The vagus nerve is a critical part of the nervous system that plays a crucial role in regulating many vital bodily functions, including digestion, heart rate, and breathing. This nerve is the longest and most complex of the cranial nerves, and it extends from the brainstem to the abdomen, passing through multiple organs along the way. In this article, we will explore the function of the vagus nerve and its importance to our overall health and wellbeing.
The heat is turning up, and this time of year we’re all looking for a way to cool off and restore the wear and tear that summer puts on us. Did you know your diet can play an important role in keeping your body going during these hot months? Here are a few foods that can help you refuel while you enjoy your summer activities.
Anyone who struggles with mental health issues like anxiety, stress, or depression knows how difficult it is to manage. Your triggers and ways of dealing with the side effects might be different from other people, so it is a matter of figuring out what works for you. However, one method that works great for many people is grounding yourself through earthing. Here is more information about using this method.
For a lot of people, it isn’t always easy to know that they are experiencing the negative effects of self neglect. It can happen very easily to anyone when they have life elements like children, financial issues, feelings of inadequacy, or physical problems.The time and energy that these various obstacles take to overcome can leech the energy of the most resilient people. Fortunately, the mind and body have a lot of built-in tells that alert
you to the fact that there’s some kind of deficiency. Here are some signs and symptoms to keep an eye on.
Spring is a time when many people begin to tackle yard cleanup and get their outdoor spaces ready for the warm weather ahead. While spring yard cleanup can be a rewarding task, it can also be physically demanding and potentially dangerous if proper precautions are not taken. In this article, we will explore some precautions to avoid injury while doing spring yard cleanup.
A labrum is a ring of fibrous cartilage around the edge of the joint surface of a bone. In anatomy the term labrum is used to designate a lip, edge, or brim within a joint. You have two sets of labrums, one in each hip and one in each shoulder. So, let’s look at what these are exactly and what you can do about them.
Journaling is a positive way to channel your creative energies and get focused on your goals. The beginning of a new year is a perfect time to start a journal. The blank page represents the boundless opportunities that await. Here are some things to consider before starting your journal in the new year.
The holidays can be a stressful time for anyone, and even more so when you are in charge of hosting a holiday party, having family stay with you, are experiencing financial restraints, or have a lot of responsibilities.
This can all take away a lot of the joy of the holiday season, no matter which holiday your family celebrates. But with mindfulness, you can learn how to let the unnecessary stresses go, and live in the moment. It allows you to really appreciate every moment you are given throughout the holidays and finally enjoy yourself again.
You may have heard about the importance of expressing gratitude or starting a daily practice, but do you know why people recommend it so often? Aside from the fact that it is always a good idea to be more grateful and appreciative of the good things in your life, there are some other ways it can benefit you.
It can be a very odd sensation – feeling pain in a completely different area to where your massage therapist is working on.
The feeling of pain radiating through a region of the body instead of a local site is often known as ‘referred pain’, and it can tell your therapist a lot about what’s going on in the body during a massage.
Did you know that 18 million people each year see a doctor for knee pain? While there are a larger number of people who experience knee pain as they get older, there are quite a few causes that have nothing to do with age. Runner’s knee (which also affects those who participate in activities that require repetitive bending), Osgood-Schlatter disease (which is found in children & adolescents), chondromalacia patella (the softening and breakdown of the cartilage on the underside of the kneecap), and osteoarthritis are all common causes of knee pain. While in some situations, surgery is a necessity, there are certain exercises you can perform to help strengthen your knees as well as keep pain at bay.
Many people struggle with tight hips, sometimes resulting in low back and leg pain, whether we make that connection or not. It may happen for you only occasionally or very frequently. You may think that it takes 30 minutes of stretching to loosen them up, but it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Here are 3 stretches you can do in 5 minutes to loosen those tight hips up when you are in a pinch. Remember, you should feel a slight pull and stretch within the muscles you’re focused on, but it shouldn’t feel painful.
Of all the incredible things the human body is capable of – from healing itself to creating immune responses – one thing it can’t do is efficiently store water, meaning it needs a fresh source of fluids every day. Since the average adult body is made up of around 60% water, fluids are our most vital resource for survival.
But, even if you’re not planning on being in a survival situation or trapped in a dry desert anytime soon, keeping up with your water intake is still essential to your body’s health and function. Without it, you risk becoming dehydrated and that’s where a laundry list of things can start to go downhill.
Here are some signs you might be dehydrated.
If you’re a person who discovered your love of lifting heavy things, you may have also been one of the unfortunate ones who discovered the injuries that can come along with it.
Lifting weights has incredible health benefits and often becomes addictive as you grow stronger and more eager to challenge yourself. But, without putting preventions and safety measures in place to support your body, you might end up suffering one (or more) of the 3 most common strength training injuries.
The festive season is upon us. It’s easy to get swept up in the spirit of things and get distracted from turning your focus inward and practicing self-care. As you embrace everything the holidays have to offer – spending time with loved ones, going gift shopping, hosting dinners, getting away with your family - taking moments for yourself only becomes more important.
Here are five helpful tips for practicing self-care over the holidays.
You might be laying face-down on a table while your therapist glides across your muscles as you hold your breath and grip onto something for dear life thinking it’s all in the name of eventual relief. But good news – massages don’t need to hurt to be effective, and you don’t need to put on a brave face while your therapist continues none the wiser.
Some modalities of massage can cause a bit of discomfort, such as deep tissue massage. Discomfort shouldn’t have you trying to claw your way off a table – so here are some tips to finding the balance.
Neuropathy refers to any condition that causes a dysfunction of the nerves, typically caused by some sort of damage, such as that associated with decreased circulation, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, or localized trauma. Most often, the area affected will have sensations of tingling, numbness, shooting pains, weakness, and/or a heavy feeling. While neuropathy can happen anywhere, you’ll usually hear this term interchanged with one that is actually a bit more specific; peripheral neuropathy. Peripheral neuropathy refers specifically to neuropathy that affects the hands and feet, which may or may not move its way up toward the trunk.
