Cupping: A New Twist on an Ancient Tradition

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Cupping: A New Twist on an Ancient Tradition

  The ancient Chinese tradition of dry cupping is a therapy in which heated glass cups are applied to the skin creating suction to meridians to help encourage the flow of energy (chi ) inside the body.

I first experienced cupping in the early 90’s as an adjunct to acupuncture and massage for pain relief after a car accident. What I personally liked about the treatment was that, while many therapies push into the muscle and fascia, cupping seemed to pull tissue away from the skeletal structure producing what I can best describe as a ‘vacuum of relief’ swirling and creating space where there was compression. If there was really good suction, you could glide the cup over the skin, drawing up muscle and fascia, increasing blood flow and dispelling lymph and metabolic waste.

I was trained and began to use cupping in my massage practice in early 2003, but only in a very general sense, as I was not competently proficient in the meridians that traditional Chinese medicine recognizes. I loved using it in the beginning, but after a few years it became a bit of a novelty.

Rio-2016 Cut to the 2016 Olympics, where physical therapist and University of California, San Francisco Assistant Clinical Professor Chris DaPrato has repurposed (we love that buzz word, yeah?) this old favorite, creating an entirely new modality called Myofascial Decompression or MFD for short. The purpose of MFD is not to unblock Qi or to improve blood flow for healing diseases, but is designed to increase connective tissue mobility via movement pattern reeducation and breaking down scar tissue that can inhibit motion; the visible evidence of both treatments are circular hickeys of varying tones.

Olympians are sporting their pain map tattoos in approval of this new approach, most notably Michael Phelps; as we could have guessed; his powerful shoulders require treatment, in both girdle and joint, especially around the rotator cuff and deltoids. I am sure he enlists other treatments in combination with cupping and that other sport participant’s use cupping but we can’t tell because they are clothed. I am excited to try this new technique for myself and if I see benefit, possibly implement it into my practice.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading!

Let Your Heart Sing

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Let Your Heart Sing

Recently, I was invited to host a table at the Let Your Heart Sing Networking Event sponsored by Larkin Hoffman to
raise money for those with cancer who need legal representation with child custody, wills,  and other legal issues. It was a beautiful evening at Orchestra Hall with incredible delectables, a string trio, with a fun spa/pamper yourself theme.

I had a ball putting together a door prize for the event and was fortunate to enlist the design stylings of Ms. Closing Fairy herself, Wendy Noble; she’s a real fairy with wings and everything. She amped up the goodies and gavedoordoor1 the presentation flair and distinction.

I met many women throughout the evening; entrepreneurs, public relations managers, photographers, attorneys etc. everyone was warm, welcoming, and engaging. It was incredible to meet so many strong, fabulous women! I hope to work with them all in the future!

Thanks Larking Hoffman, for a great event.

 

 

Neck Cradle Review

Riters

Neck Cradle Review Of the many items/pillows I’ve tried offering positional/tension release, Dr. Riters Real Ease Neck Cradle is one of my favorites. My clients have gotten great relief from headaches as well as neck and shoulder tension. It’s unique cervical shaped support perfectly positions your neck while allowing gravity to provide a gentle traction to the base of your skull to help release tension in the neck, shoulders and jaw–while relieving tight, sore muscles.

Getting the Real Ease is really easy, you can purchase them on Amazon from me for $33


Amazing Design!

Amazing Design!

Someone recently asked me what the strongest muscle in the human body was. I had thought that, ounce for ounce,  it was the tongue.  But, turns out there are many ways to measure strength. I came across this website,  EverydayMysteries . Interestingly, the myometrial layer of the uterus is one of the strongest muscles. This is the muscle that a woman uses to push the baby out of the body during labor. Usually muscles atrophy with lack of use, but here, a muscle you almost never ‘use’, comes into play for this impressive performance. What a truly amazing design!

Pectoral Health

Pectoral Health

One of the most common problem areas clients need me to address are, drum roll please, neck and shoulders. Whether you’re driving, doing dishes, computer work, or nursing your baby, many of us find ourselves laboring over our work. Your back hurts, but your pectoral muscles may be to blame. These muscles become short and want to stay in their shortened position, causing rounded shoulders and postural deficiencies.

Occasionally you may try and sit up straight, but 3 seconds into it, you realize it’s  difficult and tiring. Passively elongating your upper chest muscles can bring about balance to your upper body; helping to relieve your upper back and neck tension!

Simply place your hand comfortably on a wall or door jam at about shoulder height,  elbow can be straight or bent, whichever is more effective, and pivot away. Breath deeply into the stretch, taking the stretch further as the muscles release.  This stretch should always feel good, like a morning stretch, and in no way compromise the joint.  Play with the stretch and modify it to suit your own body, and be sure to do both sides. If you feel pain, please stop immediately.

You may do this several times a day, and experience the great results!

Everyone has TMJ

Everyone has TMJ

In fact, we all have two TMJs, one in front of each ear, connecting the lower jaw bone (the mandible) to the skull.   TemporoMandibular Joints, or the TMJ’s are the hinges that  allow us to open and close our mouths.  These joints allow for all biting, chewing and swallowing food, for speaking and for making facial expressions.

For those whose joints or muscles of the jaw mechanism are not functioning properly, pain is no stranger.  Many symptoms can arise, among them,  neck and shoulder tension, migraine and/or chronic headaches, jaw muscle stiffness, limited movement or locking of the jaw, painful clicking, popping or grating in the jaw joint when opening or closing the mouth, and pain and ringing in the ears.

Working these powerful muscles requires specialized training, and Neuromuscular Therapy has equipped me with the skill to address the muscles of the jaw, inside the mouth and out, often relieving the headaches,  tension, pain and other gripping effects associated with TMJ dysfunction. The protocol for anterior neck and intraoral work can be uncomfortable, so good communication and trust between client and therapist is vital.

Sweet Relief

Sweet Relief

Do you suffer from typical headaches or neck pain/tension? Barring any serious medical condition, try this simple technique between massages for sweet relief; take a few minutes and lie down or recline in a supportive high back chair and place a cold beverage can comfortably behind your neck.

The cold will help reduce inflammation and also tells your brain that the area is ‘cold’ and not tight or painful, this interrupts the pain/spasm/pain cycle.

The shape of the can will help encourage the natural ‘c’ curve in your cervical spine by aiding in shock absorption, diminishing strain on posterior neck muscles by allowing them to return to their neutral position, and lengthening of anterior neck muscles.

The stillness will calm body & mind.

Antagonizing Antagonists and the Therapists Who….

Antagonizing Antagonists and the Therapists Who….

love them? Antagonize them? Probably both.  Antagonism often brings to mind the times on family car rides when your brother taunted you to the point of tears;  staring at you, quietly calling you names, and then there’s the flicking. Dad glances in the rear view mirror just as your frustration reaches its apex, culminating in your moment of reckoning.  I am not necessarily referring to this kind of antagonist, but we’ll come back to this later. What I am referring to is the specific way that muscles function.

Muscle Function 101-muscles only pull, they never push.

All muscles must work in pairs. This is because they can contract (shorten) and relax but cannot push or stretch themselves. When your biceps contracts, it flexes and bends the elbow joint. At the same time it also pulls the triceps to make it longer. So the triceps must relax while stretched by the biceps pulling it. When the triceps contracts, it extends (straightens) the elbow joint, and at the same time it pulls the biceps and makes it longer. So these two muscles work together. Neither muscle can stretch itself; it must be stretched by its antagonist (partner).

All of this to address the importance of working opposing muscles groups. When a client complains of pain or dysfunction in a particular area, a therapist should not only address that area, but often more importantly, the antagonists, which as we can see in the story of our family, is often the problem in the first place. We can apply this approach to most areas of the body.  If the issue is your low back and SI joint, just spending 30 minutes digging into inflamed areas may simply exacerbate the problem. Keeping in mind the rule that muscles never push, your back is being pulled by something, so addressing your hip flexors is often an important key to finding relief. After a long flight or sitting for extended periods of time your hip flexors become shortened causing your back muscles to compensate trying to correct the problem. Working to open up and elongate the muscles of the anterior hip will bring about balance, reducing pain and the dysfunction that causes it.  Surprisingly, you may even find these antagonists extremely tender to the touch, making the bodywork difficult to endure, which is why you should always seek a trusted therapist, clearly communicating your needs.

So, dads, while saying, “He’s trying to antagonize you, just ignore him,” may have worked to diffuse the situation, is an ultimately not a good strategy when it comes to parenting or bodywork; no, don’t ignore them, help make them accountable, balanced and functioning members.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Forward Head Posture is primarily caused by the weakening and lengthening of the upper-back and neck muscles, and  tightening and shortening of the anterior muscles in the neck and chest. It takes time to develop either good or bad posture.  Over time muscles and ligaments shorten on one side and lengthen on the opposite. 

For every inch of Forward Head Posture, it can increase the weight of the head on the spine by an additional 10 pounds.” -Kapandji, Physiology of Joints, Vol. 3.

Massage can help with this type of imbalance. Neuromuscular Therapy allows the release of gripping, ratcheted anterior neck muscles, restoring the neck to a more neutral position.