Some Spa Tips for Using Hydrotherapy at Home

With the advances of modern plumbing and accessories, many of us can now make our own adaptations of hydrotherapy for home use. I will not get into the history of water therapy here, but perhaps later I can write up something on that subject. Meanwhile, there is plenty of historical material online regarding the contributions of people like Sebastian Kneipp and Vincent Priessnitz, the fathers of therapeutic hydrotherapy.

The primary basis of hydrotherapy is that cold water causes blood vessels to constrict (vasoconstriction) while hot water causes blood vessels to expand (vasodilation). The greater the contrast in water temperature, the greater the effect created on a given customer/client. Vasoconstriction helps flush out waste material from swollen muscles or injured tissue, while vasodilation floods the area with fresh oxygenated blood.

At this point I am obligated to mention that people with high blood pressure, who are taking blood pressure medications, who have problems sensing hot and cold (like advanced diabetes), people with edema or thrombosis or hi risk pregnancy or varicose veins, should NOT have a full treatment of hydrotherapy with very hot water. Also persons with a fever or active infection, or broken skin or bruises, should be very cautious about exposing themselves to extreme temperatures. People who are taking medications for any of the above conditions may have to be cleared by a doctor before receiving hydrotherapy. People with mild versions of the above conditions may be able to have hydrotherapy but at reduced temperature extremes or for a reduced length of time.

We already instinctively know some of the basic principles of hydrotherapy. Hot baths or showers help us relax and get ready for bed. Cold showers help us get up and at ‘em in the morning when getting ready for work. Of course, prolonged exposure to icy water will start to cause hypothermia and reduced blood circulation to the extremities.

The Bath --
Take the basic hot bath and soak. What things can you add to the water to enhance the benefits?
Epsom salts -- for muscle relaxation and to stimulate perspiration.
Apple Cider Vinegar -- 2-3 cups added to a bath will relieve itching; smaller amounts are invigorating.
Oatmeal -- 3-4 cups relieves sunburn or other skin inflammation. NOTE: you may not want to deal with the cleanup! An alternative is to put a scoop into an infuser such as a tea ball, or sewn into a sachet-type cloth bag.
Chamomile or lavender sachets or essential oils for relaxing.
Powdered seaweeds or muds act to normalize skin. NOTE: here again, as with oatmeal, you may not want to deal with cleanup. There are mud-based concoctions in a tube that are easy to use; they are ideal for applying to your face while you soak in the tub. The established brand Queen Helene has a “Mint Julep Masque” that is kaolin based; it shrinks pores and pulls out dirt from pores as it dries. A more recent product is You-Nique, with an acacia, aloe and cornstarch base that is billed as the natural facelift.
Essential oils -- You have a wide choice of scents to choose from. Most people report better results with natural essential oils, as the man-made versions sometimes cause headaches or allergic reactions. I will have to deal with subject of essential oils separately in another article

The Shower --
Many of us are in and out of the shower without thinking twice about it. But using hot and cold water for therapeutic effect has a long history. If you have a hose attachment on a removable shower head, all the better. But even if you have a fixed shower head, you can still benefit from hot and cold therapy.
Use hot water for your normal quick bathing, but finish with a cool or cold rinse. This is very invigorating to the circulation. Those who are a bit skittish about this may choose to only put their feet and hands/arms under the cold water, but may find that they grow to tolerate whole-body immersion under the flow.

Water Treading --
One of Sebastian Kneipp’s techniques was water treading -- walking in a cold mountain stream. This also is very therapeutic for legs aching from working hard all day, or for hikers needing a break in their mountain climbing. Those of us who live far from mountain streams (that’s most of us) have to make do with simulated mountain streams, in the form of a bathtub filled with cold water. It helps with cramping, poor circulation, exhaustion or weakness, varicose veins, any foot problems. The water should be at least up to the ankle and may be up to the knees.

Scotch Shower --
Those of you with a hose on your shower head attachment can try a form of Scotch shower -- a focused stream of water on problem areas, or applied in a flowing patterns over the whole body. Areas of muscle cramps benefit from application of hot and cold alternating water flow.
As always, drink plenty of water after any spa massage or other treatment. Physical and hydrostatic manipulation pushes waste material out of the muscles and blood vessels -- clients who do not drink enough water often feel flu-like symptoms.

Thanks for stopping by, and check back again for more information and tips.

Cerebral Palsy Patients and Massage

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term covering several brain injuries that damaged different areas of the brain at various stages of development. It is divided into four groups or types based on symptoms, and can also be classified by at what age the child received the brain injury.

The four types are: Spastic cerebral palsy, Athetoid cerebral palsy, Ataxic cerebral palsy, and Mixed cerebral palsy. The spastic type is far more common than the others; it features muscles whose tonicity is so high that the antagonist muscles have “completely let go” to use Ruth Werner’s expression (Werner, 2002). Athetoid accounts for up to a third of cerebral palsy cases, and features very weak muscles and involuntary writhing movements. The Ataxic type exhibits chronic shaking and tremors with very poor balance. Some include a fifth type, Dystonic, which also involves involuntary twisting movements of trunk and extremities. Symptoms depend on whether the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, or cerebellum is the most severely affected (Turkington, 2002).

Brain injuries can occur either prenatally, in birth trauma, or can be an acquired defect in early infancy. Prenatal diseases that can cause cerebral palsy include rubella, toxoplasmosis, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, Rh sensitization, toxic exposure, or abdominal trauma. Birth traumas include anoxia or asphyxia (where the oxygen supply is cut off), or head trauma as in a forceps delivery. Injuries in infancy include things like shaken baby syndrome, car accidents, infections like meningitis or encephalitis, and neoplasms (Werner, 2009). Cerebral palsy is also linked to fetal alcohol syndrome (UPI, 2007 and Gwinnell and Adamec, 2005). The majority of infants who survive severe shaking will have some form of neurological or mental disability, such as cerebral palsy. Yet another environmental cause is exposure to high levels of methyl mercury (thimerosal) (Turkington and Tzeel, 2004).

Diagnosis of cerebral palsy can be very tricky. Doctors often wait till after the child’s first birthday for the permanent appearance of specific motor problems. Most children are diagnosed by the age of 18 months. Strangely, X-rays or blood tests only exclude other brain diseases. Cerebral palsy is not a hereditary condition, and these tests will neither establish nor rule out a diagnosis of CP. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and CAT scans are often ordered if a doctor suspects that the child has cerebral palsy, but these tests are better at catching cases of hydrocephalus and, as I said, are usually used to exclude other causes of delayed motor development. It is odd that “children with normal scans may have severe cerebral palsy, and children with clearly abnormal scans occasionally appear totally normal or have only mild physical evidence of cerebral palsy” (Turkington, 2002).

However one of the distinguishing characteristics is called the “scissors” gait. A gait that also occurs in cervical spondylosis, the scissors gait allows the knees and thighs to thump against each other or to cross in a cutting movement akin to that of a pair of shears. A trauma to the spinal cord can also cause this type of gait (Sayler, 2005).

Cerebral palsy is not a progressive disorder, but conventional medicine holds that it is not a curable condition, either. Milder cases can resolve themselves by the age of 7 (Werner, 2009). Treatment may include braces for weak limbs, extended occupational and physical therapy, or even surgical intervention to correct scoliosis or correct hip dislocations.

Fortunately, patients with cerebral palsy have been shown to respond very positively to massage therapy. Pioneer Sister Elizabeth Kenny was first developing her techniques when she treated a seven-year-old girl named Daphne Cregan. Miss Kenny applied her usual program of hot baths or packs, with muscle re-education and massage. The Australian child progressed from not even being able to sit up, to walking with a stick. Daphne later earned prizes in school, at St. Ursula’s, for art, composition, and spelling (Cohn, 1975).

A research study conducted by Maria Hernandez-Reif recruited volunteer licensed massage therapists to administer to cerebral palsy patients two days a week. Following 12 weeks of twice weekly massage therapy sessions (added to standard care), very young children with CP showed reduced spasticity and less overall and arm hypertonic (rigid) muscle tone. Range of motion scores for hip extension also improved. Few developmental measures improved for a control group given standard care plus being read to over the 12 weeks; this program only produced improved language and feeding scores. The additional reading sessions might have contributed to the improved language scores and might be encouraging news for parents who have children with CP who may want to add reading to their daily or nightly routine. In contrast, the children in the standard care/massage therapy group showed improved scores in cognition, fine and gross motor functioning, dressing and social skills (Hernandez-Reif, 2005).

Their treatment protocol follows:
The therapist started each session by cradling the child’s head and making small circular strokes on the scalp while making eye contact to orient the child to being touched. Subsequently, the therapist applied non-scented oil to his/her hands and massaged the child in the following sequence:
Head/face/scalp: (a) using flats of fingers, stroking forehead and temple area; (b) stroking cheekbones outwards toward temple; (c) massaging, using circular movements, under the chin, cheeks, jawline around the ears, back of neck and base of skull.
Shoulders/arms/hands: applying oil to the hands, (a) kneading shoulders, including scapula area, deltoids and pectoral muscles; (b) making hands like the letter ‘C’ and milking the arms from the shoulder to the wrist; (c) with hands turning opposite each other, twisting and wringing from the shoulder to the wrist and off the hand; (d) using thumb over thumb motion to massage the palm of the hand; (e) massaging and gently pulling each finger; (f) massaging the top of hand, including the wrist and areas in between fingers; (g) flexing and extending wrist and fingers; (h) rolling the arm from shoulder to wrist; and finishing by (h) using long milking strokes and smooth strokes from wrist to the shoulder.
Chest: (a) making small finger circles down and then up both sides of sternum; (b) making small lateral movements with fingertips under clavicles from sternum to shoulder, working both sides of chest simultaneously; (c) with one hand on each shoulder, squeezing whole deltoid area with entire hand, then lightly moving both shoulders back and forth to open up chest area (relaxing and repeating three times).
Hips: (a) without forcing joints since knees may not bend, holding the lower legs and moving both knees toward chest (relaxing and repeating three times); (b) repeating same step but alternating lower leg towards opposite shoulder (relaxing and repeating three times).
Legs and feet: applying oil to the hands, following procedure for arms and hands to one, then the other, leg and foot.
Back: (a) holding chest with fingers and thumbs on child’s back, applying small thumb circles down sides of spine from the neck to the tailbone and back up to the neck; (b) making soothing circular strokes around the tops of the shoulders; (c) using heel of hand, making circles around entire back, including shoulder blade and lower back areas; (d) making large full palm circles across entire back.

Conventional massage therapy works well but must be part of a course of long-term treatment. “The damage for a person who has CP does not begin in the muscle and connective tissues. Although this is where we feel the tightening of the connective tissue wrappings around muscles, the contractures themselves are simply a symptom-a complication of a problem deep in the brain. Therefore, if all we try to do is lengthen the muscles and stretch the fascia, we will run smack into a brick wall: either no progress will happed at all, or symptoms may even be temporarily exacerbated. Most people with CP get best results if bodywork focuses on indirectly affecting muscle tone through craniosacral work, gentle rocking, slow range of motion exercises, and manipulation of the arms and legs that engages the client in ways he or she doesn't automatically resist-this often means going with the direction of muscle shortening in order to disengage the reflex. Ultimately, the therapist will have to experiment with lots of different approaches, often accompanied by extremely supportive bolstering, in order to find what techniques allow their clients to relax and enjoy their massage (Werner, 2002). Patients are able to sleep through the night, and breathe more easily.

A specific type of massage therapy, craniosacral therapy, may also be helpful to patients with cerebral palsy. A system of therapy based on the idea that there is a rhythmic pressure and flow of cerebrospinal fluid between the cranium (skull) and sacrum (the base of the spine) that governs the way the craniosacral structures, including the brain, pituitary and pineal glands, spinal cord, and meninges, or membranes, function and maintain the body's well-being. Gentle hands-on "manipulation" of the skull, the spinal column, rib cage, and limbs is believed to restore the flow and maintain the body's well-being (Navarra, 2004).

Fortunately now cerebral palsy patients and their parents have several organizations and even a website to turn to for information and advice. They include: American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine, Gillette Children's Hospital, Ontario Foundation for Cerebral Palsy, United Cerebral Palsy Association, and Your Smile Web site.

Understanding of this condition has come a long way from an era when victims were thought to be mentally deficient. However, we are still a long way from erasing its effects or preventing most cases. Progress has been slow and new approaches come into general use only against resistance. Let’s hope that the new millennium has brought a greater openness to effective massage and other therapies.

SOURCES:
Cohn, Victor, Sister Kenny: The Woman Who Challenged the Doctors, University of Minnesota Press, 1975.
Gwinnell, Esther and Christine Adamec, Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), The Encyclopedia of Addictions and Addictive Behaviors, 2005.
Hernandez-Reif, Maria et al, Cerebral palsy symptoms in children decreased following massage therapy, Early Child Development and Care, 2005.
Navarra, Tova, Craniosacral therapy, The Encyclopedia of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2004.
Sayler, Mary Harwell, Gait, The Encyclopedia of the Muscle and Skeletal Systems and Disorders, 2005.
Turkington, Carol, Cerebral palsy (CP), The Encyclopedia of the Brain and Brain Disorders, Second Edition, 2002.
Turkington, Carol, and Albert Tzeel, Thimerosal, The Encyclopedia of Children's Health and Wellness, 2004.
United Press International, Diseases caused by fetal toxicity studied, 2007.
Werner, Ruth, A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009.
Werner, Ruth, Working with Clients Who Have Cerebral Palsy, Massage Today, Aug. 2002.

Ditch the Flip-Flops and Save Your Knees and Back

-- by guest Craig Ballantyne, August 2008
Last spring, I made the mistake of wearing flip-flops on a couple of long walks with my dog. “What does it matter?” I thought. “It’s just an hour walk.” But after doing this a couple of times, I noticed that my knees were sore and my ankles were stiff.
Fortunately, I was bright enough to make the connection between the flip-flops and my discomfort, so I tossed the flip-flops. After switching to a good pair of walking shoes, my joints were no longer sore.
Every summer, thousands of folks slip out of their regular walking shoes and start piling on the miles in flip-flops. As a result, many end up having to visit a doctor.
I asked Dr. Michael Sommers, a chiropractor in Roncasvilles, Toronto, to explain why this innocent-looking footwear can lead to such a dramatic onset of pain.
According to Dr. Sommers, “There is nothing remotely healthy about wearing flip-flops, especially during long walks. They provide little or no support to the ankle and only minimal shock absorption during weight-bearing activity - leading to wear and tear in the joint surfaces of the ankle, knee, and spine. Flip-flops were designed for the beach. That’s really only where they should be worn.”
A study presented at the American College of Sports Medicine found: “When people walk in flip-flops, they alter their gait, which can result in problems and pain from the foot up into the hips and lower back. When subjects wore flip-flops, they took shorter steps and their heels hit the ground with less vertical force than when they wore athletic shoes.”
The researchers concluded that you should wear flip-flops only for a short period of time. So chuck your thong sandals and replace them with walking shoes. Your feet will thank you.


[This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com. ]

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Feel free to pass along that link to anyone who is has a business or is starting up a business, website, or is moving. And thanks for reading this.

More Americans are Turning to Massage

One in six American adults had a massage in the past year—25 million more Americans than 10 years ago, according to an annual survey commissioned by AMTA. When these surveys began in 1997, only 8 percent of adults said they had a massage in the past year. In 2006, 18 percent said they had a massage in the past year.

In the past, relaxation was the leading motivator for massage, but increasingly Americans are looking to massage therapy for medical reasons such as injury recovery, pain management, headache control, and overall health and wellness.

In this year’s survey, 40 percent of adults said they have had a massage at some time to relieve pain. Thirty percent of people who had a massage in the past five years did it for health reasons other than stress relief. Fifty-three percent of those who discussed massage with their health care providers said their doctor recommended they get massage therapy.

Many young adults feel massage can be a valuable part of their personal health routine. This year, 72 percent of respondents aged 18 to 24 disagreed with the idea that massage is just a luxury. Ninety-two percent say they believe massage can be an effective way to relieve pain, while 48 percent have already had a massage to relieve pain.

Older Americans are increasing their use of massage as well. Annual use has tripled over the past 10 years for those ages 55 to 64, from 7 percent in 1997 to 21 percent in 2006, and for ages 65 and up, from 4 percent in 1997 to 12 percent in 2006.

“Massage is a hot topic,” says Mary Beth Braun, president of AMTA. “As the medical community increasingly recognizes its benefits, and as more insurance companies begin to include it in their plans, massage will become a more common component of people’s health and wellness practice.”

Why people choose massage
Men and people 65 and older are especially likely to get massage for medical/health care reasons.
Women indicated massage therapy was their first choice when asked what gave them the greatest relief from pain—24 percent, versus 22 percent who chose medication as their number one pain-relief choice.
Men placed medication first (24 percent) and massage second (19 percent).
The number of people who indicated their massage was paid or co-paid by an insurance company doubled, from 5 percent in 2005 to 10 percent in 2006.
Twenty-six percent of respondents gave relaxation or stress reduction as their reason.
Twenty-one percent had a massage “because it was free or a gift.”
Source: American Massage Therapy Association

"Beyond Broken Bones" exhibit highlights medical innovations

The "Beyond Broken Bones" exhibit at the International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago, IL highlights the past, present, and potential of medical innovations for diagnosing and treating injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. Contemporary instruments and products, historical artifacts, and large-scale text and image panels on display showcase a continuum of advancements.

This comprehensive exhibit begins with the birth of orthopedics with Nicolas Andry in the 17th century and include discoveries and milestones in orthopedic surgery, as well as the evolution of amputation methods and prosthesis design from ancient times to the present.

Featured in the exhibit are historical artifacts from the Museum’s extensive collection, including ancient bone-cutting tools, Civil War amputation kits, and 19th-century splints and artificial limbs. These objects are accompanied by archival manuscripts and artworks in several media that highlight orthopedic and prosthetic pioneers and their great discoveries and inventions. Recent advances in the fields, such as arthroscopy and minimally invasive orthopedic surgery, in addition to myoelectric and microprocessor-controlled artificial limbs, are also discussed.

International Museum of Surgical Science in Chicago, IL
1524 N. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60610 USA
312.642.6502
fax 312.642.9516
info@imss.org

Did You Know?

A number of research studies indicate that massage therapy can assist in patients’ recovery from many conditions. Studies have found use of massage to be effective in boosting the body’s immune system functioning, easing post-operative pain, easing alcohol withdrawal symptoms, and soothing chronic back pain better than other complementary therapies. Recent studies have also associated massage therapy with substantive relief of symptoms in cancer patients, such as pain, fatigue, stress, anxiety, nausea, and depression.

To find a professional massage therapist in your area, go to AMTA’s Find A Massage Therapist® national locator service at www.findamassagetherapist.org. It's a quick and easy way to find an AMTA massage therapist to provide the massage you need.

AMTA members listed in AMTA’s locator service must meet any and all local or state licensing requirements for massage therapists. All information included in the locator service is provided by individual members, and AMTA presumes all information to be true and correct. AMTA assumes no liability for incorrect information provided to AMTA for inclusion in this locator service, nor does AMTA represent these practitioners as competent.

Massage Therapy as an Adjunct to Recovery from a Car Crash: Moving Testimony

One cannot read this moving testimony to the value of massage therapy and then deny its value to a holistic program of accident recovery. It does me good to read of people who have been helped on many levels by skilled massage therapists.

Healing Touch by guest Diana Lund

You can’t fully imagine how bad it was. After I was in a car crash, my continual pulse of thoughts stopped dead. The only time I could generate an idea was in reaction to an event, such as when a person asked me a question, or when I tripped and fell. Otherwise, I lived in internal silence. But one day while getting a massage, in my fifth year of recovery, fluidity of thought returned! Now, in my tenth year of massage treatments, I recall my introduction to therapeutic massage and its role in my revitalization.

In a makeshift room of curtain walls, a month after the four-car collision had taken away my mental and physical prowess, a physical therapist evaluated my body. After moving my arms, legs, and head every which way, as much as tension and pain would allow, she told me, “I can’t work with you.”

“I’m permanently damaged?” I wondered.

“Your body is so stiff, my only choice is to send you to massage. For about a month.”

I’d been in a neck brace the first three days after the accident, and when it came off, I’d lost several degrees of neck rotation. The only way I could back up a car was by using mirrors. My right leg was a little shorter than my left leg, and my right arm couldn’t reach a glass on a shelf at eye level. In the third week, as my body shock began to wear off, an all-consuming, muscle-wrenching, eye-watering pain commenced.

At the rehabilitation clinic, the physical therapist handed me off to Cathy, an amiable, relaxed massage therapist. Soon, I was lying on my back, Cathy’s hands kneading my neck, shoulder, and upper back.

While she worked, Cathy reported, “Neck muscles—tight. Shoulder blades—tight. Trapezius—very tight.” Unlike other massages I’d had over the years—I’d been a recreational soccer forward who’d occasionally had massages to soothe overworked muscles—this one didn’t approach nirvana.

Instead, my soft tissue responded like a giant knot in an evenly-matched tug of war. It didn’t have much give. It fought manipulation. Even though Cathy touched me carefully, I winced from the contact and yipped repeatedly. Sweat soaked the underlying sheet. Experiencing more pain than pleasure, I willed the session to end.

I didn’t want to skip the massage. I just wanted its end results faster. When the half-hour was up, my body seemed a little looser.

That day, my physical therapist recorded: “Goals: pain-free cervical range of motion . . . [and] pain-free . . . shoulders, neck, lower back . . . at rest. Was involved in an MVA [motor vehicle accident]. Had concussion. Communication is strained due to cognitive/memory difficulty.”

I must have arrived late to my next appointment because I could no longer track time, and instead depended on chance that I would glance at my schedule around the time I was supposed to leave. Having lost the ability to spontaneously think about the future, I didn’t feel any apprehension upon arrival at the clinic. When Cathy greeted me, I didn’t recognize her, but I probably pretended to know her. The manipulation mirrored my previous one—painful.

Each session repeated until I eventually remembered Cathy, the pain, the relief from pain. Soon, physical therapy began in conjunction with massage. Over months of appointments, I saw many physiotherapists. Like an opening flower, my body’s tension unwound and my brain’s functioning improved.

After two years, my home exercise regimen was sufficient and I didn’t need to go to physical therapy anymore. But I continued on with another massage therapist, Wes, an amazing rejuvenator. He introduced me to craniosacral therapy, a rhythmic scalp massage and gentle pulling of the hair. Afterward, I sensed a freeness to my brain, like it had been lubed and my neurons’ signals flowed better.

It was in the middle of one of Wes’s sessions that fluidity of thought returned to me. On another breakthrough day, after an hour’s session, my night vision suddenly improved and I could drive during darkness again! And Wes also finished what my physical therapist had started. He got my right arm to extend above my head—something a doctor initially told me I would never regain.

Massage brings pleasure again and I owe the massage therapy community a debt of gratitude for their part in my condition’s improvement, and for accelerating the return of keen thought required to write. Thank you for staying with me for a decade, performing miracles I’d not dreamt possible.

Diana Lund is a freelance writer living in the Chicago area. She is author of the memoir Remind Me Why I'm Here: Sifting through Sudden Loss of Memory and Judgment. To read more about her work, visit www.dianalundwriter.com.

Is it carpal tunnel or shoulder tension?

Here is a letter from a fellow massage therapist that ran in the American Massage Therapy Assn. newsletter.

Because the brachial plexus goes through the shoulder area, tension of the shoulder muscles can bring on what seems like classic carpal tunnel symptoms—numbness and tingling in the fingers.

As a massage therapist I find I have to be ultravigilant about keeping my shoulders down when performing massage or I start to get these symptoms. I’ve also found that many people experience these symptoms because of the tension they carry in their shoulders and neck.

Tensing of these muscles is usually totally unconscious, and it doesn't take much to cause the symptoms. Even very slight contractions, held all day, can easily cause symptoms that show up at night.

A simple way to help release this tension is to raise your shoulders and hold for a few seconds. Then pretend there is a heavy weight attached to your shoulders as you let them fall again.

This little exercise should be done often throughout the day.

Donna Lipson
Highland Heights, Ohio

Hello, World!

This month in my new blog you can read a first-person account of the benefits of therapeutic massage for recovery after injury. Also, recent research into the benefits of massage for a variety of medical conditions.