Help your clients with fibromyalgia relieve their pain. Learn about this debilitating syndrome — and how massage therapists can make a tremendous impact on their clients with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia, a syndrome with widespread chronic pain as its hallmark, is an enigmatic ailment with no known cause, no simple diagnostic test and no cure. While not a “cure”, massage therapy is an effective means for helping people manage their fibromyalgia. Most clients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) say that they ache all over. They describe their pain in a variety of ways, such as burning, stabbing, gnawing, aching, stiffness or soreness. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) estimates there are between three and six million people in the U.S. with fibromyalgia syndrome.

While the cause of FMS remains elusive, many believe that certain events may trigger this syndrome’s onset. Some of the trigger suspects include viral or bacterial infections, automobile accidents, rheumatoid arthritis and tragic events (physical and psychological). Many experts believe that an abnormally functioning central nervous system is at the root of FMS. Hormone and neurochemical imbalances are common findings during the medical evaluation of someone with fibromyalgia. The complexity of FMS may call for an entire medical team in the person’s care, including a rheumatologist, an endocrinologist and a neurologist.

Physicians often have difficulty diagnosing FMS because its symptoms have a high degree of variability and they overlap with a long list of other conditions. In 1990, the ACR listed two primary criteria for the classification of fibromyalgia. The first is a history of widespread pain involving all four quadrants of the body (right side, left side, above waist, below waist) for a minimum of 3 months. The second criterion which points to FMS is the presence of pain in at least 11 of 18 tender points when touched or pressed. It is suggested that a massage therapist confirm that his/her client received a diagnosis of fibromyalgia from a physician, to insure that something else isn’t the cause of the client’s maladies.

Clients with FMS not only report pain associated with specific “tender points” used for diagnosis, but also describe pain that is associated with myofascial trigger points. Pain originating from either source can fluctuate and is further aggravated by various physical, environmental and emotional factors. Fatigue, stiffness, poor sleep, and a host of other related symptoms often send fibromyalgia sufferers to seek relief from this disabling pain from a massage therapist. An ABC News/USA Today/Stanford University Medical Center April 2005 poll on chronic pain reported that more than half of Americans live with chronic or recurrent pain. According to this poll, 28 percent of Americans had tried massage therapy for relief of their chronic pain. Many fibromyalgia sufferers report massage as bringing them more relief than any other treatment prescribed by their physicians.

Massage is an excellent way to decrease pain, relax muscles, improve circulation, passively stretch muscles and create an overall feeling of well-being. In 1994, research at the Touch Research Insititute, Miami School of Medicine demonstrated that fibromyalgia responds well to massage. Rheumatologists evaluating the participants in this study found that only those receiving massage reported decreases in pain, fatigue, stiffness and improvements in their quality of sleep.

With such a high degree of variability of FMS symptoms and a client’s preferences, communication during the massage process is essential. Encourage feedback from your client, and adjust your administration to maximize his/her comfort. Starting out slowly with some moist heat application or initially warming the muscles with light strokes can allow for the client to relax into your care and guide you toward his/her needs. When the practitioner begins slowly, it is easier to assess the client’s needs, sensitivity and tolerance levels.

Many forms of massage can ease fibromyalgia pain. While gentle techniques may be favored by some FMS clients, others may benefit greatly from deep work, such as penetrating ischemic work on trigger points. For some with FMS pain, low-force or non-force techniques help them the most — without overstimulating their already overburdened nervous system. Strenuous massage that uses deep tissue and/or neuromuscular techniques may possibly trigger flare-ups of muscular pain and make some FMS sufferers feel worse, which can exacerbate other symptoms associated with fibromyalgia like sleep problems, depression, lack of concentration and fatigue.

Following treatment, FMS clients should be instructed to take it easy for awhile. Soreness may be present the day after treatment, especially if trigger points were treated. After the massage, drinking plenty of water and soaking in a warm (not hot) Epsom salts bath, with a few drops of a muscle relaxing essential oil (such as lavender, bay laurel or white birch), can provide relief from soreness and promote restful sleep. If deep work was included in the session, it is especially important for your client to consume extra water, and having water on hand for the client at the close of the treatment, or sending your client home with a bottle of water can be a nurturing physical enforcement of your instructions to him or her. You might mention to your client that the enzyme bromelain, harvested from the pineapple stem, has been shown to reduce muscle and tissue inflammation. [Note: Use caution when combining bromelain with anticoagulants (blood thinners), such as enoxaparin or warfarin. This enzyme is a natural blood thinner and may increase the medication's effect.]

Elusive and debilitating, chronic pain associated with FMS affects all aspects of one’s life. Individuals with FMS and experts in the field agree that those who are most successful in controlling their symptoms utilize a comprehensive approach to their healing that integrates multiple modalities. Long term massage therapy has been shown to offer the most benefits for FMS and can enable you to successfully help your clients manage their pain and get control of their fibromyalgia.

Editor’s Note: See the related article, “Fibromyalgia Part 2: Nine Massage Techniques”.

Recommended Study
Fibromyalgia and Massage

Posted by Nicole at 09:50 AM
© 2009 Institute for Integrative HealthCare Studies. This work is reproduced with the permission of the Institute. www.Integrative-Healthcare.org

The history of massage
Massage has played into healing since early on in human history — some sort of healing through touch, or laying on of hands, has been part of all ancient cultures and continues into modern times. The ancient Greek and Roman physicians used massage as a principle means of removing pain. In the fifth century BC, Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician and Father of Modern Medicine, wrote: “The physician must be experienced in many things, but assuredly in rubbing” (Lidell, Thomas, & Beresford Cooke, 2001, p.10). Most modern cultures include massage within their health care delivery system, most notably in China, where separate massage wards are found in the hospital setting. Many countries, including Germany, allow massage or other forms of touch therapy to be covered by medical insurance (Collinge & Duhl, 1997). In the immediate post-WWII era in the United States, as the practice of modern medicine became more focused on technologic and pharmaceutical interventions, massage as a medical modality was passed on from physicians’ hands to those of others — most notably physical therapists. Massage gradually lost its place as a primary medical intervention, with a few exceptions, such as in the osteopathic and chiropractic medical community. The 60s and 70s inspired a new paradigm of health and healing: revived interest in holistic measures, increased self-awareness and self-improvement, as well as optimal health, wellness, and prevention practices. As a result, massage and other forms of bodywork have received renewed attention.

Joni Kosakoski, BSN, RN, CARN ( admit@crossroadsantigua.org ) has practiced nursing for more than 25 years, the last 10 specializing in addictions. She is a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association and The International Nurses Society on Addictions.

References
Collinge,W. and Duhl, L.(1997). American Holistic Health Association Complete Guide to Alternative Medicine. New York: Warner Books.
Dossey, B., Keegan, L. & Guzzetta, C. (2000) Holistic Nursing: A handbook for practice, Third edition. New York: Aspen Publishers, Inc., p.618.
Field, T. (2002). Massage therapy. Medical Clinics of North America, 86, 163-171.
Lidell, L., Thomas, S., & Beresford-Cooke, C. (2001). The Book of Massage: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Eastern and Western Techniques. New York: Fireside.
Montagu, A. & Matson, F. (1979). The Human Connection. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., pp. 89-90.
Touch Research Institute. (2003). Massage therapy database. Available: www.miami.edu/touch-research/Massage
1.html
Various authors. (December/January 2003). Massage and Bodywork, 17, 6. Selected articles on addiction and reprints available: www.massageandbodywork.com

Massage is often labeled an alternative therapy in addiction treatment. Yet today’s evolving integrative health paradigm acknowledges massage, along with other body therapies, as a natural and logical instrument of human healing. The scientific study of massage is in its infancy, but recent research documents the effectiveness of massage and bears implications for the treatment of and recovery from addiction.

First, the meaning of touch
Even before human bodies become full bodies, touch is the first of the five senses to develop in the embryo and the most vital for survival (Dossey, B., Keegan, L. & Guzzetta, C., 2000). The skin is the largest sense organ of the body; a piece of skin the size of a quarter contains more than 3 million cells, 12 feet of nerves and approximately 900,000 sensory receptors (Dossey et al., 2000; Montagu & Matson, 1979). From this perspective, the skin is a giant communication system that, through touch, brings messages from a person’s external environment to his or her internal attention.

Given the potential powerful effects of touch, massage can play an important role in all aspects of recovery from addictions — from detoxification, when it is a valuable healing tool, through primary inpatient or outpatient treatment, when it increases awareness and promotes relaxation, to post-treatment, when it contributes to relapse prevention strategies, stress management, and the body’s innate healing power that leads to optimal health in recovery.

Joni Kosakoski, BSN, RN, CARN ( admit@crossroadsantigua.org ) has practiced nursing for more than 25 years, the last 10 specializing in addictions. She is a member of the American Holistic Nurses Association and The International Nurses Society on Addictions.

References
Collinge,W. and Duhl, L.(1997). American Holistic Health Association Complete Guide to Alternative Medicine. New York: Warner Books.
Dossey, B., Keegan, L. & Guzzetta, C. (2000) Holistic Nursing: A handbook for practice, Third edition. New York: Aspen Publishers, Inc., p.618.
Field, T. (2002). Massage therapy. Medical Clinics of North America, 86, 163-171.
Lidell, L., Thomas, S., & Beresford-Cooke, C. (2001). The Book of Massage: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide to Eastern and Western Techniques. New York: Fireside.
Montagu, A. & Matson, F. (1979). The Human Connection. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., pp. 89-90.
Touch Research Institute. (2003). Massage therapy database. Available: www.miami.edu/touch-research/Massage
1.html
Various authors. (December/January 2003). Massage and Bodywork, 17, 6. Selected articles on addiction and reprints available: www.massageandbodywork.com

Clients that breathe by lifting their shoulders to their ears need more than a massage to relax their neck and shoulder muscles. Learn how to help them strengthen their diaphragm to change breathing patterns and relax their body.

Strengthening muscles that normally receive little attention can make a monumental impact on your client’s health. For example, it is common to encounter an athlete with a chronic ankle problem. Every time that athlete injures an ankle, he/she goes through the process of healing and usually follows with a series of stretches to lengthen the injured tissue. Heat and massage are beneficial components of this recovery because they are key contributors to relaxation and circulation of and around the injured ankle. However, if this athlete does not continue his or her care with an ankle strengthening program, then he/she is sure to re-injure that same ankle. Strengthening is not something that applies only to athletes, it applies to everyone. Muscle development and strengthening are key to ensuring the integrity and longevity of our lymph and circulatory systems, our internal organ functions, our axial skeleton and our overall health.

One of our forgotten, yet essential, muscles is the diaphragm. The diaphragm is the large muscle just posterior to the rib cage that is used for respiration, and it is often disregarded as an involuntary muscle. Doug Alexander reminds us about the connection between diaphragmatic breathing and our health in the article “Coaching Your Clients,” published in the Summer 2005 edition of The Massage Therapy Journal.

Mr. Alexander explains a typical pattern called “apical” breathing. This is a tense pattern of breathing in which the diaphragm muscle is used less, while the neck and shoulder muscles are primarily relied on for respiration. Apical breathing recruits the upper trapezius, levator scapula, scalenes and sternocleidomastoid muscles for every breath taken. Repercussions of this type of breathing can be decreased oxygen intake and tightened, and thus shortened, neck and shoulder muscles. As many massage therapists are aware, these tightened muscles can lead to temple headaches, upper back, neck and shoulder pain, and the emotional state of carrying the world’s stresses upon one’s shoulders.

Learning to use the diaphragm for respiration can add a great deal of benefit to the health of your apical breathing clients. “Diaphragmatic breathing is inherently relaxing. It slows the body’s metabolism down, and draws the nervous system into a rest and relaxation mode,” says Mr. Alexander. “Good times to practice diaphragmatic breathing are at the beginning and end of the day; it can help us start the day with a feeling of relaxation and ease. At the end of the day, diaphragmatic breathing releases tension and helps set the state for deeper, more restorative sleep. Without this diaphragmatic practice at bedtime, apical breathers will go to bed with tense neck muscles, and then spend all night using their neck muscles to breathe, rather than relax and recover from the stresses and strains of the day.”

Restoration of normal abdominal (diaphragmatic) breathing can be accomplished by coaching your clients to engage their diaphragm. Have your client in a supine position while he/she places one hand on his/her belly (below the umbilicus), and one hand on his/her chest. Upon inhalation, have your client focus on belly expansion by being aware of the belly hand rising. Inhalation continues until he/she feels movement of the other hand on his/her chest. During the exhale, have your client focus on belly deflation, with that hand sinking towards the spine. This exercise can help strengthen diaphragmatic breathing. However, it may not be enough to break the cycle of apical breathing. Many apical breathers have difficulty learning to use their diaphragm (and thus strengthen it), or they forget about breathing into their belly when under stress.

Donna Fahri found that strengthening the actual diaphragm muscle can effectively break the apical breathing habit. In Fahri’s book, The Breathing Book, she suggests a diaphragm awareness and strengthening technique called sandbag breathing. Sandbag breathing uses a soft weight such as a sandbag, bag of rice or soft ankle weight on the belly, just below the umbilicus. According to Mr. Alexander, this weight “…increases the pressure inside the belly and places a gentle stretch on the diaphragm, causing it to dome upward slightly further into the thorax.” With your client supine, instruct him/her to gently push the sandbag up towards the ceiling with each inhalation. After a series of 10 sandbag belly breaths, Mr. Alexander advises his clients to allow the bag to slide off their belly. At this point they usually notice that they are unconsciously using their diaphragm more with each breath they take.

This diaphragmatic strengthening exercise can be slowly increased to include more repetitions, and can even include more weight. Adding more weight to the sandbag must be done slowly and gradually, as the diaphragm can become sore and fatigued from this exercise. Mr. Alexander says that when his clients do this daily for a few weeks, they naturally use their diaphragm more consistently when breathing. The more belly (or diaphragmatic) breathing a client does, the more rigidity is unloaded from his/her neck and shoulder muscles. Rigidity is reduced because the neck and shoulder muscles contract less, and thus, relax more.

While most people may not think of strengthening the diaphragm as an important component of health, Mr. Alexander helps us see that it is. Regular belly breathing can originate with the practice of strengthening the diaphragm muscle, and its rewards are multi-faceted. The benefits of increasing lung capacity with the expanded breath of belly breathing and the non-recruitment and thus relaxation of the trapezius, levator scapula, scalenes and sternocleidomastoid muscles can positively benefit any client’s health – especially those that have neck and shoulder tension.

Posted by Nicole at 10:51 AM
© 2009 Institute for Integrative HealthCare Studies. This work is reproduced with the permission of the Institute. www.Integrative-Healthcare.org

You or I may not agree with the approach mentioned in the following article (massage for sculpting the body), but the practitioner does take before and after pictures. At $1,795 per body zone (presumably upper body or lower body) this could clearly be a very lucrative additional service to offer in any massage practice. Certainly more so for the spa-type practice. You may not want to do something like this yourself, but it is good to be aware of what others are doing, isn’t it?

Lypossage can help erase excessive fat
BY MARIA HERNE
Staff Writer

Summer might be months away, but if the thought of donning a swimsuit makes you cringe in horror, take comfort in the fact you’re not alone.

Many women are plagued by cellulite, those fatty bulges that even diet and exercise don’t seem to erase.

But take heart: Massage therapist George “Jake” Koch says he has an answer to your swimsuit season problem - lypossage.

“If you exercise all the time, but still can’t seem to get rid of that excess fat, lypossage can help,” Koch said.

“Lypossage is an all-new, body contouring, anti-aging treatment that will help reshape your figure without invasive surgery. It’s a natural, noninvasive, low-cost alternative to liposuction.”

Lypossage is performed by hand on the lower body, including the buttocks, hips, thighs and lower abdomen, as well as the upper body, including the arms, face, neck and head.

“With lypossage therapy, you’ll start to see results by the eighth treatment,” Koch said. “I take before and after photos, and you can literally see the difference.”

Koch, Schuylkill Haven, a recent graduate of the massage therapy program at Schuylkill Institute of Business & Technology, Pottsville, recently traveled to Middletown, Conn., to learn this new technique from its founder, Charles Wiltsie III, a nationally recognized massage therapy educator and practitioner.

Wiltsie derived the idea for lypsossage from a combination of physical therapy treatments, including lymphatic drainage and deep tissue releases, after noticing the effectiveness of these techniques to reduce swelling in cancer patients suffering from lymphodema.

In a year-long study of 100 female subjects, he documented the effectiveness of the technique, noting most subjects achieved an average inch loss of almost 1 inches per thigh.

“Lypossage works by cleansing the body of stagnant, stalled lymphatic fluid that can create the lumps and bulges we know as figure imbalance,” Koch said. “It tones the muscles and retones and reshapes sagging tissue.”

The procedure is noninvasive and mostly painless, he said.

“Afterward, it’s natural to feel a little sore - like a good workout,” Koch said.

But lypossage won’t be effective if you’re not committed to a healthy regimen, he said.

“Lypossage won’t help you lose weight. It’s about body sculpting, not weight loss, ” Koch said. “You need to combine lypossage with diet and moderate exercise program. You have to be committed to making a change. I’m not interested in helping somebody who isn’t willing to help themselves.”

Koch operates his business out of the New Vision Fitness Center along Route 61, Orwigsburg, under the business name “Body by Jake.”

His lypossage program, for adult men and women, includes a one-on-one consultation and body measurement diary, followed by 18 30-minute lypossage treatments, over a six-week period. The cost is $1,795 per body zone.

Koch also offers other massage therapy services, such as chair massages, hot stone massage, and deep tissue massage.

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.asp?brd=2626

Posted by Ralph at 04:01 PM
© 2009 Institute for Integrative HealthCare Studies. This work is reproduced with the permission of the Institute. www.Integrative-Healthcare.org

People in the early stages of addiction recovery often experience an uncomfortable gap between their body and mind. Therapeutic massage can bridge that gap, and is a powerful adjunct treatment in the addiction and recovery process.

Substance abuse is a major public health problem. According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, substance abuse costs our nation more than $484 billion per year. This includes costs related to crime, medical care, treatment, social welfare programs, and time lost from work.

Comprehensive treatment for the addicted individual is the key to turning this health crisis around. In the October 2003 edition of Counselor, The Magazine for Addiction Professionals, Joni Kosakoski, BSN, RN, CARN gives us the fuel to propel massage therapists into the realm of drug and alcohol treatment. In her article “Massage: Hands Down, a Treatment for Addiction”, Kosakoski gives us a clear and concise analysis of massage’s benefits for this population and its place in addiction treatment.

Incorporating massage into a substance abuse program is advantageous in all of the stages of quitting an addiction: withdrawal, detoxification and abstinence. The physical, emotional and spiritual components of recovery all can be directly benefited by the healing power of therapeutic touch. The nurturing contact of massage utilizes skin as the translator of the therapist’s intent. Skin, the largest sensory organ in our body, is our primary sense for connecting information from our external surroundings to our internal environment.

The Touch Research Institute in Miami, Florida has performed scientific research documenting the physiological effects of massage on the body. Kosakoski reminds us of some of their findings on massage such as decreased pain, diminished autoimmune response, enhanced immune response, and increased alertness and performance. These effects appear to be related to massage’s ability to reduce cortisol, a stress hormone, as reported by the Touch Research Institute in 2003. Several of the Touch Research Institute’s studies positively document the ability of massage to decrease anxiety, depression, agitation, and cravings.

In order to understand the connection between massage therapy and its benefit in addiction treatment, Kosakoski explains the neurological biochemistry of addiction: “Much attention has been directed to the mesolimbic reward system, the so-called ‘pleasure pathway’ of the brain. The area is activated in part by the release of the neurotransmitter dopamine, the chemical messenger responsible for making us feel good when we engage in any pleasurable activity. It is well known that dopamine is significantly involved in addiction and that dopamine levels are lower than average during the withdrawal process and into early recovery until brain chemistry normalizes.”

In 1998, the Touch Research Institute published the findings that a regular massage regimen produced long-term results of increasing dopamine levels. The fact that massage naturally increases dopamine levels, and decreases cortisol levels makes it a perfect addition to a standard detoxification program.

The neurochemistry of an addict takes time to get back into balance, so massage treatments after the initial detoxification phase is crucial. When a person uses a substance to feel good, his/her body stops manufacturing its own “feel good” chemicals, (endorphins), and the substance takes over that task. Therefore, when a person quits using an abused substance, they lose their source of feeling good. Since it takes time for the body to start manufacturing its own endorphins again, this is a challenging interim to endure. This interim is the recovering addict’s most vulnerable time to relapse.

In the 1989 edition of General Pharmacology, Kaada and Torsteinbo of Norway reported on study results that massage therapy increased the amount of beta-endorphins in the blood by 16 percent. The release of endorphins during a massage allows the recipient to feel normal, even fantastic, without the aid of a drug. This can be a powerful, even life-changing experience for the client.

On a physical level, the circulation that occurs with massage is also a desired occurrence during the detoxification process. Therapeutic massage’s invigoration of blood and lymphatic fluid allows for a more efficient exchange of oxygen rich nutrition into the body’s tissues, and the delivery of toxic waste products out of the body’s tissues. Kosakoski adds that “All systems of the body function more efficiently with improved circulation and a reduction in tension of the soft tissues and musculature…”

On an emotional level, part of an addict’s recovery process is learning to identify and manage the triggers that cause them to desire escape. Regular massage sessions can aid the client’s awareness of his or her own body, including where and when tension exists. Being conscious of these patterns is a step toward recognizing one’s own resistance, which can lead to healthfully addressing emotions associated with cravings and stress. In addition Kosakoski says that “Emotional release can commonly occur with massage, which provides a safe, non-threatening opportunity to begin the process of recovering long-buried emotions and memories.”

On a spiritual level, the deep relaxation of a massage can provide a still inner place for the recipient to connect with themselves. Being grounded, centered and fully present can be experienced when receiving therapeutic touch from a grounded, centered and fully present practitioner. A recovering addict has a whole new world opened to them when they acknowledge that they can simultaneously be anchored, present, feel good and be substance-free. As Kosakoski explains, “To allow oneself to surrender to the practitioner’s hands — to breathe fully and easily, to acknowledge and receive the gifts of nurturing, surrender and relaxation ….is an invaluable addition to the newly recovering person’s repertoire of relapse-prevention skills.”

Massage has the unique ability to affect all of our layers of being — from the spiritual plane all the way up to and including our body’s chemical composition. In the process of abandoning an addiction, these many parts of ourselves become fragmented. It is merely a matter of time before all addiction and recovery treatment programs recognize massage’s ability to mend the mind-body connection. When that happens, therapeutic massage will be integrated into addiction treatment, and clients will be optimally prepared to succeed in their recovery.

Posted by Nicole at 12:18 PM
© 2009 Institute for Integrative HealthCare Studies. This work is reproduced with the permission of the Institute. www.Integrative-Healthcare.org

Breastfeeding an infant can be extremely painful when the baby has a misalignment. Discover the gentle massage technique that can restore the loving, healthful and nurturing bond of nursing.

CST for Breastfeeding Blues
By Brandi Schlossberg
MASSAGE MAGAZINE

Breastfeeding can boost babies’ intelligence; help prevent asthma; protect from infections and high blood pressure later in life; and reduce new mothers’ stress levels, according to medical experts.

With all these benefits and more, it’s no wonder that many moms choose to breastfeed their infants. But what happens if the process is too problematic or painful to continue? Instead of turning to breast pumps or formula, some new mothers are relying on CranioSacral Therapy (CST) to solve the breastfeeding blues.

The technique, pioneered by osteopathic physician John Upledger, is a hands-on method of evaluating and enhancing the craniosacral system, which consists of the membranes and cerebospinal fluid that surround and protect the brain and spinal cord. Practitioners aim to release restrictions in the craniosacral system, using pressure about the weight of a nickel, to improve the functioning of the central nervous system and the body’s overall ability to heal itself.

“I was willing to try anything,” said Michelle Biagi, of Powell, Ohio, who suffered painful nipple compression from feeding her 3-month-old daughter, Brooke. “I wasn’t willing to believe my [obstetrician], who said that not every baby can breastfeed.”

Biagi began using a breast pump but continued to search for a solution that would allow Brooke to breastfeed naturally. A lactation consultant recommended that she see Alison Hazelbaker, a CranioSacral Therapist and lactation consultant in Columbus, Ohio.

Hazelbaker, an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant since 1985, began using CST as a primary modality in her practice after watching it work wonders on her own baby’s problematic breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding difficulties may arise from a variety of factors, said Hazelbaker, such as misalignment, improper tongue placement, tongue thrusting or tight mouth, and can result in extreme pain for the mother, as well as insufficient calorie intake and irritability for the baby.

Althoug CST does not solve all sucking dysfunctions, Hazelbaker said there are some, such as misalignment, which respond particularly well.

During a session, Hazelbaker performs CST on the infant, and improvements are almost immediately visible, she said, although it may take up to six sessions to completely solve the problem.

“After my third session is when I really started to notice a big difference,” said Biagi. “As her suck changed, I was out of pain.”

After years of such success stories, Hazelbaker decided to document her work in hope of spreading the word. She is now working to publish a 40-page study she conducted on a sample of 20 clients, called “Impact of CranioSacral Therapy on Sucking Dysfunction as Measured by the Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale.”

“In every case where the sucking dysfunction was due to misalignment, CranioSacral Therapy eliminated it,” she said. “That’s 100 percent of the time.”

Biagi, too, is spreading the word to new moms about an alternative to breast pumps or formula for painful breastfeeding. She is writing an article about CST for a local new-mothers’ newsletter.

“I truly believe CranioSacral Therapy was the only thing that got Brooke to breastfeed,” said Biagi. “More moms whould know about this.”

Posted by Nicole at 11:27 AM
© 2009 Institute for Integrative HealthCare Studies. This work is reproduced with the permission of the Institute. www.Integrative-Healthcare.org

As the following article demonstrates, massage for pain treatment is a good practice focus as well as a compelling topic for local press coverage.

Cape Gazette Covering Delaware’s Cape Region |Wednesday, February 25, 2004
Massage therapy serves as treatment for pain

By Karl Chalabala

Mary VonGoerres suffers from thoracic outlet syndrome, carpal tunnel syndrome, fibromyalgia and temporo-mandibular joint (TMJ) syndrome. A petite woman, she worked for 21 years as a bank teller, and the repetitive stress from moving heavy boxes of change set off the host of maladies.

Her treatments involved nerve-removal surgery, steroid injections and pain management with muscle relaxers and opiates. However, no surgery could correct her problems, steroid injections became counterproductive and pain management medicines could become addictive. So twice a week she turns to the hands of Meghan Jefferson to treat her ailments.

When she does the massage, VonGoerres said, it brings more blood flow to the muscles that are in pain. It hydrates the muscles and releases the spasms. I always feel more calm and peaceful afterwards. I missed an appointment one week and noticed a serious difference in the pain.

Jefferson, a Cape Henlopen High School graduate, decided a career in massage was what she wanted to do with herself. However, she took a different path than offered in a traditional massage program.

Im more interested in disorders and pathologies, she said. I like seeing clients who have diseases. When Jefferson was in ninth grade, a scoliosis diagnosis led her to massage as a treatment. She studied for 15 months at the Pennsylvania School of Massage Therapy in Oakes, Pa. She said the school offered her a certification and in-depth courses in therapeutic medical massage that local and regional massage schools do not offer. She graduated and now is nationally certified for therapeutic massage by the American Massage Therapy Association.

A job hunt led her to Matt Carter at Quest Fitness, where she joined a team of other massage therapists. She said people do not have to be a member to schedule an appointment with her there. While she takes clients looking for relief from a rough workout or a stressful day, she wants people who suffer from neuromuscular ailments, such as VonGoerres does, to know there is a less intensive treatment for them. VonGoerres said she had referred other people to Jefferson who she knew had problems.

In addition, Jefferson also will come to an office or other similar environment and offer 10 to 15 minute massages to relieve stress.

Working in the offices, she said, youre sitting there in front of a computer with bad posture. A short massage can make the day go by better. It also improves morale within the office. Jefferson can be reached at Quest Fitness at 644-7020 or at 344-9303.

Posted by Ralph at 03:56 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/>

As massage therapists, we are familiar with what constitutes a healthy lifestyle. We recommend these applications all the time. But how easy is it to get caught in the hubbub of life, and ignore our own health? A massage therapist shares his story, and encourages us to stay conscious of our body and the environment that we function in.

Common sense dictates that a therapist can only give to their client what is present within themselves. This can present a challenge to many bodyworkers, because many of us are so tuned in to “caretaking” that we neglect our own self care. It can become routine to skip a daily meditation, wolf down a fast food burger and speed through traffic to get to the spa - where eight back to back clients await your services. The “caretaker syndrome” describes the pitfall of putting others needs before our own and often leads to burnout or illness.

In the May 2005 issue of Acupuncture Today, Certified Massage Therapist David J. Razo shares his life changing experience in an article entitled “A Lesson Learned the Hard Way: Caring for Patients Means Caring for Yourself”. In this article, Mr. Razo describes his emotional journey as his dangerously high blood pressure (220/120) landed him a trip to an emergency room and subsequent hospital admission.

Mr. Razo’s predominant reflection was on simultaneously fostering the health and well-being of himself and that of his clients. In observing the environment of the hospital and noting its impact, the idea that everything one is surrounded with contributes to the healing process really hit home. His awareness of the used alcohol swabs littering the floor, the institutionalized bluish-green wall color and the burials at the cemetery just outside his window escalated to a broader understanding of the effect a healing environment has on the immune system.

A new zest for creating a healing space was compounded by the admission that he was good at giving advice and poor at following it. In all of this reflection, it became apparent that he had allowed all of the healthful lifestyle habits (the very ones he suggests to his clients) erode. In keeping a busy schedule, being hurried became his norm. Stopping to smell the roses, exercise or eat a healthful meal were just words that he repeated to help others - they were no longer a part of who he was. This groove is easy for any healthcare practitioner to fall into. It requires constant self checking to ensure that the inner self is not only heard, but being joyfully nurtured.

Mr. Razo recovered from his chest pain and high blood pressure scare, and is now successfully managing his health. According to Mr. Razo, “…that TLC we nourish our patients with also needs to be directed toward us…take the time to quiet your mind and feel the wind brush past your face.” Wise words from a bodyworker recovering from the “caretaker syndrome.”

Posted by Nicole at 05:54 PM
© 2009 Institute for Integrative HealthCare Studies. This work is reproduced with the permission of the Institute. www.Integrative-Healthcare.org

A practitioner of Tantra does everything with absolute presence. The emphasis is on connection to and immersion in every moment. So sex is a Tantric practice when it is experienced in this way - this includes sensual touch and massage. There are a lot of things that create separation in sex - being goal-orientated or trying to get a ‘result’, anxieties about ‘performance’, having an idea in one’s mind about how sex ought to be or ‘what works’, guilt/feeling you shouldn’t enjoy sex, being distracted e.g. by what happened at work today, unresolved issues within the relationship etc. etc….

I read an article in a magazine recently in which couples were talking about their sex lives. One male partner said proudly of sex with his wife “we have become more efficient at sex - because we know what works ” - jeez!!
Tantric touch, massage or sex is not something you do to somebody. But it can become corrupted. I have had clients (predominantly male) who want to learn Tantric massage as if it is something you do to a woman. They are the guys who say “I just want the woman to have pleasure. That is what gives me pleasure” Call me a cynic but I interpret this statement as “I am an egomaniac. I am validated by feeling I am a good lover. Yet I am shut down. And the idea of just being one with another person is terrifying.”

GETTING HIGH
A lot of neo-Tantric groups, teachings and practices such as Tantric massage are a little bit like taking ecstacy. They create a high and a sense of being really open and connected. This can really plant a seed of how life can be so they can be a positive experience if they lead a person towards personal and spiritual growth. But you have to be able to be open and connected while waiting for the train, travelling to work, getting the groceries, cooking dinner etc. as well .

REGARDING KUNDALINI & CHAKRA CONSCIOUSNESS

You can awaken sexual chi and circulate it through the body and it has great health giving benefits. The kundalini however however and its journey through the chakras takes a little more work. Without going into too much detail think of the firing process and yin convergance - undoing the conditioning and returning to pure consciousness - that is the process of awakening the chakras. It is through the letting go of beliefs, opinions, false sense of self - everything that creates separateness that awakens the kundalini. Awakening is experienced on an energetic level - remember in class when Sam had that moment of letting go of a deeply held belief and he felt an energetic opening. In Tantra the conditioned mind is known as ‘differentiating mind’ and “when the differentiating mind is lulled and sleeps, kundalini awakens” I LOVE THAT LINE - SO TRUE!

So kundalini - its a bit more than moving sexual energy. Psychological transformation is needed exactly the kind of stuff we studied all last year. It is the letting go of what ever separates us from really being in the moment that is true Tantric practice. Tantric Hi Ross

Thanks for sending the article.

A practitioner of Tantra does everything with absolute presence. The emphasis is on connection to and immersion in every moment. So sex is a Tantric practice when it is experienced in this way - this includes sensual touch and massage. There are a lot of things that create separation in sex - being goal-orientated or trying to get a ‘result’, anxieties about ‘performance’, having an idea in one’s mind about how sex ought to be or ‘what works’, guilt/feeling you shouldn’t enjoy sex, being distracted e.g. by what happened at work today, unresolved issues within the relationship etc. etc….

I read an article in a magazine recently in which couples were talking about their sex lives. One male partner said proudly of sex with his wife “we have become more efficient at sex - because we know what works ” - jeez!!
Tantric touch, massage or sex is not something you do to somebody. But it can become corrupted. I have had clients (predominantly male) who want to learn Tantric massage as if it is something you do to a woman. They are the guys who say “I just want the woman to have pleasure. That is what gives me pleasure” Call me a cynic but I interpret this statement as “I am an egomaniac. I am validated by feeling I am a good lover. Yet I am shut down. And the idea of just being one with another person is terrifying.”

GETTING HIGH
A lot of neo-Tantric groups, teachings and practices such as Tantric massage are a little bit like taking ecstacy. They create a high and a sense of being really open and connected. This can really plant a seed of how life can be so they can be a positive experience if they lead a person towards personal and spiritual growth. But you have to be able to be open and connected while waiting for the train, travelling to work, getting the groceries, cooking dinner etc. as well .

REGARDING KUNDALINI &CHAKRA CONSCIOUSNESS

You can awaken sexual chi and circulate it through the body and it has great health giving benefits. The kundalini however however and its journey through the chakras takes a little more work. Without going into too much detail think of the firing process and yin convergance - undoing the conditioning and returning to pure consciousness - that is the process of awakening the chakras. It is through the letting go of beliefs, opinions, false sense of self - everything that creates separateness that awakens the kundalini. Awakening is experienced on an energetic level - remember in class when Sam had that moment of letting go of a deeply held belief and he felt an energetic opening. In Tantra the conditioned mind is known as ‘differentiating mind’ and “when the differentiating mind is lulled and sleeps, kundalini awakens” I LOVE THAT LINE - SO TRUE!

So kundalini - its a bit more than moving sexual energy. Psychological transformation is needed exactly the kind of stuff we studied all last year. It is the letting go of what ever separates us from really being in the moment that is true Tantric practice. Tantric massage can be good practice though same as meditation, Tai Chi, yoga, dancing …. can be good practice though same as meditation, Tai Chi, yoga, dancing ….

By Litza Hall