his is a great study from the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Guide to Mercury in Sushi
Women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant should be especially careful about eating sushi. Many of the fish chosen for sushi are the apex predators of the fish food chain, which means they can bear high concentrations of mercury. The following list highlights sushi choices highest and lowest in mercury.

HIGHEST MERCURY
Avoid
Kajiki (swordfish)
Saba (mackerel)

HIGH MERCURY
Eat no more than three 6-ounce servings per month
Ahi (yellowfin tuna)1 Buri (adult yellowtail)2
Hamachi (young yellowtail)2 Inada (very young yellowtail)2
Kanpachi (very young yellowtail) Katsuo (bonito)2
Maguro (bigeye, bluefin* or yellowfin tuna)1
Makjiki (blue marlin)* Masu (trout)
Meji (young bigeye, bluefin* or yellowfin tuna)1
Shiro (albacore tuna) Toro (bigeye, bluefin* or yellowfin tuna)1

LOWER MERCURY
Eat no more than six 6-ounce servings per month
Kani (crab)
Seigo (young sea bass)*
Suzuki (sea bass)*

LOWEST MERCURY
Enjoy these fish
Aji (horse mackerel)2 Akagai (ark shell)
Anago (conger eel) Aoyagi (round clam)
Awabi (abalone) Ayu (sweetfish)
Ebi (shrimp)* Hamaguri (clam)
Hamo (sea eel) Hatahata (sandfish)
Himo (ark shell) Hokkigai (surf clam)
Hotategai (scallop)* Ika (squid)
Ikura (salmon roe) Kaibashira (shellfish)
Kaiware (daikon-radish sprouts)
Karei (flatfish) Kohada (gizzard shad)
Masago (smelt egg) Mirugai (surf clam)
Nori-tama (egg) Sake (salmon)
Sawara (spanish mackerel)2
Sayori (halfbeak) Shako (mantis shrimp)
Tai (sea bream) Tairagai (razor-shell clam)
Tako (octopus)
Tamago (egg) Tobikko (flying fish egg)
Torigai (cockle) Tsubugai (shellfish)
Unagi (freshwater eel) Uni (sea urchin roe)

* Fish to avoid for reasons other than mercury: Fish and other types of seafood are marked with an asterisk above if any of their populations are depleted due to overfishing or if the methods used to catch them are especially damaging to other sea life or ocean habitats.

This is a must see if you want to get the best glimpse possible of what a sarkel (deceased) human body looks like. Although they have simplified alot to cater to the masses it still is a must see for anyone interested in what is going on inside themselves. According to the release there are “22 whole-body specimens and 260 additional organ and partial-body specimens.” Having seen this exhibit in LA and now NY, the anatomy revealed is enlightening. The scientists use a plastination technique to turn a human body to a polymer/rubber matrix preserving the general look of the body. Tickets are $24.50 for adults and the exhibit is at the Fulton Street Market, New York City.

Please support this very important issue. We are on a dangerous path with a government that is making it easier to pollute our land, water, and air. Yeah, that’s American. This website is great because once you sign up you have a page that tells you how many people you have helped add to the petition.
It’s time to make a difference.

Stop Global Warming

I’ve recently had a great conversation with the brilliant Rolfer, Liz Gaggini, about the wonderful new theories surrounding the most common form of Scoliosis. From my limited understanding of the situ it goes something like this: Tracing the cross section of the main twist in the body at the T6/T7 vertebral junction, where the left side of the pelvis juts forward as well as the anterior right shoulder. Both the right pelvic innominate bone and the left shoulder are posteriorly shifted necessarily in this pattern to create a counterbalance. This being obvious, some research (unpublished as far as I know) is theorizing the initial twist is coming from an embryonic twist in the feeding tube. This feeding tube evolves into the falciform ligament of the liver. The liver has direct ligamentus connections to the heart through the diaphragm. This is primarily short in scoliotics. The liver, stomach, and gall bladder are migrating to the right side of the body, all of which are supported by the Lesser Omentum. The heart being attached to the liver is dragged to the right and rolls in this direction causing the vena cava to slip unerneath the aorta which are going left to counterrotate this imbalance. The kidneys are twisted, intestines and lungs are all going left to create balance. The pelvic imbalance gets set as the infants stand up for the first time and learn to walk. This possible causal relationship can be amazing if intervention can be done surgically or with a brace very early on and stop this pattern from progressing into more dysfunction. For those exhibiting these patterns now, isometric exercises or Yoga postures like Triangle Pose could help unwind down to the visceral organ level. Visceral manipulation could prove an invaluable tool to easing the strain along with some serious Structural Integration work. Here is a new testimonial from my lovely client Kristina Lanuza who has been dealing with her rotations head on for many years and for whom I worked on with the above knowledge:

“Having worked with scoliosis discomfort and pain for over 24 years with numerous physicians and healers, it has been rare to find someone like Michael who has been able to unravel the patterns so quickly and with such apparent results. I now know of only two types of “bodywork” that have worked so brilliantly with unwinding the curvature of the spine - Anusara yoga and Michael’s Structural Integration. Since and during the ten-series of sessions, I have been able to walk, run, dance and practice yoga with greater ease. As an avid athlete and music performer - the ability to move easily in the body is of utmost importance. It has also helped emotionally and mentally. Such deep work can only be done by a true healer. I highly recommend anyone who wants to move with greater ease and less pain to work with Michael for real, lasting change.”

Kristina is a great yoga teacher and more info about her practice is available at Yogafly.

I was given a great testimonial yesterday from a client. I was only able to work on her for 1 session because she was visiting her daughter in the city for a weekend, who I had taken through the 10 series. Anyway, she had had surgery on her right wrist to relieve her carpal tunnel syndrome and was scheduled to have another surgery on her left wrist. This is where I met her. I relieved the compression in her hands, wrists, arms, shoulders and neck and balanced her pelvis throughout the hour session. Surprisingly, she really enjoyed the pressure. She felt great immediately. Her testimonial went something like this, “1 carpal tunnel surgery - $6000, 20% better. 1 SI session - $125, 95% better. 1 year later, 0 SI sessions, still 95% better.” Wow. I couldn’t believe it. And for now, no need for anymore surgery. These results are atypical and hard to duplicate, but I truly believe in the power of Structural Integration.

This is a very interesting article I wanted to share that could shed light on why we can effect and balance a person around and within their Scoliosis and lessen its discomfort. Idiopathic is different from Neuromuscular Scoliosis (ex. Muscular Dystrophy or Cerebral Palsy) in that there is no ‘known’ cause.

“There is an article in the journal Spine, “Intraoperative Long-Latency Reflex Activity in Idiopathic Scoliosis Demonstrates Abnormal Central Processing, a possible cause of idiopathic scoliosis” by Maguire and others, Spine vol. 18 #12, 1993, pp 1621-26. I’m going to quote most of the first paragraph, and then I’ll translate. At the end I’ll speculate about what this means for Feldenkrais workers and other bodyworkers [Structural Integration].

“The clinical manifestations of idiopathic scoliosis are well known, yet its causes remain unclear. Several factors have been proposed, including abnormal structural elements of the spine, dysfunctional spinal musculature, genetic factors, alterations of collagen metabolism, and abnormalities of the central nervous system. The most promising investigations appear to implicate the central nervous system, especially those areas involved with postural equilibrium. Spinal cord reflexes play an integral role in the maintenance of posture. These complex polysynaptic segmental reflexes are regulated by a variety of descending suprasegmental systems, by peripheral afferent impulses and within the spinal cord by a network of interneurons and propriospinal neurons.”

So, in other words, there is a great deal of complex interaction between different parts of the spinal cord involved in maintaining posture, including information from the peripheral nerves, from the brain, and interactions within the spinal cord. Messages from the brain fine-tune the process of postural regulation that goes on within the spinal cord (”efferent control system”). If you’ve ever studied the anatomy of the spinal musculature, you know that there are several short muscles attached to each vertebra that can rotate it in different directions, which maintain the functional coupling of the vertebrae and determine how forces travel through the spine. Presumably this is how Feldenkrais and other bodymind modalities can have an effect on posture, walking, and spinal column function: through central mediation of the spinal reflexes, the central mediation being (somewhat at least) accessible to conscious control.

Is Repetitive Strain Injury, otherwise known as RSI, causing pain in your forearms? Do you have numbness in the arms, tingling in the fingers, weakness in your hands? If your work or quality of life has been compromised, its time to try an effective approach. Your misaligned structure could be the causal factor contributing to these compression type ailments. If so, Structural Integration is for you.

If you have been diagnosed or think you might be suffering with any of these RSI’s, Structural Integration might be a complementary approach to your current treatment.

• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Tendonitis
• Medial Epicondylitis
• Lateral Epicondylitis
• Forearm Pain
• Ulnar Tunnel Syndrome (also called Cubital Tunnel Syndrome)
• DeQuervain’s Syndrome (thumb pain)
• Tennis Elbow
• Golfer’s Elbow
• Neck and Shoulder Pain
• Thoracic Outlet Syndrome

This is taken from the Rolf Institute Website:

“Olympic and Professional Skier’s Talk About Their Rolfing Experiences:
Two-time Olympian, U.S. Nordic Ski Team Member, John Bauer says, “Rolfing helped me get back my career. It tackled some specific injuries that were restricting me from training for the 98 Olympics, and got me back on track. You can ice and rest but no matter how slow you train until you lengthen out the tightness and scarring, it will come back.”

1998 U.S. Paralympic gold medal skier, Sarah Will says, “Rolfing increased my performance time 100%. It eliminated my body pain, relaxed my muscles at the starting gate, my concentration and motivation increased, giving me the winning edge. It loosened my lower back, shifting strength into my upper back where I need it, and increased my starting time. Seeing these results, and knowing I was in the best shape possible, my confidence rose. I think every sport should include a team Rolfer in their training program.” “Skiing demands a sharp mind. The stronger you are the more confident you become. The injuries (from the accident) left me off balance until I discovered the benefits of Rolfing bodywork and I’ve been winning ever since.”

World-renowned Extreme skier, and popular Warren Miller ski film star, John Egan says, “Rolfing gave me the elasticity to make my first day of skiing look like I was in mid-season form. People asked me, what have you been doing? I said you won’t believe it but it was Rolfing bodywork. The first time I tried Rolfing bodywork the rejuvenating effects were incredible. Since then I have been recommending Rolfing to others.”

Olympic skier, Mickey Egan, (the wife of Extreme skier, Dan Egan) says, “Rolfing helps alot, just in the way it helps me to loosen up, so I’m ready to go again. It’s great. Athletes tend to use the same muscles over and over; they get tighter and tighter and this has an effect on the muscles. We can stretch but not reach everything. Rolfing helps me reach areas like the ribs, abdominals, upper body, and hips that are hard to get.”

Other pro-athletes who have used Rolfing include Michelle Kwan and Elvis Stojko, 98 Olympic Silver Medal figure skaters; Phil Jackson, former Chicago Bull’s coach; Charles Barkley of the Houston Rockets; Rob Moore, of the Phoenix Cardinals, Tim Salmon, CA. Angel baseball star; the Phoenix Suns basketball team; Mario Lemieux, of the Pittsburg Penguins, Bob Tewksbury, pitcher for the Minnesota Twins; Edwin Moses, Olympic track athlete; Joe Greene, 1996 U.S. Olympic Bronze Medal long jumper; Ivan Lendl, former tennis champion.”

It has been discovered that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAIDS, such as Cox-2 inhibitors Vioxx, Bextra and Celebrex, lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular problems. However, it turns out that these prescription drugs are not the only painkillers that should be avoided: The FDA has urged the public to limit the use of over-the-counter pain medications and to use them in strict accordance with the label directions.

Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers to be Wary Of

* Aleve
* Aspirin
* Ibuprofen

Aleve (made by Bayer) is the first non-prescription NSAID to be added to the list of painkillers associated with heart attacks and strokes. In fact, Aleve is so detrimental to one’s health that those who have been taking the drug for nearly three years have been advised to stop using it, while those who opt to continue taking it should take no more than two pills a day for no longer than 10 days (unless otherwise advised by a doctor).

People taking the prescription version of Aleve, Naprosyn, are also being directed to take the drug with extreme caution.

Furthermore, a study administered to discover whether Aleve or Celebrex could prevent Alzheimer’s disease showed that those taking Aleve had an estimated 50 percent higher risk of heart attacks and strokes than those taking a placebo.

So what can we do about pain?
Click here for the entire article…