bodyworks

Mainstream health organizations supply sound advice on how to “avoid” the flu and “prevent” its spread. Aided by modern hygiene and universal precautions these avoidance measures go a long way to obstructing the spread of disease. That being said, primary health providers supply us with almost no advice on how to maintain our natural defenses so that we never become susceptible to the virus in the first place.

Human beings are bathed in disease 24/7 yet we are not sick 24/7. This is because we have an amazing array of defenses, beginning with our skin all the way down to the intracellular level that fight disease. In fact, we don’t “catch” the cold we become “vulnerable” to it. This is self-evident in any situation, i.e a classroom, where some of the students get sick and others do not. In all likelihood, each student has been exposed to the virus, it just that some students were vulnerable and others were not.

Proactive prevention is less about bathing in hand sanitizer every half hour, but about pursuing complimentary care techniques that optimize our already awesome mechanisms for resisting disease. There are many avenues for achieving this and we shall cover a few of the most important ones.

First and foremost is the minimization and management of stress. All humans experience stress but few know that the mostly cognitive experience is also intensely biochemical.  Internally, long-term stress causes the adrenal glands to produce a hormone known as cortisol. Cortisol’s primary job is to suppress the function of our immune and digestive systems in order to reroute power to our muscular and cognitive systems. This suppression results in an increased vulnerability to disease and more frequent illness.

Therefore, it is essential for all people to learn to manage their stress. Simple steps like making sure one gets eight hours of sleep and adequate hydration are a good start. More involved steps include adopting a skill like meditation or providing an outlet for stress in the form of exercise, yoga or Pilates.

Massage and bodywork are outstanding methods of managing stress. When one receives bodywork, the nervous system naturally responds to the therapeutic touch of the practioner by switching to the para-sypmathetic nervous system. Also known as the rest and relaxation response, it is the opposite of the stress response people experience everyday. In one session, days or weeks of accumulated stress can be purged. Therefore, regular bodywork not only relieves aches and pains, but nourishes the immune system and makes individuals less vulnerable to diseases like the flu.

In addition to managing stress, we can take other proactive methods to strengthen our body’s defenses. After our skin, our respiratory system interacts with the outside environment the most. While supplying the air we need to breathe, it also continually destroys unwanted bacteria, viruses and toxins that we inhale. If we further consider that the flu is an infection of the respiratory system it is of utmost importance that we nourish it.

Among the various alternative methods to do this, essential oils stand out. Extracts such as tea tree, eucalyptus, thyme and lavender have been both time and clinically tested to destroy bacteria and viruses. Furthermore, some have calming effects like soothing cough and removing excess mucus. In our dry winter climate, the best way to deliver these oils is through steam. By simply boiling water, placing it in a bowl, dropping one drop each of the desired oil, and breathing in the vapor with a towel over the head, one not only receives the therapeutic benefits of the oils, but also a flushing and moisturizing of the entire respiratory system.  We’ve been well trained to wash our hands, think of this as washing our sinuses and lungs.

We discussed the lungs first because they are most directly affected by the flu, but skin health is nearly as important. The key to skin health is to keep it moisturized. In the depths of winter dryness our skin becomes brittle and can crack, which is not only painful but increases our vulnerability to disease. Washing our hands frequently does little if the skin on them is already compromised. The maintenance of moist skin requires keeping its natural oils and applying supplemental moisturizers. Therefore, the first step is to minimize the use of soap. Soap is specifically formulated to strip our skin of its oils to make us feel “clean.” That feeling is really the feeling of being robbed of our skins shield. Use soap sparingly.

The best time to apply moisturizer to the skin is immediately after a shower. Our pores are open and warm and receptive to the oil supplement found in creams and lotions. If you have time, taking a hot bath with 2 or 3 tablespoons of baby, olive, grape-seed or jojoba oil is the absolute best way of replenishing our skins shield. If one feels oily afterwards, towel the excess off, do not use soap, it will undo all the benefits just gained. In addition to showing up ones defenses, one will find that their skin feels great and may even experience improvements in appearance.

Practiced with regularity, stress reduction, essential oil steams and skin care can do a great deal to prevent the flu and illness in general. Proactive prevention is a personal choice that says one no longer wants to be a victim of disease but a creator of their own health. By taking concrete steps towards maintaining our health we can increase the quality and enjoyment of our lives. Less time spent being sick is more time spent enjoying the world.

Several years ago Capital News channel 9 did a story on me. The link is here.
http://capitalnews9.com/saratoga-county-news-28-content/61739/a-tune-up-for-the-body

There has been a trend in the region in the growing manual massage and bodywork therapy field. Driven by two massage schools in the area, Center for Natural Wellness and The Mildred Elley School of massage, the region has become a new hotbed for manual therapy.

This trend is an answer to the classic spa environment that has existed as the only acceptable place to get a massage. In a spa environment a premium is charged for pampering and packaging. In a bodywork environment the premium is placed on skill of the therapist and effectiveness of the work.

While massage has classically been seen as relaxing and a plausible way to spend and hour, a bodywork session offers more by improving the function of the body. A practitioner may choose from a wide variety of modalities to achieve this goal.

In my 14 years as a bodyworker in the region, I can say that I am delighted by the trend. Being a practitioner of Structural Integration I’ve wanted to open horizons as far as what manual soft tissue manipulation can do. Using Structural Integration as a model, Bodywork Professionals has been a leader of bodywork based businesses.

Bodywork sessions can be more physically challenging and our therapists have set a maximum number of sessions per day. This cuts down on therapist fatigue and ensures each session gets all of that therapist’s skills.

I looked for therapists to work here who saw bodywork the same way I did. In a bodywork session the therapist has to be an excellent listener and empathetic to the client’s needs. This creates a thinking therapist and someone who is working with you rather than just working on you.

We do classic relaxation massage work here, but we empower our clients to ask for the kind of work they’d like. To that end, our goal is to make the most effective work available to the client.

We’ve had several requests from parents looking to have their children worked on for a variety of reasons. Some things to keep in mind:

1. Mom or dad have to be present in the treatment room at all times when working with minors.

2. The session is about the child and their body. We ask mom and dad to talk to your therapist before or after about issues un-related to the child or their body.

3. Depending on the age and size, the therapist might abbreviate a session when goals have been met. Children can not tolerate quite as much input as adults, and knowing when to quit can yield good results.

4. Phone consultations are highly suggested prior to the session. We’ll take the time to talk and find out if this work would be right for your child.

We practice universal precautions when performing our work. Open wounds are always covered by the therapist and an open or irritated part of the skin is not touched. We use a linen service to clean and sterilize all of our sheets, and are fastidious about changing them and keeping clean. As Far as we know the H1N1 virus is pretty bad but not the end of the world. Some people have died, but most healthy adults will recover after a period of illness. We are hearing bout it on the news and internet and that’s a good thing. Technology and communications allow us to track and know more about whats going on but it can also be scary. We are bombarded with frightening images, and stories about doomsday, but this too shall pass.

That being said we are stepping up our efforts to keep the office as sterile as possible. As always, if you are feling sick or flulike symptoms consult your physician and know that it’s ok to cancel, even if it’s less than 24 hours with no problem.

First time clients often ask what to wear or not wear during a session. There are different requirements for modalities and I’ll try to spell them out here.

Structural Integration: This work is based on structure and function and the client will be asked to stand and move in what they will wear during the session. Female clients sometimes wear a two piece bathing suit, or shorts for men, workout clothes or their underwear. Some clothes are required for this work as the sheets are used for temperature control rather than draping. Structural Integration sessions are more participatory than Swedish massage and the client will be asked to move into different positions throughout the session. Standing and seated work are common.

Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue Bodywork: This work is done under a sheet and the therapist uses draping techniques to keep private areas covered. Some clients disrobe completely, some keep their undergarments on, and a few keep all their clothes on. The decision on what to wear is based on the clients level of comfort. All of our therapists are licensed and skilled in draping procedures.

Cranial-Sacral Therapy: Shoes, socks and belts are removed and the client is worked on top of the table in their remaing comfortable clothes.

Thai Yoga Massage: This work is done on a special mat on the floor. Clients are asked to wear comfortable clothing that they can move and stretch in as they will assume many postures during these sessions.

This is the blog of Bodywork Professionals and Nick Pavoldi. We’ll post articles and things we are working on, as well as photos and coupons.