Roots

Women's Healing Through Therapeutic Touch

Archives for June 2017

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Take Your Breast Health into Your Own Hands!

 

In this culture, there is much ado about women’s breasts.  However, all of the hullabaloo around seeing them as “sex parts” has had the unfortunate effect of creating an unnecessary taboo around this vital part of a woman’s anatomy.  Many women feel uncomfortable talking about, much less touching, their own breasts.  Most of the women I know over the age of thirty place value judgements on their breasts based on size, shape, symmetry, nipple size or firmness. We mistreat our breasts by confining them to bras which ultimately weaken their supportive tissues.  Or, we decide to “free the tatas” and stop wearing bras overnight as opposed to a gentle progressive weaning, leaving our poor breasts to dangle without the crutches we have accustomed them to. The younger generations seemed to have fared better in terms of body image and bra-reliance, but not necessarily in awareness of breast health.  Discussions of breast health with our doctors are normally limited to the yearly gynecological exam during which we are advised to perform self-examinations for cancer.  These self-checks are crucial to detect disease, but talk about infusing touch with fear!  What about nurturing and maintaining on-going breast wellness?  Incorporating a short self-massage into your nightly bedtime ritual is a wonderful way to get your breast health practice in.

The breasts are lymphatic hubs, and as such, greatly benefit from self-massage.  The lymphatic system is arguably one of the most important systems in the human body, helping us rid the body of toxins and the waste products of cellular processes.  There are lymph nodes along the outer edges of the sternum, or breastbone, and along the underside and outer part of the breasts up to a large cluster of axillary nodes located in the armpit area.  Lymphatic vessels are present throughout the breast tissue.  Massaging these areas for lymphatic drainage and increased circulation can be extremely beneficial to the body, especially after a day spent restricting the vessels with a bra.

A gentle massage with your favorite oil can also be a nice way to feel grounded and connected to your body. My night-time ritual consists of putting a few drops of oil in my hands and then I massage the back of my neck up to my occiput, my heart center, each breast from sternum to axilla, and finally I give myself a short abdominal massage.  You can further stimulate the senses by warming the oil (put the bottle in a cup of hot water), placing a hot towel over the breasts prior to your massage or by using an herb-infused oil.

The first step should always be this:

PRIOR TO ADDING OIL, reach across your body and place your hand on the side of your body just under your armpit, so your forefinger is right up against your armpit crease.  Gently pump your hand so the palm side of your fingers presses into your body and releases – do this about 10 times.

 

 

A simple breast massage, two versions:

#1:Add the oil and gently stroke, with only the lightest pressure, from the bottom of the breastbone, following under the breast and around until you reach just under the armpit area.  Next perform a similar stroke, this time from the middle of the breastbone, following the breast tissue under the nipple to just under the armpit area.  You can continue in this fashion until you cover the entire breast and the area just under the collarbone, always moving from the middle of the chest in the direction of the armpit.  (This is the one I learned, so I use this one – but there is not only one “right way”)

#2: Add the oil and gently stroke from the nipple, outward.  The strokes on the outer part of the breast would follow from the nipple out to just under the armpit, and the strokes on the inner part would follow from the nipple to the middle of the breastbone.

Either way you are following the lymphatic pathways, aiming for the lymph nodes.  If this doesn’t feel good to you, then access your inner knowing to come up with a flow that feels the most comfortable to your body.  Your intuition is often your best guide when it comes to healing.  You will increase your lymph flow and blood circulation to a certain extent, regardless of what you do.  If every night feels like too much, try for once a week or at the very least once a month.  Notice whether your body prefers a certain point in the lunar cycle (like the full moon) or in your menstrual cycle.  The point is to connect with your body.

 

Many of us could benefit from a little loving kindness toward our breasts.  Taking our healing (literally) into our hands can be very empowering. Breast self-massage can be a powerful part of this healing if incorporated into our daily wellness practice.

 

RESOURCES:

http://www.susunweed.com/herbal_ezine/March09/breasthealth.htm

 

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Everything I Need To Know I Learned From My Plants

 

I am always talking about how simple things can be the most impactful, and yet I can be guilty of not following my own advice.  A couple of weeks ago I had an incredibly busy week, and I neglected not only my own biological needs … like sleep, water and food, but I was so busy that I neglected those of my plants as well.  Those of you who have been to my home know that I am a plant lover, and I have somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 houseplants.  Well, after that irresponsible week … a few of my little friends were looking incredibly sad.  Since then I have devoted myself once more to really caring for these wonderful beings that provide me with such consistent joy.  It occurred to me that there is a magical type of inherent wisdom in each of them, if only I were paying closer attention.

Here are some simple things we can learn from our plant friends:

 

Sunlight

We all need sunlight to thrive.  Some of us are sunbathers who like being out on the river tubing all summer, and others of us prefer the filtered variety, sun rays finding their way through the trees and onto our skin as we are out for an early morning run.  Either way, just like plants need sunshine for photosynthesis, our bodies need it to synthesize vitamin D for our immune systems, to help build stronger bones, and to make feel good neurotransmitters like dopamine. Sunlight also structures the water surrounding our cells and is largely responsible for maintaining our cellular batteries, the mitochondria. Vitamin D deficiency contributes to a higher risk of cancer, and recent studies show that three out of four Americans are deficient in vitamin D.  So, like plants, we all need a little smart sunscreen-free sun exposure every day.

 

Fresh air

When my plants need a perk up, I put them on the outside patio for a day or two to get some fresh air.  The fresh air always brightens them up.  I get the same effects by getting outside and taking a walk in the greenbelt, or even just sitting out on the patio reading.  The fresh air produced by photosynthesis is great for our lungs!  If I need to be inside, I normally keep my windows open, with the ceiling fans on to simulate a soft breeze.

 

Water

Plants and humans need water.  But … what my plants have taught me is that not all water is the same.  During a recent construction project on my building, all of my outdoor plants had an extended pajama party at my boyfriend’s house with his plants.  There they drank collected rainwater instead of the filtered tap water they get at my place.  Upon their return, they expressed grave disappointment at having to drink the chloramine-infused water at Mama’s.  Humans are no different.  Structured water, for example, provides more bio-available hydration to our cells than water that has been mechanically filtered or treated.   These processes change the molecular structure of the water so that it is no longer the most beneficial to our cellular matrix.  In the absence of structured water, alkaline water is more healthful to humans than standard tap water as the optimal PH level for best functioning is slightly alkaline.

Food

Like me, my plants like food.  Like me, the best recipe is being mindful of moderation and seasonality.  My natural tendency is to go overboard with fertilizer or compost tea, much like I personally do with chocolate and macadamia nuts. Overdosing on our favorite foods, while ephemerally satisfying, is not in our best interests.  The dose makes the poison. Optimally, my plants and I enjoy our food pleasures in moderation, paying special attention to seasonal cycles and nutrient density.

 

Music

In this family, we like a few hours per day of medium-volume music.

There are a few theories as to why and how plants respond to music, whether it’s due to the sound frequency activating growth genes or resonance at the molecular level. I won’t pretend to fully understand this, but I know my plants love their Sonic Bloom “Whistling Songs to Grow By”. They grow better when I play it for them in the morning, just for an hour or two. Studies have shown that plants grow best with this music but not necessarily if it’s played continuously.  They need silence and quiet time just like we do.  I follow a similar program:  I listen to playful music at the gym and mystical music while I massage.  The rest of the time, I enjoy quiet time, which gives my nervous system time to relax.

Patience

Perhaps the most wonderful thing plants can teach us is the need for patience.  My indoor plants generally grow continuously, but the progress is slow and it can’t be rushed with more water or fertilizer.  Cultivating the sense of calm necessary to simply allow them to grow, at their own pace, has proven to be a wonderful antidote to today’s instant-gratification culture.  I am reminded of this continually in my running and weight lifting:  real progress is slow and requires patience.  As far as the outside plant crew, their growth cycle is not linear, but dependent on the season.  They may flower beautifully for just a day or two and not again until the following year.  They die back as it gets colder, and sometimes require a drastic (and scary) pruning just before or after the cold season.  They flourish again when the conditions are right, but in the meanwhile there is not much to do but wait.  Sometimes, like humans, plants get an infection and require nursing back to health.  Most of the time, my plants want a gentle nurse, willing to wash every leaf with organic soap and water, sometimes multiple times, rather than simply treating with an aggressive chemical.  The real healing is not an overnight process.

Those of us lucky enough to be able to share our lives with plants have respect and awe for these magnificent beings.  They have much to tell us, if we are only listening.

 

 

RESOURCES:

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/you-need-sun-10-healthy-tips-to-get-it.html

https://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about-vitamin-d/what-is-vitamin-d

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/08/tk-ways-fresh-air-impacts_0_n_5648164.html

https://draxe.com/structured-water/

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/29/dr-pollack-on-structured-water.aspx

https://owlcation.com/stem/The-Effect-of-Music-on-Plant-Growth-and-Pests

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The Healing Crisis

Have you ever started a new health regimen or supplement program, and instead of immediately feeling vibrant and alive like you imagined you would, you start off feeling not-so-great?  You might get a mild headache, feel nauseous or perhaps even feel like you are coming down with the flu.  Alternative medicine therapists commonly refer to this as a healing crisis.  It is temporary and normal. It doesn’t happen to every single one of us and it shouldn’t necessarily be expected, but it’s important for us to understand the concept so that we don’t think the therapy has made us sick or that it’s not working.  On the contrary, often the symptoms experienced during the healing crisis can be a signal that the therapy is indeed working, and the body is undergoing a mild “detoxification” period.

A healing crisis is very prevalent with Manual Lymphatic Drainage.  I experience it myself almost every time I receive it:  I feel mildly nauseous and I get a headache.  My symptoms lasted for about 20 minutes the first time I had MLD, but now that my lymphatic system has been awakened by the therapy, they last for only a few minutes if I get them at all.  Since one of the main functions of the lymphatic system is to remove toxins from the body, it would make sense that the body would have some transient reactions to the toxin upheaval created by the therapy.  After all, we live in a polluted world.  The lymphatic system is generally very efficient at removing the toxins we ingest from the body, but with the sheer number of pollutants we are exposed to these days it is not unfathomable that some may accumulate in the body.  Through lymphatic drainage and other types of massage, toxins can be dislodged and flushed into the bloodstream and lymphatic channels to be eliminated. As they circulate through our systems, it is normal for us to feel a little worse before feeling better.

These mild and temporary symptoms are not to be confused with a Herxheimer reaction.  The Herxheimer reaction was originally coined as the body’s reaction to antibiotics in the form of “die-off symptoms”.  A very simplified version of the theory says that as antibiotics kill off germs, the cellular debris and released endotoxins are dumped into the bloodstream faster than the body can eliminate them, causing an adverse reaction.  Over the last hundred years there has been much controversy in the medical community about the nature of, the validity and even the science behind the Herxheimer reaction.  In recent past, this idea has been misappropriated by some aggressive detox protocols and marketed as a positive thing. In reality, a severe detox protocol can actually poison the body.  The liver and kidneys cannot necessarily handle accumulated toxins being released into the bloodstream all at once, which is why it is so important to undergo therapies that engage the body slowly and support the detoxification pathways.  The fevers, violent vomiting and diarrhea that can result from aggressive and unsupported juice cleanse protocols, for example, are not what I am referring to when I use the term “healing crisis”.

My belief is that gentle treatment is always the best.  My own personal supplementation protocols reflect this gentleness, as I always start with the smallest dosage and try never to overwhelm my body but rather gradually support it.  I follow this philosophy in my massage practice as well:  even my deep work is done gently, as I enter and exit the tissues slowly and with respect. I would also never perform a full-body MLD session on a client in the middle of a cleanse, as this would involve stimulating the spleen, liver and kidneys when they are already taxed.  As a practitioner, there is a delicate balance between supporting the body through healing and creating a detrimental Herxheimer reaction.  It is easy to over-treat a client, so it is important to start slowly and communicate well regarding the nature and severity of their physical reaction to the treatment.

In addition to the physical reaction, there might be an accompanying emotional reaction.  Again, this is not to be expected or elicited.  However, it is good to be aware of the possibility to avoid fear or worry.  Sometimes during healing, the therapy will stir up an emotional reaction.  With MLD in particular, my clients will later report experiencing an old sorrow or disappointment that they hadn’t realized they were holding on to, at some point during the therapy.  Certain toxins can affect specific neurotransmitters which can trigger parts of the brain that govern emotions.  In addition, we all have feelings trapped in muscles and lymph, regardless of our belief system. The knee is a common place for suppressed emotions to be stored.  As muscles get massaged and lymph gets circulated, a past emotion might get released.  Normally it passes within a few minutes and clients simply acknowledge it and let it go.  A bigger emotional release, like crying or laughing, can also sometimes happen, and this, too, is normal. As a massage therapist, anything other than compassionately listening should the client choose to discuss it later is outside of my scope of practice.  Normally nothing more is needed, but if a client realizes that there is a buried issue that needs resolving, there are trauma therapists that can be very beneficial.

It is normal to experience a mild physical or emotional reaction to healing work.  Especially if we have neglected our health for many years or have been sick for a long time, a healing crisis is almost inevitable.  Provided the symptoms seem reasonably mild, it is important to ride them out and not to abandon the therapy.  As with everything, however, communication with your practitioner is key.

 

 

RESOURCES:

 

The Complete Guide to Lymph Drainage Massage, Second Edition, Ramona Moody French, 2012.

https://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/what-is-a-healing-crisis/

http://www.naturalnews.com/044788_detox_myths_feeling_sick_healing_crisis.html

https://www.healingnaturallybybee.com/retracing-healing-reactions-and-flare-ups/

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Arm “Pins and Needles”: Thoracic Outlet Syndrome?

Hand numbness or tingling has become increasingly common.  Last week I explored the most prevalent neurological compression syndrome, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, which can be one cause of these symptoms.  This week I will travel further up the arm to discuss a related pathology with similar symptoms, Thoracic Outlet Syndrome.   There is much controversy in the medical community as to what exactly constitutes this syndrome and how it should be diagnosed and treated, so I will give you the information that most practitioners can agree upon about the neurogenic variation of the disorder.  Another version of this disorder involves vascular compression, but since obstruction of the blood vessels only accounts for approximately 5% of cases, I will focus on the much more common musculoskeletal compression of the nerves.

The Anatomy

The brachial plexus is the bundle of nerves that supplies the arm and hand with sensation and motor control.  It originates in the lower vertebrae of the neck and first travels through the anterior and middle scalenes, two muscles on the front/side of the neck that flex the head forward and to the side and also elevate the first rib.  It then travels through the space in between the collar bone and the first rib before moving along under the pectoralis minor muscle.  This muscle runs from the third to fifth ribs up to the coracoid process (the pointy forward protrusion of the shoulder blade toward its top outer edge) and is responsible for moving the shoulder blade forward and down, like when hunching.

 

If the scalenes are chronically tight, they can squeeze the brachial plexus between them and/or pull on the first rib so it presses the nerve in between the rib and the collarbone. The same is true for the pectoralis minor:  if it’s chronically tight, it squeezes the nerves, particularly as the arm is raised.  Think about the posture we inhabit most on a daily basis:  hunched over our computers and smartphones, hunched over driving or on bicycles…these postures predispose us to chronically tight anterior musculature. It is easy to see how the nerves in this region can become impinged.  In addition, the shoulder joint is the most mobile joint in the body, so it’s up to the soft tissues to provide stability for this joint through muscle contraction.  There are lots of nerves and tight spaces in this area, so constant muscle contraction can easily set the stage for nerve compression.

Thoracic Outlet is frequently brought on by a repetitive use injury. It predominantly affects those who habitually have their arms in the air, like painters, electricians and plumbers.  Constantly tilting the head to the side, like when playing a musical instrument, can also result in this condition.  Postpartum women experiencing “new mother’s neck” from holding the baby and breastfeeding are likewise susceptible.  It can also be caused by traumatic injuries to the muscles in this area.  For this reason, people who carry heavy loads, particularly overhead, are candidates for this condition (CrossFit, anyone?).  Women are disproportionately affected, partly because the pathways through which the nerves pass are smaller and can more easily become impinged.  Pregnant women often suffer from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, but this is widely believed to be caused by edema due to increased fluid load in the body during pregnancy – the nerves are still compressed, but by fluid.

Prevention

There is no guaranteed way to prevent this condition, but some tips to help avoid it are:

  • Maintain proper alignment by practicing good sitting posture, avoid hunching
  • Avoid repetitive overhead movements if possible
  • Stretch the muscles in your anterior neck and chest, and strengthen the muscles in your back and posterior shoulder region (here are some examples)
  • Avoid carrying heavy bags on your shoulders, which can compress the nerves and blood vessels in this area

 

Diagnostic Testing

A simple test for this condition is the EAST test, or Elevated Arm Stress Test.  To perform this test, sit down with the arms elevated to 90 degrees out to the sides.  Bend the elbows also to 90 degrees so your hands are pointed up to the ceiling.  Now open and close your fists for 3 minutes.  Most people with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome are unable to complete the full 3 minutes without symptoms interfering.  These symptoms include tingling or “pins and needles” sensations, numbness or shooting pains in the arms and hands.  If you have a positive result with this test, you may suffer from this condition and should consult your preferred health practitioner for further testing.

Treatment

If your healthcare provider determines that your Thoracic Outlet is caused by musculoskeletal dysfunction, manual therapies will help!  Massage is excellent for releasing the tight muscles.  Due to the delicate nature of their placement, giving self-massage techniques for this condition would be irresponsible (you could easily compress arteries and veins if you are not precise with your positioning).

However, stretching can greatly decrease symptoms and these are steps you can take on your own at home.  In order to stretch the scalenes, lie down face up.
Take the hand of the side you want to stretch and place it under your hip, to stabilize that arm.  Take your opposite arm and SLOWLY and GENTLY pull your head over to that side, first looking straight up toward the ceiling and then facing slightly away from the pulling arm.

 

An easy stretch for the pectoralis muscles:  raise your hands to your sides at 90 degrees, “goal post” style, as in the EAST test above, but while standing in a doorway.  Place your arms against the sides of the doorway and allow your body to slowly move forward to the point of resistance and hold.  You can also do one side at a time, as shown.

 

A physical therapist can recommend exercises to help with the condition, and the lifestyle changes listed under the “Prevention” section in this post should also be incorporated into treatment.

Almost all cases of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome can be linked to musculoskeletal problems arising from poor posture or repetitive movements.  Being more mindful of our posture, avoiding repetitive movements, stretching and exercising are all good ways to help our bodies avoid conditions such as these.

 

NOTE: if symptoms are severe or chronic and accompanied by pain, they could be a sign of a more serious problem.  This type of peripheral neuropathy could be caused by diabetes, kidney failure, tumors, bacterial or viral infections, neurological pathologies, chronic inflammatory disorders or nutritional deficiencies.  If you think that might be the case, it’s best to partner with your health care practitioner to determine the root cause.

RESOURCES:

http://www.physio-pedia.com/Thoracic_Outlet_Syndrome

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thoracic-outlet-syndrome/manage/ptc-20237978