Use Caution with Muscle Pain Relief Products

I recently heard that over-the-counter muscle pain relief products could be toxic.  I looked it up myself, and found many muscle pain relief products contain methyl salicylate (and menthol) and can be harmful if misused or overused.  Believe it or not, there is one case of death from overuse of Bengay.  

Methyl salicylate is naturally produced by wintergreens known as wintergreen oil, or synthetically produced.  It is toxic in pure form (like many medicinal properties), and found in high concentrations in deep heating liniments.  It mainly works as a “counterirritant,” which heats up and cools the skin, so you feel more of the sensation rather than the pain you originally had.  It may be effective more for acute pain than chronic pain.

Some of the muscle pain relief brand names (generic name: menthol/methyl salicylate topical) are: Bengay, Icy Hot, Mentholatum D, Salonpas Pain Patch, and many sold as “muscle rub.”

Like any other over-the-counter products, it is safe as long as you follow the directions, but harmful or deadly if overused (like taking too many sleeping pills).  I am just trying to caution you because it might be very easy to use a muscle pain relief product too much or too often when you are constantly in pain.  You must:   

• Read the entire information, Warnings, and Directions of the product before using it.  
• Check if your medication (especially, blood thinning medications, NSAIDs, and steroids) may interact with menthol/methyl salicylate topical.  
• Don’t use it with a heating pad, or under a tight bandage.
• Use it temporarily, and see your doctor if the problem persists.    

*If you use “natural” products containing wintergreen oil, same caution should apply.

We Are What We Eat

Thy food shall be thy medicine. – Hippocrates

We can’t talk about health and wellness without discussing what we eat.  I’ve encountered many people who were ill, but became healthy after they changed their diet.  However, I’ve never discussed food since I started this blog one year ago.  Mainly because I do have very strong opinions about it, and some issues can be political (such as GMO – I won’t talk about it here).  I’m going to share a little bit of my background of diet. 

Our eating habit is more or less cultural and depends on what we ate growing up.  I grew up in Japan eating meals made from scratch and cooked with whole foods as most Japanese families did.^*1  We hardly ever used canned/jar food and ate little processed food except Tofu.  We ate a small amount of meat always cooked with vegetables.  We typically bought fish, vegetables and fruit available in that season.  We know we should eat in-season food because they are the best (and cheaper) only during that time.  The food was normally braised, sautéed, grilled (mostly fish), and very occasionally deep fried.  We drank green tea or brown tea (hoji-cha – roasted green tea) after meal.  We ate fruit as a dessert, or small-sized sweets (Japanese or Western).  I don’t remember what we ate for snacks, but definitely not a bag of potato chips or ice cream, and didn’t drink soda except on our birthdays.  I am aware that younger generations probably eat more fast food, chips and soda, but there are a lot of other alternatives, so they don’t have to eat fatty, sweet food all the time.

I almost always cook from scratch using organic ingredients as much as I can.  If I cook something with a packaged/canned sauce even though I use fresh vegetables and meat, I feel like I am not making a proper meal.  If I use a frozen package meal and just heat it up (always adding more vegetables), I don’t consider it “cooking.”  I now make spice mix myself even for ethnic food such as Mexican and Indian, that I usually bought packaged/canned sauce or mix.  I just want to use the ingredients I know, and more importantly, it tastes much, much better (also cheaper).  In the same sense, I never used a boxed cake mix or a frozen pie crust in my life.  If I make cookies, cake or pie, it must be from scratch.  I also occasionally bake bread and make fresh pasta.  Even with all this, I doubt I am considered a great cook in Japan because other Japanese women do as much as I do. 

I do have a high standard for what I eat, and a high expectation for how I prepare meals.  I place such importance on cooking with fresh whole foods because I believe we are what we eat.  That’s why I find the popularity of “supplements” and “superfoods” too excessive.  It is great that people try to be healthier, and I am not against buying dietary supplements.  However, I can’t help thinking why not eat whole foods as this country is abundant in them.  Some people seem to want a magic pill, or a short-cut skipping eating a variety of vegetables and fruit everyday and doing exercises regularly to have healthy life.  “Supplements” are called supplements for a reason.  I believe you need a good foundation of diet first to add supplements to see results.  If we only need a collection of nutrients, do we want to live in the world where everybody has to take just one pill to survive?^*2 

What about “superfoods”?  I believe ALL whole foods are “superfoods” and more beneficial than multiple supplements. The bottom line is to eat a variety of whole foods, not just ones publicized in the media.  Whole foods consist of numerous nutrients (including more complex micronutrients), minerals, fiber, and maybe something else we don’t know yet that is good for us.  Why abandoning the natural gift of Mother Earth?  Above all, eating fresh food would bring us the joy of life.      

*¹ Just for fun, you might want to read “Japanese Women Don’t Get Old or Fat.”

*² I highly recommend a science fiction movie “Soylent Green.”  Made back in the early 70’s, it seemed to have predicted the current course of future already.  It is very profound.

Introduction to Essential Oils

I have been learning about essential oils because massage therapists can incorporate aromatherapy in their practice.  I haven’t used it in my practice yet because I want to ensure safety for my clients.  Some oils and scent could trigger negative responses in people with certain conditions such as pregnancy, high blood pressure and epilepsy.  I myself have acute sense of smell, and my skin is relatively sensitive, so I understand popular oils may not be beneficial for everybody.  If you would like to experience aromatherapy by somebody else, I would recommend you find a “certified” aromatherapist.  

I first started using essential oils in cleaning and laundry (I make homemade cleaning supplies such as cleaning sprays and air freshener).  It is amazing how many important properties essential oils have.  Here are main properties of some of the essential oils I have.  

• Clove: antifungal, antiseptic, antiviral, 
• Eucalyptus: anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral, expectorant
• Lavender: analgesic, antifungal, anti-infections, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic 
• Tee tree: antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, insecticidal, antiseptic, expectorant, stimulant

I refer to this website for my personal use.  It’s based on the book Modern Essentials and describes oil properties and application information for children/sensitive skin and pregnancy (guide).  It is important to know your conditions (allergy, skin type and etc.) and try a patch test before applying oils.

As I wrote in the post about massage products, I care about anything I use for my body (and clients’).  There are many brands of essential oils, and the quality varies by companies.  Make sure that they are NOT “fragrance” oil, cheap, or from a drug store as the website above warns (more information).  I also found this article about what’s the best brand of essential oils, and I would like to try their products. 

I haven’t still learned how to mix different essential oils.  I normally use one or two oils because I like to smell individual distinguished scent.  I have noticed that mixing several oils cancels out their scent and becomes totally different, sometimes unpleasant, or one dominates others.  But, maybe that’s the fun part of mixing essential oils to make your own blend.  I will keep learning!

Auto Accident Injuries

I would like to emphasize strongly to all of you the impact and trauma of auto accidents more than the benefits of massage for accident victims.  I see patients with auto accidents.  They are the victims and survivors.  I feel very compassionate towards them because they didn’t do anything wrong, so they don’t deserve the pain and distress. 

The impact of a car accident on the body and mind can be enormous and long-term even if the accident is not serious.  Even after the physical injury is healed, you might experience chronic pain, even for years, if not treated soon after the accident. (I will explain more about chronic pain in technical terms soon.)  Not only physically, but you will be affected mentally and emotionally.  If the emotional trauma isn’t addressed early on, it might result in PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) and phobias especially if you experience a serious accident.  I’ve noticed that auto accident victims keep talking about their accident over and over.  It seems that they still have some emotion that hasn’t been quite resolved yet.  Listening to what they have to say during the massage session, I believe, is therapeutic and offers them a safe space to recover from their emotional strain.

This article recommends immediate care (such as with energy medicine), therapeutic dialogue, and regular massage for a year or longer for auto accident victims.  The author also recommends we reflect upon our unconscious behavior that could cause suffering for others.  Texting while driving is obviously dangerous as well as drinking and driving.  However, I believe accidents can happen in any other occasions when you are distracted while driving.  Just to name a few, checking messages on the phone, trying to answer the phone, being in a hurry, paying attention to the kids in the back seat, getting upset with other drivers, being stressed out and many more.  Have you done any of these?  Let us all focus on DRIVING, ONLY.   

FAQ: No Pain, No Gain?

“No pain, no gain” is the phrase most frequently heard from clients.  I also believed it, and I liked deep tissue massage before going to massage school.  The first challenging idea for me at school was “A massage doesn’t have to hurt.”  I also explained other changes while at school in the post “A Holistic Approach.”

I found many websites by massage therapists that “No pain, no gain” is a myth, and others express some pain is necessary.  I agree with the latter because it really depends on the condition and the goal of a massage.  If a massage is for a rehabilitation purpose, the pain is not required to get better.  However, if the pain is caused by trigger points, it is necessary to feel the pain especially in the beginning.  Even if treated on trigger points, the pain level shouldn’t exceed the client’s pain threshold.  Tracking the client’s non-verbal cues such as frowning, flickering, and clenching is very important for the therapist.  In addition, the therapist should respect the tissue and know how deep, how fast and how much pressure the tissue can withstand. 

Some of you have high tolerance for pain and also believe “No pain, no gain,” so even if it’s uncomfortably painful, you may not tell your therapist.  If you are not sure about how much pain is reasonable, check to see if you can keep breathing normally.  If your breathing stops frequently, I would guess you are enduring the pain too much.  If you can’t relax, your muscles keep contracted and tight, so a painful massage may not help the condition.  Another guideline can be a pain level of 7 or less on a scale of 1 (no pain) to 10 (unbearable).

Again, it really depends on your condition and the goal of your massage, so good communication between you and your therapist before and during the session is very important.  Don’t stick to “No pain, no gain”!

Massage Products & Safety of Personal Care Products

I am very conscious of what I eat and what I put on my skin and hair.  I eat and use organic products as often as I can.  That’s why my massage products such as oils, lotions, and butters are either organic or natural without harsh chemicals.  I believe it is unethical to use something for my clients if I wouldn’t use it for myself. 

I was first introduced to natural personal care products such as soap by my husband.  And then, I became more aware of natural cosmetics thanks to a dearest old friend of mine in the Netherlands.  She has a PhD in biochemistry and reviews beauty products on her blog, Mademoiselle Nature.  That’s where I learned that mineral oil used in many cosmetics is derived from petroleum, and doesn’t provide any benefits like plant based oils do.  I also noticed that the regulations in the EU are much stricter than in the US.  The EU has banned almost 1,400 ingredients in cosmetic products such as parabens and phthalates, while the US has banned/restricted only 11 (By the way, Canada has banned/restricted over 500).  It’s hard to remember all other harmful ingredients, but I strictly avoid products with parabens, sodium lauryl sulfates, phthalates and artificial fragrances.