Unity of Disease and Unity of Cure

There exist three primary causes of disease and of premature death of the physical body. These are:

1. Lowered vitality.
2. Abnormal composition of blood and lymph.
3. Accumulation of morbid matter and poisons.

  

In the ultimate, disease and everything else that we designate as evil are the result of transgressions of natural laws in thinking, breathing, eating, dressing, working, resting, as well as in moral, sexual and social conduct.

In Tables I and II, I have endeavored to present in concise and comprehensive form the primary and the secondary causes or manifestations of disease and the corresponding natural methods of treatment.

TABLE I

THE UNITY OF DISEASE AND TREATMENT

Barring trauma (injury), advancing age and surroundings uncongenial to human life, all causes of disease may be classified as given below.

Violations of Nature's Laws in thinking, breathing, eating, drinking, dressing, working, resting and in moral, sexual and social conduct result in the following:

Primary and Secondary Causes of Disease

Primary Causes

1. Lowered vitality due to overwork, nightwork, excesses, overstimulation, poisonous drugs and ill-advised surgical operations.
2. Abnormal composition of blood and lymph due to the improper selection and combination of food, and especially the lack of organic mineral salts and other essential nutritional elements.
3. Accumulation of waste matter, morbid matter and poisons due to the first two causes, as well as to faulty diet, overeating, the use of alcoholic and narcotic stimulants, drugs [both street and prescription], vaccines, accidental poisoning and, last but not least, to the suppression of acute diseases (Nature's cleansing and healing efforts) by poisonous drugs and surgical operations.

Secondary Causes

1. Hereditary and constitutional taints of sycosis, scrofula, psora, syphilis; mercurianism, cinchonism, iodism and many other forms of chronic poisoning.
2. Fevers, inflammations, skin eruptions, chronic sinus discharges, ulcers, abscesses, germs, bacteria, parasites, etc.
3. Mechanical subluxations, distortions and displacements of bony structures, muscles and ligaments; weakening and loss of reason, will, and self-control resulting in negative, sensitive and subjective conditions which open the way to nervous prostration, control by other personalities (hypnotic influence, obsession, possession); the different forms of insanity, epilepsy, petit mal, etc.

Table II

THE UNITY OF DISEASE AND TREATMENT

In correspondence with the three primary causes of disease, Nature Cure recognizes the following:

Natural Methods of Treatment

1. Return to Nature, or the establishment of normal habits and surroundings, which necessitates:

1. Extension of consciousness by popular general and individual education.
2. The constant exercise of reason, will and self-control.
3. A return to natural habits of life in thinking, breathing, eating, dressing, working, resting and in moral, sexual and social conduct.
4. Correction of mechanical defects and injuries by means of massage, chiropractic or osteopathy, surgery and other mechanical methods of treatment.

2. Economy of Vital Force, which necessitates:

1. Prevention of waste of vital force by the stoppage of all leaks.
2. Scientific relaxation, proper rest and sleep.
3. Proper food selection, magnetic treatment, etc.
4. The right mental attitude.

3. Elimination, which necessitates:

1. Scientific selection and combination of food and drink.
2. Judicious fasting.
3. Hydrotherapy (water cure).
4. Light and air baths, friction.
5. Chiropratic or osteopathy, massage, and other manipulative treatment.
6. Correct breathing, curative gymnastics.
7. Such medicinal remedies as will build up the blood on a normal basis and supply the system with the all-important mineral salts in organic form.

The Three Primary Causes of Disease

We shall now consider the three primary causes of disease one by one.

Lowered Vitality

There is a well-defined limit to the running of a watch. When the wound spring has spent its force, the mechanism stops.

So also the living forms of vegetable, animal and human life seem to be wound by Nature to run a certain length of time, in accordance with the laws governing their growth and development. Even the healthiest of animals living in the most congenial surroundings in the freedom of Nature do not much exceed their allotted span of life, nor do they fall much below it. As a rule, the longer the period between birth and maturity, the longer the life of the animal.

All the different families of mammalia, when living in freedom, live closely up to the life period allotted to them by Nature. Man is the only exception. It is claimed that according to the laws of longevity his average length of life should be considerably over one hundred years, while according to life insurance statistics, the average is at present [1913] thirty-seven years.This shows an immense discrepancy between the possible and the actual longevity of man.

Even this brief span of life means little else than weakness, physical and mental suffering and degeneracy for the majority of mankind. Visiting physicians of the public schools in our large cities report that seventy-five percent of all school children show defective health in some way. Diagnosis from the Eye proves that the remaining twenty-five percent are also more or less affected by hereditary and acquired disease conditions. Christian Science says, "There is no disease." Nature's records in the iris of the eye say there is no perfect health.

These established facts of greatly impaired longevity and universal abnormality of the human race would of themselves indicate that there is something radically wrong somewhere in the life habits of man, and that there is ample reason for the great health-reform movement which was started about the middle of the last century by the pioneers of Nature Cure in Germany, and which has since swept, under many different forms and guises, all portions of the civilized world.

When people in general grow better acquainted with the laws underlying prenatal and postnatal child culture, natural living and the natural treatment of diseases, human beings will approach much more closely the normal in health, strength, beauty and longevity. Then will arise a true aristocracy, not of morbid, venous blue blood, but pulsating with the rich red blood of health.

However, to reach this ideal of perfect physical, mental and moral health, succeeding generations will have to adhere to the natural ways of living and of treating their ailments. It cannot be attained by the present generation. The enthusiasts who claim that they can, by their particular methods, achieve perfect health and live the full term of human life, are destined to disappointment. We are so handicapped by the mistakes of the past that the best which most of us adults can do is to patch up, to attain a reasonable measure of health and to approach somewhat nearer Nature's full allotment of life.

Wild animals living in freedom retain their full vigor unimpaired almost to the end of life. Hunters report that among the great herds of buffalo, elk and deer, the oldest bucks are the rulers and maintain their sovereignty over the younger males of the herd solely by reason of their superior strength and prowess. Premature old age, among human beings, as indicated by the early decay of physical and mental powers, is brought on solely by their violation of Nature's Laws in almost all the ordinary habits of life.

    Health Positive--Disease Negative

The freer the inflow of life force into the organism, the greater the vitality, the more there is of strength, of positive resisting and recuperating power.

In the book Harmonics of Evolution we are told that at the very foundation of the manifestation of life lies the principle of polarity, which expresses itself in the duality and unity of positive and negative affinity. The swaying to and fro of the positive and the negative, the desire to balance incomplete polarity, constitutes the very ebb and flow of life.

Disease is disturbed polarity. Exaggerated positive or negative conditions, whether physical, mental, moral or spiritual, tend to disease on the respective planes of being. Foods, medicines, suggestion and all the other different methods of therapeutic treatment exert on the individual subjected to them either a positive or a negative influence. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance that the physician and every one who wishes to live and work in harmony with Nature's Laws should understand this all-important question of magnetic polarity.

Lowered vitality means lowered, slower and coarser vibration, and this results in lowered resistance to the accumulation of morbid matter, poisons, disease taints, germs and parasites. This is what we designate ordinarily as the negative condition.

Let us see whether we can explain this more fully by a homely but practical illustration: A great many of my readers have probably seen in operation in the summer amusement parks the "human roulette." This contrivance consists of a large wheel, board-covered, somewhat raised in the center, and sloping towards the circumference. The wheel rotates horizontally, evenly with the floor or ground. The merrymakers pay their nickels for the privilege of throwing themselves flat down on the wheel and attempting to cling to it while it rotates with increasing swiftness. While the wheel moves slowly, it is easy enough to cling to it; but the faster it revolves, the more strongly the centrifugal force tends to throw off the human flies who try to stick to it.

The increasing repelling power of the accelerated motion of the wheel may serve as an illustration of that which we call vigorous vibration, good vitality, natural immunity or recuperative power. This is the positive condition.

The more intense the action of the life force, the more rapid and vigorous are the vibratory activities of the atoms and molecules in the cells, and of the cells in the organs and tissues of the body. The more rapid and vigorous this vibratory activity, the more powerful is the repulsion and expulsion of morbid matter, poisons and germs of disease which try to encumber or destroy the organism.

    Health and Disease Resident in the Cell

We must not forget that health or disease, in the final analysis, is resident in the cell. Though a minute, microscopic organism, the cell is an independent living being, which is born, grows, eats, drinks, throws off waste matter, multiplies, ages and dies, just like man, the large cell. If the individual cell is well, man, the complex cell, is well also, and vice versa. From this it is apparent that in all our considerations of the processes of health, disease and cure, we have to deal primarily with the individual cell.

The vibratory activity of the cell may be lowered through the decline of vitality brought about in a natural way by advancing age, or in an artificial way through wrong habits of living, wrong thinking and feeling, overwork, unnatural stimulation and excesses of various kinds.

On the other hand, the inflow of vital force into the cells may be obstructed and their vibratory activity lowered by the accumulation of waste and morbid matter in the tissues, blood vessels and nerve channels of the body. Such clogging will interfere with the inflow of life force and with the free and harmonious vibration of the cells and organs of the body as surely as dust in a watch will interfere with the normal action and vibration of its wheels and balances.

From this it is evident that negative conditions may be brought about not only by hyperrefinement of the physical organism, but also by clogging it with waste and morbid matter which interfere with the inflow and distribution of the vital force. It also becomes apparent that in such cases the Nature Cure methods of eliminative treatment, such as pure food diet, hydrotherapy, massage, chiropractic, osteopathy, etc., are valuable means of removing these obstructions and promoting the inflow and free circulation of the positive electric and magnetic life currents

Abnormal Composition of Blood and Lymph

As one of the primary causes of disease, we cited abnormal composition of blood and lymph. The human organism is made up of a certain number of elements in well-defined proportions. Chem-istry has discovered, so far, about seventeen of these elements in appreciable quantities and has ascertained their functions in the economy of the body. These seventeen elements must be present in the right proportions in order to insure normal texture, structure and functioning of the component parts and organs of the body.

The cells and organs receive their nourishment from the blood and lymph currents. Therefore, these must contain all the elements needed by the organism in the right proportions, and this, of course, depends upon the character and the combination of the food supply.

Every disease arising in the human organism from internal causes is accompanied by a deficiency in blood and tissues of certain important mineral elements [organic salts]. Undoubtedly, the majority of these diseases are caused by an unbalanced diet, or by food and drink poisoning. Wrong food combinations, on the one hand, create an overabundance of waste and morbid matter in the system and, on the other hand, fail to supply the positive mineral elements or organic salts on which depends the elimination of waste and systemic poisons from the body.

The great problem of natural dietetics and of natural medical treatment is, therefore, how to restore and maintain the positivity of the blood and of the organism as a whole through providing in food, drink and medicine an abundant supply of the positive mineral salts in organic form.

Accumulation of Morbid Matter and Poisons

This is the third of the primary causes of disease. We have learned how lowered vitality and the abnormal composition of thevital fluids favor the retention of systemic poisons in the body. If, in addition to this, food and drink contain too much of the waste-producing carbohydrates, hydrocarbons and proteins, and not enough of the eliminating positive mineral salts then waste and morbid materials are bound to accumulate in the system and this results in the clogging of the tissues with acid precipitates and earthy deposits.

Such accumulation of waste and morbid matter in blood and tissues creates the great majority of all diseases arising within the human organism. This will be explained fully in the following chapters which deal with the causation of acute and chronic disease.

More harmful and dangerous, and more difficult to eliminate than the different kinds of systemic poisons, that is, those which have originated within the body, are the drug poisons, especially when they are administered in the inorganic mineral form. Health is dependent upon an abundant supply of life force, upon the unobstructed, normal circulation of the vital fluids and upon perfect oxygenation and combustion. Anything that interferes with these essentials causes disease; anything that promotes them establishes health. Nothing so interferes with the inflow of the life force, with free and normal circulation of blood and lymph and with the oxygenation and combustion of food materials and systemic waste as the accumulation of morbid matter and poisons in the tissues of the body.

This I have endeavored to explain more fully in connection with lowered vitality. Let us now see how disease and health are affected by mental and emotional conditions.

    Mental and Emotional Influences
Our mental and emotional conditions exert a most powerful influence upon the inflow and distribution of vital force. The author of The Great Work [The Great Work: The Constructive Principle of Nature in Individual Life, by John Emmett Richardson {1853-1935}, Indio-American Book Company, Chicago, IL. 1907.] has described most graphically in the chapter on Self-Control how fear, worry, anxiety and all kindred emotions create in the system conditions similar to those of freezing; how these destructive vibrations congeal the tissues, clog the channels of life and paralyze the vital functions. He shows how the emotional conditions of impatience, irritability, anger, etc., have a heating, corroding effect upon the tissues of the body.

In like manner, all other destructive emotional vibrations obstruct the inflow and normal distribution of the life forces in and through the organism, while on the other hand the constructive emotions of faith, hope, cheerfulness, happiness and love exert a relaxing, harmonizing influence upon the tissues, blood vessels and nerve channels of the body, thus opening wide the floodgates of the life forces, and raising the discords of weakness, disease and discontent to the harmonics of buoyant health and happiness.

Let us see just how mind controls matter and how it affects the changing conditions of the physical body. Life manifests through vibration. It acts on the mass by acting through its minutest particles. Changes in the physical body are wrought by vibratory changes in atoms, molecules and cells. Health is satisfied polarity, that is, the balancing of the positive and negative elements in harmonious vibration. Anything that interferes with the free, vigorous and harmonious vibration of the minute parts and particles composing the human organism tends to disturb polarity and natural affinity, thus causing discord or disease.

When we fully realize these facts we shall not stand so much in awe of our physical bodies. In the past we have been thinking of the body as a solid and imponderable mass difficult to control and to change. This conception left us in a condition of utter helplessness and hopelessness in the presence of weakness and disease.

We now think of the body as composed of minute corpuscles rotating around one another within the atom at relatively immense distances. We know that in similar manner the atoms vibrate in the molecule, the molecules in the cell, the cells in the organ and the organs in the body; the whole capable of being changed by a change in the vibrations of its particles.

Thus the erstwhile solid physical mass appears plastic and fluidic, readily swayed and changed by the vibratory harmonies or discords of thoughts and emotions as well as by foods, medicines and therapeutic treatment.

Under the old conception the mind fell readily under the control of the body and became the abject slave of its physical conditions, swayed by fear and apprehension under every sensation of physical weakness, discomfort or pain. The servants lorded it with a high hand over the master of the house, and the result was chaos. Under the new conception, control is placed where it belongs. It is assumed by the real master of the house, the Soul-Man, and the servants, the physical members of the body, remain obedient to his bidding.

This is the new man, the ideal progeny of a new and higher philosophy. Understanding the structure of the body, the laws of its being and the operation of the life elements within it, the superman retains perfect poise and confidence under the most trying circumstances. Animated by an abounding faith in the supremacy of the healing forces within him and sustained by the power of his sovereign will, he governs his body as perfectly as the artist controls his violin and attunes its vibrations to Nature's harmonies of health and happiness.

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* Abstracts from the Naturopathy Classic "Philosophy and Practice of Nature Cure" by Henry Lindlahr, MD (1922 Ed.).

Shiatsu

Introduction

Shiatsu is a Japanese word meaning "finger pressure". Shiatsu uses hand pressure and manipulative techniques to adjust the body's physical structure and its natural inner energies, to help ward off illness, and maintain good health.

Shiatsu is characterized by its great simplicity. It grew from earlier forms of massage, called Anma in Japan (Anmo or Tuina in China) which use rubbing, stroking, squeezing, tapping, pushing, and pulling to influence the muscles and circulatory systems of the body. Shiatsu, by contrast, uses few techniques and to an observer it would appear that little is happening - merely a still, relaxed pressure at various points on the body with the hand or thumb, an easy leaning of the elbows or a simple rotation of a limb. It almost seems a lazy activity. But underneath the uncomplicated movements much is happening internally to the body's energy on a subtle level.

Subtle Energy in the Body

The Oriental tradition describes the world in terms of energy. All things are considered to be manifestations of a vital universal force, called 'Ki' by the Japanese, ''Chi", or 'Qi', in China. Ki is the primary substance and motive force of life. It is most often described as "energy", but Ki is also synonymous with breath in the Japanese and Chinese languages. In Oriental medicine, harmony of Ki within the human body is conceived as being essential to health. 

History of Shiatsu

The Development of Shiatsu in Japan
Shiatsu was developed in the early part of the 20th century by a Japanese practitioner, Tamai Tempaku, who incorporated the new Western medical knowledge of anatomy and physiology into several older meth ods of treatment. Originally he called it "Shiatsu Ryoho", or "finger pressure way of healing", then "Shiatsu Ho ", "finger pressure method". Now known simply as "Shiatsu", it was officially recognized as a therapy by the Japanese Government in 1964, so distinguishing it from the older form of traditional massage, Anma. The role of shiatsu therapists is to diagnose and treat according to the principles of Oriental medicine.

Chinese origins of Shiatsu
The earliest known book of Chinese medicine is called the 'Huang Ti Nei Ching', 'The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine'. In it the legendary Emperor questions his physician, Ch-I Po, about problems of medicine ,and health among his people. In one well known passage Ch'i Po explains that different forms of medicine were developed in different re gions according to the prevailing climate and the resulting constitutional problems from which people suffered. Treatment using herbs, needles and heat were attributed to Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western re gions, but development of physical therapy including massage and breathing exercise was accorded to the people of China's central region. Thus began the long association of massage and manipulative therapy with special physical exercise, breathing techniques, and healing med itations which represented the highest level of Chinese medicine. These came to be known collectively as "Tao Yin", methods for guiding the subtle energies within the body to flow smoothly. Shiatsu is the modern inheritor of this tradition. 

Chinese medicine was introduced to Japan by a Buddhist monk in the 6th century. The Japanese developed and refined many of its methods to suit their own physiology, temperament, and climate. In particular they developed the manual healing and diagnostic arts, evolving special techniques of abdominal diagnosis, treatment, and abdominal massage.

Styles of Shiatsu

Many early Shiatsu practitioners developed their own style and some, including Tokojiro Namikoshi and Shizuto Masunaga, founded schools that helped establish Shiatsu as a therapy. There are many different styles of Shiatsu today. Some concentrate on "acupressure (acupuncture) points". Some emphasise more general work on the body or along the pathways of energy to influence the Ki that flows in them. Others highlight diagnostic systems, such as the "Five Element'' system or the macro-biotic approach. But all of these are based on traditional Chinese-medicine.

Zen Shiatsu

Masunaga incorporated his experience of Shiatsu into his studies of Western psychology and Chinese medicine; he also refined the existing methods of diagnosis. His extended system incorporated special exercises, known as "Makko Ho', to stimulate the flow of Ki, and he developed a set of guiding principles to make the techniques more effective. He called his system "Zen Shiatsu" after the simple and direct approach to spirituality of the Zen Buddhist monks in Japan.

The Chinese Approach to Understanding the Body and Health

You may notice a circularity in the logic of Chinese medicine. Westerners think of cause and effect as a linear progression of ideas and events from A, through B, to C. Eastern philosophy regards events as mutually conditioned, arising together. They are not seen as distinct from the environment in which they occur. The background is as important as the fore-ground. An example is given here to help to clarify the difference.

A headache is not just an event in the head, according to Chinese medicine, nor is it merely a pain, or something to be stopped without regard for its origins, nor even treated on the same basis as someone else's headache. Rather, it is an obstruction of Ki, related to the overall energy patterns in the whole body of the particular individual, their circumstances, and lifestyle. Treatment might involve work on the arms or legs as well as (or instead of) the head and will bring more lasting and satisfactory changes than will an attempt to block the superficial symptoms.

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* Edited extract from Paul Lundberg’s ‘The New Book of Shiatsu’, as obtained from ShiatsuSociety.Org

What is 'PILATES'?

Pilates is a form of exercise that was developed in the 1920s by Joseph Hubertus Pilates (1880 – 1967). Having grown up weak and sickly, he suffered from a variety of diseases during his youth. Determined to overcome his weaknesses, Joseph Pilates began exercising and developing his own methods to achieve greater health. Over time, he became a competitive athlete in gymnastics, diving, and skiing.

Pilates was not always named after its creator. Originally, Joseph Pilates called his system Contrology, focusing on the foundational principles of mind-body control and core strength. He began teaching his system in London, England during WWI while being detained because of his nationality on the Isle of Man. During this period Joseph Pilates was able to further develop his methods and raise the health of other internees and disabled individuals in the camp hospital.

Eventually, Joseph Pilates immigrated to the United States where he was able to set up a training center in New York City with his wife. His methods quickly became popular with dancers, gymnasts, actors, and other athletes for the superior levels of body control his students developed.

Joseph Pilates continued the development of his methods for over 80 years. During this time, his students were primarily fit and healthy individuals, which lead to many advanced forms of training that required complex machines to perform the exercises. After his death, many of the well-trained students brought his methods to a greater population by focusing on the needs of beginners.

Principles of Pilates

Pilates incorporates a variety of principles reflecting the influences of yoga, Alexander Technique, meditation, gymnastics, and dance. Pilates instruction always includes the following principles to maintain its efficiency and effectiveness.

Concentration

During each Pilates exercise, keep the mind alert by focusing on every movement. This will develop the mind-body connection, allowing you to relax and use only the necessary muscles. The cultivation of mindfulness on the action you are performing will enhance your control of the mind in all aspects of life.

Control

Each movement should be performed precisely to work the muscles effectively and avoid injury. You will develop this ability gradually by repeating the exercises with consciousness. You may not be able to move your body in the ideal manner initially, but your ability to control your body will increase with each Pilates session.

Center

The source of the body's power and movement originates from an area that Pilates instructors often refer to as the core or powerhouse. The muscles of the abdomen, hips, and lower back form this center. They function to stabilize and protect the body during movement.

Breath

Correct breathing is essential to health. It is common to either hold your breath or improperly breathe using only the upper third of the lung during exercise. Pilates trains you to perform lateral breathing using the diaphragm that allows the lungs to more effectively expand and achieve maximum efficiency of breathe. During Pilates exercises, it is important to exhale during exertion and inhale during recovery.

Fluidity

Each movement during Pilates should be performed in a flowing manner, avoiding jerky movements. Each exercise should be continuously with no breaks or variations in the speed of movement. By developing this fluid feel, you will cultivate the graceful movement of a dancer.

Precision

The performance of each movement in Pilates requires precision. Practice may be necessary to develop a through understanding of the exercises; however, learning the exact movements will prevent injury and provide maximum health benefit.

Routine

Repeated practice is an essential component of developing your mind-body connection and strengthening your body. Following a pre-determined routine for successive Pilates sessions will allow you to familiarize yourself with the mechanics of each exercise, developing deeper connections with each session.

Isolation

Isolation involves the focus of your mind on the specific muscles used during a movement. By mentally connecting with each Pilates movement, you will increase your mind's specific control of each part of your body. This ability will eventually allow you coordinate and balance your entire body with every movement.

Thai Massage

In its native tongue, Thai Massage is called Nuat Phaen Boran, which translates as Ancient Massage or Traditional Massage. Thai Massage is also often referred to as Traditional Thai Massage, Thai Yoga Massage, Passive Yoga, or Assisted Yoga. The development of Thai Massage started approximately 2,500 years ago with Shivago Komarpaj, also known as Jivaka Kumarabhacca; a traditional Ayurvedic doctor who was the personal physician to the Buddha. Over time, this system of massage traveled across Asia to Thailand, with the Buddhist religion. Along the way, elements of Chinese Medicine were incorporated into the methods of Thai Massage.

Today, there are several different styles of Thai Massage practiced all over Thailand. The most prominent style of Thai Massage is taught at Wat Pho, a temple in Bangkok, Thailand. Many foreigners travel to the northern Thailand city of Chiang Mai to learn from a long-standing branch of the Wat Pho Thai Traditional Massage School.

What is a Thai Massage Like?

Thai Massage is often described as a unique blend of acupressure, reflexology, and yoga stretches. Thai Medicine combines both Ayurveda and Chinese Medicine theory. A person’s life force circulates their body through energy pathways called sen, similar in layout to Chinese Medicine’s meridians and Ayurveda’s nadis. While there are thousands of sen in the body, most Thai Massage focuses on treating specific acupressure points along the 10 most important sen.

Thai Massage is considered a spiritual practice for both the practitioner and patient. Each session is traditionally begun and ended with a prayer, honoring the teacher. Specific precepts are followed by traditional practitioners to maintain Buddhist morality, humility, and cleanliness of mind and body.

When you receive Thai Massage, it is customary to be fully clothed except for your feet and wearing pajamas or other loose clothing. Thai Massage is given on a mat laid upon the floor, with no oils being used during the treatment. In some cases, a steamed herbal liniment may be applied with a towel to the skin; the combination of heat and herbs enhances the healing process.

Thai Massages start with you lying on your back, and with the practitioner beginning by working on your feet. Foot massage is an important component of Thai Massage and is also practiced independently of full body massages. The practitioner continues by massaging your body through a series of choreographic movements. These movements resemble various yoga postures; however, they do not require any effort by you. This aspect of Thai Massage has led some to playfully call it “lazy man’s yoga”, since the practitioner does all the work of stretching your body. The practitioner utilizes both of their hands and feet to position and counter-balance your body into the various stretches. The combination of gentle pressure all over your body and the passive stretching will open the energy lines in your body, improving your health. The coordination of both patient and practitioner moving into these postures can also help you to relax and let go, allowing your body to be moved beneficially.

A full Thai Massage can last over two hours, as every part of your body is massaged and stretched. While this may seem long to some people, the meditative atmosphere and relaxed state of your body will allow the time to pass quickly.

Naturopathic Medicine for Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a degenerative condition in which the bones become fragile, brittle, and prone to breakage. Fractures of these porous bones occur most frequently in the hips, wrists, and spine. According to naturopathy, osteoporosis results from an imbalance between the ingestion and absorption of calcium into the body and its excretion. This loss of bone-building materials occurs as the body ages, and is particularly prevalent among post-menopausal women. 

Osteoporosis may not be painful in its earliest stages; however, as the condition progresses symptoms may include severe back pain, loss of height, a stooping posture, and debilitating fractures. Osteoporosis more frequently occurs with advancing age, a more sedentary lifestyle, and with acceleration of mineral loss and the breakdown of bones.

In a healthy individual, bones are broken down and reformed about every three months, a process called remodeling. By age 25-30, an individual reaches what is called “peak bone mass,” after which more bone is lost than is formed. As the individual ages, the risk of osteoporosis increases. The onset of osteoporosis depends to some extent on the base level of peak bone mass achieved earlier in life. The early stage of this process of progressive bone loss is called osteopaenia.

Naturopathic Medicine Treatment for Osteoporosis

Naturopathic medicine offers a variety of natural treatments to help combat and reverse osteoporosis, including diet changes, nutritional supplementation, exercise, hydrotherapy, and herbal medicine.

With osteoporosis, the naturopathic principle of prevention through a healthy diet rich in bone-building nutrients and a routine of weight-bearing exercise is of primary importance. Bone strength reaches its peak by age 30 and decreases gradually as a person ages. Even after osteoporosis is diagnosed, applying naturopathic principles of diet and exercise can minimize the progressive loss of bone density and promote healing.

Diet and Nutrition for Osteoporosis

Naturopathic approaches to treatment of osteoporosis will first consider the individual’s dietary habits. Certain foods and drugs may slow the absorption of the calcium necessary for healthy bones. Osteoporosis is best prevented by adequate intake of calcium-rich foods and vitamin D, naturally available through sunlight.

Certain foods and supplements may help prevent or delay onset of osteoporosis or minimize its damage and should be included in the diet:

• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Green leafy vegetables such as collard, kale, turnip, and dandelion greens
• Salmon, halibut, tuna and sardines
• Flax seed oil
• Raw, unsalted nuts and seeds, particularly sesame
• Garlic, onions, eggs, avocado
• Nutritional supplements such as calcium, magnesium and Vitamins D and K-2 and Strontium citrate

Certain foods and substances that interfere with calcium absorption include:

• Nicotine products
• Carbonated sodas, alcohol and caffeinated drinks
• Excessive salt and sugar
• Foods high in oxalic acid (oxylates), such as spinach, rhubarb, beet greens, chard, and almonds
• Red meat and dairy products

Red meat and dairy products interfere with the absorption of calcium because they contain high amounts of protein. The more protein a person consumes, the less calcium is absorbed by the body. Most Americans eat a diet very rich in protein, primarily from animal products. Increasing calcium intake or decreasing protein intake can help offset this dietary imbalance.

Exercise for Osteoporosis

A diagnosis of osteoporosis may require some change in one’s exercise routine to minimize damage to a weakened skeletal structure. Continued exercise is important for overall health. It is best to consult with a naturopathic physician to determine one’s level of skeletal strength before initiating strenuous exercise routines. Following a diagnosis of osteoporosis, one should develop an exercise routine that includes:

• Flexibility exercises to increase joint mobility
• Low impact aerobic exercises such as brisk walking, swimming, dancing and bicycling
• Exercises to strengthen muscles and help slow bone mineral loss
• Yoga increases flexibility and balance

With osteoporosis, one should avoid high impact exercises such as jogging and jumping, as well as exercises that involve forceful twisting movements. These may lead to compression injuries of the spine.

Hydrotherapy and Osteoarthritis

Hydrotherapy is used extensively in naturopathic medicine and is particularly helpful in the treatment of osteoporosis. Constitutional hydrotherapy involves the application of hot and cold applications to detoxify the body and improve circulation.

'VITALITY' in Naturopathic Medicine

The philosophical perspective on which the naturopathic clinical approach is based is that of vitalism. According to vitalist philosophy, living beings are not machines running according to strict cause-and-effect relations, but are beings whose existence is guided by a single vital force.

This runs contrary to the “mechanistic” view underlying conventional medicine, which is based on the principle that it is possible to subdivide the body into components and analyze their function independently of the rest of the body. Following this subdivision, medical scientists commonly ‘put it all back together’ and assume that the models they have just created correctly represents real-life patients.

Sometimes their models are sufficiently true-to-reality, and conventional methods then prove effective. But often enough their models will not accurately represent the patients in front of them, and in such cases medicine will not provide adequate solutions.

What we’re made of ?

While vitalists admit that the mechanistic perspective of modern medicine is often very useful, they insist that it is limiting in many cases and ultimately incorrect. Vitalists claim that a more accurate way of analyzing people is by noticing their pattern of being.

Each of us is imbued with a vital force which guides and unifies our being. Its components are not body organs, tissues, cells, and molecules, but components such as: 

• heredity
• early childhood environment
• family relationships
• social environment
• temperament (psychological tendencies, strengths, weaknesses)
• past medical interventions
• past physical or psychological trauma
• stressful life transitions
• food intake
• physical activity, and
• exposure to environmental toxins.

Together these constitute the complex web of interacting factors that form the corporeal (physical) and spiritual (non-physical) self.

What is vitality?

Vitalists and non-vitalists differ in their understanding of health. Mainstream scientists and modern medicine (following a non-vitalist philosophy) reject the non-physical self, while vitalists embrace it. Although many scientists believe in elements of the vitalist tradition, when they publicly discuss psychological phenomena they usually insist that they are talking simply of the operations of the brain. But vitalists analyze bodily illness mainly in terms of the spiritual factors that might be contributing to it.

In other words, the person’s spirit or vital force determines the health of the body in a very real way. Vitalists point to the fact that we often feel better or worse depending on the extent to which we are able to be the masters of our life, especially during times of stress. Disease, accoring to vitalists, is simply a more advanced stage of the stress that we exhibit when we persistently fail in the pursuit of physical and spiritual goals.

Clinical implications of vitalist philosophy

The vitalist philosophical perspective translates into naturopathic treatment methods that do not target symptoms directly but instead strive to shift the organism away from its current state toward a state of better overall health. In fact, interventions that target symptoms without addressing the underlying pattern are generally regarded as non-ideal or ‘suppressive’ and are used only as temporary measures.

Ultimately, the attainment of better health commonly requires one to stop chasing symptoms as they arise but instead focus on fundamental, long-term improvement, even at the cost of short-term suffering. That, this strategy is often capable of re-establishing a healthy state. 

NeuroMuscular Therapy

Integrative NeuroMuscular Therapy (NMT) is a comprehensive system of soft-tissue manipulation techniques that were developed in the 1930s in England by Dr Stanley Lief. Lief trained in the United States as a chiropractor and naturopathic physician. The integrative discipline that he developed, with additional insights from bodywork professionals Leon Chaitow, Raymond Nimmo, John Upledger, Janet Travell and others, balances the central nervous system with the structure and form of the musculoskeletal system. NMT is based on neurological laws that explain how the central nervous system maintains homoeostatic balance, and in many cases, eliminates the cause of a person's acute to chronic myofascial pain and dysfunction. Through the application of modern-day integrative NMT procedures, which include cranio-sacral therapy, myofascial release, positional release and trigger point therapy, homoeostasis is restored between the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Integrative NeuroMuscular Therapy enhances the function of joints, muscles, and the biomechanics of the body, and speeds healing by facilitating the release of the body's natural pain killers, endorphins. Applications of NMT Patients who suffer from acute to chronic pain resulting from occupational, sports and/or automobile injuries, benefit from receiving integrative NeuroMuscular Therapy. Specific types of dysfunctions and repetitive motion and accumulative traumas respond well to this treatment, including sciatica, rotator cuff dysfunction, carpal tunnel and thoracic outlet syndrome, temporomandibular joint dysfunction and migraines. Integrative NeuroMuscular Therapy is also utilised in certain types of physical and sexual abuse-related traumas. Integrative NeuroMuscular Therapy approaches healing from a holistic perspective (mind/body) creating long-term results. One of the premises governing NeuroMuscular Therapy is that the procedures utilised should stimulate the body to heal on its own. Once this healing has begun, NeuroMuscular Therapy can be used to stimulate soft-tissue repair in specific areas, while simultaneously addressing some of the perpetuating factors causing the patient's pain. In this manner, a whole body approach to healing is achieved. Assessment A NeuroMuscular Therapist utilises many tools to achieve this holistic goal, some of which involve assessing a patient's conditions and some of which involve treatment. The first step is to look at the perpetuating factors that are creating or prolonging a patient's pain. Age, stress, response to prior therapies, pre-existing conditions, family history, nutrition, diet and exercise all play a role in the patient's ability to work in partnership with the therapist. The therapist determines which specific tool or tools will be utilised by assessing postural distortion and biomechanical dysfunction, the presence of ischaemia and trigger points, and by determining the presence of nerve compression and or entrapment in the soft tissue(s). Postural distortion can be recognised by a raised, and in many cases, anteriorly rotated ilium, arm and hand, accentuated by an anterior rotation of the shoulder, that creates an abduction of the arm. (see photos 1-3 below). In this case, the cervical spine rotates, thereby compensating for the rotation in the pelvis. This can cause lower back and neck pain. The condition would be treated by pelvic facilitation, which is a three-dimensional approach to the release of soft-tissue constrictions. The NeuroMuscular Therapist must always work within the limitations of a patient's health. For example, if a patient is a 75-year-old female who has smoked for 35 years and has a calcium-poor diet accompanied by chronic lower back and hip pain, the NeuroMuscular Therapist must allow for the possibility of osteoporosis or a recent hip fracture or replacement. In this circumstance, the therapist must work with the patient's primary care physician to construct a therapy that complements the patient's condition. Pelvic facilitation, erector spinae, quadratus lumborum and passive stretching procedures would be altered to fit her situation. Treatment Specific tools that a NeuroMuscular Therapist uses are the thumbs, fingers, elbows and pressure bars. Pressure bars are effective instruments for the release of deeper constrictions along the erector spinae musculature and at tendonous attachment sites throughout the body. NeuroMuscular Therapy addresses the release of tissues in layers, superficial to deep, and is performed at a moderate speed with light lubrication. Treating origins and insertions, as well as the belly of a muscle is also of critical importance. It doesn't require a great deal of pressure to be effective, which is a benefit to the patient. In the proper application of NMT, a "dig it out" mentality is never appropriate. The ability to palpate and effectively treat trigger points is an additional tool that is effective in treating myofascial pain and dysfunction. A trigger point is an area of elevated neurological activity located in fascia and the bellies of muscles that may refer pain in a localised or peripheral manner. When a trigger point is active, it can cause a substantial increase in a patient's myofascial pain locally or, in what seems to be a totally unrelated area of the body. If left untreated, a trigger point can prevent muscles from fully healing and ultimately have adverse long-term effects on other systems. The proper and judicious use of pressure, which includes the ability to feel constrictions and trigger points and know at what angle your thumb, finger or pressure bar might be best used, is critical in the effectiveness of the therapy. When NeuroMuscular Therapy is applied in this manner, it is very effective in releasing trigger points and tracking down the cause of a patient's pain. In my NeuroMuscular Therapy training workshops, I tell my students that in order to become superb NeuroMuscular Therapists, they must also become excellent "muscle detectives" and to be able to "dance with the muscles." Another means of increasing the effectiveness of NeuroMuscular Therapy is through the use of empowerment, in other words, getting the patient involved in his or her own wellness. In America, and particularly in the Southwestern United States, we say that "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." So it is with people who are in pain. A therapist can suggest ways to help a person heal, using a number of tools, but if the patient refuses to actually use the tools, the therapist can't force the patient to feel better. Consistent consumption of water, multivitamins, B-12, B-6, stretching and a balanced diet, combined with effective hands-on therapy, will greatly enhance healing and reduce the amount of time the patient needs to undergo actual therapy. When the patient feels that he or she is truly in control of wellness and understands the mechanisms of their condition, long-term healing can occur. Laws of NeuroMuscular Therapy The NeuroMuscular Therapist also operates under a system of laws known as Pfluger's Laws, which illustrate acute to chronic pain patterns and how pain is distributed throughout the body. The nervous system is designed to produce normal muscle tonus at 30 stimuli per second. If, due to trauma, the nervous system is suddenly innervating the damaged tissues at perhaps 75 stimuli per second, it must respond in a more creative homoeostatic way to distribute the pain. The first step, according to the Law of Unilaterality, states that "if a mild irritation is applied to one or more sensory nerves, the movement will take place usually on one side only and that side which is irritated." As an illustration, if I were involved in a motor vehicle accident, injure my left shoulder and decline treatment of any kind, then my left shoulder would probably be very tender within a matter of minutes. Assuming that I continue without treatment and to ease the pain, drink substantial amounts of alcohol and take a very hot shower, the next day not only would the initial injury site be in pain, but so would the equal and opposite side. This illustrates the second law, the Law of Symmetry that says, "if the stimulation is sufficiently increased the motor reaction is manifested not only to the irritated side but also in similar muscles on the opposite side of the body." From a practical perspective if I can treat the unaffected side, the injured, painful area can be addressed without initial direct application of NMT. Still by way of illustration, the following day, if I continue to resist proper treatment of my condition, the pain would now have travelled back and intensified at the original injury site with a lesser pain still present on the opposite shoulder. This describes the third law, the Law of Intensity that states "reflex movements are usually more intense on the side of irritation and at times the movements of the opposite side equal them in intensity but they are usually less pronounced." The fourth law, the Law of Radiation, states that "if the excitation continues to increase it is propagated upwards and reactions take place through centrifugal nerves coming from the cord segments higher up." In other words, the pain will radiate upward from the site of the original injury toward the brain and then, failing alleviation, will radiate outward, creating a general contraction of all the muscles in the body. This is a very profound and unsettling series of events. If left untreated, I would, in all likelihood, awaken one morning unable to move with intense headache pain, accompanied by a general contraction of all the muscles from head to toe. Not only would the nervous and musculoskeletal systems be adversely affected but so would all of the other systems in the body, such as the respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive and endocrine. This illustrates the fifth law, the Law of Generalisation that states "if the irritation becomes very intense it is propagated in the medulla oblongata, which becomes the focus from which the stimuli radiate to all parts of the cord causing a general contraction of all the muscles of the body." Unfortunately, if a patient arrives at this stage, they are often irritated by the seemingly do-nothing advice of the therapist. At this point, the best advice is to seek evaluation and treatment from a primary care physician and to RICE the body. Other integrative treatments that prove effective are to increase water consumption and to increase intake of vitamins, such as 1200 mcg of B-12 and 200 mg of B-6 per day in tablet form. NeuroMuscular Therapy, using as little as 2 grams of pressure, would be enough to significantly increase pain and further perpetuate muscle constrictions and trigger point referrals. Generally, within 48 to 72 hours, the patient's condition will have improved enough for healing body work to begin. Once NeuroMuscular Therapy has begun, treatment can literally "pull the plug" on pain by interrupting the source of abnormal stimulation. This decreases the electrical innervation to the muscles and viscera, therefore decreasing muscle spasms, ischemia and metabolic waste build-ups throughout the body. This has a cascading positive effect on the other systems in the body. It is critical to maintain consistent consumption of water (6-8 glasses/day), a good multivitamin and vitamins B-6 and B-12. Summary Proper intent, desire and training are prerequisites to becoming a qualified NeuroMuscular Therapist. Opening one's heart and mind to an endless realm of healing opportunities that ultimately benefit the patient is what integrative NeuroMuscular Therapy is about. It is my sincere desire that a more comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to pain erasure and management will be achieved in the future. Not only must we deal with a patient's existing value structure but those of other healthcare modalities as well. Suggested Readings: Travell JG and Simons DD. Myofascial Pain and Dysfunction: The Trigger Point Manual. 2 Vols. Williams and Wilkins. Baltimore. 1983. Chaitow Leon. Modern Neuromuscular Techniques. Churchill Livingstone Publishers. New Jersey. 1996. Caillet Rene. Low Back Pain Syndrome. FA Davis Company. Philadelphia. 1988. Upledger JE. Craniosacral Therapy and Craniosacral Therapy II: Beyond the Dura. Eastland Press. Chicago. 1987. * Courtesy- Peter Lane. http://lifepositive.com

Acupressure for Arthritis Pain

Although several points are listed that are beneficial, you do not have to use all these points; use l or 2 at your convenience.

1. (Li 4, Adjoining Valley) Li 4 helps relieve pain and inflammation in the hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder and neck.

Caution: Pregnant women should not press this point. as it can stimulate uterine contractions.

2. (Lv 2, Moving Between) This point is located in the web margin between the big toe and second toe. Use medium pressure with your index fingers, pressing on both feet at the same time if that is comfortable, otherwise one at a time.

3. (Gb 41, Falling Tears) This point is on the top of the foot, in the channel between the little toe and the 4th toe, slightly less than halfway between the ankle bone and the web margin between the toes ( closer to the toes). The pain and discomfort of rheumatoid arthritis, and the emotional response to that pain, can constrict the circulation of chi. This point is effective in restoring the flow. Press with your index or middle finger, using firm pressure. Start with light pressure, build up, hold, and gradually release.

4. (Gb 34, Yang Hill Spring) At the lower border of the kneecap, slide your finger off the shinbone toward the outside (little toe side). Two bones come together here. Press in the soft tissue area between them, using your index or index and middle fingers together. This is a major point in Acupuncture and Acupressure for nourishing the tendons and joints. It also has a strong effect on promoting the smooth flow of chi throughout the body. Obstruction to the smooth flow of chi causes pain and discomfort.

The following points on the palm of your hand are excellent for joint pain in general, and are also specific for rheumatoid arthritis.

On your palm, locate the area about one thumb width above the wrist crease and about one finger width on either side of the midline of the palm. Find the points in this area that are the most tender. Press with the thumb or the knuckles of the opposite hand. Use strong pressure. If the pain is worse on the left side of your body, use the points on the right hand for relief, and vice versa.