In My Past Life

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My fascination with the human form didn't begin while studying massage therapy. It was Renaissance painters such as Leonardo DaVinci who first inspired pre-school aged me back when I thumbed through the pages of our Encyclopedia Britannica in the loft library of our big old farm house. It was these masters who first showed me the beauty of the human form in a way that even this five year old could plainly see. And then there were the pages of impressionists and abstract artists who took all that came before them and pushed the traditional artistic boundaries. It was all so exciting! I wanted so badly to do what they did.

It was a couple decades, a child, some ducks, a few gardens, a small business, many painted canvasses, and a tiny artisan built caravan in the woods before I paired my fascination and skills in 2008 to paint the series of images that became Immediate Landscapes. These oil paintings explore the human body as land forms from the perspective of the model in a modernist, figurative painter sort of way.

Attending a cadaver lab as part of my anatomy training allowed me to join the worlds of anatomist and artist. While in the lab I couldn't help but imagine what conditions the early doctors and anatomists conducted cadaver dissections in. Although very permeating, I was grateful for the modern day use of fomaldehyde on these lab coat and latex glove days in the lab.

Now looking at the work of DaVinci, I see not only the delicacy of his artistic hand, but also the accuracy of an anatomist. Certainly the in-depth attention to anatomy and physiology required for my training has deepened my interest in the human form, but my paintbrush currently lies idle.

Completing this series was made possible thanks to the photographic talents of Jennifer Armstrong, who captured the perspectives of the body for me to paint from. Please take the time to visit her website gallery of incredible moments that she has captured on film.

If you are interested, a printed copy of the Immediate Landscapes series is available for viewing in the Oceanside Wellness Centre waiting room.

See you in the clinic.
Dana

Immediate Landscapes

Convergence
Oil on canvas 20"x20"

Study for Surface
Oil on canvas 16"x16"

Study for Erosion
Oil on canvas 16"x16" 

Study for Shift
Oil on canvas 16"x16"

Study for Fracture
Oil on canvas 16"x16"

Study for Fold
Oil on canvas 16"x16"

Shift
Oil on canvas 20"x20"

Skinny Jeans Too Tight for Your Health?

How tight is too tight?

Could your clothing be affecting your health? Meralgia paresthetica is a condition caused by the compression of the femoral cutaneous nerve resulting in loss of sensation in the thigh. This nerve runs close to the surface of the skin from the pelvis over the side and front of your thigh. If compressed it can cause tingling, burning, and numbness in its area of distribution. Previously constriction of this nerve was a concern for a select few: workers wearing heavy tool belts, pregnant women, or obese individuals. But recently, with the skinny trend on the rise, the incidence of this peripheral nerve entrapment has increased to include healthy women with a skinny jean habit.  

When wearing your skinnies the restrictive denim can crush the femoral cutaneous nerve and slow conduction of sensation to the brain. Wearing high heels - a choice fashion accompaniment to skinny jeans - tilts the pelvis forward and only increases pressure on the nerve making the situation worse. Fortunately this condition does not usually leave permanent damage. The nerve affected is purely a sensory nerve and no muscle control is lost.

Did Debbie Harry suffer
from this condition as she
rocked the original tight
denim of the 70's?

If you suspect that your favorite skinnies might be hindering your nerve conduction, consider trading them in for a style with more stretch. Bless-ed be are we who live in the era of stretch denim. Yay for jeggings! Our suffering is likely less than that of our predecessors - like Debby Harry - who only had access to 100% cotton denim. Oh, how those few percentages of lycra may have helped the neurological health of millions!

You could also consider trading the skinnies for another style - I hear overalls are hot again this spring!

If your symptoms persist after modifying your attire, seek advice from a health professional. A massage therapist can assist in the recovery of meralgia paresthetica with the skillful use of myofascial release and manual lymph drainage.

See you in the clinic,
Dana

Meralgia paresthetica in the news!

Sources

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfl4He3NC9s
• http://www.nbcnews.com/id/30870617/#.UUV4fxmlyoE
• http://orphansshop.blogspot.ca/2009/04/brief-history-of-skinny-jeans-1980s.html
• https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggLiwXwP9ONJqgAJK0LVex1vap63SXoGI5lB5XolR00GMFK7IabJN7UtEw7_ASM-PGf-KrN37aTKZ4kyqgRm_maMNosDdm0xEFBz2qRuocuqly3sg-YJrrHGtJKCnS9U787gdhF5Uibfm0/s1600/Debbie+Dingwalls+BW+19.jpg
• http://meralgiaparesthetica.wordpress.com/ 
• http://beatifnik.wordpress.com/category/fashion/

What Massage Does - Lowers Blood Pressure

Known as "The Silent Killer" because of it's insidious onset, high blood pressure (aka: hypertension) can seriously affect your overall health. Many of the symptoms of high blood pressure are not visible until it is very advanced, sometimes resulting in stroke or heart attack. Learn more about how hypertension impacts your health here.

Typical ways of managing elevated BP include exercise and a balanced diet that is low in animal fats. But here's the good news: massage therapy has also been shown to lower blood pressure!

Hypertensive individuals can expect a decrease in their systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings after receiving massage treatment. The Touch Institute further explains their findings here. Their results were partially found by measuring the amount of a stress hormone known as cortisol found in a patient before and after massage. 

Like a water slide, arteries should be free of obstructions.
Not only is it more fun for the blood cells, it's also healthier.

Three ways relaxation massage reduces blood pressure:

1. Relaxation stimulates parasympathetic nervous system function.
   Your body relies on a balance of parasympathetic (rest & digest) and sympathetic (fight & flight) nervous system functions. But when the sympathetics are firing at a higher rate than the parasympathetics, one result is heightened blood pressure. If you spend time in deep relaxation you are less stressed and your blood pressure lowers - simple as that.
2. Massage stimulates the peripheral blood vessels to dilate.
   Repeated stroking of the limbs mechanically aids the peripheral blood vessels to open, thereby increasing the area in which blood can circulate. This is where the garden hose analogy comes in: imagine the difference in flow between a skinny hose versus a wider hose. The skinny hose would spray water at a higher pressure. Now, if you massaged that skinny hose in a warm environment the walls of the hose would soften and the water pressure would decrease because it has more room to flow. Relaxing the body relaxes the vessels making more room for blood and thereby reducing BP.


3. Endorphins are released during massage which lowers the production of stress hormones.
   Endorphins, commonly known as "The Feel Good Hormones", are in circulation during and after a massage, explaining why it is widely accepted that you feel so good after a massage. When feel good hormones are in ample supply there's few stress hormones at work.

Artery walls contain muscle that respond to stress signals.
A high stress lifestyle & dietary intake of foods that cause
plaques increase your risk of hypertension.

So there you have it: relaxation massage will lower your blood pressure and help to keep you happy and healthy and that's some of the best preventative medicine out there! Yet another great reason to see your massage therapist regularly. As with most therapies, massage requires regular dosing in order to experience lasting effects. Why not book a series of treatments?

Registered massage therapists of BC are trained to provide safe and effective treatments to those diagnosed with hypertension by modifying technique and positioning. If you are uncertain if massage therapy is appropriate for you, seek advice from your primary care provider. However, you do not need a referral to see a massage therapist.

See you in the clinic.
Dana


Sources: 

• http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/ss/slideshow-visual-guide-to-heart-disease
• http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/blood-pressure/why-hypertension-is-a-silent-killer
• http://www.besthealthmag.ca/get-healthy/blood-pressure/how-high-blood-pressure-affects-your-body