Sniff Your Way to Better Health?

Aromatherapy and Massage (from Fall 2007 YBIH Newsletter)

Have you ever smelled the delightful aroma of warm apple pie or chocolate chip cookies and instantly felt transported back to being 5 years old, sitting in your mother's kitchen? (For me, the smell of fresh watermelon brings up memories of summer vacation at my grandmother's house in New Jersey!) In its simplest sense, this is aromatherapy. Any scent that evokes an emotional, psychological, or physiological reaction -- whether it's relaxation, increased energy, happiness, recall of specific memories, or what have you -- is a kind of aromatherapy.

Aromatherapy as a therapeutic modality, however, goes beyond this basic premise to include not only the inhalation of scents, but also the application of essential oils to the skin to produce a desired therapeutic effect. Pure essential oil is the distilled essence of a plant and is generally believed to possess properties beneficial to healing. As such, and because essential oils usually need to be diluted in a carrier oil, aromatherapy combines especially well with massage. Essential oils are not "fragrances," though they are often used to make fragrances. Essential oils are completely natural and, when used properly and by skilled practitioners, rarely cause any negative side effects.

Essential oils are purported to have properties ranging from anti-bacterial and anti-fungal (tea tree, lavender, frankincense) to stimulating (rosemary, peppermint, ginger) to calming (lavender, bergamot) and many more. Many believe that tea tree and lavender should be in every home medicine kit. Personally, I swear by both these oils to accelerate the healing of cuts and scrapes, and even for the occasional acne blemish -- not that I would EVER know what that's like, of course! ;-)

Some essential oils -- like like tea tree, lavender, orange, lemon, and pine -- can be used in cleaning preparations, room fresheners, and to repel insects (citronella). This may make me sound like a crazy person, but I have even made my own furniture polish from olive oil and a few drops of lemon and pine and can tell you it works wonderfully!

• Rosemary is known to stimulate brain power and help memory, and can also be used to cure scalp irritations, like dandruff.
• Frankincense, myrrh, clary sage, and neroli are often used in meditation to help clear, center, and focus the mind and body.
• Ylang ylang, rose, patchouli, and amber are highly sensual and are common components in fragrances designed to inspire romance.
• Peppermint oil is refreshing and stimulating, great for cooling off in the summer and for relieving sore, tired muscles.

As you can see, there are many reasons to give essential oils a try -- far more than I could ever go into in a short newsletter. Why not add aromatherapy to your next massage session? There is no additional charge to do so, and you may just find that this simple addition takes your experience to a higher level.

Ayurveda -- Ancient Medicine

A Journey to Understanding (from Fall 2007 YBIH Newsletter)

I have always been interested in learning new things -- especially information that I can use to help myself and my clients achieve a higher degree of health, wellness, and personal development.

Along these lines, I have long been fascinated by Ayurveda, an ancient system of healthcare largely practiced in India that takes an entirely holistic approach to healing and illness prevention. Ayurveda takes into account your natural constitutional balance, or dosha, in combination with a subjective and objective assessment of your stress levels, spiritual connection, breathing and physical patterns, social interactions, exercise habits, and diet, and recommends changes or enhancements to these areas based on which doshas are out of balance.

The central concept of Ayurvedic medicine is the theory that health exists when there is a balance between three fundamental bodily humours or doshas, called Vata, Pitta, and Kapha.

• Vata is the air principle necessary to mobilize the function of the nervous system.
• Pitta is the fire principle, which directs digestion and metabolism through the venous system.
• Kapha is the water principle, which relates to mucus, lubrication and is the carrier of nutrients into the arterial system.

All Ayurvedic physicians believe that these ancient ideas exist in harmony with physical reality. These Ayurvedic concepts allow physicians to examine the homeostasis of the whole system. People may be of a predominant dosha or constitution, but all doshas have the basic elements within them.

Each of the three doshas has particular common characteristics, and there are foods, supplements, herbs, oils, exercises, meditations, and more that will either increase or decrease the effects of a dosha to bring a person into better balance. Every person has some combination of these doshas, usually with one being predominant, though it is possible to be dual- or even tri-doshic by nature. No dosha is better or worse than another, and all are essential to life, but understanding how they work together and balance each other is the art and science behind Ayurveda.

Ayurvedic massage is a form of treatment for various age-related and other disorders. Some of the advantages that are often cited are pain relief, improved circulation, stress relief, better sleep, improved flexibility, athletic performance and emotional benefits. Massage therapy can soothe pain, relax stiff muscles, and reduce the swelling that accompanies arthritis. Advocates claim that with ayurvedic massage, deep-seated toxins in the joints and tissues are loosened and released into the system for elimination through natural detoxification processes (such as via the kidneys, liver, lymphatic system, and through sweating).

When I was last in Merida, Mexico, I had the distinct pleasure of receiving Ayurvedic massage from a local practitioner who studied with perhaps the premier Ayurveda teacher in the west, Vasant Lad. My therapist took my pulses at the beginning of the session and from this derived what types of oils and techniques were needed to help bring my body into better balance. The experience is difficult to describe, but it was quite wonderful. The session lasted for two hours, and afterward I felt a sense of well being that lasted for days -- something that I have rarely felt with traditional Swedish massage.

This is where my learning comes in. I completely and totally believe in the benefits of massage, but if there are ways to extend and increase those benefits, I want to know what they are. Ayurveda may be the answer, or it may not. In the coming months, I will be working on learning and understanding more about Ayurvedic massage with the goal of eventually introducing this knowledge into my professional practice.

In the next issue, I will share with you more of what I have learned about Ayurvedic massage and will also address the Ayurvedic "tastes" and dietary principles that anyone can use to help restore health and balance.

Sciatica -- A Real Pain in the Butt!

Treating Sciatica with Massage (from Fall 2007 YBIH Newsletter, lead article)

Pain caused by irritation of the sciatic nerve -- commonly known as sciatica -- is perhaps one of the most common (and painful!) complaints I hear in professional massage practice. Most of us, at one time or another, have suffered the pain of "sciatica." It can range from nothing more than a mild tingling down the back of the thigh, calf or foot, or it may be an agonizing pain that makes it hard to walk, move, sit, stand, or even lie down comfortably.

The sciatic nerve at its largest point is a bundle of nerves about the thickness of your thumb. It starts in the lumbar spine, navigates its way through the buttock muscles, down the back of the leg, and branches out at the knee to also include entire lower leg. Impingement of the sciatic nerve can occur at nearly any point along its length, but most commonly happens either as a result of a bulging or ruptured spinal disc (true sciatica), or from muscular tightness in the buttock -- particularly of the piriformis muscle, under or through which the nerve travels. Sciatica-like symptoms caused by tightness of the piriformis is more accurately called "piriformis syndrome."

Any time you suspect that you have sciatica, it is important to see your doctor to rule out disc impingement. If your pain is caused by a ruptured disc, then massage is unlikely to help very much, other than to help you relax (which ain't bad!). Medical intervention in the form of anti-inflammatories, steriods, chiropractic care, rest, ice, and even surgery all may be preferred initial methods of care that your doctor will discuss with you.

If your doctor rules out a disc problem as the cause of your pain, you can then explore the possibility of it being due to muscular tension, especially from tightness in the lower back, buttocks and hamstrings. A combination of massage, trigger point therapy, and active assisted stretching is particularly well suited to treat this type of dysfunction. In fact, even if it IS a disc problem, massage may still be able to help keep your body from creating bigger problems caused by compensatory measures that can cause muscular and postural imbalances throughout the entire musculo-skeletal system.

How can massage possibly alleviate sciatica, if sciatica is an irritation of the sciatic nerve? What can a massage therapist do for nerve irritation?

Well, going back to the basic anatomy lesson above, because the sciatic nerve travels under and through the thick muscles of the buttocks (remember the piriformis?), it is an easy target for compression. Some common culprits include sitting on your wallet, poor posture, tight belts or pants, and sports-related injuries, all of which may cause the nerve to become irritated and/or can encourage the formation of painful trigger points in the muscle.

A massage therapist will usually begin with a hands-on assessment of the entire low back, buttock and hamstrings. Often low back muscles are also involved, so treatment should include warm-up work in that general area, too. Every body is different, but much of the work at this point will commonly be focused on the piriformis, starting with its attachment along the sacrum. As the work gets deeper, clients will often register a "that's where it hurts" sentiment, particularly as the trigger points in the piriformis and surrounding muscles are identified and released. I find that it is also very important to work on loosening the hamstrings, calf and lower back muscles in order to effect the most relief.

Oftentimes I will put clients into a side-lying position in order to reach the affected area from different angles to achieve maximum release. In addition, with some clients it may be advisable to also do some work in releasing the illiopsoas group, the muscles deep in the abdomen that assist in posture and hip flexion. Often these muscles become extremely tight as a compensatory response to back pain, so releasing these muscles -- while sometimes quite a slow and uncomfortable process -- can provide tremendous relief for the client.

Other extremely valuable treatments for this type of pain can be chiropractic care and acupuncture, and, ideally, I will often refer clients out for co-treatment. I work the muscles, the chiro adjusts the bones, and the acupuncturist opens the energy pathways. And, once the pain subsides, a regular stretching routine (yoga can be great!) may also help speed recovery, improve flexibility, maintain progress between sessions, and prevent re-injury. Clients benefit greatly from this type of combined, holistic approach, and will often find long-lasting relief from sciatic pain and discomfort.

So, if ever you find yourself being told by a doctor that you have sciatica, know that you have some excellent options. Track down a massage therapist, chiropractor, and/or acupuncturist near you and get to the root of the problem. Your body will be back in harmony in no time!

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*[Note: From personal experience, I would urge you to get a second and even third opinion if your doctor recommends surgery. In many cases, even ruptured discs can have a way of working themselves out over time. In my (non-medical) opinion, surgery should really be a last resort, and only contemplated when (a) the problem is causing a serious muscular deficit in the lower extremeties (such as a "drop foot"), or (b) if the pain has lasted an extremely long time and other less invasive methods have not worked. Also, if your back condition is accompanied by loss of bowel or bladder function, this must be considered an emergency situation and you should seek medical assistance immediately.]