Tai Chi

Hi Everyone,

I am wishing you a relaxing and happy holiday season!

I have been hearing from some people who are a little tense at this time of the year. There are travel plans not working out, last minute gifts to get, slower traffic (at least in MN), and extra snow to shovel. I was just thinking about how nice it would be to be able to give everyone the gift of relaxation this year. People who come to my office get a little relaxation, but I wish that more of us had the luxury to relax and breath this season.

I would like to challenge you all to set a new years resolution of giving yourself some time every day in 2011 to relax. Students and parents are already telling themselves as they read this that that is impossible, but what if you took three extra deep breaths before falling asleep at night? What if you gave yourself 5 min. in the morning to stretch or have a cup of tea before everyone else gets up?

I often tell people that their Chiropractor is ordering them to relax. Relaxation is important for our health. I joke that I can send a note home if that helps. :) The activities or lack of activities that are going to help our minds and bodies slow down, will vary greatly from person to person. As you are discovering what is relaxing to you today (it can change from day to day or year to year), I invite you to look at Tai Chi.

Many people find Tai Chi to be deeply relaxing, myself included. I have not previously looked for studies on Tai Chi. The following links are what I found today.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0912611- Fibromyalgia and Tai Chi

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16455435?ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
-HIV and Tai Chi

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/taichi/introduction.htm -Tai Chi introduction and health benefits

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11929351?ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
-health benefits of Tai Chi

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11858304?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/645945.html - Tai Chi and arthritis

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18401235?ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
-Tai Chi and Blood Pressure

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16572030?ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum
-Tai Chi and older adults


Enjoy!

Healing Touch, Theraputic Touch, Reiki, and Energy Work

Hi Everyone,

It has been a while since I have looked for information on energy healing (such as Reiki or Orthobionomy), healing touch, or therapeutic touch type techniques. There tends to be more information on light touch techniques, but there is a little bit of information on energy techniques. Today I found these two articles.


http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2816237/?tool=pmcentrez -on Biofield techniques-Reiki, healing touch, therapeutic touch.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449825/?tool=pmcentrez -healing with gentle touch.

Enjoy!