what can I do for you? This is the third in a series this week.
Affecting nearly 200,000 Americans every year, Parkinson’s disease is another special condition that significantly interferes with a person’s daily living activities. Traditional treatments include dopamine boosters, antidepressants and antitremor medications. However, some new findings are showing that integrating massage therapy with some of the more traditional pharmacological approaches can be beneficial to people with Parkinson’s.
The Chulalongkorn Center of Excellence for Parkinson’s Disease & Related Disorders has reaffirmed the value of integrative medicine with a 2018 study on therapeutic Thai massage (TTM). Splitting a total of 60 Parkinson’s patients, 30 who received six sessions of TTM in three weeks and 30 who received standard care, the study compared the muscle strength of the two groups. The findings were encouraging. “Our findings provide objective evidence that TTM used in combination with standard medical therapies is effective in improving upper limb muscle strength in patients with PD,” researchers explain.11
A survey done by the Department of Neurology at the University Medical Center Hamburg- Eppendorf furthered the claim that anti-parkinsonian drugs are incomplete without integrative therapies like massage. Of the 181 outpatients with Parkinson’s surveyed, only 33.6 percent found anti-parkinsonian drugs alone helpful. In contrast, 96.3 percent and 89.5 percent of participants found rehabilitative therapy and physiotherapy, both of which involve massage therapy, most effective.12 Once again, this suggests that massage can serve as an essential factor in the health care formula when practiced alongside other integrative approaches.
Additionally, a study done by Glasgow Caledonian in 2016 suggests abdominal massage can help with troublesome symptoms of Parkinson’s, like constipation.13
Research continues to show that an integrative approach to many chronic health conditions is not only effective, but resonates with the patients who are looking for ways to relieve some troublesome symptoms. For massage therapists, that is a big opportunity. “Simply put, traditional medicine can only do so much,” Tatninov believes. “It can only do so much for the pain that accompanies these diseases, such as the imbalances that come with scoliosis. Massage has a direct, immediate effect and can help fill in the holes in care.”
what can I do for you and your loved ones? This is the second in this week’s series. Watch for more each day.
Arthritis is one of the most common conditions in America, as well as one of the most painful. With symptoms that range from pain and swelling to reduced range of motion and stiffness, arthritis can seriously inhibit a person’s ability to maintain a normal or active lifestyle. Pain medications are often prescribed or purchased over-the-counter, but can have some side effects, like stomach upset, that can further impact daily living. New research, however, is showing that massage therapy may be the ideal nonpharmacological substitute.
The Swedish Council on Health Technology Assessment conducted a systematic review of treatments for chronic pain, one of the key symptoms of arthritis. Their research indicates there is “strong scientific evidence” that massage reduces chronic pain by 20 to 30 percent more than treatment that does not involve physical movements.4
In 2018, a study by the Health Qualitative Research Center of Birjand University looked at the effects of aromatherapy massage with lavender essential oil on osteoarthritis, one of the most common musculoskeletal disorders. Results showed that after one week of treatment, the quality of daily life was increased significantly.5 Tatninov also sees success with aromatherapy, finding that for her clients with chronic pain conditions like arthritis or fibromyalgia, lavender and other oil blends can help with relaxation.
Additionally, numerous studies on osteoarthritis suggest that massage therapy can help with the pain involved in joint degeneration, as well as stiffness and function.6,7 One randomized controlled study found that participants who received an eight-week massage therapy intervention for symptoms associated with osteoarthritis of the knee had significant improvement when compared to those who received usual care.8 A similar study of 125 patients with osteoarthritis of the knee showed that a one-hour course of massage given for eight weeks provided better pain relief than usual medical care.9 Even when compared to just exercise, researchers found that patients with knee arthritis pain who received massage therapy with exercise showed significant improvement on the pain scale, get-up-and-go test and the WOMAC index.10
Working with clients with chronic pain conditions, however, does require massage therapists to make some adjustments. According to Tatninov, some of her clients who have been receiving massage therapy for a time can handle and request deeper pressure, while others who are new to the practice may need a lighter touch. “I will check in more than I would with an average client to make sure the pressure I am using is comfortable,” she adds.
What can I do for you and your loved ones? The following article is just one. See my series this week for more.
Most commonly forming in adolescent years, scoliosis causes nagging back pain and fatigue. While these symptoms may sound minor, back pain and fatigue can mean that people are sometimes forced to miss opportunities for personal growth, like athletics or performing arts, as well as potentially having to give up some of their favorite hobbies. If not treated, scoliosis can persist for years, and in some cases, a lifetime.
In a study done by the Good Posture Association, the effect of consistent massage on Cobb angle, or the curve in the spine caused by idiopathic scoliosis, was analyzed. Thirtyminute treatment sessions, which involved soft tissue massage, were administered three times a week for eight weeks. “It was established that the Cobb angle was noticeably decreased after four weeks of the intervention,” researchers concluded.3
Cynthia Oberdier, a massage therapist from Columbus, Ohio, has significant experience treating clients with scoliosis. For Oberdier, focusing on the muscles around the spine is essential. “In my experience, massage for scoliosis is to encourage strengthening of the open side and lengthening of the shortened side,” explains Oberdier. “Massage strokes are then lengthwise to the short side with stretching to encourage opening of the curve. Myofascial release to the opposite side, encouraging myofascial unwinding and taking the tension off of the shortened side.”
Sonia D. Tatninov, a massage therapist from Tulena Wellness in Brooklyn, New York, says massage therapists working with clients with scoliosis should be prepared to do a lot of their work in side-lying position, and that many clients with scoliosis are going to need their neck worked. “I pay a lot of attention to the lamina groove,” she adds, “since I find that those with scoliosis tend to have a lot of holding at the attachments here.”
For clients with scoliosis, Tatninov also cautions massage therapists to talk with clients who have fusion and rods about how they affect their dayto- day life and range of motion. “These clients are often fine in supine positions, but I am always sure to have a sheet or towel handy to bolster their head,” she explains. “A client who has a rod may need to have their head bolstered to a very specific height.”
Similar to dementia, some of the biggest benefits of massage therapy surround its being able to be customized to individual needs. Tatninov emphasizes that clear communication is vital to providing proper treatment. “Those with severe scoliosis are often acutely aware of what’s going on in their bodies,” she says. “They are more than happy to give you a rundown of everything new going on in their body since they last saw you and to tell you specifically what they want the focus of the session to be that day. The best thing I can do for them is to listen to them and then plan that day’s session in response to the information they’ve given me on that day.”
Who am I? What do I do? How can I help you? What is health to you? How do you visualize your health? How much would you like to reduce your pain and stress? Please share my new premiere video. Like it on my Facebook page. See it on Instagram and Linked-in. Watch for my blogs and Facebook posts throughout each week.
This is not your typical encouragement write-up on being the person you were meant to be. I will give you some food for thought that is not main stream, and is very out of the box, but should be the normal thinking.
We were created, man was created, out of the dust of the Earth and given life and breath from the very mouth of the Creator. It was good. Did you get that? When the tree of knowledge of good and evil entered the picture, so did the lies that we are no longer good. Fear entered first and foremost. Fear and shame are the foundation to all that is not good, all that is not of the creation in the beginning. We were given a choice. That is all. It was a choice. Man did not become evil. The flesh did not become evil. The mind did not become evil. The man allowed the fear and shame to take over his very own body, mind and soul. Yahweh constantly showed that there is a way to stay within what we are create to be. The stuff that was breathed into us at creation was not taken out of us when the other tree was eaten. This is a key point.
We are made in HIS very image. WE are sons and daughters of the Most High. We are good. Sin can take over but it is not who we are.
We are meant for so much more. We have been given the promise of Eternal Life. We must live that kingdom here on Earth. We have the breathe of the Father in us and through us. We can get the fear and shame out. All sin and all evil can be overcome. All of our impurities, all of our transgressions, all of our health issues, all of our Earth’s pollution, is from fear and shame. We are not evil first. Evil takes over us when we allow it in. Evil is the result of not being what we are meant to be.
Be what you are meant to be. Be who you are. Live the life you have been given to live in Messiah. Use the breath of the Almighty that was breathed into you and never taken out.
I could make this longer, but I want you to digest the truth you have just read. Let’s have a conversation.
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It is the first of the year, a new year on the calendar that the Creator crafted from the beginning. Man has destroyed the calendar and taken Yahweh/God out of it. Anyway, we are in the first month of the year, and it is time to cleanse. This time of year has cleansing rains, new beginnings, fresh starts in all aspects of creation. The Messiah purposely died at this time of year because we need cleansing, and this time of year is the best time of year to do so. Every edible plant (and most of them out there this time of year are edible) is a cleansing plant, and should be taken into our bodies. The energy of the Earth is even being renewed this time of year, and our bodies are directly connected and affected by it.
I want to bring out one thing about this time of year that is vital. I personally keep an entire week of Passover/Unleavened Bread. I do this because it is commanded, and because it is very refreshing to the mind, body, and soul. In this process, I clean out my house. I take out the leaven, clean every nook and cranny, and air out the place. Have you ever wondered where “spring cleaning” comes from? Despite what most historians and scholars want to say, it is built into us to do this, at this time of year, from the beginning of mankind, for cleansing purpose. It is what we are supposed to do. The thing I want to bring out is this: when you put out sugar, or throw out all of that junk food from your house, to cleanse your body, do you give it away to someone else, or do you actually throw it out? Ask yourself: does it make sense to throw something you know is bad for you onto someone else?
When I clean out, and throw out the leavened things during Passover week, I throw them out and burn them, or let the chickens eat them. The leaven represents my sin, or the things in my life I need to clean out, the “weeds” that have gotten out of hand. This cleansing also pictures getting your health back into shape, getting rid of the things that are negative, in mind, body, and spirit. It is all about acting on the solution and not looking back. I absolutely never give my “throw out” stuff to someone else to eat while I am not eating it, just as I would not give away the junk foods harming me if I were changing my health habits.
THE POINT: It is difficult to throw out, especially when you know your hard earned money bought it. It is difficult to go through the process of ridding the mind of negative fears and emotion. It is a process and nothing more. It is a practice, and we have to make it a “custom” for it to make an impact. I assure you, it is all worth it, and the things you THROW OUT will be replaced with twice the good. Throwing out (not giving away), is just the right thing to do.
The scripture below can be a starting point to a great study on this subject, giving you motivation and confidence.
Strong’s LexiconGet rid of ἐκκαθάρατε (ekkatharate) Verb – Aorist Imperative Active – 2nd Person Plural Strong’s Greek 1571: To clean (cleanse) out, clean thoroughly. From ek and kathairo; to cleanse thoroughly.
the τὴν (tēn) Article – Accusative Feminine Singular Strong’s Greek 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
old παλαιὰν (palaian) Adjective – Accusative Feminine Singular Strong’s Greek 3820: Old, ancient, not new or recent. From palai; antique, i.e. Not recent, worn out.
yeast, ζύμην (zymēn) Noun – Accusative Feminine Singular Strong’s Greek 2219: Leaven, ferment, both lit. and met. Probably from zeo; ferment.
that ἵνα (hina) Conjunction Strong’s Greek 2443: In order that, so that. Probably from the same as the former part of heautou; in order that.
you may be ἦτε (ēte) Verb – Present Subjunctive Active – 2nd Person Plural Strong’s Greek 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.
a new νέον (neon) Adjective – Nominative Neuter Singular Strong’s Greek 3501: (a) young, youthful, (b) new, fresh.
unleavened ἄζυμοι (azymoi) Adjective – Nominative Masculine Plural Strong’s Greek 106: (in the neutral plural) specially (by implication) the Passover week.
batch, φύραμα (phyrama) Noun – Nominative Neuter Singular Strong’s Greek 5445: A mass or lump, as of bread dough. From a prolonged form of phuro, mean to knead; a mass of dough.
as καθώς (kathōs) Adverb Strong’s Greek 2531: According to the manner in which, in the degree that, just as, as. From kata and hos; just as, that.
you really are. ἐστε (este) Verb – Present Indicative Active – 2nd Person Plural Strong’s Greek 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.
For γὰρ (gar) Conjunction Strong’s Greek 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.
Christ, Χριστός (Christos) Noun – Nominative Masculine Singular Strong’s Greek 5547: Anointed One; the Messiah, the Christ. From chrio; Anointed One, i.e. The Messiah, an epithet of Jesus.
our ἡμῶν (hēmōn) Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Genitive 1st Person Plural Strong’s Greek 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.
Passover lamb, πάσχα (pascha) Noun – Nominative Neuter Singular Strong’s Greek 3957: The feast of Passover, the Passover lamb. Of Chaldee origin; the Passover.
has been sacrificed. ἐτύθη (etythē) Verb – Aorist Indicative Passive – 3rd Person Singular Strong’s Greek 2380: A primary verb; properly, to rush, i.e. to sacrifice; by extension to immolate.
AFTER you watch the five-minute video, begin to read the healing scriptures. There are a lot of them! If you find more, please share them with me, so that I may add them to the list 🙂
Hello everyone. I am striving to be on here blogging several times a week instead of just on Fridays, but Fridays for sure 🙂
Visions are something people fear for some odd reasons. I believe it stems from media and movies portraying it all incorrectly. I believe we need to change this.
Visions are amazing tools for our benefit. I have had many that have saved lives, turned events around for the better, simply freaked me out, and put me on a path for the life better than I dreamed.
I have a vision that is developing after years of it just being a picture in my mind. In the communities that surround me, I see connections in one place, classes and seminars teaching holistic pathway, counselors and therapists working side by side, and integration of holistic practices where people come to have whole health care. I see this more than ever in my life. I have people coming into my life with the skills for this conglomeration. I feel the calling I have always had is finally in the end of its gestation and about to be birthed, as beautiful as a newborn baby. Whole health clinic (or whatever name comes upon it), we will not be separated any longer, but connected as one!
I will keep you all posted, and if you feel you are someone interested in this amazing adventure with me, please contact me so we can meet and connect and keep it building. WE all need this. Our communities need this. Our world needs this. Lets start a thing together.
Certified with IAIM, International Association for Infant Massage, as an Infant Massage Instructor. I set up classes to train parents/caregivers infant/baby/child massage. Classes are for babies from birth to 10 months of age. Pregnant moms can be a part of the classes to learn before baby arrives. Dads are encouraged to take the courses also. Classes are built around the baby. The baby has priority in the class. Environment is relaxed, with breaks when needed for changing, feeding, and taking care of baby’s needs. This is a class where baby and parent can just be themselves. Massaging babies provides an important source of tactile stimulation. Benefits of massage for the baby include: emotional nourishment, loving communication between a parent or caregiver and the baby, regulation of the baby’s primary systems (i.e. respiratory, circulatory, nervous musculature and gastrointestinal reduction of gas and colic allowing the baby to sleep better and help the baby relax and release the tensions of daily stimuli.
Please Contact Me if you have any questions about the classes. IF you would like to set up a presentation with your group, please contact me so I can sign up at your next meeting. I CAN bring these classes to you! please contact me if you would like me to bring these classes to your area (within 90 miles of Morrilton, AR because they would be once a week for 4 weeks).
The Infant Massage teaching program is a place where parents can share the experience of nurturing touch with their babies, learning to massage them with the International Association of Infant Massage (IAIM)
Touch stimulates brain activity, leading to increased attentiveness and stimulating intelligence. It also increases oxygen and nutrient flow to cells, increasing your baby’s ability to learn.
