Active Life Centre News Vol. 5: January 2010 780-460-9679



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Active Life Centre News

Vol. 5: January 2010 780-460-9679 www.activelifecentre.com




4 Active Life Centre Massage Therapists Olympic/Paralympic Bound!!
Several of the Massage Therapists at the Active Life Centre have just received some very exciting news and we wanted to inform you about our plans over the next several months!
Here is our exciting news!!
Denise England has been selected as a Sport Massage Therapist at the Winter Olympics in the International Polyclinic in Whistler.
Kip Petch has been selected as a Sport Massage Therapist at the Winter Olympics in the International Polyclinic in Vancouver.
Brad McLellan and Dave Oakie have been selected as Sport Massage Therapists at the Winter Paralympics in the International Polyclinic in Whistler.
All four of us will be providing Massage Therapy to athletes from Canada and around the world as they compete in Vancouver and Whistler. It is truly an honour and a privilege to be asked to join the Health Care Teams for these Winter Olympic Games. Hundreds of highly qualified Massage Therapists from across Canada have applied for these positions and only 45 actually get chosen this time around.
As many of you know, Kip has been involved in the Sport Therapy profession for over 30 years and he has had numerous wonderful Major Games experiences including the 1976 and 2008 Summer Olympics in Montreal and Beijing, the 1988 and 2006 Winter Olympics in Calgary and Torino, the 2003 Pan Am Games in the Dominican Republic, the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne and the 2009 Francophone Games in Beirut. Dave has also had numerous experiences with several Military Sports Teams and many international events. However, this is the very first selection for Denise and Brad and we are extremely excited to participate in an event of this magnitude!
Kip, Denise, Dave and Brad have continually volunteered at many other sporting events locally and beyond. We have all eagerly participated in these events, regardless of the calibre of athletes it attracted, because of our deep-rooted love of sport. We have often had the opportunity of working alongside many top-notch health care professionals from whom we have learned so much and we have been able to bring back that knowledge with our clients and athletes and those experiences have made us all better therapists. We all feel that the accumulation of all of those hours of volunteering have now rewarded us in a very special way!
Despite the immense honour and unique experiences that this event will provide for each of us, it has been a very difficult decision as to whether we could afford to take so much time away from our clinic and volunteer for several weeks. Most people are very surprised that these Medical Team positions at the 2010 Olympics and Paralympic Games are totally volunteer and none of our expenses will be covered. We will be fully responsible for paying for our transportation to and from Vancouver, our own accommodation and our food (except when we are on our shifts). In addition to that, we will all be missing between 3-4 weeks from our regular occupation at the Active Life Centre.
Our Massage Therapy Clinic will also be sacrificing significant revenue during the time that we are all away. We apologize to those of you who we will be inconveniencing while we are gone, however, we all have complete trust in the rest of our wonderful staff and they will take great care of our regular clients in our

absence. Our families have all been very supportive and they are happy that we will be doing something that we all love to do… in what could well be an experience of a lifetime!


Past experience tells us that there will be a very high demand for Sport Massage services at these Games. Many high performance athletes require a lot of maintenance and we are always understaffed… so we will certainly be kept very busy!
Our Request:
We really appreciate that you have taken the time out of your busy life to read this letter and we hope that you are pleased to hear about our upcoming opportunities. Because this entire time away is totally volunteer, we are hoping to raise some funds to offset a portion of our costs during the time that we are away from our clinic. We were wondering if you would consider contributing to our endeavors so that we can help the athletes attain their performance goals in Vancouver/Whistler. Any portion that we could generate through this sponsorship request would be very gratefully appreciated.
This idea is not unique as many Canadian athletes have sought out financial assistance from their personal contacts so that they can participate in various Games around the world. We are also following in the footsteps of several of our colleagues who have successfully raised enough funds to cover some of their costs of volunteering at events such as these.
There are strict rules regarding fundraising for Olympic events, and one of those rules is that we can not approach businesses, so we are asking you, as an individual, if you would like to sponsor our participation at this event.

Our Thanks to You!
We would like to show our gratitude by giving away some of our Olympic Games memorabilia as draw prizes to those who have supported us. For every $20.10 that you donate we will enter your name into draws for chances to win some authentic Games gear. We will be collecting some autographed mementos of the Games as draw prizes. For those who would prefer receiving a free massage, we will be giving some of those away as well.
We are presently designing a display in the waiting room of the Active Life Centre where we will be thanking those who have contributed to our endeavors. We would also be very pleased to display any messages that you would like to convey to a particular Therapist or to our entire group!
We greatly appreciate your support whether it is financial or emotional. Please do not feel obligated but, if you are interested in supporting any of us, we would ask that you complete the separately attached form and return it to us at your convenience, preferably before March 31st. If you supply us with your email address we can provide you with updates about our experiences and further news as it develops. We will also attempt to keep everyone informed on our website at www.activelifecentre.com Also, please feel free to contact us by phone at 780-460-9679 or by email at any time at info@activelifecentre.com
Yours truly in Sport,

Denise England

Kip Petch

Brad McLellan

Dave Oakie

This Month’s Feature Therapy #1:
By Brad McLellan, BHK, RMT, CLT
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy is the use of monochromatic light emission from a low intensity laser diode (250 milliwatts or less) or an array of high intensity super luminous diodes (providing total optical power in the 1000-2000 milliwatt range). Conditions treated include musculoskeletal injuries, chronic and degenerative conditions and wounds. The light source is placed in contact with the skin allowing the photon energy to penetrate tissue, where it interacts with various intracellular biomolecules resulting in the restoration of normal cell morphology and function. This also enhances the body’s natural healing processes.
 
The Advantages of Low Intensity Laser Therapy:
* Non-invasive
* Non-toxic
* Easily applied
* Highly effective
* Cure rate > 95%
* No known negative side effects 
 
Conditions treated with laser therapy: (treats many more as well)

  • repetitive stress injury

  • carpal tunnel syndrome

  • rotator cuff tear

  • epicondylitis

  • fibromyalgia

  • tendonitis

  • temporo-mandibular joint dysfunction

  • bursitis

  • osteoarthritis

  • plantar fasciitis

  • spinal stenosis

  • lymphedema

  • ligament and tendon tears

  • fractures with associated soft tissue injuries

  • facet joint syndrome

  • bulging and herniated discs

  • contusions

Call Brad for a FREE consultation at 780-460-9679


This Month’s Feature Therapy #2:
By Kim MacEachran, Jin Shin Do® Bodymind Acupressure™ Practitioner, RMT

Staying Healthy This Winter
The ancient Chinese believed that we should live in harmony with the natural cycles of our environment.
Seasonal changes affect the body. With colder, windy weather come the colds, flu’s, aches and pains. Here are a few tips to staying healthier and happier this winter.
Sleep In – By keeping a regular sleep routine, you help preserve you own energy (chi) for the task of warming yourself throughout the day.
Comfort Food – Warm hearty soups. Push hot fluids to keep mucus membranes and the bronchi hydrated and phlegm loosened. Salty foods are craved over any other taste. Salt thickens the blood to increase our warmth.
Wash Your Hands – Yes, you’ve heard this one a lot lately, but it’s a real health saver in the long run. Soap does just great – enough said.
Stress Level – Find a release valve for your stress. According to Chinese Medicine, stress, frustration and unresolved anger can play an important part in throwing the immune system off. Find a way to relax on a daily basis.
Seasonal Tune-up – Acupressure can help prevent colds and flu’s by building up the immune system. This is accomplished by strengthening the circulation of blood and energy (chi) at the outer defense layers of the skin and muscles of your body.

If you are already sick, acupressure can help you in a non-toxic, safe way that doesn’t overload your already tired body. Acupressure does not interfere with western medicine. Instead it provides a welcome compliment to it, in most cases.


Jin Shin Do Bodymind Acupressure emphasis is on treating the whole person so recovery time for illness can often be reduced.
The Wise nourish life by flowing with the four seasons and adapting to cold or heat, by harmonizing joy and anger in a tranquil dwelling, by balancing yin and yang, and what is hard and soft. So it is that dissolute evil cannot reach the man of wisdom and he will be witness to a long life.” The Huangdi Neijing*
*( Reference to The Chinese Medical text for diagnosis)





This Month’s Featured Therapist:
Karyn Morrison - I am a graduate from Medicine Hat College where I completed an extra year of specialization in Sport Massage. I am presently working with the St. Albert AAA Midget Raiders Hockey Team but have experience in a variety of sports including Lacrosse and Rugby. I have had some National opportunities in 2009/10 including a tour in France with the Canadian National Women’s Rugby Team. On the 10-day tour we played 2 matches against the French National Women’s Team in preparation for World Cup in August 2010. The Canadian Women’s Olympic Hockey Team is coming to St. Albert on January 10, 2010 to play against my Midget AAA St. Albert Raiders, and I will get a chance to work with the ladies as well. Hockey Alberta has also recently selected me as a Trainer/Therapist for one of their Alberta Cup teams coming up in March and April.



Meet our newest Massage Therapist
Nicole Poirier – is returning to the Active Life Centre! She left us a few years ago to head back to the beautiful town of Jasper where she owns her own Massage Therapy Clinic. She is presently in the Nursing Program at the University of Alberta. Nicole has been a therapist for 10 years and she specializes in “Visceral Manipulation” which is the process of massaging and manipulating deep tissue to improve the functioning of the various organs in the abdominal cavity.  Trauma, surgeries, and compensating postural positioning can all have a negative effect on viscera, which in turn can lead to chronic conditions.  Through the years, she have been able to incorporate scar tissue work with visceral manipulation to address post surgery, hysterectomy and other types of restrictions within the abdominal cavity, as well as the scar tissue that can build up from trauma.  Nicole does a lot of myofascial release technique now, incorporating visceral manipulation when indicated.  She also offers "Onsen Therapy" which is a muscle energy technique that assists in rebalancing and realigning the body. The combination of all of these skills and knowledge provides her clients with an excellent form of therapy. Nicole will be working Saturdays and one or two afternoons/evenings per week at our clinic. Welcome back Nicole!!
Some Sad Goodbyes!
Brandon Barr has recently decided to leave the Active Life Centre to pursue other professional opportunities. We will all really miss him and we all wish him all the best with his new pursuits!
Dawn Hardy our “Girl Friday” Receptionist has taken on a part-time position with the City of St. Albert and will continue as a flight attendant with West Jet. So look for her the next time you are heading out on an adventure!



It’s never too late to mention our fantastic Receptionists who provide such a wonderful service for our clients and our staff! Thank you to Maria, Yvonne, Chelsey and Kylee for making everything running so smoothly at the Active Life Centre!



New Website:

Please check out our new website www.activelifecentre.com for additional information about our amazing therapists and the services that we offer at the Active Life Centre.




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