Message from the Director - Mary McCluskey - 2/8/08

First of all thank you to all of you faithful readers of our website! I have been getting great feedback about how often people check the website and how pleased they are with it. Welcome and feel free to email me and let me know anything specific you would like to tell me about the website: info@wsmt.org or if you have questions about massage in general including questions from practicing therapists with tricky ethical or treatment problems. I'd love to use this space to respond to your needs.

In addition, I thought I would add a little message from time to time in this space; just interesting tidbits I come across. I read pretty much health information and so I will be adding things here to entice you to check us out more often! 

This month's Natural Solutions magazine reports that there is now research that shows that breathing exercises work to help patients suffering from depression as well as patients taking an antidepressant drug. This is exciting news because breathing exercises have no bad side effects whereas drugs always carry this risk. Here is one of my favorites. I use it in the car to reduce stress when I'm late or when I'm dealing with other peoples' bad driving (in Wisconsin in winter this is very common!) Natural Solutions says this technique, "Alternate Nostril Breathing," brings fresh oxygen to the brain, balances nasal cycles, and calms nerves. 

1.  Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Do this to the count of four seconds.

2.  Immediately close the left nostril with your right ring finger, and at the same time remove your thumb from the right nostril, and exhale through this nostril. Do this to the count of eight seconds. This completes a half round.

3.  Inhale through the right nostril to the count of four seconds. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left nostril to the count of eight seconds. This completes one full round.

Start by doing three rounds, adding one per week until you are doing seven rounds.

Alternate nostril breathing should not be practiced if you have a cold or if your nasal passages are blocked in any way. Forced breathing through the nose may lead to complications. It is important to follow this rule: under no circumstances should anything be forced. If you use the nostrils for breath control they must be unobstructed.

Happy breathing, happy life! Give it a try and report to me if you like at the email address above!