The Ultimate Winter Self Care Guide

As we settle into the crispy mornings of Winter's cold, we share with you our Golden Rules to:

• Avoid suffering with fatigue
• Clear mucous build up & congestion
• Build the immune system

These are 3 of the most powerful ways that you can prevent getting sick in the colder seasons and are the basic principles of health that form the foundation for having more energy for life!

Half way through 2012 already, consider this our guide to help you through to the warmer festive season with good health and vitality. Below we have our Top 5 Golden rules of Winter Self Care in each vital area of wellbeing. Consider these to be the Keys to unlocking your potential for energy this Winter.

5 Ways to: Avoid Suffering Fatigue & Congestion and Build the Immune System

1. Wake up to a Eucalyptus shower 
Enjoy the uplifting steam of Eucalyptus pure essential oil in your morning shower. Just put a few drops on the shower floor before turning on the taps. Do this every morning to help you wake up as Eucalyptus is incredibly stimulating for the senses and can help sharpen your awareness to kick start the day. This will also help prevent the common cold by clearing the sinus and respiratory system. Eucalyptus is also well known for it's anti-bacterial properties, so will work wonders at keeping infection at bay.  

2. Stock up on Vitamin C! 

Nutrition is King when it comes to longevity! Avoid getting sick with quality plant food. Drink orange juice, squeeze lemon in your water and on your salads. Include citrus where ever and whenever you can. Citrus is one of Nature's Golden secrets to sustaining life and building the immune system! In Winter we can often opt for the fast option of pre-cooked foods or take away but things like mashed potato, steamed vegies or a pumpkin soup can be so quick and simple to whip up and root vegies are incredibly grounding, which is perfect for the colder times. Include enough green vegies, nuts and natural salts in your diet and you will have plenty essential fatty acids and magnesium to keep you healthy and strong, not just through winter but all year long. 

3. Correct bad posture with healthy habits
Wind down at the end of each day with relaxing music and a good stretch to reverse bad posture and the shortening of muscles which create imbalances. Spend a good minute in each stretch to allow your muscles to fully release and bring blood flow to the areas. Circulation is vital especially in winter when it's cold. It's also the time when the body instinctively protects itself from the cold by tightening up. Avoid sleeping on your stomach which results in a twisted neck. Over time this causes problems and pain, along with rounded shoulders which fall forward and end up leading to the dreaded "hunch back". 

4. Open your windows every day! 
If you find it too cold in Winter to keep a window or two open at all times, even just by a centre metre or so, then at least open them wide up for a few hours a day. If no where else, then you must do this for your bedroom, as you spend 8 hours every night there and over a week, that's a lot of stale air in the lungs if not well circulated. Stale air will have you waking up tired where as fresh air keeps the respiratory system healthy and prevents breathing problems, chest infections, colds, flu and asthmatic vulnerability. 

5. Hydration linked to Longevity & Youth 
The most vital element in Nature is Water. "Drying is dying" and wrinkles are the first sign of dehydration. When we are born we are 90% water. As we grow into adults we are around 70% water and when we die, we remain around 50-60% water! So let that fact remind you to keep the fluids up and stay young! 


In Winter we tend to drink less water because we are cold, where as in Summer we are well aware of our thirst. The best way to keep balance in Winter is to keep warm and maintain healthy blood flow / circulation, so that we are drinking more. Movement generating heat in the body, so it's even more important in Winter to keep up both exercise and fluids! 

Top Tension Prevention Principles

First Aid for aching muscles is as simple as returning to the fundamental principles of self care, which are the key pillars of tension prevention and stress management. 

The most common causes of muscle ache is a lack of either exercise or recovery. Tension is a result of muscle imbalance, which can be remedied with rest, heat, lengthening and strengthening. The essential keys to muscle balance and well being, are centred around blood flow and circulation. Massage/ Myotherapy are also helpful ways to encourage this and restore ease of motion and mobility.

The second most common cause contributing to aches and pains has it's origins in mental stress and fatigue. One of the best ways to remedy and relax aching muscles is with the best of what mother nature has to offer in pure essential oils, being the real Farmacy of earth. 

Aromatherapy is the remedial medicine / modality of Essential oils used by many health practitioners, which works in many ways through the central nervous system, to balance the body naturally, without having to depend on toxic pharmaceutical drugs. Working on both the mental and emotional states, the healing properties of essential oils (pure botanical extracts)...directly effect the nerves, stimulating and relaxing both the mind and muscles. Lavender is just one of the many essential oils that provides relief from tension, stress and inflammation. 

Another leading roots causes of muscular aches, comes from a magnesium deficiency which is most often related to a lack of natural (sea/rock) salts in the diet. Other rich sources of magnesium include brown rice, whole grains, nuts, and green vegetables.  Epsom salts are a fantastic way of assisting the muscles to relax in a hot bath/ soak at the end of the day and for those without the luxury of a bath at home, either a hot shower or visit to the local leisure centre, spa or sauna will definitely do the trick. 

The most effective recovery element for aching muscles is heat, so if you are busy at work or feel muscles tightening during the day, make sure you have a wheat bag / heat pack handy to apply to tight areas. This is fantastic for the neck and shoulder area or even lower back when sitting at a desk all day long, as many do (to the detriment of their posture). The long term danger of this type of work will be a slow, gradual and almost unnoticed decline in correct posture, that causes you to suffer in all aspects of health.

The important and most vital factor for any type of work in the long term is to be aware of the influence of day to day, repetitive activity on the posture and body's muscular balance. Continuous slouching with computer use or any other type of repetitive physical or non-physical work holds the serious risk of poor health and spinal deterioration. 

Last but not least by far, when it comes to the top tension prevention principles is the need for flexibility which sustains musculo-skeletal / structural integrity, strength and vitality. These core foundations are essential for health, energy and productivity in life for anyone and everyone. Essential to maintaining these are regular Stretching & Yoga to help the release tight muscles and to restore overall body balance and physical intelligence. 

One of the fastest ways to relieve aching muscles is to spend time each day stretching, long enough to release each area of the body. This provides the release needed and enhances blood flow throughout the muscles, key to health and longevity in every sense. It is especially vital in Winter, as the cold tends to lock up the body in defence of the cold, to protect itself out of natural instinct. 

Remember, your body is the only one you have...and just like a car, needs regular tuning in order to last the longest it possibly can. We cannot stress enough, the importance of correct self care as the number one preventative factor in all health problems. Our philosophy is "Prevention" is the best medicine - and is far superior to any remedy one will find in maintaining good health. So take care this winter and stay warm. There are more ways to do this than just staying indoors. Your body needs movement to stay alive!


Click here to find out about how we can help you stay pain free this winter, and to see what people are saying about results we have helped them achieve. Want to know more about how we help? Visit our website by clicking here or visiting www.advanced-myotherapy.com

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LIKE US on FACEBOOK here!

Share your experience, results, recovery stories on our page and be rewarded with points towards a BONUS 30-minutes!

The Number 1 factor in Dis-ease Prevention

The most valuable investment you'll ever make...

People who look after themselves, know that the time invested in maintaining their health, is time saved from being in pain down the track. Self care is the number one factor in dis-ease prevention, and because we care about health we would like to encourage you to share the gift of wellbeing with your friends with a very special gift, the next time you tell a friend about Advanced Myotherapy! 

This Winter, we are rewarding our friends/clients who refer those they care about to us with a 90-minute treatment valued at $150 for just $100! And because we like to encourage those who take action & value their health most, we are giving the first 50 referrals (your friends) a bottle of our 100% Pure Lavender Essential Oil, valued at $17.95 for FREE. 

This is a beautiful essential oil, well known for it's healing properties that help sooth aching muscles, encourage restful sleep and calm nervous tension. So get in quick & your friends will love you for it! 

Below we have taken this opportunity to answer your top 3 questions, so that you can explain to your friends and family what "Myotherapy" is & what we do at Advanced Myotherapy... 

Our Top 3 FAQ's about Myotherapy... 

What do Myotherapists treat?

Myotherapists are highly sort after for the treatment of pain associated with musculo-skeletal conditions, as specialists who treat both the cause, as well as the symptoms of many conditions. Below are some of the conditions that Myotherapists are known to treat effectively: 

• Back & Neck pain 
• Headaches/Migraines 
• Sciatica & RSI 
• Chronic & Acute Pain 
• Tennis/Golfers elbow 
• Joint pain & tension 
• Numbness and tingling
• Pre & Post Natal stress 
• Carpal Tunnel 
• Knee, hip & ankle pain 
• Frozen shoulder 
• Herniated disk 
• Elbow & wrist pain 

How do Myotherapists treat pain? 

Myotherapists relieve pain using therapeutic techniques such as: trigger point therapy, dry needling, deep tissue manipulation, stretching, stimulation and corrective exercises which are also included in individualised self care plans, according to the unique muscle group affected. 

When should I see a Myotherapist? 

Most people seek Myotherapy when suffering from pain or when seeking help to recover from injury, prevent surgery, avoid pain medication dependence as well as prevent injury. People seek Myotherapists to help free restricted movement, release pain and speed up rehabilitation and recovery from injury, as well as to help strengthen muscles to prevent future vulnerability to injury and pain. Click here to read what people are saying about how Advanced Myotherapy have helped.

Also... 

For those of you who have experienced the health and freedom from better muscle balance and increased range of motion, and are yet to share your results with our online community, please join our fan page on facebook and post your experience. We would love to hear how we have helped, and look forward to keeping you up to date with all the latest research and tips on how to best sustain your health for long term vitality and energy!


And for those who  check in to Advanced Myotherapy - weare introducing a special monthly draw to WIN a 1-hour Treatment valued at $115. So be sure to remember next time your in to check in to be in the running! 


Last but not least, click HERE to read our very popular Vital Winter Self Care news from last season. This article is jam packed with valuable tips, insights & health facts that will help you through these next few months. We highly recommend this to those of you who seek to maintain strength this winter!

Spinal Alignment - Featured Article April 2012

In Australia almost all of us suffer from poor posture. This is the resulting posture from the shortening and tightening of muscles while others lengthen and become weak. It is more often than not the result of our daily activities, for example slumping over a desk at a computer all day. There are obvious physical indications of poor posture, there can be the rounding and elevation of the shoulders, meaning the head is positioned further forward and or a forward tilt of the hips increasing the curve of the lumbar spine and producing a protruding stomach.

As well as making you look older poor posture can lead to many other problems. The extra pressure that is put on the spine leads to back pains, spinal dysfunction, and joint degeneration as well as headaches. This adversely affects the day to day operations of individuals at work and at home.

In total there are 31 sets of nerves, that branch out and travel to certain divisions of the body, from the spinal cord.

Spinal nerves have both motor and sensory fibres. An area of the skin innervated by the sensory fibres by a nerve are known as the dermatome. A group of muscles innervated by the motor fibre by a nerve is known as the myotome. There is a small variations to the distribution patterns that take place in each individual but generally speaking it is relatively consistent. Each muscle in the body is therefore supplied by a certain segment of the spinal cord. Take C7 for example, this allows us to bend our elbow.

Nerves can become injured through compression or force, which in many cases comes back to obtaining a poor posture. Spinal nerve root compression describes this pressure on the spinal nerve roots. This conditions leads to problems such as herniated disks. When this happens, there is a deficits that then occur in the corresponding limbs, for example a shooting pain down your leg may in fact be the result of a spinal misalignment.

At Advanced Myotherapy, in Carlton, we take on a non surgical approach, addressing the problem and the cause. Today we live in a quick fix society where surgery can produce positive results in certain cases, but often fails to heal the pain as the problem is not detected correctly in the first place. Surgery as well as been costly also carries the risk of complications which then can go on to require further surgeries.

We recognise each individual is different at Advanced Myotherapy, and therefore requires a treatment personalised to them. We offer a number of different approaches to treat spinal alignment by competent health professionals.

A Chiropractor will adjust you if subluxation (partial dislocation) is found or there is any other misalignment of your spinal joints. By adjusting the vertebrae a chiropractor will be restoring your natural spinal alignment. This releases any compressions on the spinal cord, allowing the signals through the nervous system to flow without been inhibited.

A session of massage therapy can also restore your posture by relaxing the muscles if the healthcare professional has a sound understanding of the neuromuscular system.

By providing our clients with this further knowledge and education enables an efficient recovery as well as long term results.

Services: Massage Melbourne :: Chiropractor Melbourne :: Myotherapy Melbourne

Myofascial Release - March Article 2012

What is Myofascial release and what exactly do we do here here at Advanced Myotherapy in Carlton, Melbourne? Lets go back to the basics.

Myotherapy's literal translation means muscle therapy. The fascia, covering every muscle, bone, blood vessel, organ and nerve is a tough connecting tissue. This supports, cushions and provides stability for us during our everyday activities even sleeping. During a Myotherapy session the therapist applies pressure using a hands on technique that stretches out a restricted area of the fascia. This results in the effected tissue undergoing a change in length and therefore becoming softer and relaxed.

Restriction of the fascia system is the result of any kind of trauma, inflammation or poor posture. The fascia becomes tight, this restricts blood flow and consequently becomes a source of tension. There is a loss of strength, co ordination and endurance as a result. If not treated, the contraction process is accentuated and in the long run this poor muscular biometrics results in a alteration of the structural aliment. A common example of this is internal rotation of the shoulders. This can be the result from sitting at a desk on a computer all day with poor posture. The peck major muscles have become restricted pulling the body out of it's normal alignment.

The benefits of myofascial release can be gained in just one hour by booking a session with a competent health professional, this can be in the form of myotherapy or even a massage therapy session. At Advanced Myotherapy we treat the problem and the root cause, maintaining our clients overall health, and allowing them to gain functional and pain free movement. Something which in reality should be an everyday given.

At Advanced Myotherapy all our initial appointments are 90 minutes. We will discuss with you the areas of your fascia which have become restricted and judge the severity through a physical evaluation. From here a treatment plan can be devised in order restore your range of movement. Relief from the initial pain can be obtained in this initial session, however in other cases a client may require further follow up treatments. In this instance at Advanced Myotherapy we offer a maintenance care package, where after 3 more treatments you will get the 4th one for free.

As well as the treatment sessions at Advanced Myotherapy, with either a massage therapist, myotherapist or chiropractor, we educate all our clients in combining this with basic self care routines at home. We encourage regular exercise, daily stretches and applying heat in the form of wheat bags to affected areas. Together this focuses on long term results, an active recovery and a commitment of self care towards restoring and maintaining the bodies equilibrium.

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Massage Melbourne :: Chiropractor Melbourne :: Myotherapy Melbourne

Maintaining Wellness in 2012

Advanced Myotherapy would like to wish all of you a wonderful fresh start for the new year. 


Last year was an enormous growth year for us as we expanded our sphere of practice into Chiropractic, welcoming Dr. John Ahmar on board. 

So now - not only are we treating the cause and symptoms - but we have a team that works together in helping the community to restore and maintain health from the core foundations.


For the New Year, we plan on continuing to develop our reach to an even greater capacity, to help our clients towards their potential for wellbeing. 


Offering a range of modalities to suit various needs of individuals, our confidence in being a trusted practice of specialist therapists is growing, with the numbers of successful treatments, programs and recovery results. 

Working with professional Sports men and women, elite athletes and acute to chronic injuries, we have a long list of testimonials (click here to see) from those who have recovered from injuries and conditions that the medical professionals have recommended surgery for. 


Last year we had a wonderful story of recovery, where by we assisted a client in avoiding surgery that was recommended and are pleased to say, have seen make huge progress in the right direction. 


Grant Smith reported having a new MRI a year after being told he needed surgery for a herniated disc...only to find it had completely healed in terms of structure, with a little more nerve regeneration to take place. 


Congratulations Grant, we could not be more stoked. So beyond recovery, our priority at Advanced Myotherapy is Self Maintenance and Care. 


So our advice to you, as someone who knows the value of Myotherapy and self care, is to make your health a priority this year, and maintain your wellbeing with regular stretching, exercise, a natural diet and regular treatments. 


We wish you a safe and productive HEALTHY 2012!


See you soon. 


Best wishes from the team at Advanced Myotherapy. 

August at Advanced Myotherapy

This month we bring you our new website! 

Check it out here: www.advanced-myotherapy.com

Also a big "Congratulations" to those who completed the Melbourne Fun Run. We had some great feedback and results, which we are proud to be a part of.

August is also the last month of Winter, so be sure to take advantage of our Special 90-min Aromatherapy Massage for the price of 1 hour before appointments are taken! 

We are seeing quite a number of people getting colds at the moment, so for top tips on home remedies that don't cost a cent, head to our facebook page by "clicking here" to find some top cold remedies & help keep the doctor away!

There we discuss methods of clearing congestion including the use of certain essential oils, as well as some powerful healing foods such as honey, that are anti-bacterial and have long been used as natural "anti-biotics"!

Our medicinal tea has been a big hit with clients who have been asking us for the recipe not only because of it's healing powers but because it taste so great! So here it is... 

Simply squeeze 3 - 4 lemons in a jug, slice up about a dice size of ginger (or more if you wish), add honey and hot water and walla! It's that easy and it doesn't need to cost a cent! Don't you love nature!

Also common in winter is the feeling of fatigue...

Fighting fatigue successfully depends on approaching the issue holistically, though there are a few golden principles that we feel you must know. Simple things such as a sufficient restful sleep, nutrients and physical exercise make the world of difference in keeping up with demands on our energy. 

If suffering sleep deprivation or having difficulties staying asleep at night, there are a number of handy things to know, that are used successfully by many to assist proper rest and relaxation. Usually a few drops of Lavender essential oil massaged into the temples and wrists will sooth the nerves and calm us enough to fall asleep. 

We also recommend Rescue Sleep Spray which is a botanical blend of flower essences that help in much the same way, only ingested orally with a couple of sprays under the tongue. This spray is great for those odd nights you find it that little bit harder to unwind and stop thinking while trying to fall asleep.

Sometimes it can be a good idea to set a routine of winding down at the end of the day to prepare for bed time. This can be as simple as having a hot shower. A great tip is to put a few drops of a  calming essential oil on the shower floor (or whatever oil you feel like), so as to have the steam work its magic in releasing the therapeutic benefits of the aroma, inducing a relaxed and pleasant mood. 

Switching off from technology is another big help that most people find, as going straight to bed after emailing or working on a computer, can be difficult to cut off from the stimulating brain noise.

Some great energy foods to help dissolve lathargy are citrus especially. Foods that are bright in colour are said to brighten our own energy levels, though another thing to watch, is that you don't over eat. Eating too big a meal at any time during the day is known to zap your energy, leaving you feeling heavy, slow and weighed down. So if you find yourself suffering from winter fatigue and low energy, be sure to drink plenty of fluids so as not to fill up too much on heavy foods.

Last but not least, one of the best ways to enhace our energy levels is to ensure we are getting enough fresh air! Opening windows is a start, but exercising the lungs is vital for vitality, both physically and mentally, which is needless to say, as what influences the body, influences the mind and vice versa. Poor circulation is a common yet easiliy pre-ventable problem that many face, particularly with such poor building design, that does little to promote fresh air flow. 

Many office buildings are designed without windows that open, so if you are in an office building, be sure to get out during lunch for at least a brisk walk to open up the lungs and promote energy flow throughout the body. Employing these simple strategies can go a long way in enhacing your energy levels. Just a reminder, as it's easy to forget, even though most of us already know, it can be good to sometimes have that little shove in the right direction, to apply our wisdom. 

Another little tip, is if you do work at a desk, and especially with a computer, make sure you balance the carbon with a plant by your side! This will make the air quality better for you also.

Lastly we have a new addition to our Health Essentials range which we know you will all love! We know some of you have been waiting for these to arrive, and finally they have. We welcome a fantastic little self care tool, the Massage trigger point knob. These little guys are great for laying on, either for the gluts, hips, neck or back...as well as applying pressure for self massage in aching areas. We are sure you will find them a useful tool.


That's all for this month. We hope you are all enjoying the brighter days and budding plants again leading up to Spring. Have a fantastic August everyone. We look forward to seeing you soon for your next tune up!