Toronto Massage Therapy and Acupuncture Clinic by RMT » Massage Therapy

The Travelling Massage Therapist Strikes Again

Ken Shim, RMT — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 05:11:50 +0000

Well, it’s 1am and I’m in a bit of a state of shock. I just purchased a ticket to Thailand for travel in August. There is a bit of an explanation that I owe you and I promise that it is coming soon. But for the moment, I think I’d better get some sleep (if I can… This is way too exciting).

Massage Therapy in Nepal

Ken Shim, RMT — Tue, 18 May 2010 12:57:28 +0000

Nepal was absolutely wonderful. It is hard to explain how one of the poorest countries in the world holds so much beauty. Trekking in the Himalayas was beautiful beyond compare. Also, after sampling some of the healing arts, I am now thoroughly impressed by the quality of care available there. I admit there are way too many massage hacks working the tourist trade, but with careful interviewing and selecting I found 4 practitioners of particular skill.

One in particular, Jelly Rai from Pokhara, had some special abilities. On the day I saw her, I had come down with a fever that made everything painful and difficult. Every muscle on my body was sore. My head was cloudy. I had no energy at all. I saw her only hoping for a massage, but as soon as she started working on me I felt comforted. At about the half hour mark of the treatment I literally felt the fog of the fever lift from me like a veil. It was instantaneous. I had never felt anything so powerful and quick like that before. Instant healing? As a trained massage therapist, it is almost my duty to be skeptical. I followed a week long series of treatments and training sessions with her and found that her technical skills are nothing special. She does have a good intuition at treating, but for the most part, she uses very simple techniques and a lot of repetition. She used an Indian ayurvedic cream called MOOV which I purchased to try on my clients. I previously only used special homeopathic creams for clients that were in acute pain. And I only used the creams after a session to help them get through the rest of the day, but I am curious about how effective these creams can be during a session. The most important thing about Jelly was that she prayed. In what was once the only Hindu country in the world, Jelly is unique in that she converted to Christianity. She has a very strong faith and would pray during the session. She would pray for the client’s well being. She would pray for healing a particular ailment. I found it surprising, but I shouldn’t really. There are so many different kinds of Reiki, Traditional Chinese Medicine, energy channels, chakra healing, crystal healing and other types of energy healing out there. How are they any different than any of the world’s ancient religions? How is a therapist praying for your healing any different than a therapist trying to remove energy blockages? I will not say if any of this does or does not work, but I can tell you that myself and my travelling companion all had similar results and experiences under her care. I find myself inspired.

Another look at approaches that have profound effects takes us to the barber shop. The barber shop in Nepal is a real institution. It is surprising just how precise these people are with an electric or straight razor. Each superb haircut is followed up by a head, face, neck and shoulder massage. I found the experience nice but rather uncomfortable because of the unergonomic position I was in. (Yes, being a massage therapist can make you a very picky massage client) Nevertheless, all critiques ended the minute the barber started pummelling my head. I have had tapotement on my head before in China and Thailand, but at the barber shop it was relentless. Hands curled into a loose fist repeatedly knocking me on either parietal plate (top sides of the skull). Within seconds I had literally turned to butter. By the end of the session, I couldn’t talk anymore. I tried it on a friend later and it had the exact same effect. Instant stress and tension relief. And of course, I will be using it on my clients in the very near future.

While I was away…

Ken Shim, RMT — Mon, 17 May 2010 15:57:13 +0000

I just returned last night from a mind blowing 3 weeks in Nepal only to find that my website was under attack. Some horrible little hackers planted some malicious scripts onto my website that completely hijacked my website. I would like to personally apologize to any people that this may have affected. I have spent the last few hours since my return diligently working to clean my website and get it up and running like normal and I am happy to say that the vulnerability has been fixed and all systems are “go”.

It was incredibly unfortunate that this happened while I was out of the country. Had it happened while I was in Canada, the problem would have been fixed within 24 hrs max (even with the jet lag and sleep, I had it fixed in 10 hours). I feel terrible and apologize to any of you that experienced computer problems due to my website.

Fresh Air Fund needs your help

Ken Shim, RMT — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:34:33 +0000

In 2009, The Fresh Air Fund‘s Volunteer Host Family program, called Friendly Town, gave close to 5,000 New York City boys and girls, ages six to 18, free summer experiences in the country and the suburbs. Volunteer host families shared their friendship and homes up to two weeks or more in 13 Northeastern states from Virginia to Maine and Canada.

The Fresh Air Fund relies on donations to provide memorable summers to NYC children.

The Fresh Air Fund needs hosts for the summer of 2010.

More than 65% of all Fresh Air children are reinvited to stay with their host family, year after year.

Thanks to host families who open up their homes for a few weeks each summer, children growing up in New York City’s toughest neighborhoods have experienced the joys of Fresh Air experiences.

Here are some videos about the Fresh Air Fund:

How To Relieve the Discomfort of Airplane Travel

Ken Shim, RMT — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:31:19 +0000

Just got back from Spain via Amsterdam and I thought I’d share a few tips on how I coped with all the hours of sitting in a cramped little seat with the tiny fork and knife set, the tiny meal, served in the tiny dishes, with the tiny drink in the tiny cup….. I’m still a bit jetlagged and my ipod alarm clock woke me up at 6 am for some wacky reason (ghost in the machine), so now could be the perfect time to hammer out this article that I’ve had in my mind for a year.

When travelling, the biggest enemies are inactivity and improper posture. The combination of them both leads to soreness or stiffness in the lower back, legs, shoulders or neck. Here are a few tips that will help:

Use Your Pillows & Blankets

This step should help to reduce the postural strain that improper sitting places on your body.
Sit with your hips back against the back of the seat to get the maximum support from the seat.
Place the blanket or pillow (personally, I like to fold the blanket in half) between the small of your back (the curve just above your hips) and the seat back. This will help to support your lower back in its natural curve and reduce low back pain. It is especially helpful if you are suffering from any disc related issues
Place the pillow behind your neck and keep the back of your head rested firmly against the headrest so that you can feel your neck being supported. This helps to keep your neck in its neutral curved position and reduce neck stiffness.
If you follow these steps you should feel like your upper body is fully supported in a more natural position. You should feel less strain or discomfort in this position

Get some exercise

Too much rest is not a good thing. All that sitting without any real movement can make you achy and stiff. The perfect solution is a bit of exercise. Any simple exercise or movement helps increase blood flow and lubricate your joints. Improved blood flow nourishes and oxygenates your body’s tissues and helps in waste removal, leaving you feeling healthier and more refreshed.
Get up and walk around. Use any excuse to go for a walk: Get a glass of water; Go to the bathroom; take a tour of the cabin; see what movies everyone else is watching; or as they say in the Dead Poet’s Society, view life from a different perspective!
You will probably feel pretty stiff the first time you get up. This is a sign that you should be doing it more often!

Choose your seat carefully

Make sure you get an aisle seat. All that getting up and walking around is never going to happen if you are stuck in the middle of a long row between 6 very close strangers. Make it easy for yourself to get up at will without annoying your neighbours.
The aisle seat also means that you have to get up every time one of your neighbours wants out, but if you’re not big on sleeping on flights, being forced to get up is a bit of a bonus and the perfect chance to stretch out a bit.
Don’t take all the aisle seats! Leave at least one for me unless you want to see me get cranky

Use your time between flights

If you are stuck waiting for a few hours between flights, take the chance to walk around. A good solid hour of walking can do wonders to reverse all the damage that sitting for 6 hours does to your body.
Shop. Not up for a brisk walk? How about a leisurely stroll through the mall?

Beware Deep Vein Thrombosis

Deep vein thrombosis is a blood clot that can form in your calf. It may feel like a bit of pain or swelling in your calf. This is only mildly annoying, but if left untreated can result in the clot breaking free and blocking the blood supply to your heart or brain. If you feel soreness and swelling in a calf muscle after a flight, consult your doctor. The typical treatment is a round of blood thinners to gently break down the clot.
The lower air pressure combined with inactivity and sitting increases your chances of getting deep vein thrombosis. Seniors or women using the birth control pill are especially at risk.
One solution for preventing the deep vein thrombosis from forming is exercise. It is much more difficult for a clot to form if you are moving about. Get up and walk around every now and then to keep the blood flowing in your legs.
Try calf raises. While you are seated you can practise going up on your tippy toes and back down again. The constant flexion and relaxation of your calf muscles act like a pump and move the blood faster through the calf.
An Aspirin a day. Aspirin is a blood thinner in addition to being good for a variety of other ailments. If you doctor agrees with it and believes you are healthy enough for it, take aspirin daily for 3 to 4 days before your flight. Remember to be sure to consult with your doctor before you try this.

Some other tips

The air is pretty dry in the cabin, so keep drinking water to keep yourself hydrated.
Try the in flight exercises. Most planes have neck and shoulder exercise routines available in their in flight magazines. Try them out. It might look a little silly, but they definitely help.

Acupuncturists Join the Haiti Relief Effort

Ken Shim, RMT — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 13:57:18 +0000

Acupuncturists Without Borders and Pathways to Wellness will head to Haiti on February 3 to help with international relief efforts. They will be offering treatments for pain relief, trauma, exhaustion and acupuncture anesthesia. As well they will More information on the project is available here.

As of January 26, they had raised $10,000 in cash and $2400 in supplies. They still need to secure another $7400 in donations and could use your help

Natural Health Care Comes to Cuba

Ken Shim, RMT — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:00:19 +0000

When we think of Cuba, certain incongruous images come to mind: sandy beaches, salsa music, and poverty. But while the typical visitor to this little island nation is busy soaking up rays and drinking one too many Cuba Libres, poor little Cuba has been quietly accomplishing something that few western countries have been able to do: Develop a health care model that provides free universal health care blending and balancing western medicine with eastern, natural medicine.

Cuba’s health care system has always been a priority for Castro’s government. Article 50 of the country’s constitution states: “Everyone has the right to health protection and care. The state guarantees this right by providing free medical and hospital care by means of the installations of the rural medical service network, polyclinics, hospitals, preventative and specialized treatment centers; by providing free dental care; by promoting the health publicity campaigns, health education, regular medical examinations, general vaccinations and other measures to prevent the outbreak of disease.”

Here are some stats: The average life expectancy in Cuba has risen from 63 years in 1955 to 78 years in 2007. The infant mortality rate has dropped from 1960’s 54 deaths per 1000 children to 6.5 per 1000 in 2007. In 1957 Cuba had 128 physicians and dentists per 1000 people. In 2005, those numbers had swelled to 627 doctors and 94 dentists per 1000. To put that into perspective, the USA in 2005 had 225 doctors per 1000. In fact, Cuba performed better on all 3 criteria when compared to the USA.

But as a massage therapist and acupuncturist, I am more interested in how alternative or natural medicine was integrated into their health care model and offered free to all. The idealist in me would like to believe that Fidel or Che hatched up the idea while savouring a perfect cigar and planning their utopia on earth, but their medical miracle was born out of disaster and necessity. In 1992, the USA increased its trade embargo against Cuba by passing the Democracy Act which made it illegal for foreign subsidiaries of US companies to sell goods to Cuba (it was already illegal for American companies to sell goods to Cuba). It also forbade ships that had docked in Cuban ports from docking in any US port for 6 months. This, combined with the collapse of the Soviet Union and Soviet support and trade as well as Cuba defaulting on its foreign debt in 1986 made it very difficult for Cuba to purchase medical equipment, supplies and medicine.

Dr. Fe Bosch (right)

The Chinese character for disaster is comprised of two other characters: one is the character meaning danger, the other means opportunity. With aspirin and other western goods being either unavailable or unaffordable, Cuba adopted a natural approach. Dr Fé Bosch had been sent to Sri Lanka and Vietnam in 1984 to study eastern medicine and the possibility of incorporating elements into the national health system. In 1992, the Ministry of Public Health approached Dr Bosch with a new proposition: develop a training program in acupuncture and natural medicine for the country’s doctors. In less than 2 years 20,000 health care professionals had been trained and Cuba was on the road to integrated health care.

Successful Development of Artificial Muscle

Ken Shim, RMT — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 14:00:56 +0000

In an operation at UC Davis Medical Centre, surgeons successfully implanted an artificial muscle into a patient suffering from facial paralysis, thus giving her the ability to blink and reduce the risk of going blind.

Here is the article.

Christmas Holiday Hours

Ken Shim, RMT — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 14:07:09 +0000

I hope you all have a great holiday season.

Here are my holiday hours.

December 21 – 23 – Regular hours

December 28 – 30 – Regular Hours

January 8 – 9 – Regular Hours

If you think you noticed a one week vacation in there, you are absolutely right. I’m heading down to Cuba for some depressurizing.

‘Tis the Season

Ken Shim, RMT — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:00:54 +0000

For massage therapists, Christmas usually comes pretty early…. about 4 months early. After business slows to a crawl in the summer, September usually brings a pretty sharp spike in business. It seems that every year as soon as the weather starts to cool a bit there is a flood of new clients looking for a massage. It’s different from the “slip and fall season” of the winter, the ” gardening back pain season” of the spring, or the “weekend warrior season” of the summer. This busy season is different in that it has nothing to do with physical activity or accidents and everything to do with insurance.

Most people with full time jobs have extended health care benefits as part of their salary. The average person has a pool of about $500 that can be used to pay for massage therapy. These benefits can be used and drawn upon until the end of the year, at which time they expire and the balance is magically reset to $500. This means that if you don’t use your benefits in the current period, you basically lose it… all $500 of it. This is otherwise known as the “use it or lose it” system, and September is the time of year when the heavens open up, light bulbs go off and people suddenly realise that they only have 4 months left to get approximately 6 massages otherwise it’s money out the window. This is not exactly the most worrisome predicament in the world and I am sure you will somehow find a way to work through it. Remember to first check with your insurance provider to find out the details of your policy. Specifically you need to know how much is covered in total, how much is covered per visit, and what paperwork (usually a doctor’s note) is required in order to qualify for benefits.

The beauty of the September insurance rush is the opportunities it brings to change your life. Simply dedicating some time regularly to caring about your health can open many doors to you. During their first massage, people often become aware of what is happening to their bodies as a result of the habits of their lifestyle. From this first glance, many become regular massage addicts, yoga students and gym members. This is the perfect season to start down that path of developing healthy habits that could help you live a longer, healthier, happier life.