Massage for Tension Headaches

One of the side effects of stress is that a lot of people carry it in their bodies. One of the common places is in the neck and shoulders. I sat down with Leslie Brown RMT to discuss how massage can help with managing one of the most common physical side effects I see of stress in my practice - tension headaches.

What are tension headaches?

Tension headaches are trigger points that refer pain into your head. Trigger points are a tight hyper irritable spot that most people call knots. Each muscle has a different location and referral pattern. For example some one might experience pain behind their eyes and someone else might have pain in the back of the head. A massage therapist will know what muscles to treat based on where your tension headache is. Active trigger points will constantly refer pain into your head, while latent trigger points only create pain when you press on the trigger point. 

This picture shows some common referral patterns of the neck muscles.  The X's are trigger point locations in the muscles and the red areas show where the referral pain (tension headaches) are felt.

Why do people get them?

Neck problems are so prevalent. So many people have poor posture and are so stressed! Also repetitive computer and cell phone use affects posture and causes neck pain and headaches. These headaches are very prevalent and exhausting. They take away from your focus and energy and impact sleep because when you have pain you don't have restorative sleep, which impacts your overall healing. 

How do you treat tension headaches?

I have a lot of experience with treating headaches and neck pain because of my work with people who have been in motor vehicle accidents.  Many people do not only come in when they have a headache, they come in for prevention and maintenance. Typical treatment would be 1/month to counteract lifestyle factors such as ongoing postural and stress tension. It is also beneficial as time for self care and to help with relaxation. If you are getting more than 3 headaches a year, treatment can help reduce frequency and intensity of your headaches.

Leslie Brown is a Registered Massage Therapist at Norfolk Chiropractic Wellness Centre. To book a massage with Leslie, or chat with Dr. Katie about multidisciplinary headache care call 519 827-0040.

On Feeling Overwhelmed: The #1 way to know what you need to feel at peace again

This morning I felt a little off. I didn't sleep well last night and as I prepared to go to work I felt sad and tired, like I'd rather have a day in bed than head into work. It's been a busy few weeks for me. We ran 2 workshops the past 2 Tuesday evenings, I traveled for work over the past weekend, and in general had just put in more hours than usual. This week is looking like more of the same with extra work things booked into hours I usually use to take care of myself and my home. 

I took a breath and checked in with myself; I found I was feeling overwhelmed. Knowing I had some time booked off soon,  I checked my calendar and discovered I just had to keep this up until... Easter. My face fell and I wanted to cry. I knew I needed some space before then and so I made up my mind - I would take a day off. As soon as the thought of this came into my mind I felt more peaceful. 

I arrived at work, checked my schedule and booked off the next available day. I felt a weight lift. To me this is the radical self love I encourage in my work, and work to practice for myself. When you love what you do, it's hard to remember you can't spend all your waking hours working on it. Your mindbody needs rest, and when I didn't schedule enough of it in, my mindbody let me know. 

These messages from our bodies are gifts. What is your body telling you? How can you honour its needs today?

Love, Dr. Katie

What You Missed @ The Tranquil Mind Seminar

Last night I had a wonderful time chatting with some great people about stress, anxiety and insomnia management. I know you all really wanted to come so I thought I'd share all the best bit for those of you who live too far away, or couldn't make a 7:30pm talk on a Tuesday!

One topic we spent a bunch of time on was nutrients you might be missing. Did you know that nutritional studies show half of American women were getting less than 75% of the recommended daily amount of magnesium. Magnesium, which is found in vegetables and whole grains, can relieve symptoms of anxiety and insomnia when they are caused by a magnesium deficiency. 

Another topic that came up frequently was different types of mindfulness practices. Many people shared their experiences from everything from walking in natures, to exercise, to meditation. We discussed how the practice of being present can ease anxiety and bring more enjoyment to life by allowing your consciousness to surrender to what's happening in the moment. 

Thank you to everyone who came out and shared last night!

Still feeling like you missed out? Book your calendars for Tuesday November 17th, 7:30pm @ Norfolk Chiropractic Wellness Centre in Guelph because I'm running this talk one more time this year! See you there!

Dr. Katie

Live: Spend Less Time Worrying and More Time Living Your Passions

If you are reading this blog than I'm away from my office right now. That's right, vacation, I'm in my first year being self employed and I'm away right now, catching up on beach time, book reading, playing with the neiphlings and probably sampling some county wine.  So why am I telling you this? Because planning to take vacation, and then actually taking the vacation is, how I want to live. 

Just liking guiding people through stressful life periods is a passion of mine, I'm also passionate about spending time with my family. By getting to know myself and connect with my higher self and what I want from life it lets me create almost like a mission statement. When you are connected with your passion you can live your life with purpose and design your life around living your dreams. 

I'll share another secret with you today. I'm not writing this post from the beach. In fact, I wrote it 2 weeks ago from my office. Why? So I could be in the moment right now when I'm away from work. For my life, work/life harmony means being where I am and practice being present in what I'm doing. This mindfulness practice increases productivity and lets you focus on where you are while breaking the worry cycle of thinking about places you aren't and things you can't deal with in the moment. 

So what's with all the honesty today? Why share so much? Because expressing what's going on for me, acknowledging emotions, brings me piece of mind. Being able to speak your truth, wether literally through tea with a friend or written into a journal, or figuratively by creating or appreciating art or music, sets those emotions free.

Follow your passion. Live in the moment. Speak your Truth. 

Love, Dr. Katie 

Nourish: What Your Body Needs to Feel Calm and Focused

We've all heard the saying "you are what you eat" but it is so true, especially when it comes to mental health and whole body wellness. If your body isn't getting what it needs, it freaks out, leaving you tired stressed and more emotional than is really you.

So what can be done? Here are my top 3 ways you can nourish your body to help you feel calm.

1. Balance Your Blood Sugar. Not just for diabetics, blood sugar regulation is important for everyone! Think of the last time you saw a bunch of kids at a birthday party with cake. They have all this energy and then crash! Meltdowns! Moods all over the map! The same things happen to us as adults! When you eat crap your blood sugar goes on a roller-coaster ride and takes your emotions along for fun! So what can you do? In general, most people feel less anxious eating less carbohydrates and sugars and increasing their fruits, vegetables, fats and proteins. It doesn't mean you can never eat cake (although you might want to check out this recipe). It's about shifting the balance away from things that wire you up towards things that keep you calm.

2. Replenish Nutrients. A standard north american diet can be deficient in many nutrients. Minerals are removed from our foods through the refining process and that leaves many people deficient in minerals. One to watch for is magnesium, which deficiency of manifests as anxiety  in some people. Omega-3 fatty acids is another nutrient in which the modern diet does not have enough in. Try switching from meat to fish or seafood 2 nights a week.  The last "nutrient" is a bit outside the usual definition but we traditionally got it from our foods, probiotics. Due to the wonders of refrigeration we eat way less fermented foods than our traditional diets and with the advent of processed foods we are eating less fibre (food for our good microbes) and more preservatives (things that kill microbes). The relationship between our microflora and our mood is emerging and restoring these beneficial bacteria can be the key to wellness in all kinds of disorders, including anxiety.

3. Movement. We all know exercise is good for us but so many of us don't spend enough time moving. I know when I'm stressed I need to move even more, but that's often when I feel like it least. A friend recently said to me "when I don't feel like going to the gym, that's when I know I have to go."  What they have discovered, along with may other people who use exercise as their medicine of choice for mental health maintenance, is how powerfully uplifting is to be moving in your body. 

When we feel stressed and anxious, when we are tired because we didn't' sleep, it's easy to go with the "treat" mentality. I deserve this chocolate bar. I need this coffee. I'm too tired to go to yoga, I'll watch TV instead. I know I've said each of those things at some point or another. But in those moments when we are tired/stressed/anxious what we need most is to nourish ourselves. So go for a walk, make yourself a salad for dinner and throw a piece of fish on it. Your brain will thank you.

Love, Dr. Katie

Relieve: How Natural Therapies Can Help Manage Stress In the Moment and Over Time

I can't tell you the number of times someone has come into my office with a concern and asked me "is this all in my head" "do you think I'm making this up" or exclaimed "maybe I have a chemical imbalance" or "I think this is my hormones" A lot of the time there seems to be this either/or mentality. Either this is all in my head, or my head is fine it's my body that's got a problem with it.  I tell everyone the same thing. It's not either/or, it's both.

Our thoughts and emotions exist in our bodies as molecules. They create and shape or physiology just as our physiology creates and shapes our thoughts and emotions. 

That's all well and good Dr. Katie but what do I DO about this? 

Naturopathic Support for stress and anxiety looks at both the mind and the body together and supports you both in the moment and over time. Therapies are combinations of things you do (like breathing, exercise, changing how you eat and self care) and things that you take (such as teas, nutritional and botanical supplements and homeopathic remedies.) 

Want to get started now? Check out my tree meditation and feel calmer in 3 minutes.

Love,

Dr. Katie

New Program for Stress, Anxiety and Insomnia

It's here! You may or may not know but behind the scenes I've been working hard to curate the best resources in naturopathic stress and anxiety management. What's it's become is an exciting clinical program that puts you in the drivers seat of your own mental health and wellbeing. Tranquil Minds is about getting to know yourself on a deeper level. It's about finding a sense of purpose in life. It's about taking care of your self mentally and physically. It's about providing you with the information you need to make yourself feel better.

Designed by Evan Woolfery

This program is my passion and I LOVE to talk about it. So if you're in the Guelph area and you want to find out if this is the right fit for you call me @ 519 827-0902 or email info@norfolkwellness.com to book a free 15 minute chat about whether Tranquil Minds is a good fit for you.  

Tree Meditation: Feel Calmer in 3 minutes

Feeling overwhelmed? I know I get that way sometimes, which is why I wanted to share my favourite grounding meditation with you. I call it the "Tree Meditation" because it uses the metaphor of a tree to help you connect with the earth and feel grounded and stable. Let me know if you like it!