Rolfing is a form of deep-tissue, structurally oriented bodywork that was created by Ida P. Rolf, Ph.D., a Columbia University trained biochemist in the 1930s. When she developed this therapy, Dr. Rolf was influenced by her knowledge of Hatha yoga, the Alexander technique, osteopathy, and homeopathy. She called her own approach structural integration because it dealt with the way the body’s structure affects its function. It didn’t take long, however, for the public to start calling it Rolfing–and the nickname stuck.
Category: R
Reiki
Reiki (pronounced “ray-kee”) is a therapeutic technique in which healing energy is channeled, or conducted, through a practitioner’s hands into the person receiving the treatment. It is believed that Reiki brings the body into emotional and spiritual balance, supporting the body’s natural ability to heal itself.
Reflexology
Reflexology is a technique in which pressure is applied to specific points on the feet (and sometimes the hands) to promote relaxation and improve overall health. Proponents of reflexology believe that the foot surface contains a coded map of the entire body and that particular points on the feet correspond to particular organs, glands, and body systems. Pressing these points with the fingers and thumbs is thought to encourage healthy functions in the corresponding areas of the body.
Rosacea
You’re in your thirties and confident that those former anxieties about teenage acne are ancient history. Then you begin to notice something. Hmm… your cheeks…your chin…and the bridge of your nose seem to redden easily, especially when you eat some spicy food or drink alcohol. At first you think nothing of it, and don’t mind when friends comment about your “healthy glow.” But then, this odd redness just doesn’t seem to go away. When you examine your skin carefully, you see lots of tiny blood vessels. Your face appears a little swollen, and it definitely feels tender. Since the resemblance to Santa Claus is getting a bit unnerving, you decide it’s time for some help.
Raynaud’s Disease
People with Raynaud’s disease are at the other end of the spectrum from people who blush at the drop of a hat. But, instead of having blood vessels that open readily, they have vessels that constrict too easily, usually in response to something cold. When you have Raynaud’s, you can walk into an air-conditioned room or even reach into a picnic cooler, and suddenly your fingers feel oddly cold, even numb and tingly. As you watch, the tips go dead white, then blue, and (after you frantically warm them up again), a bright, throbbing red.
Q&A: New Year’s Resolution
Click here for the Health Tip link. Q: Dr Edelberg, if you could recommend one new year’s resolution to your readers and patients, what would it be? A: Let’s face it, 2008 has been a very rough year and we keep hearing that it may be a walk in the park compared to 2009. During […]
All Your Vegetables Soup
Click here for the Health Tip link. The Triple Whammy Food Plan focuses on eating a wide variety of nutrient-packed fruits and veggies. Carbohydrate timing using complex carbs is at the heart of eating the Triple Whammy way, to help your body generate feel-good serotonin all day, keeping energy and mood up. Read more in […]
Resistance, Sigmund Freud, and Getting Well
Click here for the Health Tip link. Physicians worldwide agree that Sigmund Freud was one of the two or three most influential figures in medical history. It’s hard for us to imagine a medical landscape with virtually no mental health counseling whatsoever, except for a few primitive asylums. A landscape where patients for years simply […]
Are You Reluctant to Get Well?
It’s very possible that your immediate response to this question is anger, resentment, or hurt feelings. You might think to yourself, “I don’t need to hear this. I thought he was empathetic.” You may even be tempted to move your cursor to “unsubscribe” and click hard.
A Quick and Easy Reflexology Self Treatment
Last time we explored reflexology. Today I’ll share a simple self treatment.
Obviously, take off your shoes and socks. Sit with your right foot resting comfortably on your left leg. Hold your foot with your left hand and do the thumb-walking with your right. When using your thumb, bend it slightly and work into the point with the fat pad of your thumb so you don’t inadvertently dig in with your nails.
Stress Less: Reflexology
I personally postponed trying reflexology because of extreme ticklishness. Just the thought of something other than a floor or a pair of socks touching the soles of my feet sent shivers up my spine. It never dawned on me that connecting the soles of the feet to the meridians of Chinese medicine is the entire basis of reflexology.
R&R for 2008
This new year’s eve, consider a resolution that will make your cheeks glow and your heart happy.
Consider scheduling a long weekend, or even a week, at a health spa.
Many of my patients who have followed through on this (my favorite) prescription consider their health-spa visits life-altering. The healthy food, massage, long walks, and yoga sessions, lack of TVs, and turned-off cellphones helped them see how eliminating stress could lead to a whole new approach to good health.
D-ribose: New Supplement of Note
Any primary care physician will tell you the number one symptom that prompts a visit to the doctor is fatigue, expressed as “I’m tired all the time,” “I crash at three in the afternoon,” or “My get up and go just got up and went.”
2008: Time for Mini-Resolutions
As we approach the new year, here are ten small resolutions that will boost your health and are likely to prolong your life:
RESPeRATE for High Blood Pressure
It’s always nice to find therapies for chronic conditions that don’t require pill swallowing–there’s nothing glummer than a patient’s face when she says “Do you mean I have to take this pill every day for the rest of my life?” One of the challenges of a non-pill therapy is the health insurance industry, which basically […]
Q&A: Red Meat
Q: My fiance eats red meat once a week, and I feel it’s terrible for his body. Am I right that our bodies aren’t made to eat it that often, that it doesn’t break it down?
Modifying Risk Factors
Doctors use the term “modifiable risk factors” to describe those aspects of a person’s life that are potentially dangerous but which can be reversed, or modified. Conversely, some risk factors are less modifiable. If you have a family history of a certain cancer, you can’t order a new set of genes, but you can have regular check-ups and avoid substances known to trigger your particular cancer risk.