Registered Massage Therapy

Welcome to our new RMT Joshua Morrison!

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We are so excited to welcome Joshua Morrison RMT, PTS, PN1,CMP, CR to the Plattsville Natural Health Clinic (PNHC) team! Josh will be available for all of your massage therapy needs Mondays and Wednesdays from 9am to 3pm. He brings with him a wealth of knowledge in the sports medicine and workplace injury world, with a background heavily influenced in physiotherapy. He also has a keen interest in and a desire to solve complex pain cases.

If you are ready to try registered massage therapy with Josh, email, call or text today to book your appointment! For a more detailed history of Josh’s knowledge base, see his bio below.

Josh Morrison RMT, PTS, PN1, CMP, CR Bio

Josh’s passion for helping individuals pursue better functioning bodies in the athletic and work environment began with his own experiences and struggles in these areas. Having been a New Balance team member, Josh competed in high performance distance running and elite athletic training. Additionally, repetitive factory piece work and long office hours have given Josh first hand knowledge to both the physical demands, as well as the benefits of massage and remedial exercise. These experiences, and his keen interest in the sports field, drove Josh to pursue education in these areas.

In the spring of 2015 Josh completed his schooling for Myomassology and Reflexology, and in the fall of 2016 he completed his schooling to become a personal trainer. He became, and still remains, a member of the Natural Health Practitioners of Canada.

With this training, Josh entered into client care, assisting patients in return to play and work through remedial exercise instruction, in collaboration and under the care of a physiotherapist. Josh further developed his passion by receiving certification as a Rehab U athletic prehab/rehab specialist, YTS Body Weight Training and Exercise Therapy Foot Programming Specialist, and orthopedic massage specialist (for the shoulder, foot and ankle, hip and pelvis, knee, forearm and hand).

Wanting to advance in this field, Josh went on to study massage therapy. In 2023, Josh became a Registered Massage Therapist registered with the CMTO.

Whether it be an athletic lifestyle, work or just day to day life activities, Josh strives to help patients achieve pain relief and have a better functioning body.  Josh finds it very rewarding to be part of his client’s path leading to health and healing.  .   

When he is not with patients, Josh loves to spend time with his family, exploring the outdoors, hiking, backcountry camping, fishing, rocking out to music, playing guitar, or just looking for critters!

PNHC’S 5TH Anniversary Open House – May 6, 2023

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On May 6, 2023 from 10am to 2pm, we invite you to come to Plattsville Natural Health Clinic to help us celebrate 5 years of business! We have more details on what the day will look like and some sneak peeks.

Join us for:

*Draw prizes, because who doesn’t like winning! The picture is just a taste of some of the awesome draw prizes. Everyone who comes to our open house will get one ballot to enter into our draws. Want more ballots? See below for details on how to get more than one.

*Bring someone who has never been to PNHC before for the chance for you and that person to win a prize valued at over $250 (you will have to arrive on the day of to see what this great prize is)!

*Free 15 minute relaxation massages with Ben Tennant RMT.

*Light Snacks for you to enjoy while you learn about and celebrate with us.

*Clinic tour including our pedorthist’s lab where your custom orthotics are made.

*Demonstration of acupuncture.

*Colour our logo and get a prize!

Everyone who comes to the clinic will get a ballot to put into our draw. Want to get more ballots? No problem, just bring some loose change to donate to the charity we will be supporting on the day of: Naturopathy For All. We will be taking your loose change and trying to fill a pot for the tree to grow. We are hoping to have enough loose change to reach the top of the pot.

Naturopathy for All is a charity making naturopathy accessible for all (please see link for more information): https://www.naturopathyforall.com/ . Dr. Elisha Cook ND is on the board of directors for this charity, but does not benefit from any contribution you make.

Thank you from all of us here at PNHC for the last 5 years of business. We look forward to continuing to provide you with all of your chiropractic, naturopathic, massage therapy, pedorthic, reflexology and foot care needs. We cannot wait to celebrate with you on May 6, 2023!

How to Cope with Stress in a Pandemic

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With recent discussions of a “Second-Wave” for the COVID-19 Pandemic, I think it is safe to say that everyone is getting a bit fed up with all of this pandemic talk. However, we at PNHC feel it is important to help patients by giving some strategies on how to cope with the stress.

What is Stress?

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Stress can be defined as, “a state of mental tension and worry caused by problems in your life, work, etc.; something that causes strong feelings of worry or anxiety; a physical force or pressure”. I think it goes without saying that all of us have experienced stress from the COVID-19 Pandemic. The pandemic is not what anyone expected or prepared for when they determined their plans for the year 2020. We have all had to adjust quickly, and its possible, that we still have not adjusted. Without optimal coping techniques, it can be difficult for many to manage comfortably through all of the chaos that our world is currently going through. We hope that this blog would offer some different ways to cope.

Ways to Cope with Stress at Home

Unfortunately, during these uncertain times, there is a lot outside of our control. We cannot control the state of affairs at any governmental level, and we cannot control for what others do or how they act. This is where I (Dr. Elisha Cook ND) would normally say to my patients that it is important that you focus on the things you can control – your thoughts, your actions, your behaviour, your attitude, and frankly where you put your hope. In addition to focusing on these areas, I also find it useful to use tools that remind you of what you actually can control for. No one answer provides a suitable option for everyone and their coping needs. As a result, I have provided examples below of healthy ways to cope with stress:

  • Journaling – options might include focusing on gratitude, lessons that can be learned from difficult points in a day, or good and bad highlights from the day.
  • Breathing – in particular deep breathing, though this may prove to be difficult for those with respiratory diseases.
  • Exercise – exercise can act as a great way to release any excess tensions in a healthy and constructive way.
  • Talking to others – sharing your more intimate thoughts and concerns with someone is helpful with working through stress. It is important to recognize that you are not alone and you have individuals who can help whether that is loved ones or health care providers. It is okay to open up to others about how you are feeling.
  • Praying or Meditating – both of these have very similar outcomes and they help an individual to become grounded and refocus on what really matters.
  • Take time for self care – Give yourself time for you and do something that brings you joy. This might include taking a bath, getting a massage, or getting lost in a book.
  • Distraction through changing your scenary – changing the task you are doing, if applicable, can help you to redirect your focus from a problem, and might look like engaging in a favourate hobby.  
  • Pet Therapy – if you have a family pet at home, spend some time with them as this can help to reduce blood pressure and activate the parasympathetic nervous system.
  • Adopt healthy sleep routines – having a routine around bed, adopting a consistent bed time, and engagine in relaxing activities prior to bed can help you sleep better and thereby cope better with stress.

The next time you are feeling stressed, and need to find a healthier way to cope with your stress, take the time to explore these options and find what works best for you.

What NOT To-Do To Cope with Stress

As foreshadowed, there are some coping mechanisms that are less than ideal when trying to cope with stress. Below I have provided a few examples of unhealthy coping mechanisms:

  • Binge eating
  • Drinking
  • Avoidance
  • Gambling excessively
  • Smoking
  • Using elicit drugs
  • Isolating yourself from others who can help

Therapies that can help with stress

There are many different things that can be done to help someone to cope with stress. Many alternative medicine therapies can be beneficial for helping to promote the parasympathetic nervous system which is in charge of relaxing and resting. Some therapies that might be useful to help you to cope with stress depending on your specific case and needs include:

  • Acupuncture
  • Massage Therapy
  • Counselling
  • Nutraceutical Medicine
  • Botanical Medicine
  • Reflexology

Each individual is different, and so there is no one treatment that would be good for everyone. So, choose the treatment that is less intimidating and feels right for you.  

Have you benefited from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in any of the above therapies to help you work through stress and are wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact the Plattsville Natural Health Clinic by calling 226-232-7665 and book your appointment today! 

This article was written by Dr. Elisha Cook ND

Introducing Ben Tennant Registered Massage Therapist!

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Here at PNHC, we want to welcome the talented Ben Tennant to our roster of amazing registered massage therapists! Ben has been working as a RMT for just under 2 years now. He originates from Kitchener and has a passion to help alleviate pain, reduce your tension and improve your daily function by restoring your movement to its natural potential. To help you meet these goals as efficiently as possible, he’s adopted the Functional Movement Systems’ model of rehabilitation.  

Ben first differentiates between the sources and causes of your pain.  Once the sources are removed, the symptoms often drop away.  Next is to identify limitations and asymmetries in movement, which are brought to standard through massage and corrective exercise.  At this point your risk of injury is greatly reduced and for most this is enough.  If you’re looking towards specific fitness goals, further recommendations are given to help you meet them.

On the personal side, before becoming a massage therapist, Ben was trained in Financial Planning. He spends a lot of time practicing Tai Chi and Qigong, as well as writing fiction.  As of Fall 2020 he’s living in Guelph and training for his first triathlon.

To book in with Ben, call or text our clinic at 226-232-7665, email us, or contact us through the contact portion of our website!