Empowering full health

I recently experienced a Harvest Festival in a small town in Canada. The bountiful produce and the pride in the labor that produced it was evident on long tables decked with 1st place ribbons and on the smiling faces dressed in old-fashioned bonnets to help us relive a time gone by. There were sunflower heads the size of pie plates to zucchinis almost 3 feet long. It made me feel grateful for the industrious nature of people and the plenty that is still available from our land despite any economic or even climatic changes we will inevitably endure.

As we harvest the fruit of our gardens, some of us canning for the first time , we share a thrill and a gratitude at the plenty we can store for later and, perhaps, leaner times. I am once again inspired and grateful for the bounty of herbs which contain ingredients that are helpful only to humans, having no benefit whatsoever for the plant itself. What a gift. I always collect enough herbs to have for my Thanksgiving turkey stuffing and any seasonings I may want for Christmas dinner, too. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are a must in the bundle I collect, wash and let dry to later freeze or dry in my herb drier. If the herbs have flowered when I pick them for use another time, they don’t have enough flavor to be dried. I have to freeze them in bundles. Every year I think I will pick them earlier but I am so happy to see them returning in the spring I don’t want to pinch their growth and so, once again, they are flowering before I know it and freezing is the only answer.

Autumn is the time of year herbalists and wild-crafters collect the root of the local herb, Oregon Grape( Berberis aquifolium) and carefully clean, cut into slices and dry the root and store in a dry place for use at a later time. It’s the plant that has leaves that look a little like mistletoe, yellow berries in the spring/summer and the leaves are now turning a lovely warm red. It will help cleanse your liver and gall-bladder which helps everything from chronic, scaly skin, nausea, chronic constipation, and various intestinal and elimination complaints. Autumn is the time of year when all of us can harvest the fruits of our labor and be thankful and made more secure by the bounty of our industrious nature and the natural world around us!

Penny Waters, Herbology and Reflexology, Relaxation Destination, 208/597-4343

Is your neck bothering you now? Is it stiff? Do you have a numb arm? Chronic headaches? If so, you’re in good company. Neck pain affects two-thirds of the population at some point in their lives¹.

The Source

Virtually all neck pain starts from the soft tissue–the muscles, tendons, ligaments and fascia (the connective tissue that holds the muscles together). Soft tissue tightens and shortens after an injury, due to postural strain, or just from stress. Then soft tissue literally pulls the bones out of alignment. Eventually, it may even cause the cervical discs to deteriorate. This compression may ultimately impinge on a nerve causing numbness or shooting pain down the arm.

Soft tissues pulling on the head often cause headaches. Every client I’ve seen who was suffering from headaches also had a tight neck. Inevitability, when the neck released, the headaches would disappear.

Acute and Chronic Causes

Accidents will often cause neck pain. Whiplash injuries from automobile accidents can push the vertebra of the neck backwards causing you to lose the natural curve in your neck. Strains to the upper back or shoulders will often cause the neck muscles to tighten as they adapt to the injury.

On a more long-term basis, poor posture can cause the head to stick forward. Your head weighs a good ten pounds. When the head is out of normal position it places a lot of strain on supporting muscles to do a job they weren’t designed to do. These muscles were meant to turn the head, not hold it up against gravity. The posture muscles of the neck and back are very small and deep. When our bodies are in balance, the bigger muscles don’t need to work much. They don’t need to be stronger – they need to let go.

Some anatomists claim that some of your neck muscles are secondary breathing muscles. Actually, you are only meant to use these neck muscles in survival situations such as running for your life. If you continue to use these muscles to hold up the shoulders (in an attempt to get more air in the upper lobes of the lungs), you end up with shoulders up around your ears and the appearance of having no neck.

Treatment

Because of the many layers of muscles and the seven vertebra of the neck, there is a lot of room for maladaptation and tension. Treating the neck pain means regaining suppleness and mobility. If the tightness is recent, a good massage or a chiropractic adjustment might be all you need. If the tension (but not necessarily the pain) has existed for years, you may need to address the chronic tension to treat the recent pain. My recommendation is always start with the easiest, cheapest and quickest treatment, then gradually progress up the treatment scale until you achieve the results you want.

Standard exercise does not usually alleviate the pain. In the short run, there may be some improvement because you are moving your neck. But neck pain is not caused by weak muscles; it is caused by tension and misalignment that need to be released.

Over several decades of treating clients’ neck pain as a Rolfer, I’ve learned that releasing the chronic tension in the head, neck and upper back does wonders for healing neck pain. For some clients, much of their neck pain comes from their neck adjusting to an imbalance lower in their body. For instance, if one leg is shorter, your back and neck will adjust so your head is level. Years of this adaptation will create strain. You can loosen the neck, but often the pain will continue if the entire body isn’t balanced.

It’s amazing how the body can heal when the stress is removed. Your body wants to feel good; it just may need a little help to regain the resiliency you once had.

¹According to Allan I. Binder, MD, a rheumatologist who published a 2007 study in the British Medical Association Journal.

Owen Marcus, MA Certified Advance Rolfer, www.align.org, 265.8440.

Allergies are among one of the most common medical conditions, affecting approximately one out of every five Americans. Common triggers include various grass and tree pollen, such as ragweed and elm, as well as foods or food groups like milk, nuts, or shellfish, and animal dander. Basically, anything the body does not recognize as “self” can become a potential allergen. Simply put, an allergy is an abnormal immune response to an otherwise harmless substance. The body detects a food or pollen exposure as a foreign invader, which triggers an inflammatory reaction. Symptoms range from the irritating but benign nasal congestion, sneezing and itchy eyes to possible skin rashes and hives, to the potentially fatal inflammation and swelling of upper airways.

Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects nearly 3 percent of Americans. Asthma is closely related in nature to the allergic-type response, as it too is a hyper-inflammatory reaction to an otherwise harmless substance or event. Often, people with asthma also suffer from some form of allergies. In asthma, one’s ability to breathe is greatly affected. Typical symptoms include spasm of the bronchi (or airway tubes), swelling of lining of the lungs, and excessive mucous production. Shortness of breath and wheezing are often experienced. The greatest concern is that if not immediately addressed, an asthmatic attack could lead to respiratory failure.

Mario Roxas, ND, 208/946-0984

A Naturopathic Prospective

Allergies and asthma are both conditions that can benefit from various alternative and complementary therapies. From a naturopathic perspective, one of the key considerations is to lower a person’s allergic threshold. This involves not only identifying the triggers and finding ways to reduce the risk of exposure, but also looking at aspects of an individual’s current lifestyle and health that may make them more prone to allergy reactions. If a person is already in a state of higher stress or inflammation, then they are more susceptible to react to other stressors that come their way. For example, habits such as smoking, and/or excess alcohol intake, lower an individual’s ability to handle the additional stressors that seasonal allergens may place on the body. Additionally, poor diet and nutritional deficiencies can play a very significant role in reducing one’s resistance to allergens. Key nutritional supplementation, like omega 3 fatty acids and bioflavonoids, along with certain diet and lifestyle modifications, can help reduce inflammation and strengthen the body’s resistance to stressors, allowing for better management of allergies. To find out more specific things you can do to manage your allergies and asthma, please call Mario Roxas, ND at 208-946-0984 or email at info@drroxas.com and set up a visit.

Owen Marcus, MA Certified Advance Rolfer, www.align.org, 265.8440

A Rolfer’s Perspective

Respiratory disorders, such as allergies and asthma, can actually alter the body’s physical structure. In the case of respiratory difficulty, restricted breathing can create a misshapen rib cage. If breathing is difficult–or even scary–the body will distort around that stress, adapting by creating fascial adhesions or scar tissue. Not taking full breaths creates the restricted structure reinforcing the experience that breathing is difficult.

So how do we reverse this pattern?

First, you free the chronic structural and soft tissue pattern by releasing the chronic tension held in the body. Rolfing was specifically designed to remove the chronic tension held in the body’s soft tissue and can reestablish the subtleness to allow the rib cage to move more freely.

Twenty years ago, I conducted a study on Rolfing with elite runners at Arizona State University. The biggest improvement they collectively experienced was increased vital capacity (the ability to take in more air). Even the world-class runners—including an Olympic marathon runner—experienced breathing improvements. Chronic allergy and asthma sufferers, after decades of breathing restrictions, usually see considerable improvement with Rolfing.

The other key factor with optimal breathing is to learn not to respond to stress in the old tension-producing manner.

When I had a clinic in Scottsdale, AZ, we operated a Mindfulness Stress Reduction program for hospitals and corporations. In the eight-week course, we often had students who experienced breathing problems. After a few weeks of teaching their mind and body to relax in the face of stress, the respiratory symptoms would decline. The core of the course was learning to feel, and then let what was occurring to occur. When we stop resisting our bodies, we stop tensing. For whatever reason, we learned to hold our breath when stressed; when we just let go and breathe, the stress seems to dissipate. When the tension of stress is gone, we breathe naturally.

Penny Waters, Relaxation Destination, 208/597-4343

Herbs and ReflexologyPerspective, Handling Allergies With the Touch of Reflexology and Herbs

Many of you are probably breathing a sigh of relief now that the days of buds in spring and grasses in summer are turning to cooler days of fall and winter. Gone will be the allergens that cause you such discomfort – itchy and runny eyes, sniffles, sore throat, stuffed up sinuses, aching head and so on. Would you like to be free of this yearly misery? Then let’s use the winter months to prepare for spring in such a way that you do not experience your allergies next year.

Without a doubt, the immune system needs to be cleansed and strengthened in order to fight the myriad of external pollutants and irritants that surround us daily that cause our allergic reactions. I recommend some wonderful herbs for this purpose. Foods that congest our system and cause our immune system to work overtime have to be reduced and eliminated, too. Foods that will be good for you are also recommended and help give you replacements for your usual fare. I also use herbs to boost immunity: Herbs that are high in Vitamin C that help flush the kidneys and detoxify the liver all find a place in an herbal formula. Herbs help curb cravings, too, when we give up some of our comfort foods for the sake of our health.

At the core of this program to control allergic reactions is reflexology. A series of reflexology sessions in the fall and then in late winter before spring will ensure success. The body is stimulated to throw off the congestion and toxic accumulation in your blood, organs, and lymphatic system. This will be strongly supported by your food program. You will be amazed at how deeply you can breathe, how clear your head feels, how alive and mobile you are, and how great it feels to experience true wellness.

Don’t wait until spring. Start now and avoid allergy misery and give yourself a health boost that will last a lifetime.

Robin and Layman Mize, Quantum Biofeedback, Certified Biofeedback Specialists, 208/610-9997.

Biofeedback and Allergies

When we hear the term “allergy testing” we most often think of the traditional medical approach, using a “scratch test” or needles to determine allergy stressors or sensitivities.

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Biofeedback Analysis is a phenomenal, scientific method to detect sensitivities using ones’ own muscle strength and the static electricity present in the body. Even children feel comfortable using this accurate, non-invasive and painless method of analysis!

Biofeedback analysis is based on the idea that there is an energy field which flows around and through all things. The Chinese call this energy Qi or Chi (pronounced “Chee”). Like a magnet creates a magnetic field which holds iron filings in a certain pattern, the Chi creates a field which holds the cells of our body in alignment. Theoretically, by altering the Chi, one can alter the body. In biofeedback analysis we use the body’s energy as a gauge to determine the level of stress intolerance to a given substance.

Krystle Shapiro, BA, LMT, CDT, Touchstone Massage Therapies,

208-290-6760

A Medical Massage Therapy Perspective

I find Manual Lymph Drainage Therapy especially helpful for clearing congestion in the sinuses and chest when my clients complain of stuffy heads, runny noses, and difficulty breathing. The lymph system works overtime during spring and summer when so much environmental toxins are present in our air and water. This specialized massage effectively encourages the lymph system to speed up its removal of accumulated toxins and cellular wastes of all kinds. This may increase a runny nose and/or coughing experience, but these reactions are short lived as the wastes are eliminated leaving the allergy/asthma sufferer feeling more clear headed, less achy, “dryer” and more energetic to get on with normal routines.

Clearing the accumulated debris from the immune system in a timely fashion enables it to continue its normal alert, attack, and manage activities that keep us healthy and vibrant. Manual Lymph Drainage is the perfect complement to your fall/winter health regimen.

Back pain can be one of the most chronic and debilitating forms of ill health a person can experience. When someone is experiencing back problems it tends to make life a challenge, and nothing else seems to go right. Whether it is disk problems, sciatica, scoliosis, or muscles spasms, the pain can be so distracting that your whole day is formed around trying to get around the annoyance and discomfort. Does this ring a bell with you, or with someone you know?

As a CranioSacral therapist, I see many people in your position, and understand what it means to experience chronic, nagging tightness, soreness, inflammation, and pain. The good news is that CranioSacral Therapy has helped countless people be relieved of their suffering, and regain their joy and zeal for life.

Back pain can stem from several causes. One such cause if called the “layering effect”. During a person’s lifetime many small traumas can occur to the body, and they are continually encapsulated and absorbed into the muscles and soft tissues. The body does this so that the whole body is not incapacitated and you can get up in the morning and get to work! But the body can only take so much before it begins to complain in a big way. So, maybe you are bending down to pick up a newspaper and your back seizes up. Well, that can be because it’s your body’s way of saying it is the last straw to all of the abuse it has taken over the years. So, when you come to me, I would work on releasing those muscles and soft tissues so that not only your pain is relieved, but the underlying causes are treated and released as well.

Another cause for back pain can be a sudden, large trauma, such as a car accident or major surgery. Someone once told me that a car accident is surprise trauma to the body, and surgery is organized trauma to the body. Either way, the body reacts in the same manner. Again, it will seize up and encapsulate the affected area, and try its best to function through the pain. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t. When it doesn’t, that is where CranioSacral Therapy can help.

CranioSacral Therapy is a light touch healing modality, in which the client is clothed on the treatment table. How can light touch be so effective? Well, I have been extensively trained to listen to your body and pinpoint where the root cause of your discomfort is coming from. I do this by reading the flow of your cerebrospinal fluid - the fluid surrounding you spinal chord that runs up and down your body from your sacrum (lower back) to your brain. Your body flexes and extends to this rhythm, and where there is an obstruction in the rhythm, I know that area needs treatment. In CranioSacral Therapy it is all about soft tissue release, so that the affected area can relax and realign. A really good CS therapist can find the exact locations that are causing the pain, and treat accordingly. In CranioSacral Therapy it is all about soft tissue release, so that the tightness, inflammation, and soreness can relax and release. I also treat other areas in the body that have compensated for the pain, so that all of your body parts can once again be realigned and work as a whole. We call this “integrated therapy”.

Does this sound like the treatment you (or a friend) have been looking for? CranioSacral Therapy has been around in the health field for about 35 years. It was developed by Dr. John Upledger, who established the Upledger Institute for CranioSacral Therapy’s continuing development and research. There are thousands of CST practitioners around the world, many of them incorporating CS skills within their professions. I treat clients by primarily using CranioSacral Therapy, and also by incorporating CST in therapeutic massage sessions. When you sign up for an appointment we can determine which approach is best for you. My goal is to have you get “back” into the swing of things ASAP!

Ilani Kopiecki, BA & CMT is a CranioSacral Therapist and Therapeutic Massage Practitioner. She has been in practice for over eight years. She maintains her office at Stepping Stones Wellness Center, 803 Pine Street, right here in Sandpoint. To arrange an appointment with Ilani, please call her practice at: 610-2005. To find out more about CranioSacral Therapy, please go to www.upledger.com on the web.

Feet are an adventure when you’re a Reflexologist and a journey of discovery for you, the client. When my fingers begin to walk all over your feet, following the map of reflexes that connect your feet with every body part, I find lumps, crystals, soft and hard places, tender, numb and empty spaces. These unbalanced reflexes with their differing textures and temperatures feel tender, tingly or numb and they reveal stress, tension, congestion, exhaustion, inflammation, degeneration, and much more, in your related body part. Your life is in your feet to be revealed and healed! Using my thumb and forefinger to apply a sensitive pressure, I spend extra time on these unbalanced reflexes. This stimulates energy to flow, in a domino effect, correcting vibration rates throughout your entire body/ mind/heart / spirit. You are very relaxed, genuinely changed and renewed by this effect.

You don’t need to be ill or suffering with a particular complaint or condition to benefit from reflexology. We can all use relaxation and balancing in any state of wellness. But, if you do have a health issue, reflexology is always beneficial and there are no contraindications to having reflexology.

“Can working on my feet help my back pain?” Absolutely! Rest your foot on the outside edge and examine the inner edge. The area from the middle of your big toe down to your inner heel area is the spine reflex. ‘Walking’ and ‘working’ the reflexes with my fingers up and down this whole length along several different paths reaches all parts of your back-vertebrae, spinal column, sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves- and relieves tension, pain, stiffness, inflammation and even misalignment. “It’s like you’ve oiled my neck” people will say or “I feel like I’ve had a back massage.” Some clients make amazing discoveries. An aching knee, numb feet or painful leg is actually a lower back or hip problem.

People sometimes ask if reflexology actually helps with foot pain while it’s having such a profound affect on every other part of your body. Good question. Yes, it does. Reflexology improves the pain of inflammation and stagnation with the increased circulation it brings. It helps stretch tight, stiff and cramped muscles and relieves inflamed ligaments and pinched nerves. For these reasons, discomfort associated with many different conditions such as bone spurs, plantar fasciitis, arthritis and more are helped by foot reflexology. “When your feet hurt, you hurt all over”. It is wonderful to help with foot pain and in so doing, help someone feel better all over.

Penny’s business is Your RELAXATIONDESTINATION and she can be reached at 208 597 4343. You can also visit her at www.cureforthecommonspa.com . To access other articles by Penny, please visit www.sandpointwellnesscouncil.com.

There’s an 80% chance you will see your doc about back pain during your life. In the last article, you learned the distinction between acute and chronic back pain, and how to not cause either. And you learned that breathing is the key to preventing and healing back tension. This article will explore, in greater depths, what is behind chronic back pain and what you can do about it.

As a Rolfer, I tend to treat people after they tried everything else. This in not because other treatments are ineffective – it’s because the tension that is causing the persistent problem is old. After many years of repeated back problems, the entire body gets tighter and more distorted. The original problem might have been from a childhood injury. Over the years, the body has more stress, more injuries and more patterns of compensation that all add to increased tension. At some point, the body exhausts its ability to counteract the original strain pattern. Now you are worse off – you have the original tension plus years of coping with it.

The Often-Overlooked Source of Back Pain

We all know we get shorter as we age. But it’s not our bones shortening—it’s the soft tissue shortening and screwing down. Here is a quick test to evaluate what your low back is up against:

Stand up, and place your fingers on your pelvis.

Push in a little until you feel that lower twelve rib.

Optimally, you should have the space of three finger widths between your pelvis and your lower rib.

Rarely do I find that much space. Two finger widths is great, one is adequate. When you are at no space or having your ribs inside your pelvis, you have a problem.

This is where we lose most of our height. Our discs are like jelly donuts being space fillers between the vertebras allowing the spine to move. They become pancakes from this compression. When the discs compress and the tissue around them tighten, they dehydrate from lack of circulation and movement. This sets up the bulging or ruptured disc that may require surgery. This chronic tension and shortness just makes you more vulnerable to back injury and pain.

Strengthening your back will often give your short-term gain; you’ll have increased movement, and you may develop a new pattern of compensation. Over time, the soft tissue just gets tighter.

We need to go in the other direction. We need to release and lengthen the tissue. Unfortunately at this point, stretching does not work for most people. Stretching these muscles is like stretching a steel cable. We need to make the soft tissue soft again.

What Is Possible

If the body created soft tissue strain, it can usually un-create it. When the correct amount of pressure is applied to the right area, the tissue begins to release. Over time, hydration, subtleness and movement returns. The body begins to unwind as it lengthens out. The space in between the pelvis and the ribs returns.

Once the body attains a level of order and relaxation, the change becomes sustainable. All our bodies prefer pleasure to pain. When we are so used to pain, it can take a while for our bodies to trust that our backs can be as they were when we were younger.

Part of returning this vibrancy to our tissue comes from changing simple behaviors. The first is learning not to protect your back. The natural behavior of holding to avoid or reduce your back pain over time only makes your back tighter. I have seen people where their pain is long gone, the back is loose, but the person still protects out of habit. Noticing how subtlety we hold is huge. A lot of little holding all the time adds up to be significant. A lot of subtle letting go adds up also.

Rolfing is certainly not the only means to releasing chronic tension; it just may be quickest, though. Teaching the entire body to deeply and consistently relax can do a lot. As mentioned in the previous article, learning to breath and dealing with stress can significantly improve chronic pain.

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Owen Marcus as Sandpoint’s local Rolfer (www.align.org) focuses on turning around chronic conditions.

Physical Therapists may be known traditionally for their role in rehabilitation; however physical therapists play an important role in prevention, health maintenance, and in the promotion of health, wellness and fitness. Within the health and wellness industry, you may find physical therapists working in personal training studios, gyms, fitness centers, athletic facilities, and in corporate or industrial health centers.

Physical Therapists are movement specialists with an advanced clinical knowledge of the human muscular and skeletal system. Physical therapists diagnose and treat all types of movement problems. They also maintain and promote optimal physical function, wellness, fitness, and quality of life as it relates to movement and health.

There is a movement in physical therapy in general that focuses on prevention rather than treatment. Physical therapists working within the field of health, wellness and fitness have an incredible opportunity to help individuals improve their health, well-being, and quality of life. Providing expert exercise program design along with nutritional and lifestyle guidance can make a huge impact on individuals with existing health concerns and/or people who are just interested in maintaining or improving their current health. Not only will the individual’s health, vitality and quality of life increase but health care costs over the long term will be substantially reduced with preventative care.

Both people with existing injuries or illnesses and those with no health issues at all may choose a physical therapist as their guide to design a weekly exercise regimen and to provide them with helpful tips on lifestyle choices such as nutrition, sleep, and stress reduction. Employers may hire a physical therapist to teach their staff safe lifting techniques or to set up their workstations optimally to improve posture and decrease worksite injuries.

If you are searching for expert guidance for your health, wellness and/or fitness concerns, consider a physical therapist as your practitioner of choice.

Kristine Battey is a licensed physical therapist, a certified athletic trainer, a certified strength and conditioning specialist (personal trainer) and a holistic lifestyle coach. She owns Divine Health & Fitness and can be reached at (208) 946-7072.

It’s inevitable. Like death and taxes. Back pain.

Second to colds, the most likely reason you’ll visit a healthcare provider will be back pain. Fifty percent of Americans report back pain each year.

Are you in pain right now? Is your movement limited? Are you reducing your activities because of the pain or the fear of the pain? Let’s look at why.

A lot of back pain comes from overexertion. If that’s you, you’re lucky. Your pain will go away once your body recovers from being pushed. And there’s a good chance it won’t return—unless you overdo it again. In time, you’ll be fine.

For pain due to overexertion, traditional remedies work well. Cold compresses can reduce swelling. Warm, moist heat helps muscles that feel tight. Alternating the two can be beneficial. And of course, massage and gentle stretching relax the tightness, and the movement prevents further stiffness. Rest always supports the body in healing, and topical ointments will give you warmth and local pain relief.

Chronic Back Pain

Chronic back pain is a different animal. Pain often occurs without physical exertion; it just shows up. As the frequency and intensity of episodes increase, each incident leaves a tension residue that sets up the next attack of pain. Pain pills and muscles relaxers can help, but many people don’t like their side effects. One thing is clear: just treating the symptom is not enough—particularly when the problem is likely to return.

Prevention and Treatment

The best way to treat chronic back pain is to prevent it. Learn to lift using your legs. Sit on your sits bones. Stop slouching! It will all reduce back strain. Use ergonomic furniture that adjusts to your unique body, instead of forcing your body to adapt to the furniture. Moving helps, too – get up and walk around, take breaks.

And the most critical behavior—the one we never think—about is breathing. I know, you are breathing. The question is how well.

When I taught Mindfulness Stress Reduction courses in Scottsdale, AZ, the principal reason people came to us was back pain. At the time, we were the largest company offering these courses in the country. Most of our students for the 8-week course were referrals from hospital networks or corporate clients.

We taught the students to breath. As easy as it might sound, the first few weeks were tough. Doing very simple relaxation exercises would actually create stress. The students’ old habits prevented them from relaxing and breathing fully. Once they realized how tense they were, they saw and how much they were limiting their breath—even when they believed they were relaxed. With daily homework and coming to the weekly class, their awareness and breathing increased as their stress and pain declined.

What does this mean for you? If these very tense people can dramatically change their stress and pain in 8-weeks, so can you. The first step is to become aware of how you hold your body and your breath. If you are holding one, you are holding the other. As your breath becomes fuller, slower and more relaxed you begin to train your body not to hold stress, but to release it.

In keeping with letting go, I suggest to my clients that they do not do “back strengthening” exercises. I have not seen a back that was muscularly weak; I see many that are structurally weak. Our bigger back muscles are not meant to be posture muscles, they are designed to move us, not hold us. The constant holding makes them tighter. Rather than getting stronger form sit-ups or back extensions, practice breathing and stretching.

My next article will build on this one and begin to explore how Rolfing turns around chronic back pain.

Owen Marcus as Sandpoint’s local Rolfer (www.align.org) focuses on turning around chronic conditions.

It is with great pride and excitement I introduce you to The Sandpoint Wellness Council. We are an association of independent complementary wellness practitioners located in Sandpoint dedicated to holistic health care, who together see the value of our synergistic practices, and who have chosen to work diligently together to bring to you relevant and scientifically researched information on health care options. We believe that there is no “one” solution for everyone; rather each person individually has unique needs and concerns, and undertaken in such a perspective, effective remediation of causes of distress and dis-ease can be accomplished.

This year our collective aim is to bring you information about our individual practices and their objectives so that you may make informed decisions about what you want in your personal health care regimen. Complementary health care is about synergy, about working with all ideas for health improvement, prevention, and maintenance of well being. The Sandpoint Wellness Council aims to inform, generate relevant questions, answer those questions, and assist others in finding and understanding current research. Many of our practitioners offer protocols that can effectively provide relief of many common complaints.

Each month we will be presenting a topic and will provide information from several of the participating Sandpoint Wellness Council members. We invite our readers to contact us with questions you would like us to address, and we will provide that information in upcoming issues of The River Journal. Contact information is provided at the end of this article.

Our first topic focuses on Migraine Headaches. According to Ruth Werner in A Massage Therapist’s Guide to Pathology, page 266, 28 million people experience migraines. This leads to not only lost wages but to high medical expenses each year. Women tend to suffer more than men, and causes are varied, from genetic factors, personal lifestyle choices, as well as to environmental influences.

Physiologically, migraines can occur from a narrowing of blood vessels in the brain called vasoconstriction. This increases blood pressure within the vessels. This is then followed by an expansion of the blood vessels called vasodilation. With this expansion comes the intense pain of a migraine headache.

Trying to uncover the causes of migraines remains a prominent topic among many professionals. As we accept the bio-individuality of ourselves, we also recognize that a prescription of “one size fits all” does not always effectively deal with the possible triggers that cause migraines. Ruth Werner suggests many possible triggers, such as magnesium deficiency (which allows for muscle relaxation), “consumption of certain kinds of foods, including red wine, cheese, chocolate, coffee, tea [all our favorite things!], MSG, and alcohol” (266-67). As well, Werner relates that stress and hormonal shifts may also be contributing factors.

As Complementary Health practitioners, we see people with a variety of symptoms, and each of us has learned to address these symptoms within our scopes of practice. Following are the educated and professional protocols The Sandpoint Wellness Council members utilize to bring comfort and relief for the expressions of migraine headaches for our valued clients. Your review of these multifaceted options may provide you insight for what may work for your specific needs.

From Ilani Kopiecki, CMT, Integrated Body Work and CranioSacral Therapy, 208-610-2005:

In CranioSacral Therapy we use several different release techniques to help with migraine headaches. We release the vertebrae in the neck and upper thoracic area to make sure blood flow to the head is running smoothly. We adjust the sacrum and lower back to ensure release throughout the spine. We also release the occiput, temporal, frontal, and parietal bones in the head so that the dural tissue throughout the cranium is open and pliable. Sometimes the jaw and the TMJ areas must be released as well to alleviate pressure in the neck and head. It is also important to counsel the client on diet, lifestyle, and water intake.

From Kristine Battey MSPT, ATC, CSCS, HLC, Divine Health & Fitness, www.divinehf.com, 208-946-7072

Exercise can be an excellent tool for fighting off a migraine and may also help the person to relax when they have a migraine. Light cardiovascular exercise followed by stretching and deep, relaxing breathing can relax the body and the muscles in the neck and shoulders that lead to tension related migraine headaches. The use of a foam roller or therapeutic ball for stretching can help the spinal muscles to relax. During acute migraine, I instruct clients to lie down in a quiet room, close their eyes and do gentle stretches along with relaxing, deep breathing techniques. This may relieve the migraine or at least help it to be more tolerable.

Another important part of preventing migraines is related to the person’s diet. It is important for a migraine sufferer to clear their diet of toxins and eat high quality, nutrient dense food. I assess my clients physiological load which is the sum total of all stressors acting on their body: what they eat, when they eat, stress, sleep, their digestive system, and their detoxification system. I also assess what metabolic type they are and guide them to make quality food choices according to what types of food their particular nutritional type would benefit from most. Eating an organic, whole food diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and quality sources of grass-fed, organic meat are important for optimal health and may help to decrease the incidence or severity of migraines.

From Krystle Shapiro, LMT, Touchstone Massage Therapies, 208-290-6760

Oftentimes with severe headaches, the last thing someone wants is to be touched! Depending on the severity of the headache, and/or the type of headache, i.e. cluster, migraine, sinus, tension, or chemical headaches, massage can provide a reduction of stress that may be a contributing factor. Manual lymph drainage, a specialized massage for moving lymph fluids, may be especially helpful in releasing head congestion contributing to migraine symptoms.

From Robin Mize CBS. Quantum Biofeedback, 208-263-8846
There are a number of alternative or complementary treatment options available for migraine relief. One of these options for migraines is biofeedback. Biofeedback is a technique that involves reducing the effects of pain and stress on your body by learning how your body reacts to pain and stress. Biofeedback does this through monitoring instruments that can detect and display internal bodily function. This is where the EPFX system comes in. This system picks up on those individual stressors and retrains through the subconscious mind. The practitioner is able to share with the client what those stressors may be, and then the client can use that information for lifestyle changes. This can give people better control over body function indicators such as blood pressure, heart rate, temperature, muscle tension, and brain waves. Biofeedback is a type of complementary and alternative medicine known as mind-body therapy. Biofeedback for migraines may be coupled with relaxation therapy. Relaxation therapy teaches a variety of relaxation strategies for reducing tension and stress throughout the body. I have been able to assist many of my clients that suffer with migraine headaches.
From Owen Marcus, MA, CA, Rolfer, 265-8440, www.align.org

As a Rolfer over that past 28 years, I have had many referrals for migraines. Every one of these clients had an usually tense upper back, neck and head. Neurologist, who were clients of mine and who sent me some of these clients, also saw a consistent pattern of tension with migraine patients. Chronic soft tissue tension is often a reflection of not just a higher stress level, but can come from never being taught how to really relax. Once the body begins to relax, the mind learns to relax. Together the client has greater resiliency to stress, thereby less vulnerable to headaches. Once the soft tissue tension begins to release from the upper body, enviably the migraines would reduce or completely disappear.

From Penny Waters, Reflexologist, Master Herbalist, 597-4343

When a client comes to me seeking relief from migraine headaches I immediately anticipate that I will find imbalance in the liver and/or pituitary gland/brain/spine and nerve reflexes. This is because migraines are associated with digestive difficulties, especially congestion in the liver, tension from stress, which always affects the function of the pituitary gland (and, in turn, all glands), nervous system and constricting and expanding blood vessels in the brain.
We begin with a thorough written and verbal consultation about lifestyle, stresses, foods eaten, exercise habits, and so on. I offer hope and an outline of the approach we will take together to facilitate wellness.
Despite my initial suspicions, I always let the feet tell me what is out of balance in the body. My client is invited to ‘put their feet up’ and then I go to work giving a full reflexology session on the feet, making notes as to areas of tension, congestion and inflammation. Reflexology is revealing as it tells me which organs or glands are out of balance and needing healing that promote proper function of the body. Reflexology helps the migraine headaches decrease in frequency and intensity and also is profoundly relaxing to the body, mind and spirit relieving stress and the resulting impact on wellness. When the reflexology is complete, I discuss with my client the organs, glands and body parts that are out of balance and the impact of reflexology on promoting wellness. I generally recommend reflexology treatments once a week for 4-6 weeks for a transformation in the condition. Individual programs, however, will be made according to the needs of the client. I also recommend herbs that will help bring about and speed up wellness in the affected areas and relieve the migraine headaches. Generally one herbal formula in a tea or tincture is all that I recommend at any one time. At this point I will discuss foods that are commonly associated with triggering migraines and make suggestions for food changes that will help prevent migraines. The goal is to assess the whole person and the life of this person to establish patterns that are leading to this painful condition and to choose a new path leading to well-being and joyful living.

Contact information for your questions for future articles:
Krystle Shapiro, Touchstone Massage Therapies: 208-290-6760, or email at krystle.touchstone@gmail.com.

The Sandpoint Wellness Council Members:
Krystle Shapiro, Touchstone Massage Therapies, 208/290-6760
Owen Marcus, Rolfing, 208/265-8440
Tess Hahn, Acupuncture, 208/683-5211
Kristine Battey, Divine Health Physical Therapy, 208/946-7072
Ilani Kopiecki, Integrated Body Work & CranioSacral 208/610-2005
Mary Boyd, Mountain View Physical Therapy 208/290-5575
Robin Mize, Quantum Biofeedback Systems 208/610-9997
Julie Hutslar, Core Belief Restructuring 208/263-1448
Mario Roxas, Naturopath 208/946-0984
Toni Tessier, Dancing Hands Massage, Bach Flowers 208/610-8681
Penny Waters, Relaxation Destination, Herbology, Reflexology 208/597-4343

Why do we need it? Why do we want it? Because everything is better when you’re relaxed. Stress is considered a major contributing factor in 95% of all illnesses and health complaints. Stress affects every cell, organ, gland, muscle and body part, as well as your emotions, mind and spirit so your life is improved profoundly by relaxation. Productivity, creativity, joy, sex, thinking, sleeping, digestion, hormone production, immune system, circulation, love, communication and even spiritual peace are all touched and transformed by relaxation.

How do we relax?

A good cry and laughing jiggle us up loosening the tension, shaking up the stagnation, which changes our vibrations- speeds them up or slows them down as needed. That’s why dancing, singing, a brisk walk, a run, sports, yoga, also help us feel better and more relaxed. These activities change our vibration rate. Your body is always seeking balance and the state of homeostasis. It knows what the correct vibration rate is. The body will pick up what it needs and let go what it does not in order to correct the vibration rate.

Unfortunately, we often feel we do not have the time, energy or fitness for many of the healthier answers to changing vibration rates and finding relaxation. We turn to alcohol, food, lounging, vacuous TV watching and so on to restore our balance. We all know true wellness is not found like this but it is easy and enjoyable on many sensual levels.

“Just put your feet up”

As a Reflexologist I tell my stressed out or burnt out clients “Put your feet up and get happy, get healthy and get relaxed”. It’s a simple and blissful way to find profound, healing relaxation. It combines the much needed change in vibration rate with an activity that is easy, enjoyable and healthy!

Reflexology has mapped the entire body on the feet. The left foot is the left side of the body, the right foot the right side. The head, chest, abdomen, intestines, pelvis and every organ, gland and body part in those areas all have a reflex in the feet.

The Reflexologist, by applying pressure on these reflexes (using thumb or forefinger), promotes a balancing response in the body. Like a domino effect, energy is stimulated to flow through pathways to all body parts. The necessary energy is taken or given up to restore the correct vibration rate. This induces deep relaxation throughout the body, mind and spirit- automatically and effortlessly- which is always beneficial to any health complaint.

Penny Waters, Reflexologist, Herbalist, can be reached at: 208 597 4343 or penny@cureforthecommonspa.com