How are you coping with this pain?

Are you one in 5 Australians who might be suffering from chronic pain?

What is chronic pain and why does it happen?

Often when you experience pain, it’s a signal from your body that something isn’t right.

It can prompt you to stop what you’re doing and take a look at what’s wrong. In many cases it is acute – a short lived pain that can be remedied pretty quickly.

However, if the pain has gone on more than the normal healing time of 3 months, it can be termed as being “chronic”, leading to something known as chronic pain syndrome [1, 2].

There are many conditions which can result in chronic pain, which include but are not limited to [1]:

• Musculoskeletal disorders – eg. Osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia etc
• Neurological disorders – eg. Nerve compressions or spinal injury, headaches or TMJ issues
• Gastrointestinal or urologic disorders – eg. Cystitis, UTI’s, IBS, peptic ulcers
• Psychological disorders – eg. Depression and sleep disturbances
• Reproductive disorders – eg. Endometriosis

Unfortunately in some cases, the cause of the pain cannot be diagnosed specifically, which can be very frustrating for the patient.

The problem with chronic pain syndrome is that it can be very complex – and treatment usually needs to be multi-factorial.

From what we now know, chronic pain can actually change how the brain works, thereby changing the pathophysiology of the original condition [3, 4].

What is the impact of chronic pain?

Ongoing pain can affect people more than just physically. It will usually affect someone’s psychological and social behaviours as well.

Take for example someone who is suffering from chronic lower back pain –

1. They may find it hard to walk, sit, stand or sleep comfortably
2. This in turn can mean that sitting at work for long periods can make them feel sore and perhaps a bit cranky or
3. If the person is unable to get enough quality sleep, that they can become irritable and fatigued
4. Which would also impact their relationships with their family or colleagues. They may be less likely to play with the kids as it hurts when the kids jump on them, or it may also impact their performance at work as they are tired and fighting to just get through the day.
5. It is not uncommon for people who are suffering from chronic pain to develop depression-like symptoms as a result of their pain [5].

So what can you do?

The treatment of chronic pain syndrome needs to be holistic in nature, given that it affects all parts of a person’s mental, emotional and social life.

It’s important for the person suffering from the pain to

• Educate themselves about pain – understanding why the pain in happening and how to manage your pain is paramount
• Pick the right team – it’s important to make sure that you’re confident in the professionals that you have supporting you in your journey – ideally they would be liaising with each other to make sure that you’re on the best course to wellness.

The most common approaches to managing chronic pain are:

• Consult with your medical professional – in some cases the cause of the pain may be easy to isolate, but sometimes it can take some time. Make sure that you get the appropriate scans or tests that you need
• Medication – in most cases this is good to make sure that you can function as many medications can often dull or mask the pain. I’s important to realise that it only stops the person from feeling the pain and that doesn’t mean that the pain isn’t still there. It’s important to acknowledge that as you start using regular pain medication, that sometimes these can be quite addictive and may also have long term side effects such as stomach ulcers. Be careful if you’re taking pain medication on a daily basis
• Other types of medication/medical intervention – depending on the severity and cause of the pain, your doctor may also suggest taking anti-inflammatory steroids, anticonvulsants or antidepressants. Nerve blockers and/or surgery are also alternative options for treatment that your doctor may discuss with you
• Physical activity – while sometimes pain is aggravated by exercise, it’s important to keep the body moving and active. In many cases, supporting and strengthening the body through prescribed and monitored exercise is a great way of managing the pain. See a registered fitness professional (eg. Pilates or yoga instructor or personal trainer) or and exercise physiologist who can monitor your progress. Having regular exercise can also increase the amount of endorphins your body produces, which can make you feel happier
• Talk to psychologist or counsellor – acknowledging that chronic pain can impact your work and personal relationships is a big thing. Often, we try to keep these things to ourselves so as not to burden others, but it can have the opposite effect of making people feel isolated or ignored – especially when they don’t know what’s going on
• Stress management – increasing stress will often increase the pain – learn how to meditate or remove yourself from consistently stressful situations that can aggravate the pain. Think happy thoughts and take control of your life – there is a lot of research behind the power of positive thinking, and by not focussing on the pain, you are choosing how you live your life
• Consume a healthy diet – try to avoid alcohol as while it may help you to cope with the situation, it is actually damaging your sleep patterns and creating other background issues. By eating a healthy diet, you’re supporting your body nutritionally to help it to heal as best it can
• Try other therapies – such as physiotherapy, osteopathic or chiropractic care, Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS), massage and/or kinesiology. The use of heat or cold packs can often help to alleviate the pain, as well as daily stretching.

References and more information can be found on the following websites –

1. http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/310834-overview#a1
2. https://www.painmanagement.org.au/2014-09-11-13-34-03/what-is-chronic-pain.html
3. http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/allinthemind/what-chronic-pain-does-to-your-brain/7255032
4. http://www.painresearchforum.org/news/32409-brain-activity-shifts-pain-becomes-chronic
5. http://www.ipcaz.org/long-term-effects-untreated-chronic-pain/

Please note that the above serves as information only and we advise that if you are suffering from pain to please consult with your GP or preferred medical professional immediately.

The post Are You Suffering From Chronic Pain? appeared first on Sydney Remedial Massage | Sydney CBD.

This is a great recipe for a rainy Sunday lunch or a quick weekday dinner, that is full of flavour and happiness in a bowl.

The soup takes a bit of preparation in terms of time needed to simmer, but it’s so worth it!

To save time for the weekdays, you can batch make the soup and wontons and freeze.

If you want to cheat on the duck, it’s easy enough to head down to your local Chinese shop that sells roast duck and buy it already cooked and ready to add to your noodles.

There are many ways of making wontons – this recipe opts for the traditional pork and prawn, but you can mix it up and create your own fillings and modify the soup to your liking.

Serves 4

Prep time – 40 minutes, plus 5 hours for the soup to simmer and then chill overnight, and 1.5 hours sous vide cooking time for the duck.

Ingredients:

For the soup base:

• One whole organic chicken
• 2 L filtered water
• 2 carrots
• 1 large brown onion
• 2-3 sticks celery
• 2-3 bay leaves
• 1 tbs black peppercorns
• 1 Tbs apple cider vinegar
• Any other robust vegetable you’d like to add that’s left over – eg. Mushrooms, swedes, parsnips etc

For the wontons:

• Egg wonton wrappers
• 150g pork mince
• 50-60g shelled and de-veined prawns – you can cook them prior if you don’t like the smell of prawns
• 1 dutch carrot – finely diced
• 1 -2 spring onions – finely diced
• 1 knob of ginger – finely grated
• 1 Tbs light soy sauce
• 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the rest:

• 4 duck breasts
• Chinese five spice powder
• Fresh egg noodles
• Bok choy
• 4 spring onions
• Fried onions
• Chilli to taste

Method:

1. Make the soup base:
   1. Roughly chop the onions, carrots and celery (and/or any other vegetables you want to add)
   2. Chuck into a large pot with some olive oil on high heat
   3. Let the ingredients sweat a little
   4. Add organic chicken – I like to remove the legs and split the main carcass into two
   5. Add the peppercorns, bay leaves and 2L of filtered water and bring to the boil
   6. Simmer for 1 hour and then remove chicken
   7. Remove meat from chicken and then return bones and skin to the broth
   8. Add the apple cider vinegar
   9. Simmer for another 5 hours (or as much time as you have)
   10. Remove from heat and strain liquid
   11. Refrigerate liquid and then skim and discard any fat that rises to the top the next day – your soup base is now ready.

2. Make the wontons:
   1. Take the wonton wrappers out from the fridge 10 minutes before you need to use them
   2. Mix all the ingredients together by hand except for the wonton wrapper
   3. Have a small bowl of water ready on the side
   4. Make the wontons by placing a small spoonful of filling mix into a wonton wrapper
   5. Wrap the wontons into a triangle and seal using a little water on each side of the wrapper. Make the wontons into a shape by pinching the sides over each other – see video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGc2YwwXckM for creative ideas on how to make different shaped wontons
   6. Cover wontons with a damp tea towel or cling wrap to keep them from drying out
   7. You can batch make the wontons and freeze for use at a later date – just make sure you boil them a little longer if you choose to freeze them.

3. Make the duck:
   1. Dry the duck breast well with paper towels
   2. Score the skin several times
   3. Sprinkle some Chinese five spice over the entire duck breast
   4. Vacuum seal the duck breast using a vacuum sealer if you want to sous vide it
   5. Cook the duck breast – set the sous vide at 60 degrees and then cook for 1.5 hours – when ready, remove the duck and dry well with paper towels
   6. Finish the duck by placing skin side down onto a very hot pan so that it renders the fat and crisps up the skin. NOTE: If you don’t have a sous vide, you can pan fry the duck breast, skin side down and then flip over once and cook until it’s medium or to your liking.

4. Combine it all together:
   1. Heat the soup base to boiling and then a few minutes before serving, throw in the bok choy to cook
   2. In a separate pot, boil water for the wontons and noodles
   3. Cook the wontons until they float, remove with a slotted spoon and you can either place aside or in the simmering soup base
   4. Cook the noodles for a few minutes until they are ready – drain from pot
   5. In a bowl, place the cooked noodles, wontons and bok choy. Add sliced duck breast, ladle in the soup and garnish with sliced spring onions, fried onions and/or chilli to taste.

The post Sous Vide Crispy Skin Duck and Wonton Noodle Soup appeared first on Sydney Remedial Massage | Sydney CBD.

Developed in 1991 by Phillip Rafferty (a Melbourne-based kinesiologist), it has been taught worldwide and has helped many people who suffer from, amongst other ailments:

• Allergies
• Chronic pain
• Chronic fatigue syndrome
• Deep trauma
• Fibromyalgia
• Mercury and heavy metals sensitivity
• Stress and anxiety
• Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ) issues

How Does It Work?

Kinesiology is a natural medicine modality which stems from both chiropractic and Traditional Chinese Medicine roots. It was first developed by a chiropractor, Dr George Goodheart in 1964, when he noticed that certain muscles related to specific acupuncture meridians in the body.

It is a technique utilised by many chiropractors, and the inclusion of using healing energy by Phillip Rafferty has made this a very fast and applicable modality for healing in today’s age.

Think of your body as an electrical circuit. When there is no stress on the body, all is well and the muscle being tested will be able to hold strong (ie. it is an unbroken circuit).

Conversely, if there is a stress or break in the circuit – eg. If there is an imbalance one of the meridians, it will cause that particular muscle to “trip” and the circuit is lost, therefore the muscle being tested will not be able to hold, against pressure.

When we apply the healing energy (much like in Reiki) to the body, this will help to correct the imbalance in the meridian/circuit and the muscle will be able to hold strong again.

Why Does It Work?

Everything in life is energy.

For humans, the thoughts we think, becomes the emotions that we feel, resulting in the actions that we choose to take.

Often, when something happens in our lives, our body has its own unique way of storing and procession that information.

Similar situations may arise which add to the way we think, feel and act about that certain issue, and if unresolved, will just keep adding more layers of stress to that same issue.

Sometimes, if we just keep adding to the stress and have not processed it properly, it can cause our body to overload and our systems to “trip”.

For example, do you know someone who won’t say anything if someone or something irritates them and just pretends that everything is ok….?

Until… Boom! Completely out of the blue, they just seem to snap?

Chances are, that consciously, they may think that they’ve processed the issue, but in actual fact, they have just suppressed it until the body isn’t able to cope with it any more and they flip out over the smallest thing that may not even seem related.

Kinergetics provides a quick and easy way to help to identify the issue, when it might have occurred and gives the practitioner tools to help the client to deal with the issue immediately so that their body can process and release the stress.

As the body has an innate ability to heal itself, Kinergetics is an efficient way for the practitioner to facilitate healing for the client in a safe and effective way.

What Are the Benefits Following a Kinergetics Session?

There are many instances where people can benefit from a Kinergetics session.

For myself, I know that my stresses often exhibit physically as eczema. I have personally seen the benefits of Kinergetics as it was the only thing that I did differently and the eczema was significantly reduced after a session and had fully disappeared after several sessions.

Through the Kinegetics sessions, I was able to identify what was the cause of the issue and it helped me to be able to understand, process and deal with it on a conscious and sub-conscious level, thereby eliminating it as a stress for me.

Granted, it may take more than a few sessions if the issue has been around for quite a while, but the results that I experienced were profound.

Some benefits of Kinergetics can include but are not limited to the following:

• Improved brain cognition and function
• Improved sports performance
• Improved career performance
• Improved relationships
• Less pain or no pain after treatment
• Feeling less stressed and anxious
• Feeling more calm and in control
• Feeling more centered
• Less physical symptoms (eg. Skin disorders, reactions to food/allergies)
• More energy, vitality and better health overall.

Please feel free to contact us (email: relax@sydneyremedialmassage.com.au) if you have any questions or if you’d like to make a booking.

If you would like to see a demonstration of Kinergetics by the founder, Philip Rafferty, please click here.

Please note that kinesiology is not used to diagnose or treat any diseases specifically but works by correcting the energetic imbalance around the client’s body. It is recommended that you consult with your GP or preferred health practitioner if you are suffering from severe symptoms. 

The post What is Kinergetics? appeared first on Sydney Remedial Massage | Sydney CBD.

The pureed sweet potato is a great Summer alternative as it’s light and easy to digest.

This recipe is easiest using a sous vide but can also be adapted if you don’t have one by grilling the chicken.

What is sous vide cooking?

Gaining popularity more recently in restaurants and on reality cooking shows like MasterChef, sous vide is a method of cooking in which the meat or vegetable is placed into a vacuum sealed bag and the contents cooked by immersing it into a water bath where the temperature is kept constant (eg. 70 degrees for chicken thighs).

This method can usually take a bit longer than normal cooking eg. It can be up to 3 days for very fatty meats like spare ribs as using a low temperature can help to break down the connective tissue, but it ensures that the meat is cooked evenly throughout. It also retains the moisture in the meat so that it’s tender and smooth.

For more information, about sous vide cooking, click here.

Preparation and cooking time: about an hour. Serves 4.

Special Equipment:

• Sous vide
• Vacuum sealer (or use zip lock bags if you don’t have a vacuum sealer)
• Meat tenderiser
• A good blender
• Microplane or cheese shredder

Ingredients:

• 4 organic chicken thighs (skin on, bone in)
• Salt and pepper
• 100g butter
• 100g water
• 500g sweet potato
• 200g kale
• 20g parmesan cheese (or other hard cheese)
• 80g raisins
• 80g lemon juice
• 60g pine nuts
• 28g olive oil

Method:

1. Remove the bone from the chicken thighs and trim any excess fat/skin
2. Place thighs skin up on the chopping board and use a meat tenderiser or wooden mallet to flatten them until they are an even thickness
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Using a vacuum sealer, seal the thighs and cook for 45 minutes at 70 degrees Celsius
5. Peel the sweet potato and cut into roughly 1 cm thick slices
6. Cook sweet potato with water, butter and a pinch of salt on high, until it starts to steam, then reduce the heat to medium and cook until the sweet potato until tender
7. Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) to blend until smooth
8. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed
9. Prepare kale salad by destemming kale and chopping it up into little strips
10. Shave the parmesan and toss using your hands, thoroughly with the raisins, lemon juice, pine nuts and olive oil
11. Season with salt and pepper if required
12. When chicken is cooked, remove from bag
13. Heat a frypan until hot. Using a very little bit of butter (or olive oil), sear skin side down until crispy (3-4 minutes)
14. Serve by ladling the puree on to the plate, top with kale salad and then chicken
15. Garnish with a sprinkle of shaved parmesan if desired.

Nb. If you don’t have a sous vide, you can just pop the chicken under the grill – cook on both sides until cooked through. Crisp up the skin if required on the stove top.

This recipe was adapted from www.chefsteps.com

The post Crispy Skin Chicken with Kale Salad and Sweet Potato Puree appeared first on Sydney Remedial Massage | Sydney CBD.

Did you know that the average Australian household wastes approximately 345kg of food each year? This equates to about $1036 per household – amounting to over $8 billion dollars a year nationally. (1)

Rather than just discarding your leftovers, cooked food can be good for up to four days if it has been refrigerated properly.

I tend to use glass containers to store food in the fridge or freezer so that you can see what’s inside easily. It’s also a good way to make sure that you’re not ingesting chemicals from plastic containers and they are also sustainable and economical.

Try not to think of the food as leftovers, but instead, challenge yourself to see how creative you can get – you might even surprise yourself by throwing together your most random ingredients to make a delicious original….

Here are some great ideas for leftover cooked meat and vegetables –

1. Make a frittata, omelette or quiche – by whisking together some eggs and milk and baking it together, you can transform any surplus meat or roasted vegetables into an amazing new dish. Combine all leftover ingredients together or use the cooked meats with fresh vegetables such as baby spinach, asparagus, mushrooms or tomatoes and add cheese – it’s that simple. Click here for our super easy Crustless Leftovers Quiche recipe

2. Make a salad – slice any leftover steak, chicken or other meat and make a fresh salad with baby cos, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion. You can also experiment with quinoa or cous cous to mix it up

3. Make a pasta bake – using some passata, you can generally make a great pasta out of any combination of cooked meat and/or vegetables. Mix it together with some cooked large spiral pasta and layer some cheese over it and bake in the oven until golden

4. Make soup – using a blender, mix together roasted vegetables with 3-4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth. Heat and serve with crusty bread

5. Salvage stale bread – usually, fresh bakery bread is good for a day tops. You can try halving any leftover loaf, rub it with olive oil and the inside of a ripe tomato, wrap it in foil and then bake it until it’s warm. Another great use for stale bread is to make breadcrumbs in the food processor for later use – or make croutons to jazz up your soups or salads

6. Fusion cuisine – here’s when it gets fun – mix and match cuisines – this may not be for everyone, but why not try?

• Asian burritos – heat up left over Asian dishes (eg. rice and stirfry – draining any liquid sauce) and serve wrapped in tortillas
• No rice? No problems – use pasta instead for your favourite Indian or Thai curry sauce
• Roast dinner fried rice? Chop some meat and veg from a roast dinner into very small pieces – using the rice, add some soy sauce and make a hole in the middle of the wok or pan, break an egg into the hole and scramble all of it together.

These are just some basic ideas on how to make the most of your excess Christmas cheer – I’m certain that most combinations of foods have been tried already… it’s just up to you as to how imaginative and adventurous you can be.

References:

1. www.foodwise.com.au

The post What To Do With Leftover Christmas Cheer… appeared first on Sydney Remedial Massage | Sydney CBD.

This easy and wonderfully light Summer recipe for a crustless quiche is always a winner.

Make it for a light dinner and have the rest for lunch the next day, if there’s any left!

Serves 4-6

Preparation Time: 15 mins

Cook time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 large red or white onion, sliced into half-moons
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• ham – cut into 0.5cm cubes
• roasted pumpkin – cut into 0.5cm cubes
• asparagus – cut into 0.5cm lengths
• button mushrooms – cut into small pieces
• 4 large free range, organic eggs
• ¾ cup milk
• 40g self raising flour – sifted
• 80g cheddar or any other tasty cheese – grated
• salt and pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius
2. Lightly grease the baking dish
3. Melt the butter in a pan and add onion slices. Cook on medium heat with the sugar until it caramelises
4. Remove from pan and spread the onions evenly across the bottom of the baking dish
5. Spread the ham, mushrooms, pumpkin and asparagus evenly on top of the onions
6. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, flour and salt and pepper. Add the cheese and then add the mixture to the baking dish. Spread the cheese evenly if it seems to clump in places
7. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown on top
8. Let the quiche cool a little and serve with a salad.

Tip: This dish can be served either hot or cold. Plus, you can substitute any other meat or vegetables to customize this dish to your liking!

The post Crustless Leftovers Quiche appeared first on Sydney Remedial Massage | Sydney CBD.

In many cases, people seem to have more functions to attend and later evenings than normal which translates to less sleep and poorer diets.

Here are our top 6 tip to help you survive the silly season

1. Start the day with a nutritious smoothie

Invest in a good high speed blender – it’s worth it!

Using a blender instead of a juicer will not only give you a great morning boost of fruit and veg, it also means that you don’t miss out on all the vital fiber.

I like to combine one apple, some watermelon, a knob of fresh ginger, a knob of fresh turmeric, a lime or half a lemon (no peel), some kale or spinach and a splash of apple cider vinegar and some filtered water (or use coconut water). Blend on high until smooth and then add some ice (if your blender can crush ice) and blend again. Serve in a tall glass with a straw

2. Hydrate well

Make sure you are drinking enough water throughout the day and evening.

Some people like to go by the 8 glasses a day rule, which equates to about 2 litres a day, but it’s important to keep in mind where you are (eg. In a desert vs at the snow) and how much water you are losing every day (eg. How much do you exercise and pass urine a day).

Another way to calculate how much water you need, is to multiply your body weight by 0.033.

Eg. If you weigh 65 kg, then 65*0.033 = 2.145L of water per day.

Of course, it would be wise to also inter-space each alcoholic drinks with 2 glasses of water if you’re going out and have a few beers or cocktails or wine.

3. Don’t forget to move

It’s too easy if we’ve eaten and drunk too much on Christmas Day to go into a food coma. So make sure you get some exercise over this festive period – go for a swim or a dance, or take advantage of daylight savings and go for a morning or early evening stroll and enjoy the sunshine.

Remember, Vitamin D is also good for you, but don’t forget to wear sunscreen and a hat if you’re out for more than 15 minutes or if you know that you are prone to burning easily.

4. It’s OK to say “no”

Some people can over-commit themselves by trying to see everyone and do everything, and in the process, exhaust themselves out.

While it’s a fun time and great to catch up with family and friends, don’t put too much pressure on yourself by trying to please everyone.

Remember to make sure that you’re taking some time out for yourself to recharge and renew as well.

5. Party responsibly…

Whether we’re talking about food or drink, it’s not a sin to indulge a little, but make sure that it’s not too much so that you end up regretting it and feeling over bloated or too hungover.

6. Finish the day with a good night’s sleep

To make sure that you’re looking and feeling your very best this festive season, it’s essential that you get enough sleep.

Although the number of hours can differ for each person, experts recommend at least 8 hours a night.

We hope that this helps! Look after yourself and make sure that you have a fantastic time over the Christmas break.

The post Top 6 Tips To Help You Survive The Silly Season appeared first on Sydney Remedial Massage | Sydney CBD.

What is Turmeric Good For?

Studies by Gupta, Patchva and Aggarwal, as reported in The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists Journal in 2013, suggest that turmeric can be of clinical benefit to people suffering from:
• Certain cancers including but not limited to colorectal, pancreatic, breast and prostate cancer
• Inflammatory bowel disease (eg. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn disease)
• Arthritis
• Uveitis (inflammation of the middle layer of the eye)

There are also many more studies conducted on the effectiveness of turmeric on various other disease states such as diabetes mellitus, lupus, atherosclerosis and psoriasis. Due to the small sample sizes of these studies, it is suggested that turmeric may be of benefit, but a larger study would be needed for conclusive evidence. Turmeric has also been shown to be effective as a topical treatment for skin diseases and infected wounds.

How Much Should I Take?

With all these benefits, it is also important to note that there may be some side effects of ingesting too much turmeric – eg. Stomach upsets, nausea, dizziness or diarrhoea. Some clinical studies have demonstrated that the maximum tolerable dose of curcumin is about 8g/day, but the recommended dose for consecutive daily intake is 6g/day for up to 21 days. There are also warnings against taking too much turmeric if you are pregnant. Other contra-indications include gallbladder problems, bleeding problems or taking it in conjunction with medication which slow blood clotting.

How Do I Include It As Part of My Diet?

There are many wonderful ways to incorporate turmeric into your diet. The first that springs to mind is to make a good curry! You don’t need to add any chilli if you don’t like it hot.

Other ways of cooking with turmeric include:
• Sprinkling it on veggies when roasting with a little bit of olive oil
• Add it to your smoothies
• Add it to soups (eg. Roasted pumpkin or sweet potato soup is perfect!)
• Mix it with rice or cous cous to give it some vibrant colour and some added taste
• Brewing it into a tea or drink it as Golden Milk (recipe below)
• Lastly, experiment! Try it on fresh popped corn or in banana bread…..

If you are interested in learning more about turmeric and how it can benefit you, we suggest that you consult with a physician or naturopath.

**Please note, this article serves as information only and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans. Always seek the advice of your doctor or allied health practitioner if you have any questions regarding any medical issues you may have.**

References:
Subash C. Gupta, Sridevi Patchva, and Bharat B. Aggarwal , Therapeutic Roles of Curcumin: Lessons Learned from Clinical Trials, AAPS J., 2013 Jan; 15(1): 195-218

The post Is Turmeric The New Superfood? appeared first on Sydney Remedial Massage | Sydney CBD.

This myth has been twisted over time to become “accepted truth” due to the observations of Maxwell Maltz – a plastic surgeon in the 1950’s, who found that on average, it would take approximately 21 days for someone to get used to seeing a new nose on their face. Similarly, if someone had had an arm or leg amputated, they would often feel a phantom limb for around 21 days before they grew accustomed to their body (1).

Part of the reason behind this myth, is that Maltz was recorded to have reported that it took a “minimum of 21 days” and not the magic 21 days itself. This unrealistic expectation of time that is needed to create a new habit can unfortunately be detrimental to us forming our new habits, as people may give up after just 3 weeks of trying something new.

So how long does it actually take to create a new habit?

Studies by Benjamin Gardner, Phillippa Lally and Jane Wardle, published in the British Journal of General Practice have reported that it, in fact, takes on average, 66 days for people to form a new behaviour (2).
Gardner and colleagues have identified several phases of the formation of a new habit –
1. Initiation phase – this is when the new behaviour and context in which it will be done are chosen
2. Learning phase – repeating the chosen new behaviour consistently over time, leading to the action becoming an automatic response. This phase strengthens the bond between the cue and the behaviour
3. Stability phase – at this point in time, the habit has formed and continuing to do it requires minimal effort or deliberation.

They also note that choosing simple actions is easier than complex tasks – Eg. Getting off the bus one or two stops earlier and walking that distance is much easier and less daunting than trying to walk to and from work every day if the distance is quite far. In addition, by making one small change, it can also increase one’s confidence to work towards larger changes in the long run.

So, how do we go about it? Here it is….

The Secret to Creating Healthy Habits

1. Choose a goal that you would like to achieve for yourself and write it down on a card that you can carry with you. Be very specific and make sure that it is clearly defined and refer to it often during the day
2. Create a simple action plan, which you can do on a daily basis. Include in it, what and when you will do it and what is the trigger for doing it so that you can do it consistently every day of the week. Remember to make it simple. Tip: If you link your action to something that you already do, then it’s just an easy add on to your current routine. Use this format – AFTER I , I WILL
3. Commit to doing it for 60 days – and if you miss one day, just start the 60 days again
4. Do your goal action every time the situation arises
5. Celebrate your success!

Here is a fun example of something most of us hate and/or forget to do:
1. Goal: I would like to floss my teeth every day
2. Action plan: After I brush my teeth, I will floss one tooth
3. Commit to doing it every night for 60 consecutive days. If you miss a day, know that you can start the 60 days again – there is no consequence of not doing it….
4. So, when you brush your teeth each night before bed, follow it up by flossing just one tooth
5. Celebrate: Tell yourself you’re awesome!

“For me, cracking the code on flossing was to put the floss right by the toothbrush, and to commit to myself that I would floss one tooth — only one tooth — every time after I brushed. I could floss them all if I wanted to, but the commitment was just one tooth. [This works] because I was training the behavior. Maybe once every few weeks, I’d only actually floss one tooth, but a majority of the time I’d end up flossing them all.”
– Professor BJ Fogg, Founder of www.TinyHabits.com

So, what are you waiting for? Get excited and start creating all the healthy habits that you’ve been promising yourself today.

References:
1. Maltz M. Psycho-cybernetics. New York, NY: Prentice Hall; 1960.
2. Benjamin Gardner, Phillippa Lally, Jane Wardle. Br J Gen Pract. 2012 Dec; 62(605): 664–666.

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Earlier this month, Niantic released an augmented reality game, Pokemon GO, which uses your smart phone’s camera and GPS, to encourage people to get out and explore one’s city, finding and capturing cute and furry pocket monsters – Pokemons. (1)

Based on the original 1995 game, Pokemon for Game Boy, this just shows how amazing technology can be.
And perhaps also how disturbing…

Some have praised Pokemon GO for helping people with social anxiety get out and about and socialise more – check out the hoards of people at Central Park in NYC – crazy huh? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLdWbwQJWI0)
And, the game also allows for users to communicate and interact to help each other find and collect more Pokemons.

Pokemon GO has also inadvertently made people exercise more because it’s fun to go around and find the different Pokemons. This can of course, improve mood and reduce depression. However, the disturbing part of this phenomena are that the number of reported accidents and incidents seem to be on the rise.

Pedestrians have been reported to be standing in the middle of traffic, drivers are stopping their cars in the middle of a highway and even ploughing into stationary police cars while playing the game (2).
More worrisome, is the fact that people are falling into bodies of water (check out this self-confessed idiot: www.youtube.com/watch?v=LzPtFz-baMg) , being led to Hells Angels headquarters (3) or into cemeteries and memorial sites such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum (1).

Sadly, there has also been deaths reported as a result of the game – Jerson Lopez de Leon, 18, was shot and killed in Guatamala and his cousin Daniel Moises Picen, 17, badly wounded.
Police are uncertain how they ended being shot, but believe that they may have walked into a bad neighbourhood.

Is technology to blame?

While I can’t answer that, I can at least share my Top 5 Things I’ve Learnt from Pokemon:

1. Make exercise fun – Grab some mates together and having a laugh by not taking it too seriously
2. Connect with nature – Get out and about without having your face glued to your phone
3. Be aware of your surroundings – So many people get so caught up in their daily lives that sometimes we miss the little things, or we take the good things for granted. Stop for a moment and look around you and appreciate all the abundance you have around you
4. Be conscious of what you’re chasing – don’t get so caught up that you miss the important things in life – you can always make more money or get another job, but people aren’t here forever
5. Life is not a video game – while it may be nice to have an avatar and live in an augmented reality state, it’s not real. We need to start taking responsibilities for our actions or non-actions in this life that we have. We only have one life, not three or more like Pac-Man so make the most of it today!

References:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokemon_Go
2. http://news.com.au
3. http://nzherald.co.nz

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