK ALL!!! I've got my brag wall updated at the office. Besides my WHS wrestling team, I'm collecting photos of others that I've touched, who have gone out and achieved their own GREATNESS! And for those who aren't on the wall yet... Be proud of what you have done and get on my wall! It's the place to be!!!

The Softer Side of Cancer Care

Patients with cancer are finding a host of wellness opportunities at Cleveland Clinic.

Wellness is a term not commonly associated with cancer. But Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute specialists make wellness a priority for their patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Encouraging inner peace and tranquility

Patients who take part in the Reflections program have the opportunity to be pampered, to regain a sense of control over cancer, and to enjoy some special moments for themselves. A licensed medical aesthetician, certified in Reiki and reflexology, oversees the program. Treatments are given in a softly lighted room filled with soothing sounds and tranquil scents.

Private sessions are designed to reduce anxiety and promote healing. Patients can enjoy a professional reflexology treatment and a gentle foot soak, or refresh and rejuvenate with a luxurious facial. Guided imagery enables participants to focus their minds on healing and reducing pain.
Enhancing beauty

Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation therapy can get skin care and makeup advice, help with the selection of wigs and tips for wearing scarves creatively when the national Look Good… Feel Better program visits the Taussig Cancer Institute every other month. All participants leave with a complimentary gift bag of skin care and cosmetic products.
Expressing emotion

Art Therapy Programs gives patients and their caregivers the opportunity to express themselves through a variety of media including drawing, painting, collage and sculpture.

“Many of our patients schedule their treatments to coincide with the once-a-week art therapy sessions,” says instructor Rosalia Rozsahegvi of the Art Therapy Studio, the oldest expressive art therapy program in the country. “Art therapy encourages spontaneity and open exploration, giving patients an alternative mode of communication, personal exploration and self expression.”
Reducing anxiety

It’s no surprise that people with cancer have increased rates of depression and anxiety, which can lead to increased pain. With appropriate treatment, these patients can have an improved quality of life and better manage their treatment. In fact, some studies suggest that cancer care outcomes are better if depression and anxiety are treated. Patients being treated at the Taussig Cancer Institute can take advantage of counseling, and psychiatric evaluation and treatment through its Psycho-Oncology Program.
Relating to others

Support groups provide patients, families and friends an opportunity to have their concerns, fears and hopes reaffirmed by others who are experiencing similar life challenges. Support groups are led by Taussig Cancer Institute social workers, nurses and psychologists who are specialists in providing reliable and helpful information.

Printed from the 'Cleveland Clinic' Newsletter... Published January 2010


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Why Hugs Feel Good

Everybody likes to be cuddled; now scientists know why. Humans are hard-wired with a separate network of nerves that trigger emotional, hormonal, and behavioral responses to being touched. This network of slow-conducting nerves, called the C-tactile (CT) network, is separate from the fast-conducting nerves that signal the brain about heat, cold, pressure, and pain. Swedish scientists learned about the CT network’s function through a patient who lost the use of her primary network of nerves. When scientists stroked her arm, she felt no touch or vibration, but she reported feeling a “pleasant” pressure. Impulses traveled along this network at just 1 meter per second—compared to 60 meters per second for signals along a normal person’s primary network. “It seems the CT network conveys emotions, or a sense of self,” Dr. Hakan Olausson tells New Scientist. “It must be used for the unconscious aspects of touch, because it is so slow.” —The Week

Try this breathing technique from Breathe In, Breathe Out ...

Abdominal Breath: Natural Breath

1. Lie on your back or stand or sit comfortably and place your hands on your stomach (abdomen).
2. Inhale slowly and deeply, letting your abdomen expand like a balloon.
3. Let the abdomen fall as you exhale slowly, releasing old, stale air.
4. Inhale easily. Feel your tummy expand again.
5. Press the air out as you contract, as you pull in your abdomen while exhaling.

Breathe Easy ...

Do you often think about breathing? Most people don’t, assuming as an “automatic” activity their breathing will take care of itself. It may be true that your body will make sure to take its next breath, but how can your awareness of your breathing benefit you? Does how you breathe affect other aspects of your health?

Many of your health concerns can be connected to how you breathe. After all, it is the mechanism that provides every cell in your body with life-giving oxygen. When your ability to breathe properly is compromised, you can expect some physical problems to develop.

In spite of the fact that breathing is an automatic function of the body, many people don’t breathe as nature intended. Often the cause is stress or tension. Such influences in our lives can become habit, leading the “automatic” process of breathing to be done improperly.

One of the most common habits is shallow breathing—breathing that focuses in the upper lungs and uses the muscles in the neck and upper chest area. In their book Breathe In, Breathe Out, authors Drs. Loehr and Migdow state, “Research has shown that slowing down and deepening our breath shifts us from the stress response to the relaxation response; this slows the heart, normalizes blood pressure, increases blood flow to the digestive system, deepens sleep, increases energy, focus, concentration, and memory—optimal breathing not only helps prevent or cure disease, it raises performance levels in school and sports.” That’s a pretty good list of benefits for just making sure that you’re breathing properly!

Why does abdominal (deep) breathing provide you with all these health advantages? Due to gravity, the lower portion of your lungs has a higher rate of blood flow. So your lungs and heart don’t have to work as hard and your circulatory system profits from this efficient means of oxygenating the blood. Deep, slow breathing is shown to release endorphins (the body’s natural pain suppressors) that bring about a feeling of relaxation and general well-being—a benefit you also get from massage.

As you incorporate better breathing into your life-style, try to do what you can to get as much fresh air as possible. In today’s society, with so many forms of air pollution, this can be a challenge. Your body will benefit from your efforts!

For information on how massage can help your breathing, read the article on the back page.