Re: LMT Appointment Write-UP

[Guest guest]

Lana -

I know I gave you a write-up yesterday but I wasn't satisfied with

it. Here is more detail for you to give to Betty, including more

info on my qualifications to even discuss the subject with her.

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

To: Betty

I am the one who recommended that Lana get an appointment with you.

Her doctor recommended both chiropractic (first) and Cranialsacral

Therapy (later, maybe). He also gave her a recommendation for

someone he used to work with who is trained in CST. Lana gave me

the name and I did a quick search on the Upledger site to satisfy my

own curiosity on actual qualifications. Without mentioning names,

the individual had level 1 CST – but nothing else through Upledger

and no profile. As I am sure you know, there are at least a dozen

practitioners in Omaha who have had level 2 or higher, some much

higher (yourself included).

I told Lana that you would be my absolute number one recommendation,

and not because of your CST training. It was because of your other

background in Process Acupressure and Zero Balancing.

Lana asked me to put something together to give you regarding my

thoughts and experiences involving bodywork and EDS.

As background, I personally have the hypermobile type of EDS, as do

my daughter and son-in-law. I got into massage and bodywork about

three years ago specifically to learn what I could about it for pain

management for my family. The benefits have so far exceeded my

wildest expectations that I became somewhat obsessed with continuing

education to learn even more. It finally reached the point where I

just retired from my business career a year ago to be able to devote

full time to it.

In addition to the basic 800 plus hour massage school program, I

have piled up another 500 hours in continuing ed classes. My focus

has been primarily on the energetic modalities. Specifically, my

current level of training includes the following:

Modality Hours

Polarity Therapy 120

Jin Shin Do Acupressure 100

Zen Shiatsu 50

Lymphatic Drainage Therapy-Upledger 48

Cranialsacral Therapy-Upledger 48

Myofascial Release 16

Myofascial Release- 20

Reiki 16

Touch for Health 14

Chi Nei Tsang 7

Thai Massage 7

Therapeutic Touch 7

The Science of Energy Medicine 4

457

The missing 50 hours are for miscellaneous, feel good, " spa " type

courses that my wife " suggested " I take.

As I have told many people in the past, the above does not make me

an expert in any of the modalities. I personally know " experts " in

all of them who can beat me hands down in of them. What it does do,

however, is at least give me a fundamental working knowledge of the

various modalities. More importantly, it has allowed me to see the

similarities among them and to integrate or blend my approach at

times in treating my family and others with EDS.

What I have come to realize, or certainly at least suspect, in the

last couple of years is that there is a profound relationship

between the energetic modalities and EDS. By basic definition, EDS

is a genetic connective tissue disorder caused by defective collagen

in the connective tissue. And fascia, by definition, constitutes

the body's connective tissue. On the premise that the meridians

(and other energy channels) are embedded in the fascia, the fascia

then becomes a key element of the body's energetic information

system.

Given your specific training, I know that the concept of physical

dysfunction manifesting first in the energetic body will not seem

strange. I have begun developing a theory recently that many of the

autoimmune, chronic, can't be fixed by standard western approaches

problems, are in reality related to or caused by energetic

dysfunctions. This is one of the reasons why I have been working

with the same support group as Lana to introduce people to and get

them to try some of the energy work.

I said earlier that results have exceeded my wildest expectations.

That statement applied to just the standard, Swedish based,

bodywork, including MFR. The results I have seen using things like

Polarity and Acupressure have simply floored me. I get results

using them (as I am sure you do also), that simply are not possible

with more conventional approaches.

As for specifics for working with someone with EDS, my main concern

has always been for using extreme care when doing any Range of

Motion testing. Because of the hypermobility, you frequently will

not get a normal end-feel. This can cause the limb or joint to

inadvertently be put into a stretch to the point where a subluxation

or dislocation occurs right then and there. My daughter has had it

happen to her. If it doesn't happen during the testing, there can

be enough added stress that it happens spontaneously later. And

spontaneous dislocations are a real problem for those with more

severe cases of EDS.

My second main concern is for those with fragile skin or high

susceptibility to bruising. Aggressive deep tissue work can be a

problem for them, especially aggressive soft tissue mobilization

such as in old time Rolfing. One of the things I particularly like

about energetic work is the ability of things like a full body

acupressure release to simultaneously release fascial restrictions.

I have found in several cases now that doing a Jin Shin Do release

first will, if not totally remove the restriction, at least reduce

it to the point where standard MFR can be done much more gently.

Other things that I have found to be particularly effective are

variations on Upledger's V spread. Polarity essentially does the

same thing except they call it the X technique. But whatever it is

called, it works really well on painful joints. It also works

extremely well for non-invasive spinal adjustments and for putting

ribs back in place when they go out. Rib problems, by the way, are

another common complaint with EDS.

If I can be of any consulting assistance on this for Lana, feel free

at any time to contact me.

Mike Uggen, LMP

Seattle, Washington

home phone

mike@... personal email

[Guest guest]

> Lana -

>

> I know I gave you a write-up yesterday but I wasn't satisfied with

> it. Here is more detail for you to give to Betty, including more

> info on my qualifications to even discuss the subject with her.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU, MIKE! This is WONDERFUL! She did

call me today, and asked that I just bring it with me. She said what

she does, usually, is just to pray and ask God for guidance and

then " sense " what's wrong in the body. I will certainly take this

with me! I appreciate it so much!

Love Lana