#myofascialrelease – The Fascial Effect

Don’t Just Sit There!

Sitting is something we all do without thinking about it, we sit relaxing on the sofa, we sit at our desks, we sit in cafes and restaurants, we sit on public transport or in our cars, but sitting can be bad for our bodies if we don’t sit in the right position.

Hunched over a keyboard, slumped on the sofa, bent over a mobile phone or e-reader, driving on a long journey, even watching TV, we twist and bend into positions our bodies weren’t designed to maintain for any length of time. These activities involve:

Holding your neck in an awkward position for long periods of time
Hunching your shoulders forward
Leaning more into one side of your body

When your head is positioned in a forward posture for hours at a time it puts extra pressure on the discs in the neck and spine, which causes increased compression and can lead to chronic neck and shoulder pain and severe headaches. So, stress headaches may not be about too much going on in your head, but how you’re holding it.

The average human head weighs around 10 to 12lbs and all that is balanced on just 7 vertebrae in your neck and supported by around 20 muscles that are responsible for moving your head around and keeping that weight in place.

The relationship between the head, neck and torso affects the whole body. When the head sits properly on the neck and both are properly aligned with the back, the whole body follows with natural posture. However getting our heavy head to sit in correct alignment after the back, neck and spine is a difficult task.

The partial solution to this is getting the neck and shoulders as right as possible at first and the head alignment will follow. Also, these pains can usually be treated with a course of gentle myofascial release therapy, which identifies the points or triggers where things have tightened up and got stuck, loosens the muscles of neck, releases trapped nerves and increases your range of movement.

That will work to release some of the tension, but if you just go back to your old habits, all that good work can be reversed. However, you can practise good self-care after treatment and prevent this happening again.

My Neck and Shoulder Fascia Release workshop is designed to get you started with basic movement therapy to do that – and it’s online, so it doesn’t matter where you are you can participate. The results are often life-changing and patients find they not only have more mobility, less (or no) pain, but also sleep better and feel generally better in themselves.

To book a Neck and Shoulder Fascia Release Workshop click here

If your current symptoms are very uncomfortable an initial assessment is advisable. It may be necessary to have a manual treatment to release some of the tension first to get the most out of the workshop.

Nutrition

Twinge and Whinge

Despite the unseasonably warm November, the weather is getting colder and wetter. That’s British weather – the days get shorter and the temperature drops.

If you suffer from arthritis – whether rheumatoid (where your joints get inflamed) or osteo (also known as ‘wear and tear’) – you probably get more painful twinges and aches when it gets colder and dampness also affects them. Cold weather is uncomfortable and many people report feeling stiffer, moving more slowly and every move causes twinges and aches in their joints.

But why?

Cold muscles don’t stretch as well as warm ones, which is why your personal trainer will strongly recommend you warm up before a workout to ensure you don’t get any injuries. This tension reduces mobility and flexibility in your joints.

There are even studies that have linked changes in the barometric pressure to changes in the way joints move.

What you can do

A good diet will help; eating seasonally fresh and nourishing foods should be your first step. But what about supplements to support your body’s functioning?

Here are a few supplements that support bone health:

Curcumin is the principal active component of Turmeric and gives the spice its bright yellow colour. In South Asia, turmeric is considered to be a warming spice; I feel warm just looking at the vibrant yellow powder! Curcumin has anti-inflammatory properties, making it a potential treatment for a number of health conditions, including reduced joint pain and increased ease of movement. Some studies have shown that the reduction in joint inflammation can act in an almost self-healing fashion, allowing regeneration of cartilage leading to true joint healing – rather than simply managing the condition so get out your recipe books and see how you can add Turmeric to your recipes.

We can’t talk about joints without mentioning the often recommended Glucosamine Sulphate, which helps to lubricate the joints and support the formation of cartilage, reducing wear and tear i.e. osteoarthritis.

Winter months are not good for sunbathing in the UK, but sunlight generates Vitamin D, which contributes to strong bones. That means that for around 6 months of the year a Vitamin D3 supplement is advisable. Vitamin D facilitates Calcium absorption in the body, which promotes bone and joint health.

It is essential to take Vitamin D3 with Vitamin K2 which will make sure that the calcium ends up in the bones and not become deposits where it shouldn’t be, like in your arteries.

Add safe doses of curcumin, glucosamine, Vitamins D3 and K2 to Black Cumin Seed Oil to reduce inflammation, Pumpkin Seed Oil – packed full of essential fatty acids, which act as lubricants for joints, and Milled Flaxseed – also high in Omega Fats, Vitamins and Minerals. If that sounds too complicated to put together every day then you might find that a sachet of BEND, daily, will give you all the concentrated, natural ingredients designed to support healthy bones and joints that you need.

This doesn’t mean that a daily sachet of BEND will replace gentle exercise to keep your joints moving. You still need to move around as much as possible – the combination of a sachet of BEND and moderate exercise is better than either option alone. Protect and preserve your bones and joints to stay mobile and independent.

For more information call Jas on 07775633798

Ageing

Keep Your Skin Supple

After Menopause (sometimes called ‘the change’) one of the visible changes is often a more noticeable reduction in the plumpness of the skin, referred to as ‘volume’.  Collagen gives your face that smooth, youthful resilience and, as its production drops off, the result is more wrinkles, fine lines and sagging.  Not what you want when your confidence is probably not at an all-time high.

For those that can afford it, this is when they go to an aesthetician to get Botox or fillers – but this is a radical approach and not for everyone.

Alternatively, you may reach for the skin care products containing the latest ingredient that promises to be the answer to your problem. Hyaluronic acid, quite rightly, has recently received a lot of attention.

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is undoubtedly one of the most popular ingredients in the anti-ageing skincare industry today. Its main task is to absorb and retain water so that the skin looks and feels plump and supple.

HA (also known as hyaluronan or hyaluronate) is an important component for fascia – the membrane that encloses all our organs. HA is produced naturally by our bodies, and its primary task is to retain water to keep our fascia well lubricated. This in turn helps the skin feel more hydrated and appear more youthful.

Like a thirsty sponge, HA is like a magnet for moisture and can hold up to 1000 times its weight in water. These hydrating properties are the reason it is so popular in moisturisers and serums.

As part of the research for my dissertation I developed a facial massage routine using myo-fascial techniques. The results were impressive! This product-free facial is anti-ageing because it encourages the skin to retain moisture, plumps out fine lines and wrinkles and improves firmness. It does this by stimulating the fascia beneath the skin to ‘wake up’ and start moving blood, lymph and energy and start synthesising what it needs to keep the skin healthy.

It’s a real alternative to chemical interventions and I’ve developed these techniques into a 90 minute online training session so you can learn a simple massage that you can do for yourself to combat the effects of menopause on your skin.

To book a Zoom Facial Workshop Click here

Body

Get things moving again

We all damage our bodies from time to time. Whether you’ve tripped while walking from the kitchen to the lounge and twisted something or overdone the jogging and developed a painful part, it’s easy to over-stretch, strain or tear your soft tissue.

The problem is that life goes on and, unless the injury is bad enough to require a visit to the doctor, we just tend to get on with it. Not only does it take time for soft tissues to heal, but the damage is compounded as your body tries to reduce the pain – usually by reducing the movement in the damaged part.

Your body is a highly sophisticated ‘machine’, all the parts are designed to move smoothly together, so when one part is damaged, everything around it is affected. That’s why we limp when we’ve strained an ankle or avoid gripping when there’s a wrist, arm or shoulder strain. Although I do know of a little girl who would limp even with a cut on her finger – but she was only four!

Instead of your soft tissues moving freely, the fascia – the membrane that wraps around all your organs, muscles and ligaments – gets stuck. This prevents movement and results in more pain.

Random aches and pains

Sometimes you end up with a pain that you can’t attribute to an injury or particular event. You’ve probably woken up occasionally with a stiff neck from sleeping in a position that’s caused soft tissues to get stuck. If you sit with your smartphone in one hand for an extended period you can find the muscles in your upper arm and shoulder ‘complain’ and, these days, we all know about the fallout from sitting hunched over a keyboard for hours.

Effectively this is the same as favouring an injured area – but without the injury! You’re in one position, perhaps with tensed muscles, and the result is pain.

If any of this sounds familiar, then you’ll know that these aches and pains sometimes go away on their own, but unless you change your habits, more often they’ll just get worse.

Release, relieve and restore

Typically people resort to heat creams, anti-inflammatory tablets and massage to relieve aches and pains, but all these are doing is dealing with the symptoms.

A more effective way to treat these kinds of injury is myo-fascial release (MFR), which works on releasing the soft tissues which have got stuck and restores a wider range of movement. It’s fine to use the anti-inflammatory treatments to help the tissues heal, but they won’t heal as quickly if everything is stuck.

If you are prone to aches and pains in particular areas then learning a series of moving stretches can also help to keep things moving.

Find out more about MFR for injuries, aches and pains.

Body

When waving ‘goodbye’ is painful …

If you get pain in your shoulder area when you raise your arm to wave goodbye to your friends and family, you may have a problem with your rotator cuff!

It may sound like some kind of garden machine, but it’s actually four muscles that work around your shoulder to allow you to move your arm up, down and forwards and backwards.

Many shoulder pain conditions are caused by injury to one or more of the rotator cuff muscles, or to the soft tissues around the shoulder joint.

So if you get pain in the neck and shoulder or find it difficult to complete movements such as:

Reaching up to get something off the top shelf
Reaching behind to hook up your bra or get your arms into a fitted coat or shirt
Pulling a cord starter on your motor boat or lawnmower
Reaching to pull your seatbelt into place
Installing ceiling tiles
Pulling a suitcase along

Or any similar movements; even sitting over a computer keyboard or driving for extended periods can cause problems. It can get particularly bad when there have been tears in the muscles fibres and the resulting scar tissue restricts movement in the shoulder further.

The solution is a course of Myofascial release (MFR) which works on the soft tissues, easing restrictions in the muscles and their encasing fascia around the shoulder joint, neck and upper chest. Trigger point therapy reduces pain and frees up the muscles range of movement. Some muscle stretching and contracting is included for improving flexibility and an increased range of motion in the shoulder.

For more information or to book an appointment call Jas on 07775633798

Ageing

Nearly as good as a facelift…. without the surgery

There are very few of us who don’t want to look the very best we can. However, it does feel like the quest for a youthful appearance has given rise to some very invasive procedures which claim to give instant results.

An increasingly popular yet worrying trend is to turn to cosmetic surgery, in particular facelifts, to achieve the desired look. According to the NHS website, a facelift can cost up to £10,000 and involves multiple incisions in your face and neck. It can take 2 – 4 weeks to recover from the surgery, and after that results can take up to 9 months to be visible.

So, what if there was another option that gave you a more youthful look without the need to go through all the above?

Before you sign up for expensive and painful cosmetic treatments, why not explore a natural option that improves the appearance of the skin and can be nearly as good as a facelift?

The Fascial Effect® face massage is an alternative facial because it targets the area of connective tissue beneath the skin called fascia. Gentle but focused fascia releasing techniques have been adapted for the anti-ageing benefits in the face.

Here’s how it works:

Blood circulation is stimulated supplying more nutrients, impurities drain away unrestricted and dead skin cells are brushed away naturally to reveal the glowing complexion beneath.
At a cellular level, fascia responds to touch and specific techniques stimulate the production of its own hyaluronic acid and collagen.
Areas of tension in the face are soothed so that muscles can relax. This allows energy channels to open, giving a feeling of complete relaxation not just in the face and head, but in the rest of the body too.

An additional benefit to this technique is that it is fully sustainable.

It can all be done without the use of skin care products, and is therefore suitable for those who are keen on environmentally sustainable treatments but who would still like to enjoy a facial which gives results.

Talking about sustainability, why not keep your carbon footprint to a minimum by enjoying the Fascial Effect® face massage from the comfort of your own home? I offer an online face massage workshop where I reach you a few simple techniques that you can apply yourself and achieve anti-ageing results whenever you would like.

Click here for full details and to book your place on the next workshop.

Face

Sneezing season!

It’s summer! And that means hay fever is rife.

If you’re a hay fever sufferer (or suffer from other allergies that affect the sinuses) while the warmer weather is welcome, you’re probably not looking forward to that awful ‘bunged up’ feeling.

What causes the problem

Your sinuses are a honeycomb-looking arrangement, located near the nose, above and below the eye sockets. They’re lined with mucus to protect the sensitive lining and the tiny pollen particles carried in the air are breathed in and enter the sinuses.

For most people there’s no effect and they are completely unaware of it. The body’s processes simply eliminate these tiny particles. However, if you have an allergy your body’s reaction is to send mucus production into overdrive to protect the sensitive lining of your sinuses.

Treating hay fever

If you get hay fever you may suffer from any of these symptoms: catarrh, nasal congestion, pressure or a feeling of fullness in your face, headaches, popping ears, watery eyes and sneezing. It can be pretty miserable if you don’t treat it. It’s like having a really bad cold with a runny nose, sneezing and watery, itchy eyes.

Most GPS just prescribe anti-histamines or anti-inflammatories, but that doesn’t solve the problem, it just reduces the symptoms.

It may seem unlikely that a massage can help, but a myo-fascial release (MFR) massage gently works on the restrictions to allow the mucus to drain. This can help to restore the mucus membranes to normal and clears that bunged up feeling, releasing pressure, which puts paid to headaches and ear popping.

To finish the treatment, gentle cupping is applied to aid drainage of the mucus. If still infected, a carefully selected blend of essential oils with antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and decongestant properties is massaged into the sinuses to help reduce irritation so you feel better.

If Hay fever is the bane of your life, using a holistic treatment can remove much of the stress that dealing with hay fever creates.

For more information call Jas on 07775633798

Body

Heavy handbag? It can weigh you down

As life gets busier we start carrying more and more around in our handbags – actually some of the bags that you see couldn’t be described as ‘handbags’ – they’re almost suitcases!

So if you’re carrying your life around with you be aware that you could develop all kinds of physical reactions. If you feel:

Pain around your neck or shoulder area
Numbness or pins and needles in your arm or hand
Persistent headaches
Tightness on one side of your neck

You need to take action.

Rest won’t necessarily fix the problem, if your soft tissues are strained or stuck, you’re going to need some expert help to release the tension and get things moving again. This might include:

Myofascial release to loosen your connective tissue
Hot stones to warm and hydrate muscles
Cupping to increase blood supply and release toxins
Trigger point therapy to release pain
Stretching to restore flexibility

Your pain may not be caused by lugging a handbag, it could be carrying a baby or toddler or lugging any heavy items around on a regular basis. Don’t compound the damage by doing nothing, get treatment to relieve the pain and restore normal movement again.

Call Jas on 07775 633798 to find out more

Body

Tension in the Jaw….don’t grin and bear it!

When you’re stressed or anxious you tighten your jaw, even when you’re asleep stress can manifest as teeth grinding.

Your head has several bones, but only one joint – where the mandible (lower jaw) connects to the main skull structure. It effectively operates to allow us to chew and to talk. It’s also a hotspot for physical stress to accumulate.

Today’s lifestyle doesn’t always make it easy for you to sit up straight while tucking your chin in for more than a few seconds at a time – so you generally adapt a head forward posture, with clenched jaw.

What to look for

Your jaw locks or clicks when you open your mouth
You suffer from a dry mouth
You get headaches focused on your forehead or temple
You suffer from pain in upper teeth and cheek (sometimes identified as sinus pain) or pain in the lower teeth and jaw
You have buzzing or ringing in the ears

Myofascial release techniques can help by reducing the effects of physical stress in your face, neck and jaw. This treatment will help to ease the restriction of your fascia (soft fibrous connective tissue) and stretch the muscles and reduce the pressure in and around your jaw, that’s causing the problem.

To enhance the effects suction cups will further relax the tissues and assist in draining away excess fluid and toxins. In severe cases, deeper pressure on your trigger points may be needed.

Not only will your jaw feel lighter, but you’ll also feel relaxed physically and de-stressed mentally.

Find out more – contact Jas on 07775 633798

Ageing

Post-menopausal problem solving

Menopause is an important milestone in a woman’s life, but for many who struggle with their symptoms and identity, it doesn’t feel like something to celebrate. Falling levels of oestrogen are not the only trigger of menopausal symptoms; other lifestyle habits play a part.

A diet lacking essential nutrients, unhealthy levels of physical and mental stress and exposure to toxins eventually take their toll. The symptoms of menopause are likely to be more severe while the body is in a weaker nutritional and physiological state. Although menopause is anatural part of getting older, it may also speed up the aging process.

Throughout my career I’ve seen the impact of ageing on women, both the skin texture changes as hormones alter and also physically as their bodies are more subject to stiffness and reduced mobility due to aches and pains. While there isn’t a magic wand there are many things that you can do to reduce the post-menopausal symptoms.

Keep your skin supple

After ‘the change’ one of the visible changes is often a more noticeable lack of what is referred to as ‘volume’. This is what give your face that smooth, youthful ‘plumpness’ and as your collagen production drops off, the result is more wrinkles, lines and sagging. Not what you want when your confidence is probably not at an all-time high.

For those that can afford it, this is when they go off to an aesthetician to get Botox or fillers – but this is a radical approach and not for everyone.

As part of my research for my dissertation I developed a product-free facial massage, using myo-fascial techniques, that noticeably improved the skin tone and reduced the appearance of those ageing wrinkles.

That’s now been further developed into a 90 minute online training session so you can learn a simple massage that you can do for yourself. To book a Zoom Facial Workshop Click here

Look after your body

As you get older aches and pains seem to appear out of nowhere. The problem is not just the reduction in movement, but pain tends to reflect in your face – and that encourages more of those frown lines!

If you’ve over-stretched or strained something or are stiff or in pain when moving, get help sooner rather than later. More often than not it’s a situation that can be made better by myo-fascial release. This works with the soft tissues restoring flexibility and pliability.

Nutrition counts

In a perfect world we would all eat a perfect diet and be a perfect size with perfect fitness. But life isn’t perfect (and wouldn’t it be boring if it was?)

Of course, I’d advise eating a sensible diet with plenty of nutritional value – but who can resist the occasional takeaway or comfort food? A nutritional deficit often results in tiredness, lethargy or a general feeling of being ‘under par’. I know this because I’ve been there!

I’m always a little hesitant to recommend specific products, but when I discovered the Rain International range, I tried them and noticed a significant difference. Since then I’ve recommended them to friends and clients and the feedback has been hugely positive. They’re a natural cold pressed seed-oil based supplement and have literally transformed some people’s lives.

Whether you go the do-it-yourself route or find a supplement that gives your body what it needs – remember what you put in is the fuel that keeps your body running. Better to give it premium fuel, than low quality stuff.

To shop for healthy seed oil supplements Click here or if you have any questions on any of these issues – please drop me an email at jas@thefascialeffect.co.uk.