Howie Eugenio, RMT

Steps in the right direction!

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/newfoundland-labrador-says-soft-drink-143848150.html

Newfoundland and Labrador says soft drink tax coming in 2022 will be Canada's first ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — In an effort to boost health outcomes in an ailing province, the Newfoundland and Labrador government unveiled details Tuesday of what it says will be the country's first tax specifically targeting sugary drinks. Finance Minister Siobhan Coady told reporters the tax will hike pr...

I have problems. Lots of them. Does that surprise you? Did you imagine that if you were able to be successful and find love that all the problems would go away? They don’t.

The problems don’t stop because of anything external changing. The problems just change. Perhaps instead of worrying about physical needs like food and shelter, you start worrying about emotional and spiritual needs. They all feel real and can be incredibly painful. And if you think that those emotional and spiritual problems aren’t life and death - then look at all the wealthy, successful people who have killed themselves.

Like the quote says, the way to be happy is to learn how to deal with problems. And the only way I know to do that is perspective. To remember that the important part of me is not my body or my identity, but the unborn and undying consciousness within me. The one who is aware of my mind and body. That can’t be harmed. Not by slander, not by bullets, and not by death. And from that perspective, all the problems seem like opportunities for my incarnation to solve a puzzle and become wiser, better, and stronger for it.

Artist: on IG

This is why I took my stance. To bring awareness to our health

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/special/coronavirus/facts-prevail-for-now-vaccinated-trio-575466162.html

Y'all never told me this sh*t gives you super powers!

🔥Act now: No mandatory Covid-19 vaccine in Canada Let’s get to 27046 signatures by the end of today - can you add yours?

We are wired for touch from the moment we're born

Skin to skin contact right after a baby is born builds trust, it communicates with them that they're safe. It helps them to relax by regulating their breathing and heart rate.

Proof that an innate healing ability lies within us.

We're no different as adults, positive touch helps calm the nervous system, reduces stress, helps release our feel good hormones.

How many of us are being deprived of this right now? We all are to varying degrees, makes me wonder what affect it will have on us moving forward.

If you haven't heard of touch starvation, it basically leads to the opposite of what positive touch does. Stress, depression, anxiety etc.

My massage schedule is back open again, looking forward to working with everyone!

And looking forward to the days we can high five, shake hands, and give hugs again 👏🏼🤝🤗

Thanks to everyone who reached out, baby Yara is doing great!

https://globalnews.ca/news/7939882/mushrooms-psychedelic-therapy-canada/amp/

‘People are desperate to heal’: The push for psychedelic-assisted therapy in Canada Medical research shows the promise of magic mushrooms and other psychedelic compounds in treating mental disorders. So why is this therapy not more widely available?

"We are asymmetrical beings"

This statement is totally changing the way I've been looking at the body.

In school we always viewed the musculoskeletal system as symmetrical, we have the same muscles on the left and right but we failed to account for the organs.

If we have a heart on the left side, the liver and a larger diaphragm on the right, then we're naturally asymmetrical.

Because of this, most of us shift our weight to the right causing our right pelvis to rotate forward and the left torso to turn back to compensate. It's interesting because recently all the shoulder cases I've had have been on the left side 🤔

Injuries and trauma can exacerbate this asymmetry and how our body manages it can give us some insight into why chronic issues develop. Maybe it's the missing link for why said issues never go away no matter what we try.

Down the PRI (postural restoration) rabbit hole I go!

🧠 THE MIND BODY CONNECTION 💆🏻

As manual therapists, we often learn and think about the body from a physical standpoint. Rarely do we discuss the relationship between your thoughts and feelings and your physical state.

However the mind body connection goes deeper than I realized and might be the missing link for how I treat chronic muscle tightness.

There's a reason our brain tells our muscles to tighten up. From a physical standpoint, it can be a way for the body to become more efficient.

For example if you sit a lot, the brain will tell the glutes and core muscles to shut off because why waste energy on muscles that aren't being used. Eventually other muscles may tighten up as a way to 'pick up the slack' from those lazy muscles.

The brain can also tell our muscles to tighten up as a protective mechanism.
For example someone living in fear might have a cowering type posture, rounding the shoulders forward and ducking the chin. This is one way emotion can manifest in the body as a physical sensation.

In theory, if we can reset the signals from the brain we can reduce muscle tightness. That's why I want to incorporate more stretching, movement, and breathwork in my treatment plan. To bring awareness to how our body feels and use the mind body connection to heal.

Check out my man .co
for some good tips!

Need a good calf stretch?

I started making these calf stretch boards as a little side project. It was really just a way to get together with a few friends as they were working on projects of their own.

I figured it would be a good way for other health professionals to promote their own business with their logo etched into the board (thanks !)

These slant boards have one different feature from others out in the market as you can flip it over and use the dowel for balance or massaging your feet.

If you're interested in one shoot me a DM! I can make them without a logo as well.

❄️ How I train my mind to handle stress❄️

I've been taking cold showers 2-3 times a week for a couple years now after learning about . I figured if he never gets sick it must be worth a try.

Coincidentally, the last time I was sick was just before I started taking them so maybe there's something to it.

Physiologically, the body responds to this low level stress by activating the stress response, which can have some positive effects such as:

🩸 Improve blood flow
🔋 Mitochondria biogenesis (helps create energy, energy = heat)
⛏️ Break down fat to create that energy
🧪 Release norepinephrine (improved focus, may help anxiety)

The fear of the initial shock is always the worst part, but taking a few deep breaths and focusing on my breathing throughout helps block out the unpleasant thoughts. Eventually I get to the point where I 'forget' about the cold.

Doing this consistently helps my body deal with stress, in theory it's like the little things don't bother me as much because you get used to it.

If the cold isn't for you, saunas have a similar effect. Try it out!

WHAT PROBLEM DO YOU SOLVE?

I saw this question posted the other day (thanks !), it was in relation to business and thought it would be a good way to introduce my mission.

Ultimately my goal is to help you connect with your body.

There's a number of reasons that lead to feeling disconnected, being overwhelmed with stress, too many distractions, being too busy, experiencing trauma etc.

We all go through something but it shouldn't define who we are. When you have an injury, do you label yourself as 'broken'? Or do you see yourself as someone experiencing a setback.

Sometimes these labels are what prevent us from change. Learn to see past any self-limiting thoughts and beliefs. Be like Skully, he's missing a leg and hands but he's still smiling 😁

Here's a list of things, some I do now, others I'm learning about and would like to start incorporating into my treatments:

🤸🏽 teach you how to move better and manage injuries on your own

😌 help you feel at peace, reduce stress

🧖 bring awareness to why certain postures, emotions manifest as tension in the body

💪🏼 teach you to connect with the body's innate power to heal itself

What is wealth to you?

1 MIN READING: The fisherman and the businessman There was once a businessman who was sitting by the beach in a small Brazilian village. As he sat, he saw a Brazilian fisherman rowing a small boat towards the shore having caught quite few big fish. The businessman was impressed and asked the fisherman, "How long does it take you to catch so many.....

Excited to partner with the Community Care Fund!

You can nominate anyone you know who is in need of healing services but may not have the means to access them.

Through donations and support from the community, that person could then receive a sponsored session with one of the participating therapists.

Check out https://evokebodymind.ca/the-Community-Care-Fund to learn more!

Good read

8 Uncomfortable lessons that we all need to learn 1. Your self-love must be stronger than your desire to be loved: If you're not happy now, there's no amount of followers, positive social media...

What I've been reading about lately!

Recent personal experiences have led me to learn more about 'energy' and examine other forms of healing.

In school we learned about the body from a physical, 'western' perspective. Each muscle has a function, injuries, poor posture, muscle weakness/imbalances are some things that affect those functions. What we didn't really touch on was the mental side, how things like stress, repressed emotions, and anxiety affect the body. These things often cause energy blockages which can manifest in the body physically.

For example, someone who is anxious often has a shallower breathing pattern causing the diaphragm or chest muscles to never fully expand. That constricted holding pattern then leads to physical issues like tight neck muscles.

Anatomy and proper assessment will always form the basis of my treatments but maybe there's more to this Eastern philosophy than we realize.

So, what activities do you do for your mental/spiritual health?
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Anyone else feeling off-balanced from the weekend? 🙋🏻

I couldn't have asked for a better long weekend! Went camping with my friends, all our kids had fun playing together (also a nice break from tv for them), and perfect weather.

Lots of good eats, a few drinks, late nights mixed with (too)early mornings and maybe a few too many goodies.

Our body craves balance, the fancy name for it is homeostasis. Being in balance is where our body functions at its best.

We know too much of a bad thing such as stress is not good for us, don't forget too much of a good thing can also have a similar effect. But hey, every once in a while ain't so bad right?!

Time to get back on solid ground!

If you're looking for last minute bookings I just signed up on lastminutemassage.ca

Check it out!

Can you hold this position for a minute? ⌚

If a baby can do it, should be easy right?

Obviously our bodies are very different as adults making this a bit more challenging. Moving our joints into their end ranges of motion can help to provide them with circulation, bringing blood flow and nutrients. Doing this daily would go a long way to help preserve our joints.

Try to go as low as you can while maintaining a neutral spine, you can hold onto something if you need assistance.

Give it a try, your hips and low back will thank you!

Direct billing coming soon!

I already do direct billing for Blue Cross and Equitable Life and will also be able to add these providers in a few days.

👨‍👧‍👦 My Father's Day gift! 🎁

Had my logo done up all fancy so I thought I'd share the meaning behind it.

I gave free reign to design my logo using balance as a mantra. Achieving balance in my life is what I strive for and hope to accomplish the same when treating clients. The vision she had was for something that represents a firm foundation, something that massage helps the body align with. The pyramid wasn't something I ever had in mind but the more I read about consciousness and ego, the more I'm convinced it was meant to be.

Shoutout to all the dad's holding it down. Don't forget to take some time for yourself!

There’s something to be said about creating something you can call your own.

I’ve enjoyed my time working for busy clinics but in truth I was never going to reach my full potential continuing on that route. Sure it was nice to not have to work to get bookings but some days I’d find myself just going through the motions because I didn’t jive with the person or the music that would be playing or whatever.

There’s a renewed energy in me because now my work can take shape of my true authentic self. I’m more inspired because now I’m starting to build a client base I can finally call my own and it’s rewarding to be attracting those who align with my core values!

🏡 It’s been one year since we’ve moved in! 🏡

It was a bit of a process selling our first home and finding a new place to live, but it was well worth it! We were quickly outgrowing our house with the two kiddies and needed more space, plus working out of home was always something I envisioned. The house we're in now is the perfect set up with the massage room right off the entrance.

My good friend's at 6 Degrees Photobooth created a super cool virtual tour, check it out here: https://kuula.co/share/7XBTq/collection/7l6yL

Had my first client today after a two month break. Definitely missed connecting with people!

Learning about true happiness is an ongoing journey that takes practice. Just found this free course being offered!

sfree: Practice happiness with Yale University Staying optimistic is important, and not just in these trying times. Luckily, you can now increase your happiness thanks to this free online course.