Chronic pain, Self-care, Treatments, Uncategorized

When Your Healthcare Team Isn’t Available

Finding a conscious and responsible balance between caring for my health, caring for my patients, and most importantly, never putting my patients at risk is a delicate balance. Like many of my patients, I have a chronic disease. In my case, it's neurological and not contagious, and 95% of the time is so well under … Continue reading When Your Healthcare Team Isn’t Available

Self-care, Treatments

Lymphedema Treatment

If your lymphatic system doesn't have enough capacity to carry fluid away from an area, you end up with chronic swelling: lymphedema. As a Vodder-certified lymphedema therapist, I am trained to assess lymphedema using a series of measurements. ,I treat patients using manual lymphatic drainage (slow rhythmic massage that increases the action of your lymphatic system) and bandaging to bring down swelling.

Self-care, Treatments, yoga

Massage Therapy Homecare – Range of Motion Exercises

My patients are used to having "homework" as an important piece of their treatment plan. Hands-on massage therapy time is important, but to make progress, I ask my patients to be active participants. I assign different exercises and hydrotherapy depending upon the patient's condition, lifestyle, and stage of healing. A common first step is range … Continue reading Massage Therapy Homecare – Range of Motion Exercises

Chronic pain, Self-care, Treatments

Massage Therapy Homecare – Amazing Castor Oil Packs

My first ever Castor Oil experience was a castor oil pack assigned by my naturopath. I was still a student, and the instructions to soak a flannel, store it between treatments and layer myself with plastic wrap and towels confused me. Luckily I've since perfected an easier way. Now castor oil packs are an important … Continue reading Massage Therapy Homecare – Amazing Castor Oil Packs

Chronic pain, Self-care

Massage Therapy Homecare – Dry Brushing

Homecare is an important part of my massage therapy treatment plans. Different homecare assignments are tailored to individual goals. Most of the time I assign a basic homecare plan of heat, cold, stretching and strengthening, but some of my assignments might seem a little more unusual. I have to admit, I was skeptical when I … Continue reading Massage Therapy Homecare – Dry Brushing

Chronic pain, Self-care, Treatments, yoga

Resetting my Yoga Practice

Instead of joining a yoga studio with full hour or 90 minute classes, I managed my practice at home, using a combination of class sequences that I developed myself (modifications of the 12 asana sequence taught in Sivananda yoga) , and short sequences from youtube. I varied the length of my practices, and focused more on supporting myself than on increasing flexibility. After 3 weeks of yoga I very slowly began to fit my mental image of what a yogi looks like, with adjusted expectations, forgiveness, and plenty of room for growth.

Chronic pain, Self-care, Treatments, Uncategorized

Massage Can Help with Headaches

...in many cases, massage therapy is a way to reduce the frequency of your headaches. For some people, it can also decrease your pain.Massage for headaches will usually involve the upper back, neck, shoulders, and sometimes the scalp and face. Trigger points or muscle tension can refer pain into the head, and the way you move, clench, and tense up during a headache might increase muscle tension in these areas.