History

Chinese Traditional Medicine (CTM) has accumulated rich experiences through a history of thousands of years. It has its own philosophy, a series of theories, as well as various branches. Reflexology, or as Chinese ordinary people call it, foot massage, is a sub-division of CTM.

According to a famous historical book “Historical Records” written by Sima Qian during 2nd Centruy BC, in ancient times, there was a well known doctor names Yu Fu (in Chinese, Yu means healing, Fu means foot dorsum, hence Yu Fu implies foot healing). This Dr Foot Healing treated patients with no medicine (herbs) nor acupuncture, but only massage, and “the illness responded to every stroke of his”.

This vivid depiction gives us a clear image of a foot-massage therapist in ancient days. More systematic theory was expounded in the oldest classic of Chinese Traditional Medicine “Huangdi Nei Jing” or, The Internal Classic of the Yellow Emperor”. The author of the book was reputed to be Huang-di (Yellow Emperor, 2698 - 2589 BC), but actually it was the product of unknown authors in the Warring States period (475-221BC).

In this book, 14 important channels within the human body were defined, 6 among which travel to or from the foot. All these channels link internal organs with sensitive points spreading over the skin. out of over 600 points in the whole body, 66 (about 10% ) are located in both feet. While this book mainly deals with acupuncture, there are also several paragraphs referring to massage (but not foot-massage specifically).

There was another interesting book entitled “Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold” written by Sun Simiao (581-682, during the Sui and Tang Dynasty). This book introduced Lao-zi massage and Brahman massage from India. Lao-zi who was a famous philosopher in Spring-Autumn Period (770-476 BC) is regarded as the originator of Daoism. According to the book written by Sun Si-Miao, Lao-zi massage techniques include 49 items, 10 out of which may count as a kind of foot massage; while Brahman massage techniques include 18 items, among them 4 relating to the foot.

In China, there is a well known story of the Monk of Tang Dynasty going to the West (i.e. India) to bring back Buddhist Classics. near Xian, then capital of the Tang Dynasty, a stone carving of the Buddha’s foot print was preserved in a Buddhist temple. It is interesting to note that this foot print is identical to a stone carving in India and another in Japan.

From the above historical materials, we may conclude that while China has its own traditional foot massage techniques (such as the Lao-zi techniques), the Indian foot massage techniques were also introduced to China along with Buddhism. Later Buddhism and foot massage further spread to Japan through China.

According to the book “Reflexology Art, Science and History” written by Christine Issel, the earliest evidence of the practice of reflexology was found in Egypt.

There is an ancient Egyptian Papyrus scene depicting medical practitioners treating the hands and feet of their patients in 2500 BC..

It is possible that over the centuries the practice of reflexology migrated slowly from Egypt to Greece, Arabia and then on to Europe through the Roman Empire.

In Europe, a form of reflexology called zone therapy was practiced. Pressure therapy was well known in the middle countries of Europe during the Middle Age or Dark Ages (400-1400 AD).

German physiologist Johann August Unzer was the first to use the term “reflex” with reference to motor reactions in 1771. In 1833 the concept and term “reflex action” were introduced by Marshall Hall, an English physiologist.

The scientific basis of reflexology has its roots in early neurological studies conducted in the 1890’s by Sir Henry Head of England. He established “Head zones” and conclusively proved the neurological relationship existing between the skin and the internal organs.

American doctor William Fitzgerald is credited with being the founder of modern reflexology. In his book “Zone Therapy” published in 1910’s the human body was divided into ten zones.

Later another American doctor Joe Shelby Riley was the first one who illustrated a chart for foot reflex zones as well as ear reflexes.

In September 1990, the International Council of Reflexologists (ICR) was inaugurated at a conference held in Toronto. The ICR charter was drawn up using the United Nations charter as a guideline.

The purpose of ICR is to meet the needs of the profession by providing a forum for the exchange of ideas and information, promoting and convening international conferences and supporting the development of local, regional and national associations. The principles of ICR include:

Set an example of inclusiveness, respectful consideration, and tolerance for any reflexology theory, technique and practitioner.

All members shall have equal rights. The organisation will not discriminate on the basis of nationality, language, religion, sex, colour, ethnic origin, or age.

The organisation will not interfere with the actions of members, associations or educational institutions within its membership so long as their actions do not harm individual members, other associations or the public.

Even though foot massage was practiced in China long ago, later on under the dominance of feudalistic ideas, women’s feet were bound and became untouchable. To touch another man’s feet was also regarded as somewhat impolite. Thus on the whole, foot-massage wasn’t well developed in the past. In the early 1980’s when China adopted the policy of opening to the outside world, reflexology was introduced to China as “foot reflex zone massage”.

In 1990, a Preparatory Committee was founded to pave the ground for a national organisation. Training courses are organised on a regular (monthly) basis. A lecturing group is formed to provide speakers to teach reflexology in Beijing and the provinces. The influence of reflexology expanded rapidly.

In January 1991, the Chinese Ministry of Health issued a document in approval of the setting up of the China Reflexology Association confirming the role of reflexology in “preventing and curing diseases, and preserving health”. On 2 July 1991, the China Reflexology Association registered at the Ministry of Civil Affairs as a national organisation. Now the CRA has 2800 members and dozens of branches in the provinces and big cities.

The CRA held a national symposium in July 1993. There are over 600 participants representing 26 provinces, 72 theses were presented. In October 1993, the Chairman of the CRA, Prof Hang Xiongwen attended the International Council of Reflexologists Conference held in Melbourne, Australia. A Special Recognition Award was presented by the ICR in recognition of the continuing efforts made by the CRA in promoting reflexology in China.

Sometimes the most comprehensive solution for a dysfunction is to approach it from more than one perspective. You can reduce the severity of your clients’ headaches by merging these two styles of bodywork.

Fifty million Americans have chronic headaches – they are one of the most common physical problems in the range of human experience. Muscular tension, sinus infection, vascular spasm/dilation and chemical imbalances can all contribute to a headache. A headache can range in degree from irritating to debilitating. Massage therapists have the tools to significantly help someone who suffers from the more common types of chronic headaches.

The first step in the assessment of a client with a headache is to rule out any dangerous physical causes, such as a tumor, meningitis or aneurysm. Some questions during your performance of an intake that could ascertain these are:

• Is this the first headache you’ve ever had?
• Is this the worst headache you’ve ever had?
• Is this noticeably different from your usual headaches?
• Do you also have high fever, aches and pains, earache, dizziness or fainting?
• Could this be the result of a head trauma?

Yes to any of these questions should yield an immediate referral to the client’s physician. Massage is contraindicated in the case of a headache due to an infection or a central nervous system injury.

Another important question to ask is:

• Could you be dehydrated?

Many headaches are caused by the chemical imbalance resulting from dehydration. With a lack of water, the salinity, and therefore osmotic pressure, of the cerebrospinal fluid in the cranium rises. This painful head pressure can be relieved with adequate hydration.

Once you’ve established that you are not dealing with a headache stemming from a physical cause, determining the type of headache will help you select the most effective treatment for your client. In general, there are three types of chronic headaches:

1. Tension Headaches – These are the most common type of headache and they are characterized by tension, soreness and pain in the neck, shoulders, head and face. It can feel like a vice gripping the entire head.

2. Vascular Headaches – These are headaches where the pain comes from excessively dilated blood vessels in the meninges. The pain throbs with the client’s pulse. Common vascular headaches include:

A. Migraine Headaches – These headaches can be disabling. These begin with vasoconstriction followed by extreme vasodilation. They are usually one-sided and typically include intense pulsing and pounding in the head accompanied by nausea, vomiting and mood, visual and sound disturbances. Migraines can last for hours, days or weeks.

B. Cluster Headaches – These are the least common type of headache and they come in clusters. The clusters can be grouped over a short or a long period of time. They can be several times a day for a couple of days, for a few weeks or they can appear yearly. The symptoms of a cluster headache include a stabbing sensation in one eye, with tearing of that eye and that sided nostril, as well as agitation.

3. Sinus Headaches – This often accompanies an illness such as a sinus infection or sinusitis. Pain is generally around the eyes, cheeks, nose and forehead. The pain is deep and constant, and movement usually exacerbates it.

Massage therapy offers some important benefits to headache sufferers. Massage can help:
 relieve actual headache pain.
 prevent headaches by reducing tension and improving circulation.
 realign a structural imbalance.

A structural imbalance is often the root cause of chronic headaches. While massaging tense muscles can bring temporary headache relief, correcting a structural cranial imbalance can bring headache relief for good. The relaxation garnered from a massage can bring a great deal of relief to a headache sufferer. While easing stress can benefit most types of headaches, there are two additional factors that come into play in a successful treatment.

1. Release of contracted muscles: A skilled massage therapist will be able to recognize and effectively release the contracted musculature contributing to the headache. The tops of the shoulders and back of the neck are typical areas of tightness in headache sufferers. The blood vessels supplying oxygen to these muscles are constricted, and so the muscles are working with an inadequate supply of nutrients. This combination of muscle spasm and inadequate blood supply is the main cause of pain in tension headaches.

2. Structural Alignment: If a therapist only works with the back of the neck and shoulders, he/she will be encouraging the structural imbalance which may be the original culprit of the headache. Techniques to move the head, neck and shoulders back into structural alignment are best employed prior to extensive muscle release work for long lasting benefits. After correcting the alignment, addressing the causative postural deviation may be the lifestyle change necessary to prevent future headaches.

o According to Don McCann, MA, LMT, LMHC, in the May/June 2004 edition of the Massage Message, “When the head, neck and shoulders are released back into an improved structural alignment, the musculature in the back of the neck and tops of [the] shoulders will have already relaxed because it is no longer compensating for the forward head posture. The work on the soft tissue of the back of the neck and tops of shoulders can then be deeper and more effective.”

o For a vascular headache, a structural alignment has the additional benefit of improving the flow of cerebral spinal fluid and circulation of blood to the cranium. This can have long lasting benefits for the relief of a migraine or cluster headache.

Muscular Release for Headaches

Below is an ordered series for muscular release that a massage therapist can follow to effectively assist and/or create a structural change. This headache protocol is suggested by McCann.

1. Release the anterior shoulder and neck muscles. Have the client lie supine and work the pectoralis major and minor and then the subclavius directly under the clavicle. Then work the sternocleidomastoid and the three scalene muscles. This reduces the pull on the cervical vertebrae allowing them to shift back into alignment. While working the scalenes, rotate the head and work anterior and progress posteriorly. This will restore range of motion in head rotation, and allow a full release of the tightened musculature. WHEN TREATING THE NECK AREA, THERAPISTS MUST BE AWARE OF THE CAUTIONS AND CONTRAINDICATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS REGION.

2. Release the top of the shoulder. Have the client lie on one side. Traction the shoulder and release the top of the shoulder and supraspinatus by working from the coracoid process to the superior angle of the scapula. Do not put a shearing pressure on the cervical vertebrae in this position - the pressure is directed toward the feet.

3. Massage the posterior fibers of the neck. Work from the base of the cranium into the tops of the shoulders by starting with the splenius capitus, then the levator scapula and then the trapezius. Again, do not put shearing pressure on the cervical vertebrae, but rather, apply pressure toward the feet.

4. Work the occipital ridge. Working the tightened fibers just under the ridge of the occiput will release the occiput, the atlas and the axis.

5. Massage the cranium. Carefully work the soft tissue that encompasses the head, being careful not to pinch any cranial nerves. Be sure to include massage around the sutures and the temporalis muscle.

6. Follow with lengthening strokes along the back. This is a nice way to finish, using long strokes down the entire back to reduce any additional pulling on the back of the neck and shoulders.

Structural Alignment for Headaches

Cranial-sacral therapy (CST) is the ideal modality massage therapists can use to obtain structural realignment. Not only can cranial-sacral therapy reduce the symptoms of headaches, but it can also create the structural change necessary to prevent future ones from occurring.

One of the founding principles of CST is that the bones of the cranium are not static, but are created for movement. The sutures that bind the skull bones together are not completely fused, but actually allow for slight movement in response to intracranial pressure. The structural shifts that occur with cranial-sacral work increase the flow of cerebrospinal fluid around the cranium, down the spinal column and around the sacrum, which can effectively reduce intracranial pressure that causes headaches.

These recommendations assume that the practitioner uses cranial-sacral therapy in his/her practice. If you are not educated in this modality, we suggest appropriate training before attempting to mobilize the cranium. The following guidelines are courtesy of the Institute for Integrative Healthcare Studies’ Cranial-Sacral Therapy Manual by Mary Sullivan, L.Ac. and Real Bodywork.

 A majority of headache sufferers will present with an occiput that is immobile. Using cranial-sacral techniques to mobilize a restricted occiput will result in a softening of tissue at the base of the occiput and free up movement of the atlas and axis.

 Headaches that are more prevalent on the side of the head and/or are associated with temperomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ) can benefit greatly from cranial-sacral techniques that release the temporal bone and the mandible.

 Headaches that are related to the sinuses can benefit greatly from cranial-sacral techniques that release the maxilla, the zygoma, the frontal bone, the palatines, the sphenoid and the vomer bones. Sinus headaches are likely caused by fluid pressure that stretches the small nerves in the sinuses. Sinuses appear to be the primary outlet for built up cerebrospinal fluid.

 Cranial-sacral techniques that align the parietal bones can be very helpful for headaches on the vertex of the head and for clients that are easily angered.

 Cranial-sacral techniques that free the sphenoid bone can be the key to migraine relief. Migraines may be due to membrane restriction that squeezes minor blood vessels in the cranium. The sphenoid bone is referred to as the keystone of the skull, and its release can create a major structural realignment.

 Eyestrain and forehead headaches respond well to the cranial-sacral techniques that adjust and decompress the frontal bone.

 All types of headaches can be assisted by basic cranial-sacral techniques including release of the cranial base, the 4th ventricle hold and still point induction.

With the correct combination of techniques, a skilled massage therapist can provide his/her clients with significant headache relief. A diligent intake is critical in screening out headaches that need to be assessed by a physician and headaches that can simply be relieved by drinking water. Comprehensively inquiring about your client’s symptoms will guide you to choose the most beneficial muscular releases and cranial adjustments.

Using this dual approach model allows the massage therapist to proceed in a holistic manner — by addressing the symptoms and the origin. Headache symptoms are the manifestations of an imbalance, and muscular release techniques can effectively address these symptoms. A structural misalignment is a typical root cause, or origin, of chronic headaches. Research has shown that seeking proper postural education is an effective way to implement the lifestyle changes that will allow this dual approach treatment to hold. Incorporating these skills into your treatment protocol will allow you to confidently welcome headache sufferers into your massage practice.

Recommended Study
Cranial Sacral Fundamentals

Posted by Nicole at 05:17 PM
© 2009 Institute for Integrative HealthCare Studies. This work is reproduced with the permission of the Institute. www.Integrative-Healthcare.org <http://www.integrative-healthcare.org/>

Ayurveda , the science of life, prevention and longevity is the oldest and most holistic medical system available on the planet today. It was placed in written form over 5,000 years ago in India, it was said to be a world medicine dealing with both body and the spirit. Before the advent of writing, the ancient wisdom of this healing system was a part of the spiritual tradition of the Sanatana Dharma (Universal Religion), or Vedic Religion. VedaVyasa, the famous sage, shaktavesha avatar of Vishnu, put into writing the complete knowledge of Ayurveda, along with the more directly spiritual insights of self realization into a body of scriptural literature called the Vedas and the Vedic literatures.

There were originally four main books of spirituality, which included among other topics, health, astrology, spiritual business, government, army, poetry and spiritual living and behavior. These books are known as the four Vedas; Rik, Sama, Yajur and Atharva. The Rik Veda, a compilation of verse on the nature of existence, is the oldest surviving book of any Indo-European language (3000 B.C.). The Rik Veda (also known as Rig Veda) refers to the cosmology known as Sankhya which lies at the base of both Ayurveda and Yoga, contains verses on the nature of health and disease, pathogenesis and principles of treatment. Among the Rik Veda are found discussions of the three dosas, Vayu. Pitta and Kapha, and the use of herbs to heal the diseases of the mind and body and to foster longevity. The Atharva Veda lists the eight divisions of Ayurveda: Internal Medicine, Surgery of Head and Neck, Opthamology and Otorinolaryngology, Surgery, Toxicology, Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Gerontology or Science of Rejuvenation, and the Science of Fertility. The Vedic Sages took the passages from the Vedic Scriptures relating to Ayurveda and compiled separate books dealing only with Ayurveda. One of these books, called the Atreya Samhita is the oldest medical book in the world! The Vedic Brahmanas were not only priests performing religious rites and ceremonies, they also became Vaidyas (physicians of Ayurveda). The sage-physician-surgeons of the time were the same sages or seers, deeply devoted holy people, who saw health as an integral part of spiritual life. It is said that they received their training of Ayurveda through direct cognition during meditation. In other words, the knowledge of the use of various methods of healing, prevention, longevity and surgery came through Divine revelation; there was no guessing or testing and harming animals. These revelations were transcribed from the oral tradition into book form, interspersed with the other aspects of life and spirituality. What is fascinating is Ayurveda’s use of herbs, foods, aromas, gems, colors, yoga, mantras, lifestyle and surgery. Consequently Ayurveda grew into a respected and widely used system of healing in India. Around 1500 B.C., Ayurveda was delineated into eight specific branches of medicine. There were two main schools of Ayurveda at that time. Atreya- the school of physicians, and Dhanvantari - the school of surgeons. These two schools made Ayurveda a more scientifically verifiable and classifiable medical system

People from numerous countries came to Indian Ayurvedic schools to learn about this world medicine and the religious scriptures it sprang from. Learned men from China, Tibet, the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians, Afghanistanis, Persians, and more traveled to learn the complete wisdom and bring it back to their own countries. Ayurvedic texts were translated in Arabic and under physicians such as Avicenna and Razi Sempion, both of whom quoted Indian Ayurvedic texts, established Islamic medicine. This style became popular in Europe, and helped to form the foundation of the European tradition in medicine.

In 16th Century Europe, Paracelsus, who is known as the father of modem Western medicine, practiced and propagated a system of medicine which borrowed heavily from Ayurveda.

There are two main re-organizers of Ayurveda whose works are still existing in tact today - Charak and Sushrut. The third major treatise is called the Ashtanga Hridaya, which is a concise version of the works of Charak and Sushrut. Thus the three main Ayurvedic texts that are still used today are the Charak Samhita (compilation of the oldest book Atreya Samhita), Sushrut Samhita and the Ashtangha Hridaya Samhita. These books are believed to be over 1,200 years old. It is because these texts still contain the original and complete knowledge of this Ayurvedic world medicine, that Ayurveda is known today as the only complete medical system still in existence. Other forms of medicine from various cultures, although parallel are missing parts of the original information.