Other Modalities

Jump to:  Massage | Trigger Point Therapy | Somatics | Stress Management | Meditation |

Breathing Techniques | Functional Medicine | Specialty Lab Testing

What is Massage?

Massage uses touch through rubbing or kneading of parts of the body to aid circulation, relax muscles, or provide stress relief. It is one of the oldest, simplest forms of therapy. Its basic goal is to help the body heal itself and to increase health and well-being. There are many health benefits to receiving massage therapy on a regular basis:

• Stress relief
• Relaxation
• Improved circulation
• Improved posture
• Lower blood pressure
• Pain management
• Muscle relaxation
• Improved flexibility
• Improved breathing
• Relief for tension headaches
• Strengthened immune system
• Decreased depression

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What is Trigger Point Therapy?

Trigger points are overly irritable spots in muscles that are associated with palpable nodules in taut bands of muscle fibers. The palpable nodules are said to be small knots of contracted muscle fiber or hyperirritable areas and are a common cause of pain. Pushing on a trigger point may elicit local tenderness, referred pain, or local twitch response.

Since most unexplained pain radiates from trigger points, therapy should be addressed to them. Many chiropractors and massage therapists find this model useful in practice.

The therapy was originated by Dr. Janet Travell, M.D., the White House physician credited with successfully treating President John Kennedy’s back pain. The main innovation of Travell's work was the introduction of the myofascial pain syndrome concept (myofascial - the combination of muscle and fascia). This is described as a focal hyperirritability in muscle that can strongly affect central nervous system functions.

Travell and her followers distinguish this from fibromyalgia, characterized by widespread pain and tenderness and a central increase in pain experience giving rise to deep tissue tenderness. Studies estimate that in 75-95 per cent of cases, myofascial pain is a primary cause of regional pain.

How do Fibromyalgia and Myofascial pain resulting from Trigger points differ?

Perhaps one of the most popular enigmatic pain conditions to affect the lives of human beings worldwide is fibromyalgia. Fibromyalgia is a condition that, because of its symptom expression, has baffled many practitioners. There are no current diagnostic tests available to confirm a diagnosis. There is only a list of symptoms to look for – which lead to an educated guess. For this reason, many people consider fibromyalgia a “wastebasket diagnosis”.

Other conditions, in fibromyalgia patients, may persist such as subclinical hypothyroidism, a systemic infection, or other environmental factors that cause many of the symptoms of fibromyalgia. These are, but are not limited to, myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and a host of other medical conditions that relate to other organs of the body. When a systemic condition occurs it affects every cell of the body, there are many different symptoms. It is of utmost importance that a person receives an accurate diagnosis to avoid years of needless suffering.

Dr. John C. Lowe, DC published a research oriented text titled The Metabolic Treatment of Fibromyalgia. Since the text is very medically oriented, he and his wife, Dr. Gina Honymann-Lowe, published a text for the patient titled, Your Guide to Metabolic Health. In this text, Dr. Lowe explains how the thyroid affects the human body and why, many times, patients are misdiagnosed. This book is a must read if you feel you may have a thyroid condition or if you are on T4 therapy and it has not alleviated.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) defines fibromyalgia as, “...a clinical syndrome defined by chronic widespread muscular pain, fatigue and tenderness. Many people with fibromyalgia also experience additional symptoms such as fatigue, headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, irritable bladder, cognitive and memory problems (often called “fibro fog”), temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJD), pelvic pain, restless leg syndrome, sensitivity to noise and temperature, and anxiety and depression. These symptoms can vary in intensity and, like the pain of fibromyalgia, wax and wane over time.”

In their text, Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual, Drs. Janet Travell and David Simons alert us to be sure that we have differentiated between fibromyalgia and MPS. They state that trigger points (TrPs) are present in the majority of people who suffer with fibromyalgia and that it is easier to distinguish which is the proper diagnosis.

Clinical Features Distinguishing Myofascial Pain Due to
Trigger Points from Fibromyalgia

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What is Somatics?

As a result of injury or overuse, we tighten up our muscles. Stress has a similar effect: we tighten certain muscles so often or for such long periods that our brain -- the master-control organ of the muscular system -- learns to hold the tension indefinitely. For example, a car mechanic may develop back spasms or neck pain; a haircutter may develop wrist and hand pain; or someone with a stressful job or home life may develop headaches.

As we get used to this tension, we forget how to relax it. The burn of muscle fatigue and stiffness become permanent; inflammation, chronic fatigue, and joint degeneration may occur as long-term side-effects of that tension. Pain relievers only hide the continuing degeneration. Stress-related symptoms such as headaches or sciatica may occur, seemingly inexplicably.

Or we may have no injury; it may have healed, but painful muscular tension may interfere with movement and convince us that we still have an injury.

Because tight muscles cause pain and stiffness, because your brain controls your muscles, and because somatic education teaches you how to relax them, therapy that includes somatic education has some advantages over therapy applied to muscles and joints, alone: much less pain during therapy and faster recovery. In many cases, Somatics is sufficient as a stand-alone rehabilitation method, in which case the number of sessions required depends upon the complexity of the problem. In general, however, improvement begins quickly, even with many conditions deemed "permanent and stationary."

If pain persists when injured tissue should already have healed, if pain mysteriously appears and disappears, or if it worsens over time or defies diagnosis by your doctor, you may have such a muscular tension problem. In that case, Somatics may be just the help you need.

Somatics is an approach to renewed control of the muscles through use of the voluntary motor system. It is the procedure for teaching voluntary conscious control of the neuromuscular system to persons suffering muscular disorders of an involuntary, unconscious nature. It involves simple movements done by the practitioner with the patient together; it is not massage or manipulation and can have a more profound effect than either in terms of relaxing muscles on a long term basis. It is also very relaxing and enjoyable to experience.

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What is Stress Management?

Stress is pervasive in this culture currently. It involves the automatic overreaction of a part of the nervous system to a perceived threat from outside or inside the individual person. As a result of the threat, a message is sent to the adrenals to dump stress chemicals that cause wide-ranging affects on the body.

These include:

• increased heart rate and blood flow,
  
• constriction of blood vessels under the skin,
  
• dilation of the pupils,
  
• and increased availability of blood sugar and lipids.
  

This is part of the ‘fight or flight’ response getting us to ready to fight a perceived threat or run away from it. This was really helpful in cavemen times, but now, we no longer need to fight or flee to survive (at least not most of the time). Unfortunately, the body is hard wired with this response and it occurs automatically as a result of any ‘perceived’ threat, the number of which seem to have multiplied in number in modern times. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, you may be running on stress a good portion of the time—launching into emergency mode with every traffic jam, phone call from the in-laws, or segment of the evening news. But the problem with the stress response is that the more it’s activated, the harder it is to shut off. Instead of leveling off once the crisis has passed, your stress hormones, heart rate, and blood pressure remain elevated. Furthermore, extended or repeated activation of the stress response takes a heavy toll on the body. Prolonged exposure to stress increases your risk of everything from heart disease, obesity, and infection to anxiety, depression, and memory problems. Because of the widespread damage it can cause, it’s essential to learn how to deal with stress in a more positive way and reduce its impact on your daily life.

Stress is a major factor in most of the visits people make to the doctor’s office. Managing stress is therefore one of the most important elements in wellness. There are many different approaches to Stress Management. It can involve, for instance, improved diet, exercise, herbal medicines, supplements, relaxation (breathing, meditation, tai chi, yoga, etc.), affirmations, visualization, assertiveness training, correcting cognitive distortions and analyzing thought patterns. A major aspect of Stress Management is to alter our perception of the external environment so that everything we encounter does not seem to pose a threat.

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What is Meditation?

As a result of meditating off and on for the last 37 years I have experienced an incredible change in my life. I have become much more peaceful and able to live in the present moment. I am able to be creative and think things through much more clearly.

I have used different meditation techniques but found the simplest is always the best. The basics of meditation are summed up in a few words. It involves:

• sitting in a quiet place upright in a chair or cross-legged
  
• an anchor, such as the breath, a mantra (word of phrase like love, peace or Om mani padme hum) or something to gaze at (a candle or mandala)
  
• an open, non-judgmental mind (at least temporarily)
  

Once in this position, the fun begins. That is when the mind basically goes kind of crazy. In the silence, it becomes even more active. Mostly thoughts seem to revolve around:

• “This is stupid, I have so many important things to do”
  
• “Am I doing this right?”
  
• “What am I supposed to be feeling, thinking or?”
  
• “How long do I have to do this before something happens”
  
• “I can’t do this”
  
• “I am too anxious”
  

Etc., etc. What I teach students is that the mind is like a tennis ball machine – you know the kind that lobs balls back at you to hit when you are by yourself. The mind (especially when you are quiet) tosses out all manner of thoughts to get you to be engaged with it. There is no need to try to ‘empty’ your mind. The more you resist the thoughts and thinking, the more they will persist. The best thing I have found is to just watch them (follow the bouncing ball like in the old black and white movies of staffs of music - if you are old enough to remember). You just need to be present with them, and they will extinguish themselves. Don’t believe me; try it for yourself. But be prepared for all manner of thoughts to come. You don’t need to think them!!!! Just let them fall away!

You can start with even 5 minutes a day and work your way up to 30 minutes a day. Another entry into meditation is to stop and do nothing for 5 minutes out of every hour.

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What are Breathing Techniques?

There are many types of breathing techniques, many of which come from Yoga. The science of pranayama is a whole branch of Yoga dealing solely with breathing techniques. Prana is the energy of the Universe – like Qi in Qigong or Tai Chi. Alternate nostril breathing is one pranayama technique:

1. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Do this to the count of four.

2. Immediately close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger, and at the same time remove your thumb from the right nostril, and exhale through this nostril. Do this to the count of eight. This completes a half round.

3. Inhale through the right nostril to the count of four. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left nostril to the count of eight. This completes one full round.

Start by doing three rounds, adding one per week until you are doing seven rounds. Alternate nostril breathing should not be practiced if you have a cold or if your nasal passages are blocked in any way. Forced breathing through the nose may lead to complications. In breathing practices it is important to follow this rule: under no circumstances should anything be forced. If you use the nostrils for breath control they must be unobstructed. If they are not, you must practice throat breathing.

Benefits

1. The exercise produces optimum function in both sides of the brain: that is optimum creativity and optimum logical verbal activity. This also creates a more balanced person, since both halves of the brain are functioning property.

2. The yogis consider this to be the best technique to calm the mind and the nervous system.
(from http://holisticonline.com/yoga/hol_yoga_breathing-ex-nadisodh.htm).

Prannic breathing is another technique that I have used for most of the past 37 years. I practice frequently in the morning before I get up. I find it gives me a lot of energy, and warms my body – especially nice on cold winter mornings!!!

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What is Functional Medicine?

Functional medicine is a personalized form of medicine dealing with primary prevention and underlying causes rather than symptoms of serious, chronic disease. It is a science-based field of health care that is grounded in the following principles:

• Biochemical individuality relates to the individual variations in metabolic function derived from genetic and environmental differences between individuals.
• Patient-centered medicine emphasizes "patient care" rather than "disease care," following Sir William Osler’s admonition that "It is more important to know what patient has the disease than to know what disease the patient has."
• Dynamic balance between internal and external factors.
• Web-like interconnections of physiological factors – an abundance of research now supports the view that the human body functions as an orchestrated network of interconnected systems, rather than individual systems functioning autonomously and without effect on each other. For example, we now know that immunological dysfunctions can promote cardiovascular disease; that dietary imbalances can cause hormonal disturbances; and that environmental exposures can precipitate neurological syndromes such as Parkinson’s disease.
• Health is a positive vitality, not merely the absence of disease.
• Promotion of organ reserve as the means to enhance health span.
  

Functional medicine is anchored in the examination of core clinical imbalances underlying various disease conditions. These imbalances arise as inputs from the environment such as diet; nutrients (including air and water), exercise, and trauma which are processed by the body, mind, and spirit through a unique set of genetic predispositions, attitudes, and beliefs. The fundamental physiological processes include communication, both outside and inside the cell; bioenergetics, or the transformation of food into energy; replication, repair, and maintenance of structural integrity, from the cellular to the whole body level; elimination of waste; protection and defense; and transport and circulation. The core clinical imbalances that arise from malfunctions within this complex system include:

• Hormonal and neurotransmitter imbalances
  
• Oxidation-reduction imbalances and pathology of the mitochondia (energy centers of the cells)
  
• Detoxification and biotransformational imbalances
  
• Immune imbalances
  
• Inflammatory imbalances
  
• Digestive, absorptive, and microbiological imbalances
  
• Structural imbalances from cellular membrane function to the musculoskeletal system
  

Imbalances such as these are the precursors to the signs and symptoms by which we detect and label (diagnose) organ system disease. Improving balance – in the patient’s environmental inputs and in the body’s fundamental physiological processes – is the precursor to restoring health. This involves much more than just treating the symptoms. Functional medicine is dedicated to improving the management of complex, chronic disease by intervening at multiple levels to address these core clinical imbalances and to restore functionality and health. Functional medicine is not a unique and separate body of knowledge but is grounded in scientific principles and information widely available in medicine today. It combines research from various disciplines with highly detailed yet clinically relevant disease models and effective clinical management.

Functional medicine emphasizes integrating different treatments for different levels of conditions in the body, rather than a single treatment for a single diagnosis. Functional medicine uses the patient’s story as a key tool for integrating diagnosis, signs and symptoms, and evidence of clinical imbalances into a comprehensive approach to improve both the patient’s environmental inputs and his or her physiological function. It is a clinician’s discipline, and it directly addresses the need to transform the practice of primary care.

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What is Alternative or Specialty Laboratory Testing?

Specialty Testing

Laboratory testing may be necessary in order to identify suspected or hidden causes of health problems.
There are specific tests and special laboratories with many tests that can help you achieve wellness. The tests require different types of samples: saliva, urine, stool, blood, or hair samples, and sometimes, combinations of these.

There are tests of the functional levels of vitamins and minerals in your body. There are tests of environmental toxins associated with such symptoms as chemical sensitivity, fatigue, numbness, tingling, poor memory or concentration, and poor resolution to typical health problems. They are specially indicated for those with occupational exposure. There are tests of environmental pollutants such as xylene, benzene, toluene, styrene, trimethylbenzene, paraben, and phthalate (found in plastics and over 70% of the most commonly used cosmetics).

There are also tests of organ or system function like liver clearance of toxic agents, cardiovascular risk assessment, intestinal permeability and thyroid function. There are tests specific to particular conditions like C-reactive protein levels to assess the level of inflammation and tissue damage in the body (inflammation is a precursor to many conditions like heart disease and cancer), hormone and neurotransmitter levels associated with a host of diseases, food and environmental allergies, bone resorption to monitor osteoporosis treatment, and digestive function tests to assist with both GI conditions and CFS, fibromyalgia, etc.

Neurotransmitter Testing

Imbalances of our neurotransmitters and hormones are often the underlying causes of: depression, anxiety, attention issues, fatigue, weight and appetite control, libido, insomnia, headaches, PMS, and pain. Neurotransmitter and hormonal levels can be tested prior to treatment to identify specific therapeutic agents. One of the most common hormonal tests done is of adrenal function given the level of stress currently. Stress causes major disruptions in adrenal function that lead to sex hormone and sugar imbalances.

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