(please thumb down past these new 3 for my foundational work) I recently completed my MMp (Medical Massage Practitioner) certificate, & learned A Lot about what the “toxins” natural wellness folks often talk about – ever wonder what they are?
Well, evidently there’s good news & not-so-bad-either news. The good news is that if we have not had much in the way of exposure to heavy metals or other industrial toxins, & are eating pretty well – a decent amount of produce & organic foods – especially for meat consumption, that the bulk of our muscular toxins are not based on our consumption. They’re most likely metabolic wastes, such as lactic acid, & there are easier ways to rid ourselves of them than mainstream bodywork will provide for.
Cupping is a very old methodology that stretches muscle, fascia, & sweeps up toxins the body had previously missed. I feel it is actually the most effective technique I use. What’s more, flash (a faster methodology of) cupping, does much of the same work over multiple sessions, without the potentially purplish, darker red markings left by longer term cupping (~3-25+ minutes).
This work is done via a technique basically ubiquitously used in chiropractor’s & physical therapists office’s, called iontophoresis, or Tens-unit pulsing electromagnetism – via The Pointer Plus. It works much the same way grounding does. First we detect areas where tissues have become more positively charged – also connected to tissue acidification (which is related to high glucose levels), which makes tissues interact less well with our blood, meaning that it doesn’t get nutrients, oxygen & fluids, & become cleansed as easily, of the toxins mentioned in the cupping section here. Therefore it is a Great deep healing promoter – even inducing positive chemical changes in our toughest tissues. Iontophoresis can even help break down scar tissue!
Based on the principles behind Wuchu – an also-very-old Korean-Chinese martial arts techniques done by manual fighting arts masters. Based on the dramatic results of my own trials with a severe personal injury, I concur with their assertion that stagnant metabolic wastes eventually solidify in muscle tissue.
Imagine a mortar & pestle with some crystallized muscular toxins in it. Sounds gross right? Let’s imagine getting past our squeamishness enough to push directly down into them with the solid part of our palm. Nothing doing right? However, give those crystals a minute of tapping with the pestle, combine with massage & detox work, & we’re in business! After easing into this technique with daily treatments of a few minutes at a time for 3 weeks, then doing an intensive weekend of it, upon standing I stayed on my feet for 3 times as long & with 4 times the intensity as I’d been able to without lying down in 2 years.
As far as my body work style, I am a “skeptical intuitive”. I like folks to be sure I am using the most refined and appropriate techniques for their discomfort. I seek out those that seem the most grounded in good sense, which includes some, but not just any, holistic therapies, as well as Western Scientific/Sports/Depth Massage Techniques.
Heat is immediately analgesic & facilitates circulation! It is also quite pleasurable, & loosens up our tissues via endorphin release (via the PNS, or Parasympathetic Nervous System) – making our work more efficicent & painless!
The basic premise of Trigger Point Therapy is that most muscles have a predictable pattern of points, sort of like buttons, that can be used to turn muscular tension off. Combined with a kind of compression that temporarily deprives the muscle(s) trigger point (sic) of oxygen, forcing it to relax. Back out slowly, and we have a new one for you!
Myo-fascial means muscular fascial, essentially. Fascia is a layer of connective tissue that lines and contains all the the layers of musculature in the body. It can function smoothly, or, due to any combination of dehydration, injury, toxicity (from normal consumption of foods and waste products that can become stored in muscles for many reasons – lack of sufficient opportunity for enjoyable exercise (the real reason I belive we don’t always get as much as we need – not because we are lazy:)), stress, over-use, candidiasis (I highly recommend the alkaline cleanse/diet for this – it changed my life – by drinking specially formulated lemonade!), or other medical causes, can glue these layers to each other in ways that are uncomfortable or less than optimal.
Also, not only do certain kinds of Myofascial strokes effectively eliminate adhesions, but also increase the chances of Lymphatic Drainage, a very gentle & slow but profound modality that facilitates the release of great amounts of toxins from lymph glands located throughout the body, being performed as well.
The scientifically proven most efficient way to stretch. The what and the why of this and how this works is supposedly about reflexes, but I think the thing about it that is most effective has more to do with efficiency actually than technique in & of itself. As we know muscles fatigue, & therefore warm up, as they contract. What not all are aware of is that exercise & stretching improve our muscles by making (very small) microtears, & then rebuilding, longer or stronger or hopefully both. My idea about PNF, besides warming the muscle & thus increasing one’s ability to stretch faster, is that it almost acts like pin & stretch (a highly efficient form of massage I also do), & creates many more microtears – by definition stretching your muscle faster! as well as strengthening it a bit in the process.
I have also used 20 years of training in dance, as well training in Tai Chi, & sharing with friends & colleagues about Sports & Egoscue Movement Therapy, Pilates & Yoga to come up with some innovative & revolutionary stretches & ways to bring your body to a better feeling of health you might think you could have without taking on a lengthy regime. PNF stretching works any muscle amply in 90 seconds- creating a method that you can take home with you.
Famous to any athlete fortunate enough to discover this highly accurate method of assessment, was created by Rich Phaigh. I have been fortunate enough to pick up some information on this technique as it pertains to Pelvic Tilt Dysfunction – my area of special interest, as an athlete who suffered from a childhood thoraco-lumbar injury of my own.
Done well, this training can be used to maximize strength, so even a not-so-imposing girl as myself can use such deep pressure that my special deep-tissue trigger point tool just collects dust in my drawer. Well ok, there’s no dust in my drawer, I hope, but I am in debt to the many that fought to keep this art alive, for helping me develop ever-increasing poise and clarity in my work.
Thai, Jin-Shin (Chinese)Meridian & Reiki Energy Work, Thai, Jin-Shin (an acupressure-based Chinese Meridian system, expounded upon in the West) & Shiatsu are based on meridian systems. I work with these modalities while my base is more of a Swedish-style practice.
Coming soon – more experience in Myotatic Arc Reflex Joint Release, Muscle Energy, & Structural Release Techniques, and insurance contracting.