How vitamin D can improve muscle strength

How vitamin D can improve muscle strength

"One of the most important vitamins for your health is vitamin D. It allows the body to absorb calcium and phosphate from your diet, which are essential for the development of healthy bones. However, we have found that increased levels of active vitamin D in the bloodstream can also be associated with improved muscle function in healthy people."

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Acupuncture for neck pain

Acupuncture for neck pain

Last week I provided some studies that look at the effect of acupuncture on patients with knee osteoarthritis.  It is clear that the placebo response is a big part of why patients feel better, but it is also a within the realm of reasons that patients have a complex biopsychosocial response to acupuncture that INCLUDES but is not LIMITED to placebo. 

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The Coming Age of Quantum Biology

The Coming Age of Quantum Biology

This week I got my hands on Life on the Edge: The Coming Age of Quantum Biology, I have been waiting to read this book for awhile now after seeing Jim Al-Khalilis' Ted Talk on Quantum Biology. Things get weird in the world of Quantum Biology this includes the collective intelligence of active matter. This has opened up many new fields of studies and now biologists are working to understand how these groups self-organize. An excellent introduction to the fascinating world of active matter is this recent paper on collective cell durotaxis.

Image Credit:  Bare Dreamer - Flickr, CC BY 2.0.

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Cupping at the Olympics – what is it and why do athletes use it?

Cupping at the Olympics – what is it and why do athletes use it?

"You may have noticed several Olympic athletes covered in bruises, including swimmer Michael Phelps and US gymnast Alex Naddour. No, these are not minor injuries obtained during training; they look oddly circular and are located symmetrically all over the body. In fact, they are self-inflicted marks caused by an ancient form of therapy called “cupping”."

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Why do you feel like you’re falling when you go to sleep?

Why do you feel like you’re falling when you go to sleep?

"It should be one of the most relaxing times of the day. You climb into bed, get comfortable and cosy, start to feel your brain slowing down … and then suddenly you experience a shocking falling sensation. It’s like you misjudged the number of stairs you were walking down, leaving your leg in mid air for just a bit longer than you expected. Not pleasant."

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What happens to your knuckles when you crack them?

What happens to your knuckles when you crack them?

So what really happens to your joints when you crack your knuckles?

This is one of the most common questions I get as a massage therapist. The simple explanation is that when you stretch out your joints you are releasing gas that is part of the synovial fluid in your joints - this gas forms a bubble that release and goes pop, this in known as a cavitation. 

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