Lymphatic Drainage Massage for Fibromyalgia

Lymphatic drainage massage is to be considered if you suffer from fibromyalgia. This technique involves light pressure that will encourage the lymph to go to the lymph nodes so that the cleaning process of the body can be stimulated. The light pressure that is used can be very enjoyable for the painful body of a fibromyalgia sufferer.
Why they will benefit

A lot of medication: People with fibromyalgia sometimes need to take a lot of medication to ease their symptoms. These drugs that are in their systems can cause other problems leading them to take other pills for these. Before they know it, they have a full medicine cabinet and are stuck in a vicious circle. Lymphatic drainage can help them clear out the accumulation of these substances therefore decreasing the side effects that come with ingesting them. It can also come in handy when they are trying to wean themselves of a medication that they didn’t find particularly helpful. Before stopping any medication they should however verify with their doctor for tips on how to do this properly. Lymphatic drainage will be used as a treatment to facilitate this process.

Digestive problems: With all the medication, stress and anxiety that comes with having fibromyalgia the digestive tract can take a beating. Our emotions can put our stomachs in knots and the pills make it work hard to clear out the unnatural matter that comes with them. The digestive organs are surrounded with lymph nodes in charge to keep these ones clean. Lymphatic massage will come stimulate these areas in order to clear them up and assure their proper function. A clear stomach that is detoxified from medication can in turn clear the mind.

Pain Management: A person with fibromyalgia can be very sensitive and the thought of a deep massage might scare them. Lymphatic massage is however a very gentle technique. The light pressure of the therapist will work the body and the nerve endings that pick up on this sensation will replace the message of pain with one of delight. Lymphatic drainage will also reduce inflammation and work out lactic acid that comes with aches and pains.

Reducing Stress: Like many types of massages, lymphatic drainage can be very relaxing. Going for a treatment is a moment we take for ourselves and where we can detach from our everyday stresses and lose ourselves in the rhythmic motions of the therapist.
Is this treatment for me?

This is recommended if your fibromyalgia is very acute and you can’t handle the pressure of a massage or if you are feeling the effect of a lot of medication.

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Bamboo Massage

Hhhhhmmm!!!! Interesting name. Sounds exotic but what does this consist of? Well as the name says, it’s a massage. As for the bamboo part, we can find a variety of different size bamboo sticks used as tools by the massage therapist to apply a good pressure to the tight aching muscles with barely any effort.

What to expect during the treatment

The therapist will start by applying oil to the entire body without massaging. In close range, he will have handy his bamboo sticks (the half pint, the middle man and the shorty). These vary in size and will be switched from one to another depending on the size of the client or the area to be worked on. The treatment starts off with long stokes. Large surfaces are covered with one glide to prepare the body fully for the work to come and to allow the therapist to evaluate the tense areas. Some long stokes are static, the stick does not move but is however moved by the therapist. Others strokes consist of gliding the stick and giving it either a half or full roll or adding a vibration movements. All these techniques can also be applied to short strokes where the therapist will concentrate on one area of a segment. Example, working the calf of the leg. Fanning strokes can be used to work the sides of the body. The therapist will mobilize one end of the stick and move the other end in a full range resembling a fan opening up. They may also use the tip of the stick to target specific knots really digging in to them or to strip away tension from a specific muscle.

Who would like this?

If you like a massage with good pressure that really digs into the muscles this treatment is to be considered. These tools allow the therapist to work hard without any effort. Their weight is simply transferred onto your body via the bamboo.

Sea Shell Massage

Sea Shell Massage

Throughout history sea shells have had importance in many cultures. They once have been used as currency in the Indian and Pacific oceans as well as America, Africa and the Caribbean. Because of their shape, they made great tools used as scrapers, blades and shovels. They are also believed to have very good healing energy and are a strong symbolism in many religions of the world. Today, you can go to a massage therapist who will use a variety of shells as tools to work out your tension and hopefully you will benefit from its healing powers.

What to expect during the treatment:

This treatment consists of a Swedish massage where the therapist will use cone scallops and fan shaped shells with all their different texture as a tool to work your knots and tension. The different contours can be used in a variety of different ways to offer a deep penetrating massage. The massage therapist could use the shells cool or warmed up in hot water. The hot shells could be placed in different areas on the body for concentrated heat or passed along the members, back and neck to increase circulation on an entire area. They might also pour a few drops of essential oils onto the hot shells that have been placed on the body to bring in the added benefits of aromatherapy.

The Benefits to this treatment:

This massage can have therapeutic effect on the muscles. The shells can be used to penetrate deeper and if they are warmed up, they can relax tight, achy muscles and offer pain relief. Using the shells hot will also increase blood circulation which will have a ripple effect on the lymphatic system ridding the body of toxins like lactic acid and helping with circulatory problems. This treatment can also be very relaxing, therefore reducing stress, anxiety and even helping with insomnia. Also, the texture of certain shells can offer a slight exfoliation that will take care of dead skin cells.

With all these benefits how could you not enjoy the healing powers of the shells?

Stomach Massage Helps Anxiety

According to French osteopath and dietician Pierre Pallardy Anxiety can be treated through the stomach. He believes that there is a strong connection between the brain and the stomach via the vagus nerve. This nerve is the only one to start in the brain stem and it is responsible for various organs in the body including the stomach. Pierre believes that when our brain can’t deal with all the emotions and stress, our stomach suffers and vice-versa.

I think that most of us can relate to this theory. For example, when we are nervous we get butterflies in our stomachs, or when we feel lonely we tend to eat more, also when we go through a separation we eat less. When our emotions affect our diet we can end up having all kinds of digestion problems like constipation, diarrhea or nausea. When we have anxiety, stress, depression our stomachs can be upset for a long period of time. Massaging the stomach can be a great aid in helping the digestive system there for helping with anxiety.

Massaging the Stomach through Breathing:

This is a good way to start treating your stomach because it encourages relaxation. A person who has anxiety or stress tends to take short quick breaths of air. In today rushed world we don’t even take the time to breath. Taking deep full breaths is a very important in aiding digestion. When we inhale deep, it allows our diaphragm to go lower and go massing our intestines in order to activate digestion.
To do this, find a quiet area where you won’t be bothered and lay flat on your back so that you are comfortable. Place your hands on your stomach in order to feel the movement of each breath. Close your eyes so that you are concentrating only on this. Start taking deep breaths making sure that you are breathing with your stomach. If you are doing it correctly you will feel your hands being elevated. You can do this for about ten minutes trying to make each breath deeper than the first. Try to be conscious of your digestive organs (stomach, liver, gall bladder, pancreas, intestines) as they are activated. You will know that it is working when your stomach starts making all kinds of noise.

Massaging the Stomach with Your Hands:

It’s best to start this after the breathing technique because you are more relaxed and ready to receive the massage. You can follow these simple steps.

• Start by doing a light effleurage over your belly. Take your right hand and make a circle going in a clock wise direction to follow the flow of digestion.
• Next, put both hands on the lower part of your ribs so that you thumbs arrive in the solar plexus. They will arrive on the stomach. With you thumbs, do semi-rotations all along this area pushing down towards your feet. Start from top to bottom and repeat a few times.
• From the previous position, bring your hands out more along the sides of your body with your fingers still on your rib cage and your palms on the side of your ribs. With your hands you will do a rotating movement going towards the center of your body and down to your feet. Repeat 10 times.
• Next, place the tip of your fingers on the left side of your lower abdomen at the inside of the iliac bone. You will now work the last part of the colon. With your finger do half circle pushing towards your feet. Start at the lowest part of the iliac bone and work your way up. Repeat 3 times.
• Now do the same movement across your belly at the height of the naval, but this time the pressure is from right to left.
• The last part of the colon is work on the inside of the iliac bone on the right side. The technique is still the same but this time the pressure moves up and towards the center of the body.

The best time to practice

Wait at least 2 hours after any meal. I suggest making this part of your bed time routine. It is a good way to relax before falling asleep and could help with insomnia.Also this will activate you’re your digestive tract so it works over night and in the morning it will allow you to evacuate all that was dormant in your system. However, these techniques can be done during the day when you have a moment and feel the need.

This article is for information purposes only. People with serious digestive problems such as chrome’s should check with their doctor first. If you are pregnant only a light effleurage should be done. Avoid all hard pressure and check with your doctor first.

Aromatherapy for Anxiety

Massage Therapy to Help for Anxiety- Tips from one professional to another

When I first started as a massage therapist and people would walk into my clinic complaining of anxiety, I simply thought they were really stressed and would give them a simple relaxation massage.

Being disappointed with my treatments, I started to do more research on the subject since I believe to really treat somebody well you really need to understand how they feel. I went on the internet and read a variety of books to get a basic idea but quickly decided to go right to source and ask my clients how they felt and what bothered them.

Today, when somebody says they have anxiety, I follow up with a series of questions. The first being: ” How do you feel your anxiety?” The answers can vary from ” I feel I can’t breathe, like I have a pressure on my chest.”, or ” out of nowhere my heart starts beating weird and it makes me panic.” I also hear about stomach complaints with phrases like ” My stomach feels all twisted and in knots and I seem to have indigestion” and ” my brain feels really foggy and I’m having a hard time staying focused.” All these answers lead me to believe that some very important points to work on should be the stomach, the head as well as taking some time to focus on breathing techniques.

This all made perfect sense to me. Anxiety, being a psychological disorder affects our mind making us unable to think properly and clearly( foggy head and unable to concentrate). Also, we all know that psychological disturbance can affect our stomach. For example, being nervous to put on a presentation can give us butterflies ( cramps ) in our stomachs, and when we live a stress out heart beat elevates and our breaths get shorter.

From this point on my simple relaxation massage became much more complex and the feedback from my clients has been extremely good.

How I do it:

Breathing:

At the very beginning of the treatment, I take a few minutes to get my clients to be conscious of their breathing and to take deeper and fuller breaths. After a few respirations I put a pressure on their on their upper chest, just enough to get them to work their breathing muscles and ask them to continue with their breathing. After, I move on to put a pressure on the sides of the rib cage using the same technique. When I stop applying the pressure, they are able to take bigger breaths with a lot less effort and their heart rate is slower. Taking the time to do this allows me to start the massage with a calmer and more receptive client.

The Head:

To relax the head I was inspired by Indian head massage techniques. This specialty offers a wide variety of manoeuvres that focus on the head, scalp, face, neck and shoulders and with a little touch of lavender it works wonders.To finish off this area, I like to go work the points at the base of the skull which are important pressure points in Asian techniques to help with anxiety and stress.

The stomach:

I massage the stomach as usual with the help of essential oils. I use peppermint for the intestines and rosemary for the liver to encourage digestion. I also like to use ylang ylang on the lower part of the stomach to stimulate the hormones which can put us in a better mood and relieve the anxiety. And last but not least, I take a bit of time to work the solar plexus with some lavender. This is where most people feel “knoted” and they enjoy the relief that it offers.

Taking the time to focus on these few points has made a tremendous difference on my clients. They feel like they got a relaxation massage with the added benefits of working targeted areas that really bothered them. I hope this article has been informative for other massage therapists and if your experience has thought you any tricks I would love to hear them. You can do so by leaving me a comment below.

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Massage Therapy for Fibromyalgia