About Health: May 2016

Royal jelly

Royal jelly, which is sometimes called bee’s milk, is a thick creamy liquid secreted by special glands in young worker bees who serve as “nurses” to the hive.

All bee larvae are fed a small amount of royal jelly mixed with honey for the first three days of their lives. Starting on day four, however, most of the bees are weaned from this diet and develop into worker bees.

But one bee, hatched from an egg identical to the rest, is fed exclusively on royal jelly. That bee becomes the queen.

Rash of rubella

Rubella is a highly contagious viral disease, spread through contact with discharges from the nose and throat of an infected person.

A person infected with the rubella virus is contagious for about seven days before any symptoms appear and continues to spread the disease for about four days after the appearance of symptoms. Rubella has an incubation period of 12–23 days.

Rubella is also called German measles or the three-day measles. This disease was once a common childhood illness, but its occurrence has been drastically reduced since vaccine against rubella became available in 1969.

Rubenfeld synergy logo

The Rubenfeld synergy method is a hybrid of various bodywork and psychotherapy techniques, aimed at accessing stored emotions and memories. This psychophysical approach uses talk, touch, and movement to remove tensions, imbalances, and energy blocks.

Origins

Rubenfeld synergy is a trademarked system for mind-body integration developed during the early 1960s by former orchestra and coral conductor Ilana Rubenfeld. A graduate of the Julliard School of Music, where she studied with Pablo Casals, she played viola, oboe, and piano.

Ruta graveolens

Ruta is today primarily a homeopathic remedy made from the plant Ruta graveolens. This plant is also called rue, herb of grace, herb of repentance, bitter herb, or rue bitterwort.

It grows to a height of about 3 ft (1 m) and has fleshy leaves and yellowish flowers. Ruta is native to southern Europe, but it is cultivated worldwide. The plant has a strong, unpleasant odor.

Chemical compounds found in ruta include rutin, a flavonoid; alkaloids, including graveoline and rutacridine; lignans in the root; and furocoumarins, which are compounds that are toxic to both animals and humans.

Sexual Dysfunction

Sexual dysfunction is broadly defined as the inability to fully enjoy sexual intercourse. Specifically, sexual dysfunction is a group of disorders that interfere with a full sexual responsiveness.

These disorders make it difficult for a person to enjoy or to have sexual intercourse. While sexual dysfunction rarely threatens physical health, it can take a heavy psychological toll, bringing on depression, anxiety, and debilitating feelings of inadequacy.

Sexual dysfunction takes different forms in men and women. A dysfunction can be lifelong and always present, or it can be temporary and sporadic. It can be situational or generalized.

Scoliosis

Scoliosis is defined as an abnormal side-to-side or front-to-back curvature of the spine.

When viewed from the rear, the spine usually appears perfectly straight. Scoliosis is a lateral (side-to-side) curve in the spine, usually combined with a rotation of the vertebrae. The lateral curvature of scoliosis should not be confused with the normal set of front-to-back spinal curves visible from the side.

While a small degree of lateral curvature does not cause any medical problems, larger curves can cause postural imbalance and lead to muscle fatigue and pain. More severe scoliosis can interfere with breathing and lead to arthritis of the spine (spondylosis).

Seasonal affective disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a form of depression most often associated with lack of daylight in extreme northern and southern latitudes from the late fall to the early spring.

Although researchers are not certain what causes seasonal affective disorder, they suspect that it has something to do with the hormone melatonin.

Melatonin is thought to play an active role in regulating the “internal body clock,” which dictates when humans feel like going to bed at night and getting up in the morning.

Selenium

Selenium is a nonmetallic element with an atomic number of 34 and an atomic weight of 78.96. Its chemical symbol is Se.

Selenium is most commonly found in nature in its inorganic form, sodium selenite. An organic form of selenium, selenomethionine, is found in foods.

General use

The role of selenium in human nutrition and other therapeutic applications has provoked intense controversy over the past two decades. In contrast to such major minerals as magnesium and calcium, neither selenium’s benefits nor its toxic aspects are yet fully understood.

Senior nutrition

Senior nutrition is concerned with the special dietary requirements of the elderly. In his book, Earl Mindell’s Vitamin Bible for the 21st Century, Earl Mindell, Ph.D, R.Ph (Registered Pharmacist), Master Herbalist, and best-selling author of books about maintaining health through nutrition for the last 20 years, states, “Aging is caused by the degeneration of cells.

Our bodies are made up of millions of these cells, each with a life of somewhere around two years or less. But before a cell dies, it reproduces itself. Why then, you might wonder, shouldn’t we look the same now as we did ten years ago?

The reason for this is that with each successive reproduction, the cell goes through some alteration—basically deterioration. So as our cells change, deteriorate, we grow old. The good news is that deteriorating cells can be rejuvenated if provided with substances that directly nourish them . .

Sensory deprivation using floatation tank

Sensory deprivation, or Restricted Environmental Stimulation Therapy (REST), is a technique by which sensory input (sound, light, smell, etc.) is minimized.

This practice encourages an extremely deep level of relaxation. REST is typically conducted in a float tank, in which the person is suspended in a solution of warm water and Epsom salt without sound or light. This relaxation technique produces significant physical and mental benefits.

Origins

In the 1950s, sensory deprivation experiments were conducted to determine the effects of restricted environmental stimulation on mental and physical functions.

Sensory integration disorder

Sensory integration disorder or dysfunction (SID) is a neurological disorder that results from the brain’s inability to integrate certain information received from the body’s five basic sensory systems.

These sensory systems are responsible for detecting sights, sounds, smell, tastes, temperatures, pain, and the position and movements of the body. The brain then forms a combined picture of this information in order for the body to make sense of its surroundings and react to them appropriately.

The ongoing relationship between behavior and brain functioning is called sensory integration (SI), a theory that was first pioneered by A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., OTR, in the 1960s.

Senna spectibilis tree in Sumbawanga, Tanzania

Senna, Cassia angustifolia, is known by the name Egyptian senna. A member of the Leguminaceae family, senna is a shrub-like plant whose leaves and pods have been used for centuries in the East and West as a purgative.

This property of senna was first described in the ninth century A.D. by Arabian physicians in the service of the caliph of Baghdad.

Senna’s reputation as a powerful laxative has grown through the ages. Senna can be found as an ingredient in many over-the-counter laxative products in the United States. Senna is also considered an important herb in traditional Chinese medicine, Indian Ayurvedic, and unani medicine.

Shamanism

A complex pattern of diverse rites and beliefs, shamanism is a tribal religion in societies without a literary tradition. Healing is one function of the shaman and the most important along with prophecy.

The shaman uses mystical powers to journey to other worlds or realities and communicate with spirits in order to bring about a balance between the physical and spiritual worlds.

Shamanism is the oldest form of human healing. It is a type of religious medicine that originated over 25,000 years ago in the Paleolithic hunting cultures of Siberia and Central Asia.

Sheep sorrel

Sheep sorrel (Rumex acetosella) is a tall herb that is found in grasslands, prairies, meadows, fields, pastures, and roadsides of Europe, Asia, and North America. This perennial plant from the buckwheat (Polygonaceae) family was originally from Eurasia, but is now naturalized throughout Canada and the United States.

Sheep sorrel is also known as field sorrel, red top sorrel, sour grass, common sorrel, and dog-eared sorrel. The plant is related to other highly acidic members of the Rumex genus, including French or garden sorrel (Rumex acetosa).

Sheep sorrel is considered a common weed in the United States. Its slim reddish stems grow to a height of 4-24 in (10-60 cm). Narrow arrow-shaped leaves that have a pungent lemon scent grow to 1-4 in (2-10 cm) long. The slender roots grow to a depth of 5 feet (1.5 m).

Saffron

Saffron is a herbal preparation harvested from the stigma of the Crocus sativus flower. It is dark orange and threadlike in appearance, with a spicy flavor and pungent odor. The plant is grown in India, Spain, France, Italy, the Middle East, and the eastern Mediterranean region.

General use

In addition to its culinary uses, saffron is prescribed as a herbal remedy to stimulate the digestive system, ease colic and stomach discomfort, and minimize gas. It is also used as an emmenagogue, to stimulate and promote menstrual flow in women.

Preliminary studies have shown that saffron may also be a useful tool in fighting cancer. According to a 1999 study, use of the herb slowed tumor growth and extended lifespan in female rats.

Sesame oil

Sesame oil is derived from a plant species called Sesamum indicum, which is a herbaceous annual belonging to the Pedaliaceae family that reaches about 6 ft (1.8 m) in height.

Sesame has been used for millennia in Chinese and Indian systems of medicine. Though often recommended as a laxative, the herb was used as early as the 4th century A.D. as a Chinese folk remedy for toothaches and gum disease.

In modern times, sesame has been embraced by Western herbalists for a variety of therapeutic purposes. The oil is also used in cooking and as an ingredient in margarine and salad dressings as well as in certain cosmetics and skin softening products.

Shiatsu

Shiatsu is a manipulative therapy developed in Japan and incorporating techniques of anma (Japanese traditional massage), acupressure, stretching, and Western massage.

Shiatsu involves applying pressure to special points or areas on the body in order to maintain physical and mental well being, treat disease, or alleviate discomfort. This therapy is considered holistic because it attempts to treat the whole person instead of a specific medical complaint.

All types of acupressure generally focus on the same pressure points and so-called energy pathways, but may differ in terms of massage technique. Shiatsu, which can be translated as finger pressure, has been described as needle-free acupuncture.

Shintaido

Shintaido is a noncombative form of martial arts designed to improve physical and mental health.

Although shintaido has its roots in the ancient and traditional Japanese martial arts, including elements of sword fencing, karate, and aikido. Hiroyuki Aoki, an actor, artist, and shotokai karate master, developed shintaido in Yokohama, Japan, in 1965.

He formed rakutenkai or “meeting of people,” a group that brought together several dozen people, including martial arts instructors, artists, musicians, and actors, to create a new art form and health exercise. Translated from Japanese, shintaido means “new body way.”

Shiitake mushroom

Shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) is a fungus native to Japan, China, and Korea. Although these mushrooms are cultivated worldwide as of 2004, Japan is still the largest producer of shiitake mushrooms, producing 80% of the total supply.

Used in Asian cuisine for over 2,000 years, cultivation of shiitake began almost 700 years ago in Japan. The Japanese consider the shiitake not only a flavorful food but also “the elixir of life.”

During the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), the shiitake was reserved only for the emperor and his family and it became known as the emperor’s food. The word shiitake comes from shii (a type of chestnut tree) and take (mushroom).

Shingles

Shingles, also called herpes zoster, gets its name from both the Latin and French words for belt or girdle and refers to girdle-like skin eruptions that may occur on the trunk of the body.

The virus that causes chickenpox, the Varicella zoster virus (VSV), can become dormant in nerve cells after an episode of chickenpox and later re-emerge as shingles.

Initially, red patches of rash develop into blisters. Because the virus travels along the nerve to the skin, it can damage the nerve and cause it to become inflamed. This condition can be very painful. If the pain persists long after the rash disappears, it is known as post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).

Shin splints

Shin splints can be defined as an inflammation of the tissues in the lower leg causing pain with exercise . The disorder is also referred to as medial tibial stress syndrome.

Shin splints are an inflammation of the tendons, muscles, and periosteum most commonly seen in those who walk, jog, or run on hard, uneven surfaces. The resulting pain may indicate either anterior shin splints, with radiation down the front and lateral leg, or posterior shin splints, extending down the back and inner leg and ankle.

Depending on the body tissues involved, shin splints may indicate myositis (an inflammation of the muscle), tendinitis (inflammation of the tendons), or periostitis (an inflammation of the tissue covering the bone).

Sick building syndrome

Sick building syndrome (SBS) is a term used to describe certain health effects people experience that may be related to poor air in buildings.

The problems can be localized, for instance experienced by workers in only one section of an office or factory; or they may be widespread and experienced throughout an entire building.

SBS has been reported in various settings such as hospitals, schools, industrial and art business, and care homes, or any building or home with off gassing carpets, paints, and fumes, as well as buildings with ventilation problems and concentration of vapors, gases, solvents, or other airborne agents toxic to the skin, lungs or nervous system.

Sickle cell anemia

Sickle cell anemia, which is also known as meniscocytosis or sicklemia, is an inherited blood disorder that arises from a gene mutation.

As a result, affected hemoglobin molecules have a tendency to stick to one another, forming abnormal strands of hemoglobin within the red blood cells. The cells that contain these strands become stiff and elongated—sickle-shaped.

Because sickle cell anemia is characterized by the rapid loss of red blood cells as they enter the circulation, it is classified as a hemolytic anemia, “hemolytic” referring to the destruction of the cell membrane of red blood cells, resulting in the release of hemoglobin.

Silica

Silica, sometimes called Silicea terra or abbreviated as sil., is a homeopathic remedy. Silica is a mineral and is prepared from silicon dioxide found in flint, quartz, sandstone, and many other common rocks.

General use

Homeopathic medicine operates on the principle that “like heals like.” This principle means that a disease can be cured by treating it with products that produce the same symptoms as the disease. These products follow another homeopathic law, the Law of Infinitesimals.

In opposition to traditional medicine, the Law of Infinitesimals states that the lower a dose of curative, the more effective it is. To achieve a very low dose, the curative is diluted many, many times until only a tiny amount remains in a huge amount of the diluting liquid.

Sinus infection

Sinusitis, or sinus infection, refers to an inflammation of the sinuses, the air spaces within the bones of the face, due to an infection within these spaces.

The sinuses are paired air pockets located within the bones of the face. They are:

The frontal sinuses. Located above the eyes, in the center region of each eyebrow.
The maxillary sinuses. Located within the cheekbones, just to either side of the nose.
The ethmoid sinuses. Located between the eyes, just behind the bridge of the nose.
The sphenoid sinuses. Located just behind the ethmoid sinuses, and behind the eyes.

The sinuses are connected with the nose. They are lined with the same kind of skin found elsewhere within the respiratory tract. This skin has tiny little hairs projecting from it called cilia.

Sleep disorders

Sleep disorders are a group of syndromes characterized by disturbances in the amount, quality, or timing of sleep, or in behaviors or physiological conditions associated with sleep.

Although sleep is a basic behavior in all animals, its functions in maintaining health are not completely understood. In the past 30 years, however, researchers have learned about the cyclical patterns of different types of sleep and their relationships to breathing, heart rate, brain waves, and other physical functions.

There are five stages of human sleep. Four stages are characterized by non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, with unique brain wave patterns and physical changes.

Slippery elm

Slippery elm (Ulmus rubra), known variously as Indian elm, sweet elm, red elm, and moose elm, is a deciduous tree native to North America, particularly the eastern and central United States and eastern Canada. Slippery elm is smaller in stature than other members of the Ulmaceae, or elm, family.

There are about twenty species of elm. The slippery elm can grow 50-60 ft (15-18 m) in height with a trunk measuring one to four feet in diameter. Its exterior bark is dark brown, rough, and fissured. The mucilaginous inner bark is white with a distinctive scent.

The tree flowers in early spring before it comes into leaf. Flowers bloom in dense and inconspicuous clusters at the tips of the branches that spread out into an open crown. The stigmas of the blossoms are bright red. The downy leaf buds are rust colored with orange tips.

Smoking cigar

Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a social situation or to relieve stress.

A smoking habit is a physical addiction to tobacco products. Many health experts now regard habitual smoking as a psychological addiction, too, and one with serious health consequences.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has asserted that cigarettes and smokeless tobacco should be considered nicotine delivery devices. Nicotine, the active ingredient in tobacco, is inhaled into the lungs, where most of it stays. The rest passes into the bloodstream, reaching the brain in about ten seconds and dispersing throughout the body in about 20 seconds.

Sneezing

Sneezing, also known as sternutation, is the response of the mucous membrane of the nose to an irritant or foreign body that causes allergy in a hypersensitive person.

A sneeze is an involuntary explosive burst of air from the nose and mouth that removes offending material from the nasal passages.

Causes and symptoms

Sneezing can occur from a number of causes, or may itself be a symptom of an underlying condition, most likely an allergy or common cold.

Sneezing may simply be triggered by a small foreign object or substance in the nose, including particles of pepper, smoke, irritating chemical fumes, or gases.

Snoring

Snoring is a sound generated during sleep by vibration of loose tissue in the upper airway.

Snoring is one symptom of a group of disorders known as sleep-disordered breathing. It occurs when the soft palate, uvula, tongue, tonsils, and/or muscles in the back of the throat rub against each other and generate a vibrating sound during sleep.

Twenty percent of all adults are chronic snorers, and 45% of normal adults snore occasionally. As people grow older, their chance of snoring increases. Approximately half of all individuals over 60 snore regularly.

Sjögren’s syndrome

Sjögren’s syndrome is an autoimmune disorder in which the mouth and eyes become extremely dry. Sjögren’s syndrome is often associated with other autoimmune disorders.

Like other autoimmune disorders, Sjögren’s syndrome occurs when the body’s immune system mistakenly considers parts of the body as foreign invaders. People with this disease have abnormal proteins in their blood, suggesting that their immune system is reacting against their own tissue.

While the immune cells should attack and kill invaders like bacteria, viruses, and fungi, these cells should not attack the body itself. In autoimmune disorders, however, cells called antibodies see tissues of the body as foreign, and help to start a chain of events that results in damage and destruction of those tissues.

Skin cancer

Skin cancer is a malignant growth of the external surface or epithelial layer of the skin.

Skin cancer is the growth of abnormal cells capable of invading and destroying other associated skin cells. Skin cancer is often subdivided into either melanoma or non-melanoma. Melanoma is a dark-pigmented, usually malignant, tumor arising from a skin cell capable of making the pigment melanin (a melanocyte).

Melanoma can spread throughout the body via the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Non-melanoma skin cancer most often originates from the external skin surface as a squamous cell carcinoma or a basal cell carcinoma.

Skullcap

Skullcap is a name that refers to any of the dozens of species (Scutellaria) of the mint family Lamiaceae. The plant’s name refers to the helmet-shaped calyx on the outer whorl of the plant’s tiny flowers.

The flowers range in color from blue to pink. In herbal medicine, the name skullcap refers to Scutellaria lateriflora, a perennial herb native to North America and cultivated in Europe. The leaves, flowers, and stems are used as herbal remedies.

Skullcap is also known as scullcap, American skullcap,Western skullcap, European skullcap, blue skullcap, greater skullcap, hoodwort or hoodwart, blue pimpernel, Quaker bonnet, helmet flower, hooded willow herb, side-flowering skullcap, mad-dog weed, and mad weed.

Sleep apnea

Sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing stops for more than ten seconds during sleep. Sleep apnea is a major, though often unrecognized, cause of daytime sleepiness. It can have serious negative effects on a person’s quality of life, and is thought to be considerably under diagnosed in the United States.

A sleeping person normally breathes continuously and without interruption throughout the night. A person with sleep apnea, however, has frequent episodes (up to 400-500 per night) in which he or she stops breathing.

This interruption of breathing is called “apnea.” Breathing usually stops for about 30 seconds; then the person usually startles awake with a loud snort and begins to breathe again, gradually falling back to sleep.

Sodium

Known to most people in the form of table salt, sodium is one of the minerals that the body needs in relatively large quantities. Humankind’s taste for sodium reaches far back into the distant past. Much like today, sodium was popular in antiquity as a food preservative and an ingredient in snacks. In some ancient societies, sodium was even used as a form of currency.

In modern times, most Americans and other Westerners consume far too much of the mineral, and it is easy to see why. One obvious culprit is table salt, which has a high sodium content. The mineral is also found in many of America’s favorite foods (or the chemicals used to preserve those foods).

Sodium can be found in potato chips and a variety of other snacks, processed foods, meat, fish, butter and margarine, soft drinks, dairy products, canned vegetables, and bread, just to name a few sources. A single slice of pizza can supply the body with all the sodium it needs for one day (about 500 mg), while a teaspoon of table salt contains four times that amount.

Sore throat

Sore throat, also called pharyngitis, is a painful inflammation of the back of the throat. It is a symptom of many conditions, but most often is associated with colds or influenza.

Sore throat may be caused by either viral or bacterial infections or by environmental conditions. Most sore throats heal without complications, but they should not be ignored because some develop into serious illnesses.

Almost everyone gets a sore throat at one time or another, although children in child care or grade school have them more often than adolescents and adults. Sore throats are most common during the winter months when upper respiratory infections (colds) and influenza are more frequent.

Stone massage

Stone massage is a form of bodywork that involves the application of heated or cooled stones (thermotherapy) to the body during deep tissue massage.

The use of materials of different temperatures on the body to bring about healing is an ancient technique. Stones have been used in many cultures, such as in the Native American sweat lodge, to adjust the temperature of the healing environment. Traditional lomilomi (Hawaiian massage) goes further and applies heated stones directly to the body.

Although stones have been used for many years as an adjunct to bodywork, their use was formalized in 1993 by Mary Nelson-Hannigan of Tucson, Arizona.

Strep throat

Strep throat is a contagious infection caused by the bacterium Streptococcus pyogenes.

Strep throat primarily affects children, especially those between the ages of five and 15. Adults whose immune systems have been weakened by stress or other infections are also at risk.

Most sore throats are associated with viral infections such as the common cold or the flu. Strep throat is responsible in only about 10%–15% of cases.

Stress

Stress is an individual’s physical and mental reaction to environmental demands or pressures.

When stress was first studied, the term was used to denote both the causes and the experienced effects of these pressures. More recently, however, the word stressor has been used for the stimulus that provokes a stress response. One recurrent disagreement among researchers concerns the definition of stress in humans.

Is it primarily an external response that can be measured by changes in glandular secretions, skin reactions, and other physical functions, or is it an internal interpretation of, or reaction to, a stressor; or is it both?

Stroke

Stroke is the common name for the injury to the brain that occurs when the flow of blood to brain tissue is interrupted by a clogged or burst artery.

Arterial blood carries oxygen and nutrition to the cells of the body. When arteries are unable to carry out this function due to rupture, constriction, or obstruction, the cells nourished by these arteries die.

The medical term for stroke is the acronym CVA, or cerebral vascular accident. It is estimated that four of every five families in the United States will be affected by stroke in their lifetime, and it is the top cause of adult disability worldwide.

Substance abuse and dependence

Substance abuse is the continued compulsive use of mind-altering substances despite personal, social, and/or physical problems caused by the substance use.

Abuse may lead to dependence, in which increased amounts are needed to achieve the desired effect or level of intoxication and the patient’s tolerance for the drug increases.

Substance abuse and dependence cut across all lines of race, culture, education, and socioeconomic status, leaving no group untouched by their devastating effects. Substance abuse is an enormous public health problem with far-ranging effects throughout society.

Sound therapy

Sound therapy refers to a range of therapies in which sound is used to treat physical and mental conditions. One of these therapies is music therapy, which can involve a person listening to music for conditions such as stress and muscle tension.

Music is one component of this therapy. Others use sound wave vibrations to treat physical and mental conditions. In general, this therapy is based on the theory that all of life vibrates, including people’s bodies. When a person’s healthy resonant frequency is out of balance, physical and emotional health is affected.

Treatment by sound waves is believed to restore that healthy balance to the body. Healing is done by transmitting beneficial sound to the affected area. The healing sound may be produced by a voice or an instrument such as electronic equipment, chanting bowls, or tuning forks.

The South Beach diet is a three-phase, carbohydrate-restrictive diet. It emphasizes foods that are low on the glycemic index (GI) and low in saturated fat, such as lean meats, vegetables, cheeses, nuts, and eggs.

Unlike other carbohydrate-restrictive diets, such as the Atkins and Zone diets, the South Beach diet promotes “good” carbohydrates, such as whole grains and fruit.

The creator of the South Beach diet, Dr. Arthur Agatston, is considered a leading cardiologist and is the director of the Mount Sinai Cardiac Prevention Center in Miami Beach. Originally, he had intended to design an eating plan to improve the cholesterol and insulin levels of his patients.

Soy protein

Soy protein is derived from the soya bean (Glycine max), which has been cultivated in Asia for centuries but has only recently begun to attain wide acceptance in the United States.

In the natural product industry, soy has been a staple for years. Recently, soy protein has been recognized as a dietary ingredient that has tremendous potential benefit.

General use

Soy protein is used in many forms for its health benefits, but these claims have only recently been substantiated. Over the course of 20 years, more than 40 studies were conducted to gather human clinical data, which proved that soy helps to reduce the risk of heart disease, the number one killer in the United States.

Spearmint

Spearmint, Mentha spicata (sometimes referred to as M. viridis and M. crispa), is a Mediterranean native known from ancient times as an herb of hospitality. In the symbolism of plants, spearmint conveys wisdom.

Common names for this aromatic herb include garden mint, lamb’s mint, Our Lady’s mint, spire mint, and sage of Bethlehem. The Romans brought mints to Britain, and English colonists brought spearmint and other mints to their settlements in North America.

Spearmint is one of at least thirty species in the extensive Lamiaceae, or mint, family. Only the members of the Mentha genus, however, are considered “true mints.” Mints interbreed quite easily. There are hundreds of hybrids and varieties in this sprawling genus of aromatic herbs, and many have naturalized throughout North America.

Spinal manipulative therapy

Spinal manipulative therapies are those that are used on the human skeleton, particularly the spinal area, to relieve muscular or skeletal pain, relieve tension, improve the mobility of joints and, in the case of the oriental therapies, to “unblock energy channels.”

The idea behind spinal manipulation is that when the vertebrae are subluxated (misaligned), the resulting pressure on nerves can have negative effects on organ system function and general health, in addition to impeding proper joint motion.

Origins

Forms of manipulative therapy have been used for thousand of years in Asia. The nineteenth century, however, saw the introduction of many new forms of manipulative therapy in the West.

Sports massage

Sports massage is a form of bodywork geared toward participants in athletics. It is used to help prevent injuries, to prepare the body for athletic activity and maintain it in optimal condition, and to help athletes recover from workouts and injuries. Sports massage has three basic forms: pre-event massage, post-event massage, and maintenance massage.

Origins

Sports massage has antecedents in earlier periods of history. The ancient Greeks and Romans combined massage and exercise in their athletic training. Various Asian cultures also developed forms of massage for dancers and for students of martial arts. As a formal practice, owever, sports massage began in the Soviet Union and Communist bloc countries in the 1960s.

Soviet teams were the first to have a massage therapist travel with them and work on their athletes on a regular and ongoing basis. Through sports and cultural exchanges, the concept of sports massage moved to Europe and the United States in the 1970s.