Re: MIKE --- Buffalo Conference - Debbi/ Bodywork Basics

[Guest guest]

> Oh gosh Mike!

> I hope you knew that I was (sort of) just joshing you.

> I know how busy you will be.

>

> For me... I would love to learn those techniques that you have

been *talking* about specific to my body and symptoms.

>

> YOU should enjoy the conference too after all!

>

> Debbi

----------------

Several points to make here (I was going to do a separate post on

some of this anyway so this is as good a time as any).

To begin with, I hope I AM busy because that is why I plan on

attending.

My ENJOYMENT of the conference will come from, hopefully, being able

to give a few people some tools they can take home with them to

improve their quality of life, to help reduce some of their constant

pain on their own without having to take so many medications, to be

able to self-treat their minor subluxations or rib problems, to

answer questions on various alternative modalities, to prove to some

of the fence-sitters with hands-on demonstrations that what I post

is real and not some form of delusional BS on my part. And so on.

And in doing all of the above if someone ends up getting a treatment

or mini-treatment that in some way helps them, so much the better.

Oh – and let's not forget that the more that people can do on their

own to help themselves, the better off their budgets are because

they might be able to take fewer meds or fewer trips to the ER or

fewer trips to their Chiro/Osteo/PT to get something " fixed " when it

goes all wonky on them.

Regardless of the type of EDS or the presenting symptoms, there

seems to be one over-riding constant, and that constant is PAIN. It

might be joint specific. It might be systemic. But whatever it is,

something (and sometimes a lot of somethings) just plain hurts.

Cutting through everything else, the one thing I do know beyond any

possibility of doubt in my mind after the last couple of years of

working with this " stuff " is that acupressure and polarity therapy

both do outstanding jobs of pain management. In one sense, they are

suppression therapy just like taking prescription narcotics – they

act to block the pain sensations. But unlike the narcotics, they

also seem to be able to effect long-term change, which the narcotics

can't. Case in point – remember what I have said about my own

headache history. I simply don't get headaches anymore. Remember

what Mark posted in the last couple of days. He isn't there yet,

but he HAS had enormous improvement since he started doing self-

acupressure. If you can get it down from every day or every other

day to every week or so, and without having to take drugs to do it,

that is an enormous improvement in quality of life. At least it is

by any definition I would use.

Another common complaint is vertebral subluxation, along with ribs

going out. There are several ways to treat these, depending on who

you see. The standard medical approach is pain killers, muscle

relaxants and rest. More drugs. For more severe cases, you can go

into the hospital for traction, or for really bad cases, spinal

fusion. You want an alternative? OK – go see a Chiro or Osteo for

a thrust adjustment. Ignoring possible individual mental hang-ups

about seeing Chiropractors in general, there is most definitely an

added risk for those of us with EDS, particularly us older folks

with more brittle bones. And let's face it – thrust adjustments can

hurt. I personally think being able to do a minor spinal adjustment

or put a rib back in place with nothing more than light finger

pressure and focused intention is a skill worth knowing. But then

again, we all know that I'm weird and others might not feel the same

(said tongue in cheek).

On a broader focus, let's be realistic be something else. The

majority of the list had never even heard about some, if not most,

of the modalities I write about, let alone having any experience

with them. And for those with at least a name familiarity with some

of it, there isn't a lot of knowledge out there about what they

really are, what they do, and how they are done. And that lack of

knowledge acts as a real barrier for people to try some of it. They

don't know what to expect and in many cases have misconceptions.

Maybe I can help dispel some of those misconceptions. Take

lymphatic drainage as an example. If you don't what it actually is,

it is easy to visualize somebody physically sucking your lymph out

with a Turkey baster instead of using extremely light, gentle hand

pressure to stimulate the body's own lymphatic pumping action to

move the lymph through the system to reduce swelling and help flush

out waste products and toxins.

And while I am doing this post, I might as well address the biggest

mental hang-up for those not experienced in receiving massage or

bodywork and that is … modesty. In short, " do I have to take my

clothes off? " The short answer to that is, " it all depends. " The

general perception of those with no experience in it is of someone,

naked on a table with a towel or sheet discretely draped over parts

that should be discretely draped, getting an oil rub-down in some

kind of spa setting. Either that, or some muscle bound hunk

pounding the living daylights out of somebody at a gym. The reality

is far different. In terms of standard Swedish, relaxation massage,

yes, taking your clothes off and getting under a sheet is necessary

because you can't do oil or lotion through clothes. But even there,

the undraping is always to the client's comfort level. By that, I

mean it is very common for the client to leave their underwear on.

And there have been times as a practitioner where I have suggested

they do so for added modesty depending on the treatment involved.

The point is that some types of work require skin on skin contact to

properly engage the tissue to get effective treatment. But when this

is the case, modesty is always preserved with proper draping with a

sheet and nothing gets exposed that shouldn't get exposed. Examples

would be standard Swedish relaxation massage, certain types of

myofascial release work, specific work involving lymphatic drainage

at times. But for the energetic modalities – whole different

picture. Jin Shin Do acupressure is ALWAYS done fully clothed.

Polarity Therapy, with very few exceptions for specific release

work, is also always done fully clothed. In other words – don't

worry about your modesty. It is a non-issue.

When Barb gets back from vacation, I am going to have her help put a

poll together so I can get some kind of idea ahead of time as to

what people are interested in. Any particular modalities? Just

information? Hands-on demos? Treatments? How many are interested

in question and answer sessions? This will not only help me figure

how time issues in advance, it will also tell me what I might need

to bring with me besides the table. Depending on the interest

levels in some areas, I will want to bring some of my text and

reference books along.