May 2003 [Volume 2, Issue 5]
To Your Health is brought to you by:
This issue features a number of articles you will want to share with your
family, friends and co-workers. Please feel free to forward this newsletter
to them via e-mail. If you have received this e-mail newsletter from someone
else, you may subscribe free of charge and begin receiving your own copy
by going to:
https://www.toyourhealth.com/newsletter/TYH_MAS/subscribe.php
In this issue of To Your Health:
Making Dietary Supplements Safer
Do
you take dietary supplements? If you do, you'll be glad to hear this news:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)recently announced new guidelines
for regulating dietary supplements in the United States.
"Americans must have confidence that the dietary supplements they purchase are not contaminated," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson. "Millions of Americans use dietary supplements, and we owe it to them to ensure that they are getting the products they're paying for."
The new regulations require supplement manufacturers to follow new Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and would apply to all firms that manufacture, package or hold dietary supplements. Among the new steps manufacturers will be required to take are:
- Employing qualified workers;
- Protecting supplements from contamination;
- Keeping written records of consumer complaints; and
- Evaluating the purity; identity; quality; strength; and composition of supplement ingredients.
Many consumer groups and members of the supplement industry welcome the changes. "We think this will provide consumers with a lot more confidence in the products they are taking," said Donna Edenhart, a spokesperson for the Consumer Healthcare Products Association.
For more information, contact the Food and Drug Administration at 1-800-INFO-FDA or visit www.fda.gov.
Reference: FDA proposes new standards for dietary supplements. Massage Today, May 2003:3(5), p1. www.massagetoday.com/archives/2003/05/03.html.
The Power of Touch
Twenty-two month old Egyptian twins, Ahmed and Mohamed Ibrahim, are joined at the crown of the head and are awaiting separation surgery. In preparation for the surgery and to help the twins' brains to function independently, the boys underwent a series of CranioSacral Therapy (CST) sessions with Dr. John Upledger, founder of CranioSacral Therapy and the Upledger Institute, and his team of practitioners.
CST is comprised of gentle, light touches geared toward freeing restrictions within the craniosacral system - the membranes and cerebrospinal fluid that surround the brain and spinal cord - which in turn improves the functioning of the body's central nervous system. CST is one of a number of specific techniques massage therapists can integrate into their practices.
After receiving CST, noticeable improvements were seen in the boys' individual dispositions, digestive systems, and motor skills.
To find out more about CranioSacral Therapy or the Upledger Institute, visit www.upledger.com/home.htm or call 1-561-622-4334. To locate a massage therapist in your area who can provide you with more information on the benefits of massage, go to www.massagetoday.com/locator. To learn about some of the many different forms of massage therapy, go to www.massagetoday.com/aboutmt.
References:
1. Upledger Foundation coordinates fundraiser to pay for Egyptian twins' separation surgery. Massage Today, May 2003:3(5), p.1. www.massagetoday.com/archives/2003/05/02.html.
2. Upledger Institute helps prepare conjoined Egyptian twins for surgery. Massage Today, October 2002:2(10), p.1. www.massagetoday.com/archives/2002/10/01.html.
This Month's Massage Q & A
Question: I have been diagnosed with "pes anserinus bursitis." What should I do?
Answer: Pes anserinus (literally, goose foot) is a common attachment of three tendons at the inner back of the knee. While standing, turn your leg inward so that your toes are pointing toward the other foot. Turn it as far as you can without experiencing pain. Hold the position for a count of two and return to normal. Repeat 10 times and follow with an ice pack on the back of your knee for 10 minutes. Do this two or three times a day.
Question: I have had pain in the top of the right hip for two years. I have been going for regular massage which has helped, but now I have pain in my left ankle and calf. There is also tightness in the left hip, which clicks loudly, but has no pain. Can you suggest any techniques that would help to ease this more quickly?
Answer: It really sounds as if you have an alignment problem that will require treatment with more scope than local therapy will provide. I would suggest you find a therapist who does postural work -- Rolfing, Hellerwork, or other posturally oriented bodywork -- to look at your overall body alignment.
Note: Information provided in the Massage Q & A section is drawn from comments posted on the "Ask a Massage Therapist" forum, where massage therapist James (Doc) Clay fields questions on the profession. The forum is located at www.massagetoday.com/ask/.
This edition of To Your Health is co-sponsored by:
Thank you for subscribing to To Your Health. If you have received this newsletter in error or wish to unsubscribe, you may remove your name from our e-mail subscription list at https://www.toyourhealth.com/newsletter/TYH_MAS/unsubscribe.php.
If you have any questions regarding your subscription, please complete this form at https://www.massagetoday.com/newsletterhelp/TYH.
This newsletter conforms to the requirements set by Bill S 1618 Title III, passed by the 105th U.S. Congress.