It is good for the body both inside and out. Cinnamon has proven to protect against viruses and bacteria. It is a great staple to use during the cold and flu season to help avoid seasonal illnesses.  It is packed with anti-oxidants also to help battle free radicals that we are exposed to every day from our environment.

It is also great for increasing and improving circulation to help keep hands and feet toasty warm.  It is believed that because of this is can help releive arthritis pain. It is also an energizing spice that can help you keep pace with the hectic holiday season.  Studies are also showing that the scent of cinnamon boosts brain function, and can help improve memory.

Taken internally, it has been used to help in keeping blood sugar levels at a healthy number which can be helpful for managing diabetes.  Cinnamon also helps increase muscle mass by assisting the body in burning fat by increasing metabolism; improving the body’s muscle to fat ratio.

So go ahead and indulge in one of the season’s most popular spices and keep your holidays healthy!

There are over 100 different types of arthritis, although most of them are rare. (A comprehensive list of these can be found at the Arthritis Foundation’s website.) The two most common types are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis, which is often referred to as RA.

Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease. It usually only affects the major weight-bearing joints such as the hips, knees, and spine, but sometimes affects the hands and feet as well. It is the degeneration and loss of cartilage that produces pain and stiffness in the affected joint.

Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease. What this means is that the immune system attacks a healthy part of your body, which results in inflammation. Areas commonly affected are the hands and feet, but sometimes included are the neck, jaw, elbows, shoulders, knees, and hips.

Massage therapy for arthritis sufferers was recognized as beneficial as early as the 2^nd century BC, so this is certainly nothing new. Indeed, it is an age old practice that can improve quality of life and lessen dependency on pain medications that could possibly be hazardous to your health.

Benefits of massage therapy include:

• Increased circulation
• Increased mobility
• Decreased pain and inflammation
• Relief of muscle aches and stiffness.

During a recent four-week study, patients with moderate to severe arthritis who received regular massage reported less anxiety, decreased pain, and improved mood. In individuals with arthritis in their hands, they even reported greater grip strength.  Overall, the massage therapy group showed greater improvement than the standard (pharmaceutical) treatment group on all measures.

Of course, the key to getting the most out of your therapy is are regular, repeating sessions with your therapist. You will certainly feel relief after your very first session, but in order to maintain this, it should become a regular part of your arthritis care regimen.

Contact your therapist today and schedule an appointment to discuss the many benefits of massage therapy for your unique symptoms. Your therapist is skilled in working with patients with arthritis, and knows the right techniques to use to get you back to your normal self.

What is Frozen Shoulder?
If you are experiencing stiffness and loss of movement in your shoulder joint, you may be suffering from frozen shoulder, also known as Adhesive Capsulitis.  This condition is very different from a rotator cuff injury or tendonitis, because the joint capsule is the area affected.  The other two conditions stem from issues with the muscles and tendons of the shoulder joint.

What Makes up the Shoulder Joint?
The shoulder joint is a very complicated area of the body. It contains a varied combination of bone, muscle and tendonous tissue and provides extensive range of motion for your arm. The fact that this joint is so moveable presents a downside – it is a very unstable joint.  This instability makes the shoulder joint an area that is easily injured.

There are three bones in the shoulder, the collar bone, upper arm bone, shoulder blade.  This joint is also made up of the tendons of four of the main shoulder muscles that attach to these bones enabling us to move our arm in a complete circle.

Frozen shoulder can develop in the area where the upper arm bone fits into the shoulder socket.  When this condition occurs, you get stiffness and lose your range of motion because of inflammation of the tissues.

What Causes Frozen Shoulder?
There is no known single cause of frozen shoulder.  However this condition usually begins after an injury to the joint, the development of arthritis in the joint, or from issues related to surgery on the shoulder joint.  Having poor posture can lead to this condition by creating a shortening of the ligaments and tissues around the shoulder. Other theories on specific causes that can lead to this condition are hormonal imbalances, which have led some doctors to label this as ‘menopausal frozen shoulder’.

What are the Symptoms of Frozen Shoulder?
Pain and stiffness are the most common reported symptoms of frozen shoulder. Pain is usually described as a persistent, dull ache and sufferers experience problems in taking the shoulder and arm through its full range of motion.  People with this condition have difficulty lifting their arm above their head or away from their bodies at all.  They also experience problems with inward rotation of their arm.

Frozen shoulder normally is said to have three stages.

Stage one, is the development of mild pain and stiffness in the shoulder. This stage can last from a few weeks to a few months and is usually known as the freezing stage.
Stage two, stiffness remains but the pain begins to subside. This stage can last from a few months to nearly a year and is known as the frozen stage.
Stage three, the shoulder and arm begin to regain movement and more normal range of motion. This stage can also last a few months and is knows as the thawing stage.

Recovery can happen within 4 to 6 months, but some cases have lasted for several years.

Treatment
Treatment for this condition consists of pain reduction and some sort of manual tissue manipulation like massage.  In the more progressed stages, physical therapy may be needed to help regain movement in the joint.  Anti-inflammatory medication is usually given at the start and during manual treatment to make it bearable for the sufferer.  Heat is also helpful to loosen the muscles and encourages new circulation to the joint, bringing in nutrition to the tissues.

One of the best ways to increase circulation to an injured area is massage therapy. Massage is also a good way to reduce scar tissue that can often result from injury to tissues.

Some doctors will tell their patients to stop moving.  This approach can actually aggravate and encourage this condition.  Gently moving the joint will help to keep good circulation to the affected area.  Don’t move in a way that causes pain, but don’t completely stop moving.  There are some specific exercises and stretches that can be done to help keep the joint lose and accelerate the healing process.

How Can I Prevent Frozen Shoulder?
Preventing injury in the first place is a great strategy.  The better condition your shoulder joint is in, the less likely you will become injured.  Two great ways to ensure healthy shoulder joints are stretching and strengthening the muscles and other tissues of the shoulder joint. The prevention of frozen shoulder and other shoulder injuries comes down the conditioning of the shoulder muscles, tendons and ligaments, which ultimately involves both stretching and strengthening of the shoulder.  A good rule to follow is to always warm up your muscles properly before strenuous activity.  Following are two stretches that are good for the shoulder area.

Warm up your muscles first with some gently movement and only take the stretch movements to a comfortable level, don’t cause yourself pain while doing these.

Shoulder Stretches

#1  Stand upright and clasp you hands behind your back. Keep your arms straight and slowly lift your hands upwards. Hold this stretch for about 15 to 20 seconds and then repeat it 3 to 4 times.

#2  Place one arm across your body, keeping it parallel to the ground. Then slowly pull your elbow towards your body. As above hold this stretch for about 15 to 20 seconds and then repeat it 3 to 4 times.

Stretching is a very effective technique that can help prevent injuries and improve athletic performance.  To help you improve your flexibility quickly and safely, you can’t go wrong with The Stretching Handbook & DVD.   In these helpful guides you can see step by step how to do each stretch correctly.  To see four great exercises to help strengthen the shoulder joint muscles, check out http://familydoctor.org/handouts/265.html.

Gentle stretches can also help to maintain and, sometimes increase, the range of motion of a joint affected by arthritis.  When a joint is affected by arthritis, it becomes worn down and loses its proper function.  The surrounding muscles then reflexively engage to help support what the body is interpreting as an injury.  Massage is a very effective way to help those muscles relax, receive new circulation and allow proper range of motion of the joint.

The two different types of arthritis are:

Osteoarthritis, where the lining and cartilage, or cushioning, has worn down inside the joint.  Over time, this will cause pain and inflammation, and a loss of range of motion of the joint, as our bodies ‘guard’ against moving that area due to pain.  This decrease in use and movement can lead to the muscles around the joint shortening and tensing up, resulting in muscle pain. Massage therapy itself won’t repair the wear and tear, but it will help to bring new circulation and nutrition to the affected joint.  This allows the body to heal itself and possibly slow the progression of deterioration .

Rheumatoid arthritis, is a condition where deterioration of the joint lining occurs and destroys the bone and joint capsule. This usually leads to deformities of the affected joints.  As the joint deteriorates, the muscles surrounding the affected area become imbalanced, atrophied, shortened and tense, resulting in pain. Massage will not help with joint deformity, but can help relieve the pain associated with RA by helping increase circulation and encouraging balance in the muscles.

A couple of precautions should be taken when seeking massage for your arthritis pain.  Don’t get massage therapy during a flare-up. Doing so may only increase your discomfort.  Be sure to let your Therapist know about your condition and insist they use only their gentlest pressure. You should feel comfortable enough to be able to stop the session if need be. Remember, YOU are the best judge of what is going on inside your body.

Many arthritis sufferers find that regular massage therapy greatly improves their condition by reducing their pain and helping them move easier.  Massage is a great alternative to dangerous drugs and many of my clients find their relief lasts longer and their flexibility is improved when they commit to regular massage sessions.

If you suffer from the pain of arthritis and want to discover the relief regular massage therapy can give you.  Call us at Absolutely Spahhhvelous at 940-343-5667 to schedule your appointment or request an appointment online at www.sangermassagetherapy.com.