Over the years, we’ve profiled a lot of ergonomic computer mice here on Gizmag. They’ve all taken the approach of redesigning the mouse itself to alleviate computer-related repetitive strain injuries (RSI’s). The Ergoroller, however, looks to a redesign of the wrist support to achieve the same ends. Like a conventional wrist support, it provides a place to rest your mousing arm, so you’re not constantly straining to hold it in position. Unlike one, however, it contains two rows of steel bearings, that massage your tendons and ligaments as you move your hand.
Utah-based electrical designer Jason Perkins invented the Ergoroller, and tells us he has been researching and developing the device for the past decade. While it’s marketed primarily for use in computing, Perkins says it can also be used therapeutically, for the relief of pain already present due to RSI’s. It is presently in use at the University of Utah Hospital, and Utah’s Hill Air Force Base has expressed an interest in the product. Aircraft mechanics have also been using it, to break up their tool-usage routines.
Perkins claims that the Ergoroller promotes blood flow through the carpal tunnel, and that it promotes proper wrist alignment. If you’ve already had carpal tunnel surgery, he says, it can help break up the internal scar tissue, and help restore your range of motion. It can also be used on the feet, or anywhere else that needs de-stressing.
2010年3月18日星期四
2010年3月17日星期三
Tattoo and massage parlors in Palm Desert to be targeted in public hearing
Palm Desert officials could soon be sending out a message to tattoo, massage and second-hand businesses in the city: Stay off Highway 111 and El Paseo.
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. today at City Hall on a proposed ordinance making the city's key retail corridors off limits for these and other types of businesses deemed inappropriate — fortune tellers, bail bonds companies, pool halls and smoke shops.
Such businesses “do not contribute to the positive development or economic vitality of Highway 111 and El Paseo and are antithetical to the core economic interests of the city,” the proposed law says.
The five tattoo parlors, eight massage businesses, one palm reader and three smoke shops currently on Highway 111 and El Paseo would be grandfathered in under the proposed law, a staff report says.
The commission will also hold a public hearing on revisions to the city's hillside development ordinance, prohibiting development on or across rock outcroppings.
The city already bans development on hillside ridge lines. The proposed law defines outcroppings as “a rock formation that is a part of an underlying layer of rock, that projects above the surface of the surrounding ground.”
The Planning Commission will hold a public hearing at 6 p.m. today at City Hall on a proposed ordinance making the city's key retail corridors off limits for these and other types of businesses deemed inappropriate — fortune tellers, bail bonds companies, pool halls and smoke shops.
Such businesses “do not contribute to the positive development or economic vitality of Highway 111 and El Paseo and are antithetical to the core economic interests of the city,” the proposed law says.
The five tattoo parlors, eight massage businesses, one palm reader and three smoke shops currently on Highway 111 and El Paseo would be grandfathered in under the proposed law, a staff report says.
The commission will also hold a public hearing on revisions to the city's hillside development ordinance, prohibiting development on or across rock outcroppings.
The city already bans development on hillside ridge lines. The proposed law defines outcroppings as “a rock formation that is a part of an underlying layer of rock, that projects above the surface of the surrounding ground.”
2010年3月16日星期二
Alternative health care finally getting its due
For the Morris siblings, integrated medicine is a family affair.
Naturopathic doctor Glenna Morris, said that having a sister who is an MD has generated a healthy respect for their respective medical disciplines.
“My sister and I went though the process so close together in medical school, it helped me stay open to mainstream medicine, and opened her to knowing how rigorous study was for naturopathic medicine,” she said.
Her open-mindedness has played a part in the success of her integrated health clinic, Balance Health Centre. Demand there has been consistently strong for the four naturopathic doctors, a chiropractor, two massage therapists, two colon therapists and a life coach who work on site.
Putting alternative health services under one roof has proven a benefit for an industry that often faces skepticism on the part of patients and doctors, she adds. “The model works because we offer a professional setting, and that builds trust with patients.”
Naturopathic doctor Katherine Willow has been providing integrated health services at the Carp Ridge EcoWellness Centre northwest of Ottawa since 1997. Not only does the site provide naturopathic care, massage therapy, orthotherapy, and nutritional and emotional counselling services, Willow has also engaged a medical doctor to complete the picture.
Having spent close to 13 years in promoting integrated care, she has seen a considerable shift in attitudes. “People have become more educated and [are] pushing this. Now we’re getting some referrals from medical doctors — which is quite new and wonderful for us.” She said having an MD on site is an important factor in building patient trust.
Retailer Tom Weir, general manager for FeelGood Natural Health Store & Clinic in Oshawa, Ont., also sees the value in creating a central site for alternative health services. The store has two clinic rooms that are shared by multiple practitioners, including a naturopath, a homeopath, osteopathic doctor, acupuncturist and reflexologist. It is situated next door to a large medical clinic.
The interest in complementary and alternative medicines is gaining traction with all types of customers, Weir said, from seniors looking to treat health conditions, to business professionals and parents interested in preventive care for their children. There are even a few canine patients.
Offering services in a public setting allows practitioners to demystify things for customers, said Rajesh Ragbir, a naturopathic doctor who works three days a week at the store clinic. “We see people from all across the spectrum who aren’t quite sure what they need but are interested in learning more. In some cases, they are frustrated with what they are getting in the medical community. Others are quite happy with their medical doctors. We’re here to show that it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition.”
That type of thinking is what led the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine’s department of family medicine at McMaster University to encourage physicians to examine alternative therapies first. It is the first university in Canada to include exposure to alternative medical practitioners through on-site visits and information exchange as part of its core curriculum.
According to department chair Dr. David Price, “It’s quite clear that patients are accessing alternative and complementary therapies. Yet physicians in general have little to no awareness of what a naturopath, chiropractor or massage therapist does. It simply makes sense to expose students to these fields so they can look at these disciplines critically and understand what their patients are doing.”
“Studies show that 73 per cent of Canadians in their lifetime use complementary and alternative medicine,” said Dr. Esther Konigsberg, assistant clinical professor at McMaster, who helped to develop the program. “Medical students get to see how these practitioners work, the results they achieve, and how to engage with patients. A lot of times it totally opens up their minds to these fields and how they can work together to deliver more effective results.”
Naturopathic doctor Glenna Morris, said that having a sister who is an MD has generated a healthy respect for their respective medical disciplines.
“My sister and I went though the process so close together in medical school, it helped me stay open to mainstream medicine, and opened her to knowing how rigorous study was for naturopathic medicine,” she said.
Her open-mindedness has played a part in the success of her integrated health clinic, Balance Health Centre. Demand there has been consistently strong for the four naturopathic doctors, a chiropractor, two massage therapists, two colon therapists and a life coach who work on site.
Putting alternative health services under one roof has proven a benefit for an industry that often faces skepticism on the part of patients and doctors, she adds. “The model works because we offer a professional setting, and that builds trust with patients.”
Naturopathic doctor Katherine Willow has been providing integrated health services at the Carp Ridge EcoWellness Centre northwest of Ottawa since 1997. Not only does the site provide naturopathic care, massage therapy, orthotherapy, and nutritional and emotional counselling services, Willow has also engaged a medical doctor to complete the picture.
Having spent close to 13 years in promoting integrated care, she has seen a considerable shift in attitudes. “People have become more educated and [are] pushing this. Now we’re getting some referrals from medical doctors — which is quite new and wonderful for us.” She said having an MD on site is an important factor in building patient trust.
Retailer Tom Weir, general manager for FeelGood Natural Health Store & Clinic in Oshawa, Ont., also sees the value in creating a central site for alternative health services. The store has two clinic rooms that are shared by multiple practitioners, including a naturopath, a homeopath, osteopathic doctor, acupuncturist and reflexologist. It is situated next door to a large medical clinic.
The interest in complementary and alternative medicines is gaining traction with all types of customers, Weir said, from seniors looking to treat health conditions, to business professionals and parents interested in preventive care for their children. There are even a few canine patients.
Offering services in a public setting allows practitioners to demystify things for customers, said Rajesh Ragbir, a naturopathic doctor who works three days a week at the store clinic. “We see people from all across the spectrum who aren’t quite sure what they need but are interested in learning more. In some cases, they are frustrated with what they are getting in the medical community. Others are quite happy with their medical doctors. We’re here to show that it doesn’t have to be an either/or proposition.”
That type of thinking is what led the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine’s department of family medicine at McMaster University to encourage physicians to examine alternative therapies first. It is the first university in Canada to include exposure to alternative medical practitioners through on-site visits and information exchange as part of its core curriculum.
According to department chair Dr. David Price, “It’s quite clear that patients are accessing alternative and complementary therapies. Yet physicians in general have little to no awareness of what a naturopath, chiropractor or massage therapist does. It simply makes sense to expose students to these fields so they can look at these disciplines critically and understand what their patients are doing.”
“Studies show that 73 per cent of Canadians in their lifetime use complementary and alternative medicine,” said Dr. Esther Konigsberg, assistant clinical professor at McMaster, who helped to develop the program. “Medical students get to see how these practitioners work, the results they achieve, and how to engage with patients. A lot of times it totally opens up their minds to these fields and how they can work together to deliver more effective results.”
2010年3月15日星期一
Boost Confidence, Gain Massage Clients?
Massage therapists who are confident in their self-assessments tend to know whether or not they have made a good impression on a potential client, new research suggests.
Psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis and Wake Forest University have tested people in first-impression settings in the laboratory and have found that confidence makes all the difference in knowing whether you've hit a homerun or struck out.
Erika N. Carlson, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology in Arts & Sciences; her advisor Simine Vazire, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology; and Wake Forest University's R. Michael Furr, Ph.D., engaged some 280 students in opposite-sex pairings from both universities in five-minute conversation after which impressions (your rating of your partner's personality traits) and metaperceptions (your rating of how you think your partner rated your personality traits) were recorded on 60 personality items (such as nice, funny, outgoing), which were rated on a scale from 1
to 7.
There was a twist to their study. The researchers asked a confidence question: How confident are you in your estimation of how your partner sees your personality?
"In the past, researchers hadn't asked whether you know when you're accurate in first impressions, nor your degree of confidence," Carlson says.
"We found that people who were poor at making good meta-impressions were less confident than people who made accurate ones. So, after making a first impression, if you're confident in your judgment, you're likely to be right."
At the crux of knowing you've made a good impression is something called calibration, or "being confident when you're right and uncertain when you're wrong," says Vazire. "Not well-calibrated people are confident when they're wrong and uncertain when they're right.
Psychologists at Washington University in St. Louis and Wake Forest University have tested people in first-impression settings in the laboratory and have found that confidence makes all the difference in knowing whether you've hit a homerun or struck out.
Erika N. Carlson, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Psychology in Arts & Sciences; her advisor Simine Vazire, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology; and Wake Forest University's R. Michael Furr, Ph.D., engaged some 280 students in opposite-sex pairings from both universities in five-minute conversation after which impressions (your rating of your partner's personality traits) and metaperceptions (your rating of how you think your partner rated your personality traits) were recorded on 60 personality items (such as nice, funny, outgoing), which were rated on a scale from 1
to 7.
There was a twist to their study. The researchers asked a confidence question: How confident are you in your estimation of how your partner sees your personality?
"In the past, researchers hadn't asked whether you know when you're accurate in first impressions, nor your degree of confidence," Carlson says.
"We found that people who were poor at making good meta-impressions were less confident than people who made accurate ones. So, after making a first impression, if you're confident in your judgment, you're likely to be right."
At the crux of knowing you've made a good impression is something called calibration, or "being confident when you're right and uncertain when you're wrong," says Vazire. "Not well-calibrated people are confident when they're wrong and uncertain when they're right.
2010年3月14日星期日
Aetheria Relaxation Spa participates in Deal Days
Aetheria Relaxation Spa, in conjunction with SpaFinder, is part of the weeklong Deal Days promotion, now through Sunday, March 14. As part of the event, customers may experience one of two specially selected, full-service, 50-minute spa treatments for just $50.
Aetheria, at 121 Cherry Street, is offering guests a Swedish massage or deep cleansing facial for the special price.
“The benefits of massage therapy are incredible for our overall health and well-being,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, owner of Aetheria. “It’s important to recognize how stress can tax a person’s immune system. Long-term, high-stress lifestyles are a significant factor in illness. By participating in SpaFinder’s Deal Days, we’re providing an opportunity for everyone to experience what it is like to feel truly relaxed.”
Sign-ups for treatments are first come, first served, and space is limited.
Aetheria, at 121 Cherry Street, is offering guests a Swedish massage or deep cleansing facial for the special price.
“The benefits of massage therapy are incredible for our overall health and well-being,” said Elizabeth McCarthy, owner of Aetheria. “It’s important to recognize how stress can tax a person’s immune system. Long-term, high-stress lifestyles are a significant factor in illness. By participating in SpaFinder’s Deal Days, we’re providing an opportunity for everyone to experience what it is like to feel truly relaxed.”
Sign-ups for treatments are first come, first served, and space is limited.
2010年3月11日星期四
Massage-a-thon
El Paso - It is a nice stress reliever that also serves as an educational tool.
Several people gathered at the Rio Grande Campus of El Paso Community College to get a five dollar massage.
EPCC's physical therapist club is trying to raise money to go to its annual conference.
The school says the 15 minute massage is nothing short of a full body rub...
"The students love it, the employees love it. it's a stress relief before spring break, exam time."
People come back year after year for the massage-a-thon. But this year, folks got an extra treat with a coupon printed in the campus newspaper.
2010年3月10日星期三
Massage Envy Launches Regional Web Sites for North Carolina
Massage Envy of North Carolina, the leading provider of professional, convenient and affordable therapeutic massage, has recently launched a regional online marketing campaign for 2010. The initiative will include four metro-area Web sites for its 25 North Carolina clinics located in the Charlotte metro, Greensboro-Triad, Raleigh-Durham and Wilmington areas. These new Web sites will contain local content, promotions and events, and work in conjunction with ongoing online marketing campaigns and social media.
"Our area Web sites will provide a better communication portal for our customers and members by educating them about the many benefits of massage and promotional offers available to them," said Jim Fitzsimmons, regional developer for Massage Envy NC. "Establishing area Web sites will also help with online search engines so that Massage Envy locations can be more easily and readily found."
"Our area Web sites will provide a better communication portal for our customers and members by educating them about the many benefits of massage and promotional offers available to them," said Jim Fitzsimmons, regional developer for Massage Envy NC. "Establishing area Web sites will also help with online search engines so that Massage Envy locations can be more easily and readily found."
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