bodyworks

By: Karden Rabin

In the realm of massage therapy and bodywork, there are dozens of methods. The sheer number of modalities makes finding the most appropriate type challenging. That being said, for those who have not strayed from traditional Swedish of deep-tissue massage, CranialSacral Therapy is very much worth exploring.

Developed by Dr. William Sutherland and evolved by Dr. John Upledger, CranialSacral Therapy (CST) is a non-invasive light-touch therapy that is highly effective for relieving issues such as migraines, TMJ, lock jaw, head pain, neck pain and low back pain. Its especially good at inducing state of incredible relaxation and eliminating cumulative stress.

Its effectiveness lies in part in the fact that it interacts directly with your body’s nervous and energetic systems via the bones of your cranium, spine and pelvis. In the same way that operating systems runs a computers hardware, your nervous and energetic systems underlie the function of your muscles, tendons and joints. As a result, CST is often able to resolve the root cause of issues rather than their more superficial manifestations. This makes it especially effective in dealing with chronic issues that have persisted despite the application of conventional massage and bodywork therapies.

The CST experience is also highly enjoyable. Most clients report amazement at the relaxation and pain relief that such light and stationary touch can bring. Others find it preferable because its performed fully clothed and without oils. Even those who receive conventional bodywork on a regular basis will rotate a CST session into their routine because they feel that it relaxes and heals them on a deeper level.

Anyone can benefit from CST and we at Bodywork Professional’s highly encourage the work. Individuals that may be especially interested are those who have “tried everything else” to cure an ailment or chronic condition. Since CST interacts with the body in such a unique and deep way, its definitely worth consulting with a CST practitioner to see if it may be able to help. The work is also a great for those who love bodywork and are interesting in adding something new in their repertoire of alternative care.

Here at Bodyworks we have two excellent therapist that practice CranialSacral Therapy; Diane Simpson and Karden Rabin. Both are passionate about the work and love applying its healing power to their clients.

* Massage in Albany, NY

The lucky individuals that have by choice or chance experienced four handed bodywork can testify to its power to heal. The increase in therapeutic effectiveness when two therapists work on one client is exponential. On a material level, two therapists bring more perception, skill and biomechanical applications than a single therapist can. This allows for more complex techniques to be used in addressing a particular physical problem. On an energetic level, the combined warmth, intention and electrical potential of two therapists open a portal to profound shifts in physical, emotional and spiritual well being.

At Bodywork Professionals, we have a talented staff with both unique and complimentary skill sets, that when working in tandem, synergize into extraordinary sessions. This work is highly recommended for anyone, but may be especially suitable for individuals with chronic pain and professionals in the bodywork and movement therapy fields.

Bodyworks will be offering the following Four Handed Sessions.

CranialSacral Therapy (CST) x CST

CST x Structural Integration

Structural Integration x Deep Tissue

Deep Tissue x Deep Tissue

Rates:

40 Minute: $100

60 Minute: $150

* Massage in Albany, NY

Osteoarthritis (arthritis) is pain experienced in and around joints caused by inflammation resulting from a reduction in the cartilage that cushions joints.

Non-medical treatments for arthritis can be divided into three categories; lifestyle, natural medicine, and bodywork.

Lifestyle: Includes rest, self-care, exercise, diet, weight reduction and assistive devices. Rest relieves the wear and tear on the painful joint and gives it an opportunity to heal. Self-care such as treatment with hot and cold packs diminishes inflammation and improves circulation which accelerate healing. Exercise is extremely important. Done with the advice of a professional, doing the appropriate exercises in and around the painful joint strengthens the supporting muscles which takes the strain of the joint itself. Furthermore, exercise encourages weight-loss which is a crucial factor in reducing the overall stress placed on joints in supporting one’s body weight. A proper diet is crucial as well. Not only will healthy eating habits encourage weight loss but avoiding certain foods will decrease the bodies inflammatory response and thus pain. Reducing or avoiding refined sugars, dairy products, table salt and processed foods are key in diminishing overall inflammation. Finally, assistive devices can be used to reduce and/or transfer strain. joint wraps, braces and even canes and walkers for more severe conditions can greatly reduce pain and give relief to a overused joint.

Natural medicine: Before pursuing supplements and natural medicine, one should undertake the lifestyle changes listed above and consult their doctor.The complimentary approach is to supply the body with compounds that reduce inflammation, inhibit pain and build joint tissue. Clinical studies are inconclusive about the effectiveness of many of these alternative remedies. That being said, the principles behind them are sound and considering their minimal side-effects as when compared with NSAIDs and Celebrex, they are, as their name implies, a great compliment to other treatments. Licorice, nettle and ginger have been used for hundreds of years to combat inflammation and can be taken as food, tea, tincture and pill. Some health-food stores sell custom anti-inflammatory supplement blends which you should inquire about. Boswellia is an effective herb for pain relief that has properties similar to NSAIDs with little of their negative side effects . This is best taken internally as a pill. Arnica oil, cream and salve is a highly regarded topical pain reliever. One may also consider the homeopathic cream Topercin which contains Arnica as well. Finally, the supplements glucosomine and chondroitin, often sold in combination, are building blocks of joint tissue and are thought to help slow its deterioration and possible even regenerate it.

Bodywork: Studies my the National Institutes of Health have clinically demonstrated the effectiveness of acupuncture on knee pain caused by arthritis. They also noticed increased knee function as a result making this treatment highly recommended. Massage therapy, with a focus on range of motion exercises and traction can also be of great benefit by increasing mobility and circulation and reducing pain.

In summary: Rest the affected area as much as possible, strengthen it and focus on dietary changes which both reduce weight and inflammation. Support this with natural medicines that reduce inflammation, pain and provide compounds that support joint health. Finally, receive acupuncture or other forms of manual therapy to decrease pain and increase mobility.

* Massage in Albany, NY

Nick had a feature article in Latham Life magazine. Below is the story in its entirety.

LATHAM — Being a good massage therapist to Nick Pavoldi, owner of Bodywork Professionals, means being a good listener. In a peaceful environment, Bodywork Professionals has offered the ancient healing art of massage therapy, bodywork and soft tissue treatment since 2006.

Surrounding himself with like-minded professionals passionate about alleviating pain for people, Pavoldi is a structural-integration practitioner and licensed therapist for 14 years. Each of his fully-licensed therapists specializing in deep tissue massage, Swedish massage and infant massage are matched to meet their clients’ needs and goals. “Structural Integration is appealing to some, but it’s not for everybody,” he said. “Neck and shoulder tension is common and all of our therapists are skilled at dealing with it.”

Structural Integration, also known as Rolfing, developed by Dr. Ida Rolf in the 1960s, focuses on the connective tissue called the fascia to improve the structure, posture and movement in a person’s whole body.

Pavoldi learned how to Rolf at The Guild for Structural Integration while he lived in Hawaii. By using his hands to apply sensitive and precise pressure to specific areas of the body, Pavoldi strives to loosen the fascia so that the body has a sense of space.

“I’ve always felt it was important to take some of the mystery out of what is happening when there is pain,” he said “Our work provides relief, and that opens the door to whatever work they’d like to do next. We don’t see ourselves as gurus’ or anything, just helpers along the path.”

Since bodywork is about assisting someone’s own self-healing mechanisms, Kardin Rabin is there to customize treatment plans and empower clients with effective self-care techniques. A Skidmore College graduate in 2006, Rabin has studied multiple modalities including deep-tissue, trigger-point, positional therapy and cranial-sacral therapy. He can call upon a host of bodywork techniques that are specific to a client’s individual needs.

“The body is an amazing healing mechanism,” Pavoldi said. “A single good session can get you moving in the right direction and your own body takes it from there.”

Pavoldi will make suggestions to his clients’ activities to benefit the body as well as provide certain stretches that could improve posture and mobility. “Like a car with a few miles on it, even healthy bodies start to need some attention,” he said.

When asked to describe the difference between a 20 year old body and the body of a 40 year old, Pavoldi said that a young person should have strong and healthy muscle mass. With maximum number of fibers per muscle, a young person will be flexible and toned. “Unfortunately, as we age these assets start to decline,” he said. “Our muscles begin to shrink in size, also known as atrophy. We begin to lose strength and become less flexible.”

Lack of activity and decrease of proteins and hormone production are some of the common occurrences Pavoldi said in the aging process. To slow the process down, he recommends strength training and regular cardiovascular activity. “Pilates has become very popular in recent years. It is known for strengthening your core,” he said. “Pilates is great for any age group but primarily people in their 40s to 60s as this is the age our muscles start to decline.”

Someone who has suffered an injury, looking for more flexibility, wanting to improve their overall sense of well being, might want to try the deep tissue bodywork. “Deep tissue bodywork helps in lengthening the fascia, muscles and tendons,” he said. “Structural Integration can be effective one session at a time, but the strength is in the process.”

A series of 10 sessions that concentrate on each body part – core and abdomen, back and spine, face, head and neck – is offered; although clients are not obligated to taking all sessions. “The work is not forgotten by the body but it is assimilated,” Pavoldi said. “It takes time, planning and foresight to get the changes you want. The 10 series is a framework of goals that I’ve found to be more effective than just one off session.”

Swedish massage that most people are familiar with will help remove unwanted toxins from aching muscles. When muscles become overexerted from exercise or repetitive activities, toxins will buildup. Lactic acid is what makes the muscles burn, tire and give out. “Massage is wonderful for releasing toxins,” he said. “The most effective stroke for this is petrissage, which is a kneading/squeezing stroke.”

Newtonville: A health conscious comminuty

posted Apr 22, 2010 3:22 PM by Bodywork Professionals

NEWTONVILLE — It’s safe to say that businesses respond to the needs of the population, and while there are a number of fast food chains with high calorie counts in our area, Newtonville is becoming a microcosm for the area’s emerging health conscious community.

Located within a radius of just a few miles, the hamlet in the town of Colonie boasts a number of businesses focused on food and physical health; The Original Two Cousins Fish Market, Shanghai Grill, Fudoshin Karate School of Latham, eStudio Hot Yoga Etc., Taj Mahal Beauty Salon, The Bodywork Professionals and The Pilates Principle are just a few. Although the products and services provided by these businesses vary, there is a common commitment to help health-conscious consumers stay attuned to making choices that will improve their overall health.

Nuhar Jaleel, owner of The Pilates Principle, agrees that businesses in the same wellness realm are experiencing a growth spurt. “There is an increased awareness of issues like childhood obesity,” she said. “As a result, even younger people are expressing interest in things like Pilates, bodywork and eating right.”

Nick Pavoldi, owner of The Bodywork Professionals, agrees. According to Pavoldi, as the Baby-Boomers age, they are seeing the wisdom and power in things like strength, flexibility and ability. “I think people are fed up with being seen as lazy, overweight Americans and we are proof they are doing something about it,” he said.

Taj Jaleel, owner of Taj Mahal Beauty Salon, adds there seems to be a direct correlation between clients who take an interest in physical health and an overall health; with a business that has been in the same location for four decades, she has seen first hand the changes. “It seems that the client base that takes an interest in their exercise and bodywork is also the client that would be interested in reducing their exposure to harsh chemicals in the products they use on a daily basis,” she said.

Besides making choices on how food affects personal health, a growing number of Americans appear to be identifying a connection between food choice and health of the environment and the community at large. “Consumers make food choices based on accessibility and affordability as well as their knowledge, perceptions, beliefs, and attitudes which are often shaped by cultural influences,” wrote Ramona Robinson and Chery Smith in Agriculture and Human Values.

As part of a healthy diet The American Heart Association suggests eating fish twice a week, which replenishes the body with Omega3 fatty acids. Locally this option is made convenient by The Original Two Cousins Fish Market, which offers a wide variety of fresh market fish daily including halibut, sole, salmon, haddock, red snapper, sea bass, tuna, clams, shrimp and lobster.

Jaleel believes that residents are following the trends in exercise and fitness, wanting to learn more about core strength. Core strength refers to the muscles in the abdominals and the back in their ability to support the spine and to keep the body stable and in balance. “Pilates is the ultimate method for achieving that balance of trunk musculature that keeps people moving more efficiently and freely,” she said. Fudoshin Karate School of Latham, Pai’s Tae Kwon Do the ancient art of learning self-defense and eStudio Hot Yoga Etc. are also available for residents to decide which form of activity is best for them.

So what is it about Newtonville that is lends itself to people where they can pursue their interests in health? Pavoldi said Newtonville is a nice neighborhood, where business owners adapt to the changing market. Fortunate to be where everyone is cordial and nice, Pavoldi said an entrepreneur could see this as competition. “We see it as the sum being more than its parts,” he said.

By Karden Rabin

Some of the most common pathologies I see at Bodywork Professionals are jaw tightness, pain and temporal-mandibular joint disorder (TMJD). Some people are aware of their jaw issues and come in specifically to address them. Others aren’t aware of their jaw tension until I make contact with it.  Whether or not there is pain or TMJD associated with the jaw, it is almost invariably tight and in need of therapeutic attention. Most clients have no idea why their jaw is tight. At most, some attribute it to stress. This of course, is true; stress is the fuel that feeds the tension in the jaw musculature. But, a more developed understanding of the mechanisms directing that stress may help practitioners and clients alike find better ways to manage or resolve jaw issues.

The key is to recognize that evolutionarily, the mouth and the act of mastication is one of our most ancient abilities. Long before we had limbs, perhaps even before we had fins, we had mouths and jaws with which to grab onto and chew our food. As we evolved and moved to land, our mouths were our primary way of manipulating the environment. It was only when we developed sophisticated hands and opposable thumbs that the jaw lost its preeminence as our primary environmental manipulator. Therefore, the link between the brain and the jaw became deeply ingrained over tens of millions of years as our main voluntary body mechanism. It follows then, that since the brain is the primary generator of stress, and the body acts like a capacitor, or battery for that stress, that the first somatic circuit that stress would transmit to would be the jaw.

This of course, is just the beginning. Because as the hands evolved to assist the mouth, the mouth was freed up to take on entirely new tasks including elaborate facial expression and speech. Both of these functions elevated the actions of the mouth and the jaw from simple mastication and manipulation to the highly refined brain functions of emotional and mental expression. We all know that emotions can be “read” on the face and this expression comes bundled with a whole new set of brain to jaw circuitry, which can and does, potentiate the transmission of stress between the two.

With speech came the construction of the most elaborate new brain-mouth connections ever. Not only was this wiring capable of making sounds, but those sounds carried great emotional and mental importance. Our words could mean the difference between life and death, love and hate, praise or criticism and so on. As you may imagine, this caused our mouth and jaw to take on even more significance as a nexus for emotional charge.

Taken together, the ancient functions of mastication and manipulation, combined with the more recent functions of expression and speech, and you have a superhighway of psychosomatic circuitry along which the transmission of stress is nearly inevitable. This stress charge will be absorbed by the musculature of the mouth, creating jaw tension which usually leads to pain, grinding, headaches, migraines and TMJD. But as with any pathology, possessing a more complete understanding of the underlying principles behind it, empowers both the therapist and the client to resolve it.

In regards to the jaw, it is of the utmost importance to combine skilled therapeutic touch with education, awareness and emotional expression for long-term effectiveness. The importance of education, such as this article, is that it explains the mechanisms behind the jaw issues rather than having them be of some mysterious or idiopathic origin. You can’t solve what you don’t understand. Once characterized and defined, the client and therapist  can now envision a solution.

Education alone is ineffective without accompanying awareness. Awareness is the monitoring and interpreting of something, in this case, the mouth circuitry, in order to intentionally change a habitual or unconscious pattern. Therefore, it is important that the client pay attention to their jaw throughout the day. This will allow them to gauge the tension in the jaw, recognize stimuli that increase stress and then develop mental and physical strategies for diminishing the brain-stress-jaw axis.

Finally, it is important to consider emotional issues related to the jaw. Usually, these emotions have to do with communication. Does the client talk a lot or a little? Loudly or softly? Is the person bold or cautious? Does he or she talk freely about emotions or is the person reticent. Exploring these issues and empowering the client to express freely can go a long way towards eliminating the more subconscious stressors that contribute to jaw pathologies.

When knowledge, awareness and expression are coupled with the application of therapeutic techniques by a skilled therapist, great strides can be made towards the resolution of jaw pathologies. Considering the ever-rising tide of stress in our society and inadequate outlets for such stress, massage therapists will continue to bear the brunt of helping those whose pain cannot be addressed by other means. As the experts in stress induced problems, investigating and understanding the avenues by which stress transmits itself to any place, or in our case, the jaw, is of vital importance to the success of our field.

Power to the healers.

* Massage in Albany, NY

We could not be more pleased to welcome Diane Simpson to our Family of practitioners. Diane comes to us because of a problem with the physical space she had been renting in Troy. From problems come new opportunity and we are the lucky beneficiaries.

Diane is a cranio-sacral therapist rock star. She has been my go to person for years. I admire her skill and have stolen countless techniques from her.

Her schedule has filled up fast here, and I apologize ahead of time if there is a wait of a month or more, but she is worth it.

The only thing better than getting a massage or bodywork sessions is getting one as a gift. At Bodyworks we see everyday how much massage and bodywork can effect a person. It’s not just about feeling good during the session, but giving thanks to a hard working body. Addressing pain before it grows, and freeing your mind by relaxing your body. A bodywork or massage sessions says that you’ve paid attention to what you are feeling, and done something about it. You have taken action that move you toward health.
The best gifts are the ones that everyone wants but never indulge in. Thats why few gifts are as cherished as that of massage because it allows your friend or family member to enjoy a an hour or more of rejuvenation that they might not otherwise allow themselves .This holiday season, you have the opportunity to make a lasting, caring impression on those you love. Give the gift of massage and show that you want to give more than just a present, but the gift of relaxation and health.

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.