Have you been looking for me on Gay Street? Have you wondered what happened to Top Notch Hands?

Wonder no more!

After 4 months being temporarily housed at The Healthy Center on Coshocton Ave, I am pleased to announce I am back in my own office! *dothehappydance*

I am now located at 306 E High Street in Suite 4 in Mount Vernon! I am just a few steps away from my favorite chiropractor in the area, Dr Longfellow! The office was designed with massage therapy in mind, so I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

As Grand Re-opening Bonus for you, I am offering everyone who schedules before March 1st a free add-on of their choice! Go to www.topnotchhands.com to schedule today!

Are you tired of hearing me swear that massage works and that you should try it? Are you wondering what's in it for you? Let me tell you what you'll find at Top Notch Hands

Massage loosens muscles and gets rid of trigger points (article on this topic coming soon) by bringing circulation and nutrients back to the area and realigning the muscle tissue. What does that mean for you? Your performance will increase with less of those nasty overly tight muscles, crazy chronic pains and less lay up time between events.

Now your muscles are working better, let's focus on your brain.

50% of massage is playing with your brain. Not in a shrink way, but in a phyiological response kind of way. It's understanding the balance between relaxing the body and sending it into flight mode. By using special techniques and certain squences massage can convince your brain to let go of chronic muscular holding patterns.

These are just the two main results that I can guarentee for my clients.

Other results include:

Massage will significantly improve your well-being first by relieving the immediate pain (that's why you came in right) and then by improving your overall health. How? Massage doesn't "heal you" it fascilitates healing by bring the body back into balance by improving how your muscles, circulatory system and lymphatic system work.

Hello everyone! There are some openings coming up next week. I just wanted everyone to know!

Friday Feb 20th (That's tomorrow!): 11:45, 1:00, 2:15, 3:30, 4:45 and 6:00pm

Wednesday: Feb 27th: At the Mount Vernon Office. Mornings are filled (thank you!): 3:30, 4:45, and 6:00pm. Walk-ins are welcome between Noon and 5pm but feel free to call to claim your time or pop in for a quick session.

Thursday: Feb 28th: 9:45, 11:00 in office. I'll be on a barn call from 1-2:45. If you would like your horse massaged or assessed please call or text me in advance.

Friday: By appointment only. Please call for availability.

Saturday: I'll be heading to snow trails to try out their tubing hills!!!!

Call or Text 740-504-0044 to reserve your appointment today

Fibromyalgia and conditions very similar to it have been documented since the late 16th century but it wasn’t until 1987 that fibromyalgia was acknowledged as a distinct syndrome by the American Medical Association. That distinction was quickly followed by the American College of Rheumatology’s definition in 1990 (2). This definition was updated in 2010 and removed the tender points as the focus of diagnosis. (For more information click here: Short Version (3), In Depth Version (4).  Although fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a somewhat common condition not everything is known about the details. Such as what causes FMS, what are the specific symptoms and how these symptoms can be eased or stopped all-together.

That’s a tall order for a little blog, so I’ll offer links where I can to expound upon the ideas presented. If you are so inclined I have also included a works cited section for those of you who are super adventurous.

What is known about FMS:

• It’s the most common non-deforming rheumatic condition
• So far a single cause or cure is unknown.
• The causes are complex and have more than one body process functioning therefore there are many theories as to the exact cause.
• There are several conditions that are commonly associated with FMS whether they are a cause or are caused by FMS remains a hot debate between researchers. Some of these conditions are:

1. ·         Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
2. ·         Allergy/Chemical Sensitivity: referred to as “allergic myalgia”
3. ·         Anxiety
4. ·         Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
5. ·         Depression
6. ·         Dysregulation of brain function
7. ·         Sleep Disorders
8. ·         Thyroid Dysfunction
9. ·         Trauma: commonly whiplash
10. ·         Viral Infection

• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) seem to be very closely linked, so close in fact that Leon Chaitow often links CFS while writing about the research into FMS.

So what causes fibromyalgia?

Researchers have been hypothesizing about causes for over 50 years and seem to have landed on a few different ideas with various degrees of support from other intelligent minds. The most likely hypothesis seems to be a genetic predisposition to the syndrome. Other hypotheses include:

• Altered biological rhythms: aka chronobiological hypothesis

• Negative effects resulting from an overstimulated immune system: aka Immune dysfunction
• Pain itself may be the cause of FMS: nociceptive hypothesis
• Cortisol deficiency: aka "Stress hormone deficiency"
• Thyroid hormone dysfunction 

So they're not sure what's going on, now what can be done?

Treatments should be focused on enhancing immune function and helping the body to detoxify. Attention should also be paid to reducing all forms of stress on the body including biomechanical and psychogenic. Last but not least is the alleviation of symptoms no matter if they are, or are not, directly linked to FMS (this helps to reduce the stress load on the body)

Basically it's up to the person who suffers from FMS to find out what works for them and what symptom in particular is the most important to alleviate. Once one symptom has been successfully reduced or controlled the next can be addressed.

Most patients with FMS successfully use an overlap between mainstream medicine (with the doctors and the pills) and complementary/alternative health care (massage therapists, acupuncturists etc). What can be gathered from research is that just about any form of treatment, whether it by hypnotherapy, aerobic exercise, massage therapy, stress therapy, medication or nutritional supplements, help someone. All you have to do is try something but keep in mind that all forms of treatment should be seen as a form of stress to the body so start slow and see how the patient responds. (Article: Top Alternative Treatments for Fibromyalgia)(5)

So you've read this far. Are you wondering why I'm really into this topic?

My mom has fibromyalgia. I have also performed a clinical review of her case and over the last 10 years we have figured out what works for her and what does nothing. She has tried many different therapies over the years and has currently found her"magic recipe." This combination includes quitting smoking (yay mom!), stress management and bi-weekly chiropractic and massage visits (one treatment directly followed by the next). Her flare ups are typically linked to the weather, physical exertion and bad shoes.

Massage Considerations
The application of massage in a normal situation requires skill and these specialized skills are magnified during the treatment of FMS. Patients often request deep tissue work but this type of work is contraindicated (not allowed) when working with FMS due to the body seeing the work as an invasive stressor. Light to moderate work mixed with gentle myofascial release and lymphatic drainage are often used successfully.

Do You Have Fibromyalgia?
Then I highly suggest the addition of massage therapy to your regimen of treatment and see what a skilled massage therapist can do for you. If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them. Call or text 740-504-0044 or email me at [email protected]

Works Cited

Stretching:
You've  probably heard it a million times: "Stretch before you exercise" coupled with  the well-known mantra "Never stretch a cold muscle." You think "Yeah, yeah but  it's not really that important. I'll
just ease into my workout and save some  time." Your body is urging you to take  another look at stretching and how it can  help you.

The  Basics:
The benefits of stretching far outweigh the dangers your body faces each and everytime you choose to push your body to a limit. Whether you're reaching new goals at the gym, sitting behind a desk, gardening or riding your horse, stretching should be a part of your daily life.

Today's burning question is about *dun dun DA* branding.

I'm going to be honest, because that's what I do, I don't have a CLUE what I'm doing when it comes to marketing and branding. So I'm going to ask those of you who know me (face to face and online only) to help me sort out my next branding step.

Frankly I'm torn whether to keep both sides of my massage business separate or to merge the two. Please let me know your thoughts on this.

Thanks to Google I have stumbled upon some "Brand Personality" sites that pose some interesting questions. How do you view my business?

• Professional or Casual?
• Stable or Fluid?
• Plain/Practical or Stylish?
• Outspoken or Reserved?
• Customer Service oriented or Results Driven?
  

What kind of animal would you see representing this brand (at this moment please let me know if you're splitting the business or merging)? Why?

What do you love most about this brand? What would you like to change?

My ears are wide wide open!

Welcome to the home base for Top Notch Hands Massage Therapy. Home of massage for you and your 4-legged friends. TNH now has a home office in Mount Vernon, Ohio!!! Located in downtown at 100 S Gay street it is easily found with dedicated parking in the rear of the building.

You read right, TNH does massage for people, horses, dogs, cats and even a sheep (he was a very nice ram). Some people find this strange. I ask why? Here's a couple of the answers I've heard.

* "Humans and animals have nothing in common" 
At a glance we seem very different from animals by the way we stand on two leggs rather than four, but the structures are the same. We have ribs, so do they. We have scapulae, so do they. Many of our muscles are the same and do the same actions in most cases.

* "I'm afraid that you'd hurt me because of all the pressure you'd have to use on the horses."
Horses are amazingly sensitive animals. The amount of pressure used on a horse is no different than on you. The amount of pressure (or lack thereof) is dictated by the tissue not the amount of it or the living creature it's attached to. 

I love my job. I love what I do and who I do it for. I love meeting new people and hearing their stories. Please tell me about your story. I would love to be a part of it.