Carrot Patch?

Benefits of Muscle Energy Techniques

These are the benefits of Muscle Energy Techniques

• Restoring normal tone in hypertonic muscles
• Strengthening weak muscles
• Preparing muscles for subsequent stretching
• Increasing joint mobility
• Boosting local circulation
• Improving musculoskeletal function

If you want to learn more about this subject, click on the link below and sign of for this great course.

Neil Asher Advanced Trigger Point Techniques has a course called Muscle Energy Techniques. Go here to learn about this technique and how to apply it to your practice.  While there check out some of he other courses that are offered.


Reference: Gibbons, M. (2011). Muscle Energy Techniques. Chichester, England. Lotus Publishing.

Sports Injury Prevention - The Warm Up

If improving sporting performance is your goal, then there is no batter why to do that than by staying injury free. When it comes to sports injury, prevention is better than cure.

Warm-up activities are a crucial part of any exercise or sports training. The importance of a structured warm-up routing should not be underestimated when it comes to the prevention of sports injury.

An effective warm-up has a number of key elements. These elements should all work together to minimize the likelihood of sports injury from physical activity.

There are 4 key elements which should be included to ensure an effective and complete warm-up.

1. General Warm-up
This should consist of light physical activity, and should last 5 - 10 minutes and result in a light sweat.

The aim of the general warm-up is to elevate the heart rate and respiratory rate. This in turn increases the blood flow and helps with the transportation of oxygen and nutrients to be working muscles. It also helps to increase the muscle temperature, allowing for a more effective static stretch.

2. Static Stretching
This is a very safe and effective form of stretching. During this part of the warm-up, static stretching should include all the major muscle groups and should last 5 - 10 minutes.

Static stretching is performed by placing the body in a position where the muscle (or group of muscles) to be stretched is under tension. Both the opposing muscle group and the muscle to be stretched are relaxed. Then slowly the body is moved to increased the tension of the muscle to be stretched. At this point that positions is held or maintained to allow the muslce and tendons to lenghten.

This second part helps to lengthen both the muscles and tendons, which is turn allows the joints a greater range of movement. This is very important in the prevention of muscle and tendon injuries.

The proper completion of elements one an two prepare the athlete for the more specific and vigorous activities necessary for elements three and four.

3. Sport -Specific Warm-up
After parts 1 and 2 are done, it is now safe to move into part 3 of the warm-up. During this part of the warm-up, more vigorous activity should be employed. Activities should reflect the type of movements and actions that will be required during the sporting event.

4. Dynamic Stretching
Finally, a correct warm-up should finish with a series of dynamic stretches. Dynamic stretching is for muscular conditioning as well as flexibility and is really only suited for well-trained, highly conditioned athletes. A note of caution: this form of stretching carries with it a high risk of injury if used incorrectly. Dynamic stretching should only be used after a high level of general flexibity has been established.

Dynamic stretching involved a controlled, soft bounce or swinging motion to move a particular body part to the limit of it range of movement. The force of the bounce is gradually increases but should never become radical or uncontrolled.

This is the final part of the warm-up and should result in the athlete reaching a physical and mental peak.  At this point the athlete is most prepared for the recourse of their of their sport or activity.


Reference: Walker, B. (2013). The Anatomy of Sports Injuries. Chichester, England. Lotus Publishing.

Neil Asher Advanced Trigger Point Techniques offers "The Anatomy of Sports Injuries" course, go here to check out what the course has to offer, along with other trigger point courses.

Are You a Vegan (No dairy, meat, fish, or eggs)?

Vegans tend to be deficient in B12, an essential nutrient that is difficult to obtain with a vegan diet. Many vegans consume a large portion of their calories from carbohydrates. A high intake of carbohydrate has been linked with an increased risk of developing hypochlorhydria. Adequate stomach acid is essential for the proper absorption of vitamin B12. Vegans are therefore compromised on the supply end and the digestion end of the B12 issue.

A through assessment of the upper digestive tract is essential in the vegan client to ensure that the correct mechanism for adquate B12 digestion and absorption is in place. ZInc deficiency has been associated with hypochlorhydria and should also be assessed.



Reference: Weatherby, D. (2004). Signs and Symptoms Analysis from a Functional Perspective. Jacksonville, OR: Bear Mountain Publishing.

Tips to Help Patients (You) Stop Smoking

• List reasons why you want to quit smoking; review it daily
• Set a specific day to quit; tell 10 friends; then do it
•     Discard all cigarettes, butts, matches, and ashtrays
•     Use substitutes: raw vegetables, fruits, gum, Play with pencil to occupy fingers
•     Take one day at a time
•     40 million Americans have quit; so CAN you
•     Visualize yourself as a nonsmoker with more money, pleasant breath, unstained teeth, and sense of self control
•     Join a support group; contact local American Cancer Society chapter, and go
•     Relax: use deep breathing exercises
•     Avoid situation you associate with smoking
•     Reward yourself daily in a positive way with money saved.

Congratulations - you are on your way. Keep up the fantastic work.

Tiny Human

Chiropractic Care May Help Reduce Falls Risk for Older Adults

Falls are a major source of concern for older adults and caregivers.  The statistics can be daunting.  Did you know:

·        More than 80% of injury-related hospitals admissions for people over 65 are a result of a fall.

·        Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths in older adults.

·        Each year, an estimated 30-40% of community-dwelling older adults will have at least 1 fall.

·        The rate of falls rises quickly with age (especially over 80) or the presence of lower limb weakness, gait deficits, balance deficits or a history of falling.

Many of the risk factors are a result of the general deterioration that comes from aging.  For a specific incident, most falls have multiple contributing factors and cannot be attributed to a single specific cause.  

Few studies have explored how chiropractic can influence falls risk.  However, there is basic science evidence that indicates chiropractic care may “influence sensory and motor systems that potentially have an impact on some of the neuromuscular risk factors associated with falling.” 

Researchers in New Zealand completed a study of 60 community-dwelling adults over 65 years of age to determine what impact 12 weeks of regular chiropractic care would have on the sensorimotor functions commonly linked with fall risk.

Participants were divided into 2 groups: a control group and a chiropractic group.  Participant’s sensorimotor function and quality of life were evaluated for the study purposes.  Assessments were made when the study initially began, at 4 weeks and at the 12 week conclusion. 

The chiropractic group received care from one of 12 local chiropractors.  The specific type of care each participant received was determined by the individual chiropractor based on the medical history and exam findings.   The control group continued their regular health care routines or any other treatment they had need of during the study time frame. 

At the conclusion of the study, the chiropractic group had improved significantly as compared to the control group in multiple sensorimotor tasks as well as the physical component of health-related quality of life. 

Differences in the 4 and 12 week assessments revealed a substantial degree of improvement between those evaluations.  This may indicate that longer-term care is needed to have a significant effect on some functions.  

With an improvement in multiple sensorimotor functions, it is possible that the participants would subsequently have a lower falls risk.  How much of an effect as well as exactly how chiropractic impacts these factors is not fully understood.

Because this is an area that has not been studied at length, more research is needed to corroborate these results as well as to determine if these sensorimotor improvements translate into an actual lower occurrence of falls, and to gather longer term data. 

SOURCE: Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics, Vol. 39, Number 4; “Effectiveness of Chiropractic Care to Improve Sensorimotor Function Associated With Falls Risk in Older People: A Randomized Controlled Trial”. Full Article Here

Large Intestine Meridian

General Information:  This meridian function is to absorb the end product of digestion and hold the wast materials until they can be eliminated. Approximately 80% of the material entering the large intestines is absorbed since it is mostly the water.  The large intestine Meridian function is very important in the metabolism of water, as it extracts water from waste materials to either re absorb or send on to the bladder.

It is crucial in the elimination of waste materials, as imbalance in the large intestine function many result in physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual toxicity.

Functions:  Absorption of fluids, elimination of solid wastes

Physical Branches:  Nose, skin, body hair, mucus

Emotion:  Grief, Guilt, and Regret

Sound:  Crying and Sighing

Season:  Autumn

Associated Element:  Metal

Color:  Off white

Meridian Type:   Yang

Time of Day:  5 - 7 AM

Muscles Associated with Meridian:  Fascia Lata, Hamstrings, Quadratus Lumborum

How to Trace:  Bilaterally, from the thumb side end of the index finger, up the hand and outside of the back of the arm, across the shoulder to the nose.

Watch the Video Here 

Lung Meridian

General Information:  This meridian performs vital function in TFH. While survival may be difficult without water and food for more than a week or two, we usually cannot live without Aires from more than about three minutes. Each lung is an essential organ that serves the primary function of respiration and the exchange of gases (mainly oxygen and carbon dioxide), operating as the foremost and fundamental source of life energy as well as an important channel of elimination.

The lungs also supply the air flow necessary to speak, sing, and make other vocal sounds, In addition to drawing air (oxygen), the lung meridian function is said to draw in to release Chi, and regulate the status of the Chi in the whole Soul.

Functions:  Accepts pure fluids from spleen, which are then mixed with air, and circulated through the meridians, circulates Wei Qi

Physical Branches:  Nose, skin, body hair, mucus

Emotion:  Grief, Guilt, and Regret

Sound:  Crying and Deep Sighing

Season:  Autumn

Associated Element:  Metal

Color:  Pure white

Meridian Type:  Yin

Time of Day:  3 - 5 AM

Muscles Associated with Meridian:  Anterior Serratus, Coracobrachialis, Deltoids, Diaphragm

How to Trace:  Bilaterally, from the fleshy space below shoulder and above the rib cage, down the inside of the font of the arm to the end of the thumb.

Watch the Video Here 

Liver Meridian

General Information:  This meridian is associated with the liver which has more functions than any other organ. Each cell has more programmed instructions than the most sophisticated computer program, and the liver meridian may activate a large number of the absorption and detoxification instructions. The liver is the largest physical organ and is most active while you sleep. The liver is said to store blood while the body is at rest, and also to exert particular influence over the lower abdomen, and so is considered of central importance in women's menstrual cycle and sexuality.

Liver meridian function is involved in digestion, metabolism, storage, and distribution of nourishment, filtration, detoxification, and immune function.

Functions:  Stores the blood, governs the free flow of qi

Physical Branches:  Eyes, tendons, tears, nails

Emotion:  Anger and Resentment

Sound:   Shouting

Season:  Spring

Associated Element:  Wood

Color:  Deep green

Meridian Type:  Yin

Time of Day:  1 - 3 AM

Muscles Associated with Meridian:  Pectoralis Major Sternal, Rhomboids

How to Trace:  Bilaterally, from the inside (lateral side) of the big toe, up the inside leg to the hip, backward on the hip, up around the waist and forward along the rib cage halfway to sternum.

Watch the  Video Here