Cold Laser Therapy used in Health Care Victoria, uses laser light to speed the healing process, and is finding widespread use among pain management specialists, including the practitioners at Diversified Health Clinic.
Photo Credit: handleychiropractic.com
The name LASER is made from an acronym. Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. It is a very pure form of light energy, of a single wavelength. Laser light therapy works by penetrating the laser light deeply into the skin, which stimulates cellular activity, helps to reduce inflammation, repairs tissue and accelerate the healing process.
The treatment involves the application of red and near infra-red light over injuries. Laser and LED beams of light are used to stimulate the cells in the body that repair tissue, reduce inflammation and reduce pain. It is a highly effective treatment for acute soft tissue injuries and chronic pain.
Laser therapy has been proven to be remarkably safe, painless and effective in treating both acute injuries and chronic pain of various kinds. It has been particularly helpful in stubborn and persistent conditions, such as chronic neck and back pain, tendinitis, plantar fasciitis and other joint and muscle pains. The treatments are pain free, non invasive and there is no recovery time. The treatment time is any where from 10 – 20 minutes, with the majority of patients feeling nothing during the treatment; with a small percentage of our patients feeling a slight tingling or warmth.
The benefits of laser therapy include:
- Decreased inflammation & decreased pain
- Increased blood flow to the injured site
- Minimized formation of scar tissue & growth of new, healthy tissues
- Speeds up recovery time
The results will depend on the individual’s over all health and condition and the length of time that the condition has existed. Please contact one of our knowledgeable practitioners to find out more information on Cold Laser Therapy used in Health Care Victoria.
Seasonal Allergies and Acupuncture | acupuncture victoria bc – written by Victoria Spaurel R.Ac.
Acupuncture is an effective option for allergy symptom control. Although it does not, in my experience, stop symptoms from returning the following year, it does reduce the body’s reactivity, leaving you less dependent on medications, and able to enjoy your spring and summer more.
My treatments allow patients who normally live on anti-histamines all season long the ability to go off them if acupuncture is administered regularly during the season when they are affected. Typically treatments begin with the onset of symptoms and are repeated once per week for 3 weeks, then once every two weeks for the remainder of the season.
Once symptoms are under control patients report improved energy and less reactivity to pollens. In part it is because they no longer require energy sapping anti-histamines to function, but also because their immune system is no longer using up so much energy to react.
An additional benefit to acupuncture for hay fever is that it helps prevent all the secondary infections allergy sufferers are prone to – such as colds, conjunctivitis, or chronic sinusitis.
With the allergy season getting started, consider acupuncture. It is a safe, natural and drug-free method of effectively addressing seasonal allergy symptoms.
– Victoria Spaurel is a registered Acupuncturist having graduated from the Canadian College of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine in Victoria BC in 2005. At Diversified Health, Victoria has had tremendous success assisting patients to reach their health goals. She uses a narrative approach to patient interviews, which helps build trust and enriches her understanding of the concerns at hand. Treatments are always designed and paced to suit her patients.
What Does a Physiotherapist Do? | physiotherapy victoria bc – With more moving parts than any other machine, it is not surprising that our body occasionally feels pain. There are hundreds of different muscles and joints that can go wrong. Physiotherapy uses a variety of techniques to help your muscles and joints work to their full potential. Physiotherapy is used to reduce pain with various methods to make it possible for the patient to lead a normal life again.
Many people first encounter a physiotherapist following orthopedic surgery. An exercise regime and other treatments can greatly assist following a fracture or joint replacement.
People suffering with other musculoskeletal disorders, sports injuries, spinal problems, joint or muscle pain, arthritis, etc. are treated with exercises, mobilizations, manipulation, acupuncture, ultrasound and numerous other modalities.
Diversified Health Clinic - Rehab Gym
Canadian researchers at the University of Western Ontario published a landmark study showing that physiotherapy combined with medication was just as effective as arthroscopic surgery in treating osteo-arthritic knees. “Many arthritic joints are helped by work on flexibility and strength,” says study co-author Dr. Robert Litchfield, an orthopedic surgeon and the medical director of the university’s Fowler Kennedy Sport Medicine Clinic.
Particularly beneficial for sufferers of lower back pain, physiotherapy is used to release tension and so reduce pain in the back. Various tactics are used such as exercise, traction, massage, acupuncture and spinal decompression – The program of physiotherapy can ease chronic pain by strengthening the muscles that surround painful joints or muscles. Treatment will depend on the source of the problem, using a three-fold approach: weight management (to reduce stress on joints), muscle strengthening (to improve mobility and reduce recurrence) and “re-patterning” of muscles.
One fast-growing area of practice uses physiotherapy techniques to address pelvic floor disorders, which can occur when pelvic muscles tighten, shorten or fall into spasm after pregnancy, childbirth or abdominal surgery. The pelvic floor muscles help support the spine and abdominal organs.
Stretches and strengthening exercises done at home are crucial to treating most problems. It takes time and practice to stretch or retrain muscles that have a long-established bad habit. For more information on What Does a Physiotherapist Do? | physiotherapy victoria bc – please contact our Physiotherapists and book a consultation.
Lauren Wills our Registered Massage Therapist and Victoria Spaurel our registered Acupuncturist are combining their services, and are offering any one who books both a 60 minute massage and a 60 minute acupuncture session between May 15th and May 19th, 25% off both services.
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Acupuncture
Victoria has had tremendous success assisting patients to reach their health goals. She uses a narrative approach to patient interviews, which helps build trust and enriches her understanding of the concerns at hand. Treatments are always designed and paced to suit her patients. Victoria enjoys working closely with people of all ages and walks of life to create a realistic treatment plan for each individual. An Initial visit is $85.00 + HST, a subsequent visit is $75.00 + HST
Massage
Lauren is a determined young lady, who is more than willing to put the time, effort, and energy into her treatments. She has always believed in and promoted a healthy lifestyle. Lauren believes that everyone should be graced with a balanced mind and body. She believes in living a healthy lifestyle and that balancing your mind, body and soul is important and easily over looked in our fast pace modern lifestyles. A one hour massage is $90.00 includes HST.
To book your appointments, please call us at 250-382-0018!
When we first met her, Laurie came into our office very upset, fed up and feeling like nobody could help her, and that we probably couldn’t do anything much for her either. Her doctors had told her to learn to live with the constant pain she’d been experiencing for several years, and were apparently baffled by her condition.
Laurie told us that the pain had taken over her life. She could no longer work, and her marriage was not doing well. Her relationship with her teenage daughter was also very bad. Laurie said she knew adolescent girls were tough to cope with, but she also knew that they needed some attention, and Laurie was unable to interact with her daughter on most days because of the pain. She felt guilty and inadequate because she felt like a failure, both at work and in her family life.
A friend had suggested that maybe we would pay some actual attention to her symptoms and would help her to attain some level of health and freedom from pain. She was hesitant because she’d never been to a chiropractor, and wasn’t quite sure what the experience would be like.
We took a complete medical history to determine if there were any obvious or subtler areas of trauma. The evidence suggested that Laurie was suffering from myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), a painful problem characterized by “trigger points” of pain, and a limited range of motion in the affected area. It’s also a condition that is exacerbated by stress. Ironically, in her worry and fear over finding a way to pain relief, Laurie was inadvertently worsening the condition.
Laurie could point out where the pain spots of her myofascial pain syndrome were located, and we were also able to readily identify the knobby points of muscle tissue in each place where she said she was hurting so badly. A trained and experienced doctor of chiropractic can find these trigger points by touch.
We devised a Recommended Action Plan, including regular chiropractic adjustments, massage therapy and some good lifestyle changes that Laurie needed to commit to, such as some simple exercises she could perform and a regular plan of walking for at least three times each week. We cautioned Laurie not to expect an instant cure, but instead to look for steady improvement if she followed our recommendations.
After several weeks, and to her obvious amazement, Laurie said the pain was starting to disappear. It wasn’t totally gone, and she still had some bad days. But she also had some good days too, something she hadn’t seen for years! We slightly increased the time and the distance that Laurie should walk and told her to continue the simple exercises. We also reduced the care as scheduled to twice a week. Laurie agreed to this plan.
Laurie’s situation has improved markedly since then, and soon we may even go to once a month should her progress continue at this level.
In other news, Laurie’s relationship with her husband and daughter has greatly improved. For example, now that her pain has diminished so much, she’s been able to pay attention to her husband. (Much to their mutual delight!) Also, instead of fixating on her pain alone, she can listen to what troubles him as well as share the joy he experienced with a recent promotion on the job. She even went out to dinner with him and his colleagues, something she hadn’t done for years! Her daughter is still a teenager, and teenagers can be quite a handful. But now that Laurie can respond to what her daughter needs (not always giving her what she wants, of course!), her relationship with her daughter has also improved.
The pain has abated so much that Laurie has been able to return to work part-time, which has been good for her pocketbook and for her self-esteem. Laurie reports that she, her husband, and her daughter are all very grateful for the chiropractic care that she received in our office, and it has given her back her life, all because her friend referred her to our office. Who do you know that may be living needlessly in pain?
(We love helping our patients and their friends and relatives through their tough times and getting them feeling better! We are here to help you stay, feel better and look younger! Don’t be a stranger. Call us and we will assist you in putting together a custom maintenance plan.
Our Victoria clinic offers tips on how to reduce yoga injuries, starting with how yoga offers great health benefits by enabling you to develop your flexibility, strength, and balance. For most healthy people yoga is a safe form of exercise, however yoga injuries can occur.
Most yoga injuries result from overstretching and strain from repetition; certain types of poses can increase your likelihood of being injured if you have the following conditions such as severe osteoporosis, high or low blood pressure or being pregnant.
Yoga
Here are some tips to help you reduce your risk of injury from yoga.
– Don’t learn yoga on your own. Work with an experienced yoga instructor to learn the proper way to perform the poses.
– There are many different types of yoga so before beginning any new type of yoga, ask about its physical demands. Talk with the instructor and others who do that type of yoga.
– Remember to learn the basics, such as proper breathing and how to maintain balance, before attempting more ambitious poses.
– As with any exercise, warming up is essential: cold muscles can increase the chance of an injury, also if you don’t understand a particular pose, ask to see it again and don’t feel embarrassed if you need to ask further questions.
– Stay hydrated during your sessions, especially if you are practicing Hot Yoga, which is done in a warm, humid room.
– Yoga should never hurt, so if you start to feel dizzy, faint or any type of pain, stop the pose immediately. You can then ask your instructor for a modified pose.
Consult with your health care provider before starting a yoga program if you are pregnant or have a pre-existing health condition. Your health care provider can help you decide what type yoga exercise is safe for you.
Our Victoria clinic offers tips on how to reduce yoga injuries, and we would like to leave you with this thought. Yoga is a perfect exercising routine in itself; it pacifies the mind, and keeps the body healthy.
Finding the right Health or Medical Clinics Victoria BC means you need to choose a clinic that is best suited for your needs. You have a responsibility and right to check therapists, physicians, massage therapists, acupuncturists, chiropractors and any practitioner out very carefully before going to their office.
Health & Medical Clinics Victoria BC
Here is a list of questions to get you started.
- Make sure to pick a clinic that is convenient to your schedule, including access to parking.
- Is the clinic staff friendly and helpful and are they good about returning calls?
- How easy is it to reach the practitioner?
- Will the clinic make exceptions for emergencies, and will they take walk in appointments?
- Can the clinic take care of your needs in a timely manner?
You should feel comfortable with your practitioner and the office staff. Also think about how you are treated once you are in the treatment room.
- Is the practitioner present and really listen to you?
- Is the practitioner asking questions and do they have the information and knowledge to help you?
- Does the practitioner invite you to be involved in your care?
- Do you usually feel better and more hopeful after each session?
Diversified Health Clinic is leading the way in aesthetically functional design, combined with cutting edge technology for a non-clinical, compassionate experience for practitioners, patients, visitors and staff; so finding the right Health or Medical Clinics Victoria BC has never been easier.
Please call 250-382-0018 to book a tour of the clinic or to book an appointment.
