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What is Myofunctional Therapy?
Over the past decade or so, we have started making the connection that the tongue is within the mouth, and the mouth is connected to our airway. We need open airways to breathe, eat, and sleep effectively, essentially all the things that keep us alive. If the tongue is interfering with the airway, we’ve got a problem in all three areas. Myofunctional therapy is a way to strengthen, tone, and teach the tongue where to rest within the oral cavity so it can get out of the airway during breathing, eating, and sleeping! It’s a specialty that focuses on the muscles of the face and mouth. If these muscles are working and functioning together properly, we have balanced craniofacial growth.
Benefits of Psilocybin Assisted Therapy
Psilocybin is a psychoactive compound found in certain mushrooms, often called “magic mushrooms.” There is growing interest in its potential therapeutic benefits, including its impact on the brain’s neuroplasticity. Emerging research indicates that psilocybin enhances the brain’s connectivity, which supports the establishment of new neural pathways. Such pathways allow for different regions of the brain to communicate more effectively, yielding greater adaptability and flexibility of thought.
Trauma-Informed Care: A Compassionate Approach to Healing
Trauma-informed care represents a paradigm shift in how we approach healthcare, emphasizing understanding, empathy, and collaboration in the healing process. A trauma-informed healthcare provider’s goal is to create a safe and supportive environment where individuals feel empowered to heal and thrive. This fits well with a holistic approach to health, in which multiple dimensions of health – physical, emotional, mental, social, and spiritual – are taken into consideration as practitioner and client work together.
The Long Road to Endometriosis
Endometriosis is endometrial tissue found outside of the uterine lining, typically in and around the pelvic cavity. These tissues can adhere to the uterus, bladder, ovaries, fallopian tubes, rectum, and can even travel into the abdominal cavity, affecting the colon system and diaphragm. Endometrial cells found outside can cause pain, lesions, adhesions, and inflammation, contributing to debilitating pain during ovulation and menstruation. The exact cause of endometriosis remains unknown, making it challenging to identity. Various theories have been proposed, including congenital, environmental, autoimmune, and allergic factors.
What is Direct Primary Care? Is it the Solution to America’s Healthcare Problem?
Direct Primary Care is a affordable subscription-based model that focuses quality face-to-face time with your doctor and direct communication outside of the office - all for the cost of a daily cup of coffee. The model has many advantages over traditional primary care including longer appointments (30 minutes to an hour depending on your needs), a focus on preventative care, and most importantly the ability to develop a trusting relationship with your doctor. It may just be the solution to America’s ‘sick care’ system.
Pilates: A Versatile, Flexible and Fun Form of Movement
Pilates, named after founder Joseph Pilates, is a form of exercise that’s effective for nearly everyone. The low-impact movements in Pilates strengthen core muscles, build flexibility, stability, and endurance. Although specialized equipment can be used for Pilates such as the Reformer, there are many Pilates mat exercises that can be done on the floor. This makes Pilates a flexible and versatile form of exercise that will help you move well in the studio and at home or traveling. Since Pilates emphasizes whole body movement, core control, and proper alignment, it builds a great foundation for clients that are recovering from an accident or injury and want to resume all the activities they enjoyed before the injury. Pilates for rehab exercises can be adjusted to your comfort level. A critical part of our practice is helping our clients understand their body and movement.
Lifestyle Factors and Healing
When you sleep, your body repairs and restores itself. Studies have shown that poor or interrupted sleep slows down healing and has a negative effect on body systems. When your body is recovering from an injury, surgery, or illness, your nutritional needs increase—you require more energy and nutrients to heal your tissue. Certain compounds like vitamins A, C, and D; amino acids arginine, glutamine, and methionine; and micronutrients like zinc can support your body’s healing response. Stress has a negative effect on virtually all of your body’s systems. It can slow your healing by disrupting the hormones that coordinate the healing response and can wreak havoc on your digestion, interrupting your ability to absorb nutrients that your body needs to mend itself.
The Therapeutic Power of Physical Activities for Trauma Recovery
Trauma can have a life-altering impact on both the mind and body, leaving us struggling with emotional scars that may seem too great to overcome. While therapy and counseling play crucial roles in the healing process, incorporating physical activities into your routine can also be a powerful tool for trauma recovery. Moving your body not only can better your physical well-being, but also creates an opportunity to release pent-up emotions and tension. In this blog post, we'll explore a range of activities that involve body movement that can make you feel empowered in your healing journey.
What to Expect at Your First Pelvic Floor Therapy Appointment
A good pelvic floor therapist will make you feel comfortable, like you’re chatting with a friend. We spend a lot of time LISTENING. What you say- and how you say it- gives us clues to know how to help. We ask questions about your daily life, what matters to you, and how your symptoms affect what you need & want to do. We won’t lie - pelvic floor therapy is an intimate experience. We ask personal questions because we want to know what will help you get better - what will help you reach your goals. Most other healthcare professionals don’t ask about the details of your bowel and bladder habits, or your sexual experiences, or the way you get in and out of bed. We ask the questions that help us get to the root of your concerns.
Understanding Seasonal Affective Disorder
As the seasons change, many folks experience shifts in their mood and energy levels. It's normal to feel a little down during the colder and darker months, but some people struggle with a form of depression known as Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). SAD is linked to seasonal changes, particularly occurring in fall and winter months when daylight is limited. Individuals affected by this disorder experience more than just “winter blues.” SAD is a legitimate mental health concern that can interfere with daily functioning.
Grieving? “Make Room for the Comfies”
When you’ve lost someone close to you and you are grieving, your needs change quickly. You are going to have to unpack and repack many times for a journey to a place that you never really knew existed or at the very least, a place you never wanted to visit. If you are going to have a great time on a journey, of any kind, the first thing you have to embrace is that it’s not like home. Grief certainly didn’t feel like home. I will admit that if I were to pack that bag for someone who is grieving, I would definitely make room for the comfies.
World Lichen Sclerosus Day
Lichen sclerosus is a skin condition that causes skin alterations at the vulva. During an active flare, the vulva’s skin may undergo texture changes, color changes and bruising. Women can experience pain with intercourse, scarring, itching, fissures and bruising. It has been identified as an autoimmune disease with a diagnosis delay of 4-6 years attributed to its overlapping symptoms with chronic pelvic pain. While post-menopausal women are commonly diagnosed, it can affect individuals of all ages.
The Benefits and Joy of Pilates for Seniors
As seniors, finding an exercise method that trains whole body movement, balance, and joint mobility is important to avoid falls, maintain strength, and to live with comfort. Pilates for seniors does all of this and more. Get inspired by Joseph Pilates, the founder of the method, who practiced it until his death at 83. You’re never too old to learn something new! Let’s look at why Pilates is a safe and effective exercise for seniors.
Running Longevity: Building Power for Runners
For many runners, the idea of making it to the gym and lifting weights might seem counterintuitive to their training goals. To many it feels like running should be enough to keep you fit and in shape. While running is a fantastic cardiovascular exercise, incorporating strength training into your routine can take your performance to the next level. In this blog, we will explore the importance of strength training for runners and how it can help you become a more efficient, injury-resistant, and faster athlete.
Why Do I Clench or Grind My Teeth?
A night of clenching/grinding, can lead to inflammation and tension of the muscles upon waking. Poor sleep quality and increased stress leads to tight muscles and TMJ concerns. Myofunctional therapy teaches you how to maintain a healthy breathing pattern at night (and during the day) with a proper tongue resting position into the roof of your mouth, or more specifically, out of the airway. This results in a restful nights sleep with the parasympathetic nervous system activated to promote a rest and digest slumber.
Making this journey possible
It is fairly frequent that I write about hiking, and always, it’s more than that. Because there are analogies with life and grief that shouldn’t be ignored. And because, maybe in part for that reason, hiking has been part of my journey especially these past four years. So with that in mind, I invite you to keep reading. This isn’t just about hiking. I hike multiple times a week, because I can and I must. It keeps me grounded, which is exactly how I like to be. It is in my nature to feel stable, realistic, and calm. And when I feel this way, I believe it’s when I am at my best for myself and to serve others. There are trail stewards everywhere. All around us. Those that make ALL of our journeys easier, more beautiful, and even possible. Some of these stewards we know. Friends. Family. Their work may be very visible. Their support quite obvious. Others we will never see or know. I too am a trail steward. Sometimes seen. Sometimes not. Taking action out of love and kindness. And at other times out of responsibility, commitment and dedication. We all serve. We all NEED to serve. We owe this to each other.
Pilates for Men: 6 Reasons Men Should Do Pilates
What do LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, Tiger Woods — and Sylvester Stallone — have in common? They practice Pilates. They are reaping the benefits of Pilates for men, and there’s no time like the present for you to explore a Pilates practice. Benefits of Pilates for men include a full body workout, improves mobility and flexibility, cross training, mental clarity, core control and strength, and improves sleep.
How to Show Up for Yourself in Your Relationship
A relationship is also a partnership; there needs to be a balance between you and your partner that allows you both to contribute to the relationship while still maintaining your own identities. Things like communication problems, self-esteem issues, or even unhealthy relationship dynamics like codependency can make it easy to lose yourself in your relationship. Let’s cover a few ideas you can implement right away to show up, stand up, and make a difference in your relationship dynamics.
Have You Heard of the Blue Zones?
The concept of Blue Zones, founded by Dan Buettner, started from demographic work by Gianni Pes and Michael Poulain from the Journal of Experimental Gerontology. Pes and Poulain discovered Sardinia to have the highest concentration of male centenarians. Buettner built off this research to find other longevity regions around the world, and those areas became known as Blue Zones. After examining health and lifestyle in each of these regions, the Blue Zones team discovered what has come to be called the Power 9: Natural Movement, Purpose, Dietary Portion Control, Plant Based Diet, Moderate Alcohol (Wine), Relaxation, Belonging, Loved Ones, and Social Circle.
Box Breathing for Calm
This style of breath, also called a “Square Breath,” “4x4 Breath,” or “Equal Breathing,” can be used in moments of stress or anxiety, or simply when you’d like to calm down or relax. You may have heard of Box Breathing due to its use as a part of Navy SEAL training—it’s used by soldiers to reduce stress and improve focus during chaotic moments of combat. Research supports this technique to help regulate your autonomic nervous system and it is correlated with improved sleep quality, decreased blood pressure and heart rate, and decreased symptoms of depression.