Helping A Breech Baby Turn

Helping A Breech Baby Turn

Is it possible to help a breech baby turn? This is a question we often hear from moms hoping to have a vaginal birth. Moxibustion treatment can be a great option for these women.  Moxibustion is an adjunctive technique often used by acupuncturists in their treatments, and research has shown that a course of daily moxibustion over a specific acupuncture point on the baby toe is very successful at prompting a breech baby to turn.

A Simple Resolution

As we enter 2018, New Year’s resolutions are fresh on everyone’s mind. We want to make more friends, have a more fulfilling social life, eat healthier, exercise more, drink less alcohol, call family more, eat less sugar, read more, stop binge watching Netflix…. the list could go on forever! 

New Year’s resolutions focus on the future with hopes of enhancing the next year. If we master the resolution, the year to come will be better. However, more times than not, we lose the momentum of our resolution as the months progress. We find ourselves looking back in regret or disappointment with aims to do better next New Year. 

This year we offer an alternative! Instead of looking back on failed resolutions or planning for the future, take a look at the present moment. Presence is the most important gift to ourselves and others. The benefits of mindfulness are plentiful including:

  • an increase in happiness and being content
  • a decrease in worrying and over analyzing
  • appreciating those around you more
  • a decrease in stress, depression and anxiety
  • an improvement in social skills
  • an increase in focus, clarity and creativity

So, take a little time in January to establish some daily mindfulness habits that could drastically change your 2018! Need some help getting started? Try these small moments:

Take Small Moments:

Daily tasks/chores are a great built in time to be mindful. Pick a few small habits below that are easy to implement. Pay attention to your body posture and mind activity when you do these small exercises. Be engaged, relaxed, and most importantly, don't forget to breathe. 

Breath: If your mind is very active during any of these moments, begin to count your slow deep breaths. Inhale: 1, Exhale: 1, Inhale: 2, Exhale, 2... Continue up to 10 and start back over at 1.

    •    When washing the dishes feel the warm water and soap on your hands. Think of positive words to describe this cozy and safe feeling.  Let your mind float to positive memories or images you attach to that feeling. Stand in Mountain Pose between dishes (engage your core, feet shoulder width apart, pelvis tilted back, heart open, shoulders plugged down). As you put each dish away, imagine releasing your stressful or anxious thoughts out and away.    

    •    While winding down your day (reading a book, listening to a podcast, knitting, etc.) be mindful of your posture. Get into a comfortable position in which your back is supported and your neck is at a comfortable angle. Don't multi-task, totally engage in what you are doing. You owe your full attention to yourself.  Evaluate your current emotional and physical self.  When your brain drifts to work or anxieties, softly and gently turn back to your task at hand or bring your attention to your breath.

    •    Take mini mediation breaks at work. Sit back in your chair, align your posture, support your back and place both feet on the ground. Softly place your hands on your lap and if you feel comfortable, close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths and scan your physical and emotional self. Schedule this time as if it were an important meeting or a lunch break. 

    •    While lying in bed, before getting up in the morning and before going to sleep at night, scan from head to toe, taking brief moments at each body part to sense your body and relax the local muscles. Feel the difference in your body between the night and morning. Think positively about the day to come or the sleep you will soon enjoy.

    •    While commuting, which can be stressful, take a moment to get comfortable in your seat. Open your chest, plug your shoulders down, and softly engage your core to keep good posture. As you drive, let thoughts enter and exit your mind. As stressful or frustrating situations arrive, passively let them float out of your brain and into the air.

As you practice integrating these mindful moments into your daily life, being present will come easier. Start off small by adding one of the mindful moments into your day. Practice for a week or so before adding another. Then establish a regular practice of the mindful moments that work for you, letting go of ones that don’t.

And always remember, be kind to yourself. You deserve it.

The Hot Topic in Healthcare: Article Review

The Hot Topic in Healthcare: Article Review

The hot topic is healthcare is pelvic floor! But what does that mean and should I be paying attention to mine? Nancy Charlebois breaks down the need-to-know in this article review about what to expect when you're..... not feeling 100%.

Intro to Meditation, Part 2 - The Ripple Effect

Intro to Meditation, Part 2 - The Ripple Effect

In one pointedness meditation we begin with focus on a selected meditation object, and develop strength of mind. As this grows we maintain the focus and observe thoughts as they arise and let them go, rather than beginning to think about them. We begin to appreciate and gain insight into attachment and impermanence and our own nature.

4 Ways Acupuncture Can Help New Moms

4 Ways Acupuncture Can Help New Moms

Although being a new mom is an amazing experience, it’s not without its challenges. Emotional changes, changes to daily routine, and new physical demands often accompany motherhood, and the transition can be overwhelming. As an acupuncturist, many of my patients seek treatment during pregnancy and continue postpartum because acupuncture is a low-risk way to manage physical and emotional issues, and can dramatically improve a variety of afflictions.

Neck Pain Relief through Acupuncture, Physical Therapy, Massage & Yoga

Neck Pain Relief through Acupuncture, Physical Therapy, Massage & Yoga

Our modern work culture has created flexibility in a lot of areas. The traditional 9-5 has morphed, with more people working remotely from home, on trains, planes, buses and in hotels. The internet has allowed the traditional work-place to become fluid, allowing many people an escape from the age-old problem of being stuck in a cubicle all day.

5 Ways to Know It’s Time to See Your PT After an Injury

5 Ways to Know It’s Time to See Your PT After an Injury

We all experience aches and pains throughout our lifetimes. Often pain begins as a result of an injury or clear event. Occasionally it is difficult to pinpoint the cause of pain. Regardless of the scenario, it is common to try to ignore your pain and carry on with your life as usual. So, how do you know when you should take the next step and seek help from your physical therapist?

Preparing for and Recovering from Total Joint Replacement of the Hip or Knee

Preparing for and Recovering from Total Joint Replacement of the Hip or Knee

Numerous studies are emerging surrounding the benefits of rehabilitation before and after a total joint replacement of the hip or knee. If you are anticipating a future knee or hip joint replacement surgery, prehab, a physical therapy program leading up to surgery, may help you recover quicker post surgery. Research has shown a slightly better postoperative outcome for those that participate in some form of rehabilitation before surgery compared to those who do not. 

Cold and Flu Prevention

Cold and Flu Prevention

Flu season generally begins in November- December and can last until May . Every year concerns are raised about new strains and the risk to elderly or immunocompromised people. But it's not just the extra vulnerable among us whom colds and flus impact. None of us enjoy being sick, missing work, and experiencing muscle aches, fever, and chills. There are many ways we can boost our immune systems to prepare for changes in the weather and circumstances that start the spread of communicable diseases.

Relieve Sinus Congestion Through Acupuncture

Relieve Sinus Congestion Through Acupuncture

Sinus congestion is one of the most common ailments that is mentioned during acupuncture appointments. It often comes up as a secondary complaint, but after applying needles to a few key points I hear about immediate benefits in ability to smell and breathe through the nose. Let’s explore how those needles work.

Coping With the Final Weeks of Pregnancy

Coping With the Final Weeks of Pregnancy

While birthing parents are typically excited for their babies to arrive, the final weeks of pregnancy can be exhausting, uncomfortable and emotional.  You have a small person, or multiple people inside of you, just about ready to be born.  It can take a toll on you and your partner as well.  Here are some easy ways to help you enjoy those last few weeks.

Caring for the Pelvic Floor through Pregnancy and Childbirth

Caring for the Pelvic Floor through Pregnancy and Childbirth

Women’s health care is gaining steam in recognizing the unique needs of pregnant and postpartum women.  Over the past 20 years, there has been an increase in understanding of how the pelvic diaphragm works and its important role in healthy bladder, bowel and reproductive habits.  Most importantly, women and health care providers are bringing different forms of pelvic floor dysfunction into the conversation so that treatment is possible and successful.

What Causes Urinary Incontinence?

What Causes Urinary Incontinence?

Pelvic floor dysfunction and stress incontinence are often believed to be problems of new moms and older women, but this is a common misconception. Women and men of all ages, including children, can suffer from urinary incontinence and often don’t realize that they can seek treatment to reduce this issue. 

Healthy Habits Start In Youth - Article Review

Healthy Habits Start In Youth - Article Review

As a physical therapist, what I take away from the NPR article by Richard Harris, 6,000-Year-Old Knee Joints Suggest Osteoarthritis Isn't Just Wear And Tear, is the importance of life-long physical activity.  Healthy habits start in our youth and sets us up for healthier aging.

What to Know Before 'Flattening the Mummy Tummy'

What to Know Before 'Flattening the Mummy Tummy'

The recent article by NPR, Flattening The 'Mummy Tummy' With 1 Exercise, 10 Minutes A Day,  starts off with a sensational, grabbing title. A click bait title that we wouldn't expect from a trusted news source like NPR. But it certainly got your attention, especially if you recently had a baby and now are feeling a little weak around the core. And since this is NPR this should be safer than something random you pull off the internet, right? Well, yes and no.