Medical Massage

The Attorney General of Michigan, Mike Cox recently ruled that in the State of Michigan, the only massage that will be available to consumers will be medical massage, for health care purposes. Medical massage will have specific standards of training and the training will include boundaries in the office, and in the professional conduct of the practitioner that will protect the modesty and intent of both patient and practitioner. There will no confusion about what product you are receiving. This is an effective, proven, healing healthcare product. That is all. A side benefit of this action will be to promote the dignity and higher education of women in poverty.

In addition, this will allow for the billing of insurance. Hopefully, this will all become effective by summer 2011

Healing the Emotional Body

The link between pent up feelings and heart disease, high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke is well known. So, let there be no doubt, with regard to our healthcare, we ignore our feelings at our own peril. In addition, drug use, the need for alcohol and pot, excessive food when we're not hungry, or sex addiction are all Qi (Chi) blockage. We inhibit the flow of natural human emotion in a balanced way because of the limited perception of our minds.

Feelings are not universal truth, but they are sign posts to "our truth" that guides us to a potential destiny that would help us learn our lessons. Our bodies are like energy towers, beaming out signals that sychronize us with the world around us. Feelings are simply "signals", "red flags", a homing mechanism. The use of a drug, a cynicism of mind, lack of faith, excessive desire to control others with "the law", all THWART our natural creative self. Creativity, true productivity is directly related to the expression of our honest feelings with someone we love and trust. My experience has always been that if I follow those signals and acknowledge them in my body, I am always taken care of despite what my rational mind may "fear". We are each unique. The universe supports us to express what we feel and produce. Do your work, then let it go and move on the the next adventure. "The highest good for all and harm to none" is what we wish for our healthcare.

A virus in the muscle

Oh my the pain...for the last 3 days or so I couldn't straighten my left forearm. The extensor ulnaris muscle (the outside of the forearm on the pinky finger side) was TOTALLY inflamed. Then my hand started to swell. So today, I can almost completely straighten it and notice the stress it put on the muscles of my left shoulder. Actually, it's times like this that I am so grateful I'm trained to be able to be rational about what happens in my body. It was very interesting to go through this little joy ride. The remedy: double doses of turmeric, regular dose of cayenne and ginger, water, multi-vits', B-complex, liniment on the area (Chinese and Castor Oil), hydrotherapy in Epsom Salt, rest, and alternate ice and warm. I knew it wasn't my heart because the pain and the symptoms were isolated. I had no chest pain and no shortness of breath. From middle age on, you should watch for chest pain, left arm/left elbow pain (dispersed) and shortness of breath. My left arm pain was specific. I came along with the onset of a mild sinus virus as well. These remedies work folks. And the virus's can settle in a specific muscle and incapacitate you for a short while. If you are concerned, as you should be, about heart health, Herb Pharm makes a fabulous heart tonic with Hawthorn. Being forewarned is forearmed.

Dreaming

It happened to me again; I had a very vivid dream. It was as though I was there. I wasn't just "viewing it" like a movie. The next day, the person I dreamt about came up in conversation; through my son. Similar connection happened through my son before as well with this same person. It was all fine and made sense given the history. I woke up the morning I had just dreamt it and said, "Wow, what was all of THAT activity?" It was all ordinary-but I felt like I had just been traveling, as though I'd been in a car, drove to Grand Haven (Lake Michigan), hung out with a large group of people and came back. It felt that real. My life has always been like this. There is really very little veil between this world and the next. I just live with it. No, it is not normal, but it is comforting for me. It works for me because I'm a musician as well as a healer. When I'm at the piano, or organ, or choir, I'm "in a prayerful place" or a healing place to channel peace and revelation through the music. I don't mean peace as in passive or zenlike, but peace that is transformative and always changing. Let the dreams roll!

The Cave

I'm sure that most of you saw the video footage of Jeanette being pulled from the cave of rubble in Haiti on the news yesterday. She was in there for 6 days....6 days. She came out fine. She said she prayed while she was in there. When asked whether she thought she would survive this she said, "Why not?". And apparently her husband who desperately wanted to find her was praying too. I was SO moved when I heard the first thing out of her mouth; SINGING in praise to God-"Don't ever be afraid of death...don't ever be afraid of death". The day before, I had posted on Facebook that I felt like I was in a cave, I had no idea why, and I just roll with it. I really felt connected to this women spiritually when they pulled her out. While it's true that to some extent we have to heal ourselves as we're able, it's important to receive the aid of friends. I am grateful for my friends right now. I have been so moved by the people of Haiti and how they've dealt with this crisis. They are such an example of how ultimately our fate rests with the natural forces of the Earth. And when the natural forces of the Earth move, to balance herself, all we have is each other, in the body. There is no technology that withstands for too long, the movements of the Earth. It's futile. Ultimately, all we have is our bodies/minds, each other, and time.

What is Manual Therapy? http://www.hhogr.com

A manual therapist is an expert in medical massage. I use my hands, on the body, to treat and assess pathology at the joint complex and move the blood. This is the primary focus of the training and the treatment; not entertainment. This is healthcare. Visual & tactile assessment are used to ascertain specific modalities of manual treatment to be used. MMT's look for the source of the patient's pain or, based on a physicians finding, treat the source of the pain, not the referred pain. Findings are taken and are recorded in detail with proper medical anatomical terms. Manual therapy is applied with techniques such as compression, traction, vibration, friction, effleurage, and many various types of petrissage. Treatment may also include passive ROM, accupressure, or trigger point therapy. Excercises and stretching may also be recommended to improve body symmetry and balance as well as increase range of motion.  Many of us are also trained in medical acupuncture as another modality.  Manual therapy is not chiropractic, touch therapy nor is it relaxation massage. Manual therapists, being true to the roots of medical tradition, use their hands, with various, fairly old techniques, to heal and treat deep-seated pain. At this point, most Manual Therapists are not doctors, but many are. If they are a doctor, they are called Naprapaths. Most manual therapists, at this point, are called "medical massage therapists" because manual therapy does "massage" the tissue somewhat and is relaxing, but not with oil or in the traditional, full body manner. Manual therapy treatments are 25 minutes long, or less. Come and see me and you will understand.