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Showing posts from October, 2012

Pay Attention to Your Everyday Aches.

According to the Institute for Preventative Foot Health, almost 80% of American adults have encountered some type of foot problem. This is a number I find surprising considering our overall sedentary lifestyles. None-the-less, it seems that anything from improper shoe size, high-impact exercise, slips & falls, and "surprise-surprise"   - obesity -  can trigger a pain causing condition. To avoid a lifelong injury it is important to take your discomfort seriously. Even something as seemingly minor as sore feet or bunions can worsen over time. If left unchecked, they can ultimately result in costly surgery and time away from doing the things that you love. For more information, visit the American Podiatric Medical Association's web site: http://www.apma.org/ As always – Enjoy Your Life! John Aaron Villarreal Bio: I am a Houston based, male massage therapist and wellness coach specializing in pain management and health programs for individuals over the age of f

Sports Massage for Total Body Wellness

Sometimes I’m asked why people seek out my services as a massage therapist. Well, for some, massage therapy is used as a treatment to relax from emotional stress or to heal the body from physical strain. Considering the various massage treatments and styles that are available, there is sure to be something that naturally targets any specific area of the body that needs special care. Sports massage, for example, helps to break down acids which build in the muscles during strenuous activity. For these clients, sports massage helps get the muscles back into acclimated form, and also helps to restore and maintain proper body movement and muscular function through incorporating stretch and joint mobilization into the massage. A sports massage can aid in both pre and post sport events by increasing blood and nutrient circulation to the muscles and by assisting the body in eliminating metabolic wastes that are the byproducts produced by strenuous activity. If there is a sports injury, m

Lowering Blood Pressure with Low-Fat Dairy

Moo juice. It’s more than a kid’s drink and fortunately for me, I never grew too old to stop appreciating a tall cold glass of milk. I’m even more psyched about it now that I know about a Dutch study performed on hypertensive adults 55 and older. The research data suggests that low-fat dairy products such as milk, cheese, and yogurt may lower blood pressure or even help prevent hypertension all together. Here’s How it Works: The key is in the minerals and avoiding “fat free” dairy. It seems that consuming milk with a modest amount of fat helps to increase the bio-availability of calcium in the dairy. This makes the calcium easier for the digestive track to absorb. In addition to being a great source of calcium, low-fat dairy is also an excellent source of two other blood-pressure-lowering nutrients: magnesium and potassium. Here’s How Much You Need: As part of a daily regimen, you should consider following the guidelines of a 2006 study from Harvard Medical School, which sugges