From Within
465 Queen Street West Upper Unit M5V 2A9 Toronto, ON, Canada

In pain? It’s time to send a different message. . The brain produces responses throughout the body BASED ON THE INPUT it receives from the body and the environment. . This is powerful information! There are so many opportunities for change: ... - move different: variety is the spice of life - move more often - movement improves blood and lymph flow - eliminate something from your diet: gluten, sugar, seed oils, and dairy are big ones - drink more water: the human body is about 60% water - get more sunlight in the morning: uv light produces vitamin D (immune system and calcium metabolism) and nitric oxide (dilated blood vessels reducing blood pressure) - take 5 deep breaths every hour: helps calm the nervous system, promotes blood and lymph flow and moves the organs - take a break from social media: reduces stress, gives you time back to focus on you - meditate - promotes stress reduction and mindfulness - safe/gentle touch - oxytocin release, which stimulates a sense of calm, reduces fear, cultivates trust, and enhances social connection . Pain is always a request for change (@stopchasingpain). Choose one way to change the incoming messages to the brain. See what happens! . Continue experimenting with different things. You have to do different if you want a different response. . #chronicpain #pain #physiotherapy #physio #physicaltherapy #healthylifestyle #healthyliving #healthandwellness #healyourself #helpyourself #selfcare #dodifferent #takecontrolofyourlife #takecontrolofyourhealth See more

When you feel like you are doing everything right.... - eating whole organic fruits and vegetables - eating grass fed meat and wild caught fish - drinking water - sleeping 7-8 hours a night... - moving and exercising daily - taking vitamins/minerals/supplements - managing stress (meditation, yoga, therapy, etc.) . ..... but are still struggling.... - chronic pain - delayed recovery - slow healing - sick often - chronic disease (diabetes, autoimmune diseases, etc because there are literally too many to list) - difficulty concentrating - brain fog . ...it can be extremely discouraging and frustrating. . I am with you. I have spent the last year of my life doing everything right and while there have been definite improvements in my life, I am still struggling with many issues. . Sometimes the body needs a little help to restore balance. Working on the vagus nerve, lymphatic flow, blood flow and the gut can have a massive impact on the dynamic functioning of the body’s systems. It provides the optimal foundation for the right things you are already doing to have their intended effect. . There is hope. Sometimes you have to go a little deeper! . Interested in learning more about how to support your body systems? Let’s chat https://forhealthssake.ca . #chronicpain #chronicillness #chronic #chronicpainlife #pain #lowbackpain #lowbackpainrelief #lowback #physiotherapy #physicaltherapy #thinkbig #thinkbigger #hollistic

Chronic low back pain is common, but it is not normal. . Low back pain is the most common condition that people seek help for. It’s so common that many people deem it normal. Just because something is common, it doesn’t mean it’s normal. . Low back pain can be very frustrating to deal with. We tend to feel like we have no control or power over what is happening in our own body. ... . Low back pain impacts our entire life. From a lack of energy and feeling irritable, to difficulty with daily tasks like getting out of bed in the morning, putting on your socks and washing your face. . It can feel like there is no end in sight. There tends to be a lot of worry and fear about the future - will the pain continue as is or will it get worse? How will my pain impact my ability to enjoy my life? . Low back pain tends to suck the joy out of life. It’s takes all our energy and emotions just to make it through the day. When we are in this place, it’s hard to see that there is hope. . I’m here to tell you that there is hope. It’s not easy. It’s takes work. But if you start directing your efforts towards changes that will have a positive impact on your low back pain, you will reap the true benefits throughout your entire life. . It’s time to invest in yourself and your well-being. If you’re ready to take that next step, let’s chat. Book a complimentary consultation to start your journey towards living your best life! https://forhealthssake.ca . #lowbackpain #lowback #chronicpain #chronic #pain #physiotherapy #physiotherapist #hope #changeyourlife #changeyourmindset #change #hopeful

Hello! . It’s been a while, but I’m back and committed to connecting with all of you again! . I don’t think I’ve ever formally introduced myself! ... - my name is Kaitlin - I’m a registered physiotherapist and have been practicing for over 8 years - I love my job! - I got married in 2019 to my favourite person, Rob - I have a fur baby named Tuna - I am a lifelong learner - I’m in the process of becoming a health coach - I enjoy reading and playing board games - I love connecting with people and learning about what makes them tick! - I’m trying to incorporate meditation into my daily routine . Those are the basics! What else do you want to know?! . #showingup #physiotherapy #physiolife #physicaltherapy #pelvicfloorphysicaltherapy #puppiesofinstagram #knowledgeispower #learning #lifelonglearning #risingstrong #daringgreatly See more

Ginger Lemon Tea is a daily staple for me! I find it very calming to drink. It has actually replaced coffee for me! Recipe: - handful of chopped organic ginger - 10-12 cups of water... - Boil for 10-15 minutes. The longer you let it boil, the stronger the ginger flavour - Once it’s done boiling, pour or scoop it into a tea cup and squeeze a 1/4 of a fresh lemon into it - Let it cool a little and enjoy! #organic #antiinflammatory #antioxidants #vitaminc #calm #ginger #gingertea #lemon

Even our pets need self-care when they are stuck at home practicing physical distancing! #stretch #roll #stretchandroll @gram_of_tuna

Vegan chocolate coconut milk shake! > 3 frozen bananas > 2 cans of coconut milk > a teaspoon of real vanilla extract > 1 to 2 tablespoons of cocoa depending on how chocolatey you like it... > 12 cubes of ice > blend and enjoy! #vegan #organic #cleaneating #deliacious

ADAPT. To adjust to different conditions, a new environment, etc. To fit, change or modify to suit a new or different purpose. Become adjusted to new conditions. I saw this tree on a walk and thought it was a beautiful example of adaptation! Look at the roots. They grew based on the space they were confined to. The tree adapted to it’s environment to survive! Living things, including us humans, have an incredible capacity to adapt. Species that were unable to adapt to chang...ing environmental conditions like changes in the food supply, water, weather, or predators did not survive. We are blessed with the inherent ability to adapt to increase our chances of survival, which increases the chances of us passing along our genes. This helps ensure the survival of the species as a whole. We consciously adapt to our circumstances on a daily basis. For example, we have adapted to physical distancing. Many people have adapted to working from home, standing 6 feet apart in public, waiting in line to enter a grocery store, and wearing a mask. We’ve adapted to protect ourselves from potentially getting ill. We are constantly adapting to the situation in front of us, but a lot of it actually happens unconsciously! Our brains are constantly surveying our internal (inside the body) and external environment for threats and opportunities and adapts to deal with them! Adaptations can either make our lives easier (e.g. sweating to decrease temperature when it’s too hot) or harder (e.g. pronged/chronic pain). The brain’s NUMBER 1 goal is SURVIVAL over anything else!

Her eyes may be open, but don’t be fooled she is asleep! Think she’s dreaming about licking ice cream?! #puppylife #puppydreams #puppylove #summerscoming

Evoke the relaxation response. As mentioned in an earlier post, when we are stressed the balance between our sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) nervous systems is off. We tend to be in the sympathetic state more often, which mobilizes energy and sends it to our muscles to prepare us to fight or run away. It’s meant to be a short-lived response. When things in our life prolong the fight or flight stress response our muscles can remain in a more... contracted or ready state. We may perceive this as tightness. We need to end the stress response to help those muscles relax. This is important in daily life, after a workout, and before sleep and upon awakening for those that don’t feel rested after a full nights sleep. There are many ways to evoke the relaxation response. You need to find an option that you enjoy and find truly relaxing. Here are some suggestions: > a hot epsom salt bath. Add some lavender essential oil to help calm your system. Light some candles and either enjoy the silence or play some calming music or nature sounds. Enjoy this time to yourself. Keep devices and distractions out of the room. > meditate. Meditation helps quite the monkey mind bringing you into a more calm and grounded state. Start with short meditations. Even 3-5 minutes can have a powerful impact on the state of your nervous system. There are lots of free guided meditations on YouTube. Calm and Headspace are also great meditation apps for beginners. > deep breathing. Close your eyes and take some deep breaths. Focus on your breath and how good it feels to fill your lungs with air. Spend 3-5 minutes focussing on your breath. Explore different breath patterns. Here are 2 you can try: 1. Breathe in for 4 seconds. Hold for 4 seconds. Breathe out for 4 seconds. Hold for 4 seconds. Repeat! 2. Plug your left nostril. Breathe in through your right nostril. Hold. Plug the right nostril and breathe out through your left nostril. Keep the right nostril plugged as you breathe in through the left nostril. Hold. Plug the left nostril and breathe out through the right nostril. Repeat this pattern. These are just suggestions! Find what works for you!

Now that we all know muscles are stupid, how do we tame them when their tight? > be gentle with your muscles. If they are trying to protect you, do you think pushing into a painful stretch or an aggressive self-massage is what’s going to help them relax? It may feel good at first and give us that feeling of being looser, but the likelihood of them tightening right back up is likely pretty high for most of us. When a stretch or massage is painful (e.g. 7-8/10), you are sen...ding your brain a danger signal and it’s responding with pain. It’s trying to motivate you to stop what you’re doing. This is likely to increase the protective response in the area and lead to more tightness or the tightness continually feeling the same. This, less is more. Back way off. Approach the edge of discomfort but don’t go into it. About a 3-4/10 MAX for both stretching and self-massage > connect the brain with the body. Close your eyes. Take some calming deep breaths. Visualize the area you are stretching or massaging as a frozen brick of butter. It’s a beautiful hot sunny day. That butter has been put on the counter and is being hit by the sunlight. It starts to melt. The edges get round and it shrinks in size. I continues to melt sitting in the hot sun. It now resembles an egg. The centre is more solid like the yolk and the remainder is more fluid like the white. I continues to melt until the entire brick is liquid. It’s now free to flow across the counter. That’s my favourite visualization, but feel free to create your own or find a guided one on the internet! > hold this until the discomfort is a 0/10, meaning you no longer feel anything in the area at all. Continue holding this 0/10 and visualizing for 1 full minute. Give the brain some time to appreciate that there is nothing going on in that area. It may realize it no longer needs to focus as much attention there and the area will relax and it won’t be as temporary. > after the minute, you can push a little further into the stretch or increase the pressure of the massage to a 3-4/10 and repeat! I would do this for 5-10 minutes! > try it out and let me know how it goes!

It's official Newest member to the team! Check out our website: www.foundationphysio.com! Currently my hours are Monday and Thursdays 4-8, and Saturdays 10-4. To book call 647-350-5800.