Sydney-based Structural Integration and integrative bodywork

Stress response - how stress affects health | Emma Simpson

March 15, 2019May 22, 2020 by Emma

The Stress Response: How to Curb the Destruction of Health!

This is Part 2 of a two-part series on STRESS and how it impacts your health, body, AND your mind…

Being chronically stressed (as in being in a state of nonstop, unrelenting stress!), as so many of us are these days – you might think that it only affects your nervous system.

After all, that’s where you perceive it to be in abundance – because it’s quite literally is unnerving!

But, the truth of the matter is that stress can also compromise most of your major body systems, including:

the digestive system
the immune system
the reproductive system
other major organs
even your posture and alignment

How Stress Impacts Health - Full Body Response | Emma Simpson

February 15, 2019May 22, 2020 by Emma

Stress Impacts Health: It’s a full body (and mind) response!

This is Part 1 of a two-part series on STRESS and how it impacts your health, body & mind…

According to the Australian Psychological Association (APA),

“Seventy-two percent of Australians admit that stress affects their physical health, and 64% of us claim it’s not doing us any good in the mental health department, either.

The three main causes of stress in Australia are financial concerns, health issues, and family issues.”

Considering that being chronically stressed has become so mainstream these days, and it is such a regular (daily) occurrence, you might think that stress only affects your nervous system?

After all, that’s where you perceive it to be in abundance – because it is quite literally unnerving!

In actuality, stress, whether the source of it is physical, mental, real, or imagined – also compromises your digestive system, immune system, reproductive system, most major organs, and even your posture and alignment.

It really is a FULL BODY response!

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Scar Tissue Therapy | Emma Simpson, Structural Integrator & Remedial Massage

November 15, 2018May 14, 2020 by Emma

War Wounds: How Scar Tissue Therapy can help you fight them

We’ve all got one or two gnarly looking scars on our body. An old injury from falling off our bike as a kid, or maybe even a bigger one from a recent surgery.

These scars tell a lot of stories and it’s not just the actual story of how they happened that I’m referring to.

For a bodyworker like myself, your scars tell me HOW to treat your body. They tell me WHY you may be experiencing pain or discomfort and WHERE.

Our bodies are so complex that the old bike scar from childhood that you may have completely forgotten about could still be affecting you today.

But before I go down that rabbit hole, let me first give you a brief explanation of scar tissue.

What is scar tissue really?

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Emma treating a client in a seated position during a structural integration session

October 15, 2018May 14, 2020 by Emma

How to Thaw Out Your Frozen Shoulder

What if one day you woke up and you weren’t able to lift your arm above your head? No matter how hard you tried, it just won’t move.

And to make matters worse, your shoulder is swollen and you’re in a lot of pain.

These are just a few of many symptoms of a condition commonly known as Frozen Shoulder. As the medical folk like to call it — Adhesive Capsulitis. (See, that’s why most people prefer to just say ‘frozen shoulder’!)

Frozen Shoulder is a condition in which the shoulder joint experiences an extremely limited range of motion. In some severe cases, an individual with the condition will have difficulty performing basic daily tasks like getting dressed or brushing their teeth.

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Wiggly Pelvis & SI Joint Pain | Emma Simpson

September 15, 2018May 14, 2020 by Emma

SI Joint Pain and a Wiggly Pelvis: Could This Be The Cause of Your Low Back Pain Too?

I recently had a new client in my clinic who was experiencing pain in her lower back. “Lisa” had just leaned down to pick up her toddler son, turned to grab something, and… BOOM. The searing pain stopped her in her tracks.

She immediately gave me a call so we could start treating the problem and she could get back to her busy life.

After a few evaluations, I was able to determine the cause of the problem: SI Joint Dysfunction caused by Pelvic Girdle Instability.

So, my pelvis is wiggly, and could be the cause of my SI joint pain?!

In simple terms, Lisa’s pelvis moves all over the place when she walks and therefore is unable to support her lower back and torso. And Lisa is not alone in this.

An unstable Pelvic Girdle (just think wiggly pelvis) is extremely common, especially among women who have given birth OR are currently pregnant — AND HERE’S WHY…

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Emma Simpson | Hips - Emotions Connection

September 1, 2018May 14, 2020 by Emma

Hips That Have Heart: The Powerful Connection Between Your Hips and Your Emotions

What if I told you that that tight feeling you have across your hips (better known as cranky hips!) had more to do with your feelings than your daily activities or an old injury?

Sure, our lifestyles these days are a contributing factor:

– We sit a lot.

– We drive in cars a lot.

– We spend time hunched over tech devices…A LOT.

And, yes these things can all cause tightness through the front of your body, including your hips.

But sometimes there’s more to the story… literally.

What if I told you that your hips are tight because of your emotions?

You might think I’m crazy, but read on! I promise you’ll learn that there’s actually a HUGE connection between our emotional wellbeing and those chronically tight spots in your (seemingly cranky) hips.

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Low-tox Living | How to Reduce the Chemicals in Your Life!

August 1, 2018May 25, 2023 by Emma

Low-tox Living: Top 3 Ways To Reduce Chemicals In Your Life

Hi, I’m Sarah! Your featured guest blogger!

As a busy mum living in Sydney, Australia, I remember when I began investigating alternative natural ways to support my two young girls.

It was the times when they had a cough, when they needed to relax for bedtime, or when they needed a confidence boost when they were worried.

You know – natural, holistic kind of Mum stuff!

This investigation led me to using essential oils to support my family naturally – and it just made so much sense to me.

I made my own household cleaning products and body products (like bath salts, body scrubs, face creams, room sprays) – all out of natural, chemical-free products. I wondered where these amazing oils had been my whole life!

This led me down the path of becoming a qualified Aromatherapist so that I could guide other health seekers, and promote safe, ethical essential oil usage.

I was thirsty to learn everything about essential oils; from the plant extracts to chemistry (including anatomy, physiology, pathology) to the effective and safe use of them. As you may know, some are not safe for use in all situations – like ingesting them!

Today, I thought I would share how reducing toxic chemicals from within your home and your personal environment can be beneficial to not only YOUR health & wellness – but that of your family.

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July 15, 2018May 14, 2020 by Emma

Is ‘Functional Movement’ Just Another Trendy Term? (or should you be doing it?!)

We’ve only got one body — so why not treat it well in everything we do, including moving it?

When we walk, run, play sports, lift weights, or just sit in front of the computer (umm, all day, every day), we should be tuning in to how we use our muscles — for optimal functioning in healthy, efficient and pain-free movement.

CONSIDER THIS: if any part of your body is experiencing pain, it’s pretty likely that some element of your body’s functional movement system (which I refer to as myofascial slings) has been compromised.

This may manifest as:

weakness/decreased strength
muscle imbalance
poor functioning joint
decreased flexibility

And it doesn’t matter whether one or more of these show up in your ankles, hips, pelvis, knees, back, shoulders, neck or the classic “pain in the butt”…the whole body has been cleverly designed like a complex chain link system that works for you to move with biomechanical efficiency.

(At least that’s the idea!)

That’s why the term ‘functional movement’ – which I prefer to expand that to holistic and functional movement isn’t just a trendy exercise term du jour.

It’s a body movement concept that everyone needs in their everyday repertoire!

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Top 5 Inflammation Fighting Foods | Emma Simpson

July 1, 2018May 14, 2020 by Emma

Top 5 Pain and Inflammation-Fighting Foods

You’ve probably heard that chronic inflammation is the root cause of most diseases.

But what does that really mean?

Inflammation is the body’s natural and healthy response to injury, illness, and infection. Just think about the fever, pain, redness, and swelling that can accompany a cut, burn or the common cold – that’s acute inflammation at work.

It’s your body’s way of fighting viruses and promoting healing.

However, an unhealthy lifestyle stemming from things like poor diet, stress, and lack of sleep can create low-level, ongoing inflammation on the cellular level.

This type of inflammation affects all body systems and, left untreated, is believed to be the underlying cause of serious illness, such as heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and cancer.

You may not even know this kind of inflammation is occurring until you’re dealing with pain in your body or perhaps a diagnosis of a new illness.

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Emma Simpson | Stretches for Chronic Pain

June 15, 2018May 14, 2020 by Emma

Best Stretches for Chronic Pain – 7 of Them!

I have my limitations… we all do!

I love that I can help people achieve pain-free routines, and sustain active healthy lives. When a client comes to see me, I consider it a sincere privilege to help them find relief and more simply – to move better.

Truthbomb: as a Structural Integrator & Myofascial Bodyworker, there’s only so much I can do.

There are only so many times I can treat each individual client each week. Not to mention that I can’t follow them around all the time in between appointments to make sure they’re minding their posture or lifting that big heavy object properly.

Pain management, especially for long-standing, chronic pain – is a joint venture between the patient and practitioner. When my clients do their homework, so to speak, their results are much more effective and long-lasting.

This is why I frequently assign clients take-home strengthening exercises and stretching routines. These exercises are intended to help them manage their discomfort in between appointments AND to minimize the likelihood of an injury recurring.

Some of the most common issues I treat as a specialised Bodyworker:

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