Massage News Alert - October 2008
If you do not wish to receive email from us, please reply to this email with subject “Unsubscribe”.
Dear Bodyworkers,
Good news everyone:
- We got CPE points recognition for educational DVDs we sell from several associations in Australia: AAMT (5 CPE points), ATMS (5 CPE points), ANTA (1 point per hour of activity), Holistic Health Association International (HHAI, 3 points) and International Aromatherapy and Aromatic Medicine Association (IAAMA, 3 points). Find out more: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/purchase.htm#cpe More associations are coming soon.
- Networking page. If you have a website to promote your work or product we provide a networking page. http://www.terrarosa.com.au/articles/therapists.htm If you want to get listed, send us your webpage or contact details with a couple of sentences describing your work.
- There will be a World Massage Conference which is held virtually (over the internet) 17-22 November Attend the World Massage Conference Virtually Access 50 of the world's top massage experts will speak over six days period, including John Upledger, Tom Myers, Robert Schleip and more. All presentations will be recorded and available online almost immediately after the broadcast. Basic Access gives you audio access to all six days of regularly scheduled broadcasts, presenter notes and replays of all calls.
- We will be producing the second edition of our e-magazine at the end of the year. All contributions are welcome. If you want to share something or anything on bodywork, please send us the manuscript by mid November.
This newsletter is our attempt to bring you what's happening in the latest research and news on massage related issues. We sell massage videos and books so the advert is at the end of this page. Archive of our past news can be found at http://www.massage-research.com/blog/ You can search for and comment on articles. We don't just sell DVDs, we provide you with the latest information. Happy reading and stay healthy… from us at www.terrarosa.com.au
Inside this issue:
Healing properties of human touch
Mechanical forces and deformation of human fasciae in manual therapy
Occurrence of trigger points in patients with possible carpal tunnel syndrome
Emotional Freedom Technique for Weight Loss
Massage Therapy Improves Pain and Mood in Patients with Advanced Cancer
Acupressure Calms Children Before Surgery
Healing properties of Human Touch
A new study from researchers in Utah finds that a warm touch tempers stress and blood pressure, adding to a growing body of research on how emotions affect health. The study of 34 young married couples ages 20 to 39 by researchers at Brigham Young University in Provo and the University of Utah in Salt Lake City found that massage and other supportive and caring touch lower stress hormones and blood pressure, particularly among men, while also enhancing oxytocin, a hormone thought to calm and counter stress. The findings will be published in the Oct. 14 issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.
Brigham Young psychology professor Julianne Holt-Lunstad says the study aimed to learn whether increasing the level of supportive physical contact would improve health-related physical outcomes. Twenty couples, all married at least six months, participated in a four-week intervention that promoted emotional and physical closeness. They were brought into the lab for training and testing, but the bulk of their actions were at home, including a 30-minute massage (neck, shoulder or forehead) three times a week. Participants wore portable blood pressure monitors for 24 hours to supply a number of readings. They also completed questionnaires about how often they hugged, kissed, held hands or were otherwise affectionate. The 14-couple control group had testing but not the intervention.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2008-09-28-touch-healing_N.htm
Mechanical forces and deformation of human fasciae in manual therapy
Several forms of manual fascial therapies—including myofascial release have been developed to improve postural alignment and other expressions of musculoskeletal dynamics. The purpose of these therapies and treatments is to alter the mechanical properties of fascia, such as density, stiffness, and viscosity, so that the fascia can more readily adapt to physical stresses. Some manual therapists report local tissue release after the application of a slow manual force to tight fascial areas. These reports have been explained as a breaking of fascial cross-links, a transition from gel to sol state in the extracellular matrix, and other passive viscoelastic changes of fasciae.
The question of whether the applied force and duration of a given manual technique (eg, myofascial) could be sufficient to induce palpable viscoelastic changes in human fasciae is unresolved, with some authors supporting the likelihood of such an effect and others arguing against it. Researchers Hans Chaudhry, Tom Findley together with Robert Schleip conducted a study was to resolve this question. They developed a three-dimensional mathematical model for establishing the relationship between the mechanical forces and fascial deformations produced in manual therapy.
Robert Ward in "The Handbook of Osteopathic Medicine" describes manual techniques (integrated neuromusculoskeletal release, myofascial release) that are designed to stretch and reflexively release restrictions in soft tissue. These techniques incorporate fascial compression, shear, traction, and twist. However results from the current model indicated that compression and shear alone, within the normal physiologic range, cannot directly deform the dense tissue of fascia lata and plantar fascia, but these forces can impact softer tissue, such as superficial nasal fascia.
Their calculations reveal that the dense tissues of plantar fascia and fascia lata require very large forces—far outside the human physiologic range—to produce even 1% compression and 1% shear. However, softer tissues, such as superficial nasal fascia, deform under strong forces that may be at the upper bounds of physiologic limits. Although some manual therapists anecdotally report palpable tissue release in dense fasciae, such observations are probably not caused by deformations produced by compression or shear. Rather, these palpable effects are more likely the result of reflexive changes in the tissue—or changes in twisting or extension forces in the tissue. The mechanical forces generated by manual therapy may stimulate fascial mechanoreceptors, which may, in turn, trigger tonus changes in connected skeletal muscle fibers. These muscle tonus changes might then be felt by the practitioner.
Reference:
Chaudhry H, Schleip R, Ji Z, Bukiet B, Maney M, Findley T. Three-dimensional mathematical model for deformation of human fasciae in manual therapy. J Am Osteopath Assoc. 2008 Aug;108(8):379-90
Occurrence of trigger points in patients with possible carpal tunnel syndrome
Researchers from Danish Pain Research Center, Denmark investigated the fact that there are some similarity between symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and myofascial pain related to trigger points (TPs) in the infraspinatus muscle.
They examined the occurrence of CTS and of TPs in infraspinatus muscles in a cohort of patients suspected for CTS and referred to the Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Aarhus University Hospital from October 2003 to February 2004. Patients underwent electrodiagnostic studies of the median and ulnar nerves. Additional tests were performed if necessary. Patients were examined for TPs by a blinded examiner immediately after NCS. Note: A nerve conduction study (NCS) is a test commonly used to evaluate the function, especially the ability of electrical conduction, of the motor and sensory nerves of the human body.
From 335 patients (202 females; 133 males, mean age 46), 201 patients (60%) had abnormal nerve conduction study (NCS) indicating CTS. Fifteen patients (4%) had other electrodiagnostic abnormalities. One hundred nineteen patients (36%) had normal NCS.
Forty nine percent of the subjects with normal NCS had TPs in the infraspinatus muscles whereas only 26% of the patients with abnormal NCS indicating CTS had TPs. Likewise, 26% of the patients with other electrodiagnostic abnormalities had TPs.
They concluded that approximately one third of patients referred with a clinical suspicion of CTS had TPs in the infraspinatus muscles. This occurrence was higher in the group with normal NCS than in the group with abnormal NCS indicating CTS. When CTS is suspected clinically, physicians must be aware of TPs in the infraspinatus muscles as a possible cause of the symptoms.
Reference:
Qerama E, Kasch H, Fuglsang-Frederiksen A. Occurrence of myofascial pain in patients with possible carpal tunnel syndrome A single-blinded study. Eur J Pain. 2008 Sep 6. doi:10.1016/j.ejpain.2008.07.009
Emotional Freedom Technique for Weight Loss
As seen on Channel 7 Today Tonight (not that I usually watched it), tapping some acupoints on the head with fingertip was shown to be able to control food craving.
The technique was demonstrated by Peta Stapleton, a doctor of psychology at Queensland’s Griffith University and President of the Eating Disorders Association. “It’s the same principles (with acupuncture) that have been used for a long, long time - it’s just we’ve found a way to stimulate their same pressure points connected through our body without having to use needles or to visit a practitioner,” explains Dr Stapleton. She says it only takes a few treatments.
The technique is not developed by Dr. Peta Stapleton as mentioned in the program, it is known as Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). EFT is an alternative therapy based on a theory that negative emotions are caused by disturbances in the body’s energy field and that tapping on the meridians while thinking of a negative emotion alters the energy field, restoring it to balance. It is also known as acupuncture without needle. Fore more info on EFT see: http://www.emofree.com/
Meanwhile, Dr Peta Stapleton is recruiting 60 volunteers for the trial on the effect of EFT on food craving. See details here http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00668993?term=waitlist&rank=1 If you are in Brisbane, you might want to volunteer in the trial.
Read more http://au.todaytonight.yahoo.com/article/5035228/lifestyle/weight-loss-tap-head
A new study from the National Institutes of Health finds that massage therapy may have immediate benefits on pain and mood among patients with advanced cancer. The study appears in the September 16, 2008 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. Small studies of variable quality have suggested that massage therapy may relieve pain and other symptoms. Researchers from University of Colorado conducted a large study to evaluate the efficacy of massage for decreasing pain and symptom distress and improving quality of life among persons with advanced cancer. The intervention includes Six 30-minute massage or simple-touch sessions over 2 weeks.
In a randomized trial of 380 advanced cancer patients at 15 U.S. hospices, improvement in pain and mood immediately following treatment was greater with massage than with simple touch.
Both groups demonstrated immediate improvement in pain and mood. Massage was superior for both immediate pain and mood . No between-group mean differences occurred over time in sustained pain , quality of life , symptom distress , or analgesic medication use.
"When patients near the end of life, the goals of medical care change from trying to cure disease to making the patient as comfortable as possible," said Jean S. Kutner, MD, MSPH, Associate Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine. "This study is important because it shows massage is a safe and effective way to provide immediate relief to patients with advanced cancer." "Probably a combination of direct effect on muscle cells as well as inflammatory markers and endorphins and other things that make us feel better," said Kutner.
Pain and depressed mood are common problems for patients with advanced cancer. While drug therapies can reduce symptoms, they don't always work and often have troublesome side effects. Researchers think that massage may interrupt the cycle of distress, offering brief physical and psychological benefits. Physically, massage may decrease inflammation and edema, increase blood and lymphatic circulation, and relax muscle spasms. Psychologically, massage may promote relaxation, release endorphins, and create a positive experience that distracts temporarily from pain and depression.
Researchers caution that while massage may offer some immediate relief for patients with advanced cancer, the effects do not last over time, demonstrating the need for more effective strategies to manage pain at the end of life.
http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/abstract/149/6/369
An acupressure treatment applied to children undergoing anesthesia noticeably lowers their anxiety levels and makes the stress of surgery more calming for them and their families, UC Irvine anesthesiologists have learned. According to Dr. Zeev Kain, anesthesiology and perioperative care chair, and his Yale University collaborator Dr. Shu-Ming Wang, this noninvasive, drug-free method is an effective, complementary anxiety-relief therapy for children during surgical preparation. Sedatives currently used before anesthesia can cause nausea and prolong sedation.
“Anxiety in children before surgery is bad because of the emotional toll on the child and parents, and this anxiety can lead to prolonged recovery and the increased use of analgesics for postoperative pain,” said Kain, who led the acupressure study. “What’s great about the use of acupressure is that it costs very little and has no side effects.”
In this study, Kain and his Yale colleagues applied adhesive acupressure beads to 52 children between the ages of 8 and 17 who were to undergo endoscopic stomach surgery. In half the children, a bead was applied to the Extra-1 acupoint (Yin Tang), which is located in the midpoint between the eyebrows. In the other half, the bead was applied to a spot above the left eyebrow that has no reported clinical effects.
Thirty minutes later, the researchers noted decreased anxiety levels in the children who had the beads applied to the Extra-1 acupoint. In turn, anxiety levels increased in the other group. Overall, they found the use of acupressure had no effect on the surgical procedure.
“As anesthesiologists, we need to look at all therapeutic opportunities to make the surgical process less stressful for all patients,” Kain said. “We can’t assume that Western medical approaches are the only viable ones, and we have an obligation to look at integrative treatments like acupressure as a way to improve the surgery experience.”
Surgery is traumatic for most children, and Kain leads research to find integrative methods, such as soothing music, massage, and Chinese acupuncture and acupressure treatments, to make the surgical period more calming for patients and their families. The study results appear in the September issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia.
University of California - Irvine (2008, October 2). Acupressure Calms Children Before Surgery. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 5, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com /releases/2008/10/081001130006.htm
At a spa–carnivorous plant farm in northern Israel, you can get a snake massage for just $80. Spa mistress Ada Barak came up with the idea after visitors who came to scope out her carnivorous plants (which eat schnitzel, among other things) enjoyed the sensation of holding the garden snakes she’d pass around after the tour.
For the snake massage, she basically plops a mass of entwined snakes of various sizes on your stomach and lets them slither all over you. This is supposed to have “calming and curative effects.” Time sent a writer to try out this treatment. “After some experimenting” Barak perfected her treatment with a combination of big snakes which produce a kneading sensation and little snakes “whose passage over the skin is a trembling flutter.”
Anyone to give it a try or can come up with other kind of animal massage?
http://nymag.com/daily/fashion/2008/09/the_latest_spa_craze_snake_mas.html
World Massage Conference
The “World Massage Conference,” the world's first virtual online massage conference will be held from 17-22 November 2008. This ground-breaking virtual massage conference will use the power of the web to bring together over 50 of the world's top massage experts to speak over a six day period. This includes techniques presentations by John Upledger on Craniosacral therapy, Bruno Chikly on Lymphatic Drainage, Bonnie Prudden on Myotherapy, Marion Rosen on the Rosen method.
Thousands of massage therapists, bodyworkers and spa professionals from around the world will be listening to and interacting with these industry leaders through live online audio. Register for just US$59 http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=2599431 Basic Access gives you audio access to all six days of regularly scheduled broadcasts, presenter notes and replays of all calls. To listen to presentations, go through the conference schedule and decide what presentations you would like to attend. At the time of the selected presentation you can Login online and listen to the presentation through streaming audio.
Schedule: Day 1: Business, Day 2: Techniques, Day 3: Technology, Day 4: Research, Day 5: Caring, Day 6: Treatment
Day 6 of the World Massage Conference focuses on treatments. Massage is the original healing art and today’s experts push the boundaries of how massage can be used to help not just with musculoskeletal problems, but a host of other pathologies from fibromyalgia to dyslexia. Follow along as they discuss cutting edge approaches to helping people feel and function at the highest possible level. Presenters include: Ruth Werner, Leon Chaitow, Thomas Myers, James Waslaski, Ron Alexander.
Click on the link below to access more than 50
of the top thinkers in the massage industry:
http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?Clk=2599431
Invented by the Back Pain Specialist Thomas Zudrell MD(AM), DMS following the principles of the Dorn Method, and aspects from Osteopathy and Physical Therapy. The patented Design follows the natural shape of the human sacrum and lumbar vertebrae and when used properly can help to regain improved lumbopelvic alignment, muscle relaxation and improved nerve function. This versatile device is a fantastic therapy aid that all body workers should recommend to their patients. Made in Germany. Check it out: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/tools/spynamics.htm
New DVDs
This newly revised single disc Trail Guide to the Body DVD, is an outstanding resource for students, instructors and practicing massage therapists. Now available at an affordable price! Using the DVD, manual therapists can refine their palpation skills, resulting in improved accuracy of technique application and better treatment outcomes. This 2-hour DVD shows specific palpation techniques to locate, identify and palpate 54 essential muscles following the Trail Guide to the Body book.
Jim Pascucci, an Advanced Rolfer, teaches you myofascial release techniques with applications and demonstrations for the: Head, Forelimb, Head, Neck, Rear Limb, Scar Tissue, Back, Psoas as well as Joint Range of Motion testing. This DVD is appropriate for therapists who wish to work with dogs as well as dog guardians who want to help their companions be more comfortable in their bodies. This 2 disc set includes an extensive menu options allow you to watch individual segments with ease. Running time is 110 minutes.
The Best Value in the Reiki World Today! A Tool Kit for Reiki Practitioners. The kit includes: 2 DVDs - Workbook - 2 CDs - Reiki Cards. Reiki master William Lee Rand has created the first comprehensive, interactive "tool kit" for the hundreds of thousands of Reiki students to use in their personal or professional practice. Listeners at all levels— from recently attuned beginners to experienced practitioners—will discover an indispensable source of teaching on audio, video, and the printed page in The Reiki Touch.
Innovations in Pilates and Posture & Flexibility
This DVD contains two parts program: Mat work vol I: beginners to intermediate covers spinal stretching and strengthening movements, stretches for the hip flexors. Mat work vol II: intermediate to advanced covers intermediate to advanced spinal stretching and strengthening movements. Instructors Anthony Lett and Mindy Thiesen, take you through the series with commentary by Kit Laughlin.
From the author of Anatomy Trains, Tom Myers shares his secrets on visual analysis based on more than 30 years of studying and working with the human body. He has assembled a fun, unique and highly applicable step-by-step process for developing visual analysis skills that can make an immediate difference in how practitioners approach their clients based on posture. With more than 30 practice clients for standing posture and 12 for gait analysis, plus sections on assessing breathing and sitting, the 3-DVD set lets you test your own growing understanding before getting Tom's "expert" opinion with his experienced eye.
Let ‘er rip with some new techniques and colorful, creative twists on Brazilian bikini waxing. Ashlie Long demonstrates how to provide four different types of bikini wax services, ranging from the traditional to some fresh, up-to-date options: Classic Brazilian, Sphinx, Customized Designs (with template and freehand), and Colour.
See also a whole range of new DVDs on Hair Cutting & Styling
Poster
We got a range of posters.. Muscular Chart, Skeleton, Reflexology and Lymphatic Drainage.. All available at an affordable price. All posters are beautifully crafted and designed. Don't pay $35 for the Mr Muscle poster that is so common you can find anywhere in the schools and clinics .. Our unique posters are available from $11 and $15. Check them out: http://www.terrarosa.com.au/dvd/poster.htm Note: This offer is only for Australian customers
Recommended Books
Equine Structural Integration Manual by Jim Pascucci, presents Equine Myofascial Release (MFR) for the horse owner or therapist with little experience as well as an essential reference for the professional equine body therapy practitioner. This manual presents a logical series of techniques for bringing more structural order to your and your client's horses. This manual is rich in illustrations of Equine Myofascial Release Techniques for the: Head, Forelimb, Shoulders, Rear and mouth.
Zachary Comeaux presents an application of connective tissue of mayofascial release principles called Facilitated Oscillatory Release (FOR). The book reviews the role of oscillatory or vibratory work as an extension of other connective tissue techniques, explains the relevant physiology and the principles of wave propagation in tissue, and then provides illustrated introductory exercises, applications, and case studies. Building on the work of his mentor, Robert Fulford, to get more deeply into the core of patients’ injuries, Dr. Comeaux presents FOR as a lens through which to reinterpret the strategic use of force in manual therapy, including osteopathic manipulation.
Out in the Open, Complete Male Pelvis
This is everything you ever wanted to know about the pelvis but were afraid to ask. Louis Schultz examines the male pelvis under the dual lens of culture and science. North American culture prizes male strength, upper-body bulk, and muscularity, but ignores male genitalia for anything other than sexual function. The author strives to increase knowledge of this body region with a guide to male pelvic anatomy and a discussion of male sexual pleasure and emotions.
The female pelvis and its contents are an underappreciated region of the anatomy. Important not only for sexuality, they are also central to the processes of childbirth and elimination. The Female Pelvis was written for women to use over the course of their lives, with a special emphasis on pregnancy, childbirth, and its aftermath. Its purpose is to help women become more familiar with the pelvis and its related structures, and how to keep them healthy and fit.
A groundbreaking approach to neural mobilization, this one-of-a-kind resource draws on the established Maitland movement diagram to present a completely new system for mobilization of the neural and musculoskeletal systems. The text guides readers through the complex subject of neurodynamics and the basic mechanisms in movement of the nervous system, systematically linking causal mechanisms to diagnosis and treatment of pain and common musculoskeletal problems. This new progressional method is ideal for diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders with neural involvement such as spinal and peripheral (extremity) disorders, the nerve root, dura and peripheral nerve.