Chinook Massage Therapy

Waste not, want not!  As we continue to empty out the freezer in preparation for the beef and chickens we ordered from local farms, we are coming across all sorts of things we forgot about. The big bag of suet has been rendered into tallow for future projects. I also found some beef liver that was buried. Half of the family really like organ meat, but these are old and freezer burnt. So the plan is to dehydrate them into dog treats. The liver was sliced thin by the butcher, so it doesn’t require any prep. The key to good dehydration is small pieces or thin layers. Liver Jerky for Dogs It turns out that dehydrating liver smells REALLY bad! It stunk up the whole house! We had to haul the dehydrator out of the laundry room in the basement, on to the deck. I felt bad for our neighbours. I said I would never do it again, but Rodeo really loves them and she's not a fan of store bought dog treats. I probably just have to let enough time go by that I forget the smell! I also fo...

Swedish chef, Swedish meatballs, Swedish fish, Ikea, and ABBA. Lots of good things are Swedish, and massage is on that list. My Favourite Muppet When you look at a brochure or a website for a massage clinic or day spa, there can be a huge range of different treatments available. Some of them can be baffling, some can sound scary or painful and some sound downright strange. To make things even more confusing, there are over arching categories, called modalities and there are specific techniques within a category. Just as every culinary tradition has some sort of unleavened or flatbread, massage has roots, one way or another, in most civilizations around the world. Often the same or similar techniques will have a variety of names simply because of the variety of cultures and languages. 3000 years ago in China, the “Yellow Emperor’s Classics of Internal Medicine” includes massage. Hippocrates also wrote about massage techniques for treating injuries.   Families in India have a cultu...

There are a lot of thing that people wonder about and were either too shy to ask or didn’t think of it until later. I'm going to try to be thorough, and bring up some of the the things a new client should know, or the questions people don't even know that they should ask. Undressing—It’s the first thing. If you aren't used to getting massages, you may not know what to do. A typical massage room is a private space and you are left alone to get ready. The best phrase I heard to explain it is “undress to your level of comfort”. Elderly or injured people may have difficulty disrobing.   Massages can be done through clothes. Many clients bring gym or yoga clothes to change into. Just don’t wear jeans or cargo pants—they are lumpy and thick and hard to work through! Underwear can be on or off. It doesn’t matter to your therapist. Be aware though, oil may get on your clothes, so don’t wear your favorites. If you have cold feet, leave your socks on. Assistance—Various circumsta...