Archive for April, 2010

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respiratory system pathologies

April 29, 2010

The breath of life, if a person is not breathing for few moments, death will come soon from lack of oxygen to vital organs like, the brain and heart, or causing permanent damages to them. It is so important to maintain a healthy respiratory system. Pathogens like viruses and bacteria come inside our body, using the respiratory system as an easy entrance. During the assessment, and during the massage, the therapist needs to observe if the breathing pattern is normal. If the client nose gets too congested because of the toxins being released or can not breath because of their sinus problems, the best thing to do, is to turn them over, let them clear up their nose and put some head support to lift the head, this will help them to breathe better. If the massage therapist observes signs of cyanosis on lips or fingernails this indicates lack of oxygen in the blood, advice medical attention immediately. Some positions and strokes will help the client, to clear up the respiratory tract, like percussion strokes can loosen up phlegm. Massage therapy can help the clients with respiratory system problems by improving their immune system. If the client has allergies or asthma, the massage room should be free of allergens, and have non allergen oils handy in case of an allergic reaction, and have close, a bronchodilator medicine, in case of an asthma attack. The respiratory membrane is located at the end of the alveoli, is where the gas exchange takes place, this is a tough membrane, and very elastic, long term exposure to air pollution, cigarette smoke, dust, pollen, asbestos can damage it, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases will take place and a slow death could occur. If the client has respiratory illnesses and is under treatment, is necessary to know what medications is taking, that way, massage therapists can accommodate their service preventing any bad reaction to this drugs. Regular breading exercises, should be recommended to strengthen the respiratory system.

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nervous system pathologies

April 29, 2010

The nervous system works in conjunction with the endocrine system to keep homeostasis in check. Millions of sensory cells are sending information to the central nervous system for evaluation, if anything out of its parameters will be corrected by direct action of the nerve system or by the release of hormones, many pathologies, that affect the nervous system, are acquired or congenital, either way, massage can help the client to release the tension created by this illnesses, so the body can heal itself. Many activities are realized consciously during the day, but many more are realized automatically and unconsciously all those decisions are taken by the central nervous system like the regulation of blood vessel diameter is achieved by the sympathetic nervous system, this system is the one responsible for the fight or flight, in other words, in case of an emergency you confront the situation or you leave the situation, all this surrounded by physical and mental changes like, increase of the heart rate, dilation of pupils, tunnel vision, faster breathing, the palms of your hands get wet with perspiration, the mind blocks and focuses in the threatening situation. When we are chronically in "emergency mode" stress, this will weaken our immune system and any illness can overcome us. In our assessment to the client, we should take in consideration the mental state of the client, if something calls our attention, like nervousness, jerking movements, abnormal breathing patterns, color of the skin, even the tone of the voice, can be an indication that a nervous pathology is affecting the client, some times little details can help us, to approach the problem in a better way. One of my clients, told me that needed a relaxing massage because of the stress she was having. During the assessment, I ask her, if her voice, always being like that, as she was chocking. She said she did not notice the difference, but, that I was the third person telling her the same thing in the last three moths. In a deeper evaluation I found the reason for the nervousness and the chocking of her voice. Using the proper modality she was able to recover her calm and her normal voice. It is important to have a healthy nervous system but many factors can damage it. Improper diet, lack of sleep, recreational or medicated drugs, emotional stress, deep and prolonged sadness. If any symptom let the client know, if necessary refer to a health care provider. People with nervous pathologies can benefit from a good relaxing massage mainly to release stress. It is easier to have a positive approach to difficulties if your mind is relaxed and calm.

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dermatological pathologies

April 29, 2010

Since many pathogens can reside on or in the skin is very important for the massage therapist to be very knowledgeable recognizing the signs and symptoms that pathogens have, that way the massage therapist will protect his/her self of acquiring the pathogen by contact , inflaming the area infected or spreading the pathogen to other areas. Color pigmentations, hardness, softness, rashes, fissures, parasites, or anything abnormal that the massage therapist could see or palpate has to be documented for future observations or refer out to a health care provider if necessary. Some people have allergic reactions to massage oils, is important to have in hand different massage oils and lotions usually clients know to what they are allergic, and which oil does not give them allergic reaction. In my practice, I had clients with aids, herpes simplex; fungal infections, skin cancer; warts, some of them very contagious pathologies and some clients omit to tell you at the beginning that they have them, and tell you later when they have more confidence with you. That is why, is so important to have always good cleaning habits, washing hands, using gloves if broken skin, yours or client’s, recommend bathing before massage, using clean sheets with every client, disinfecting stones or other artifacts used during the massage.

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client intake and health assesment

April 29, 2010

The first impression is the most important, and by maintaining a knowledgeable professional attitude and mannerism, massage therapists, will grow in their practice. Knowing the medical history of the client, possible contraindications and the actual needs, will help the massage therapist to establish a treatment plan, what modalities to use what pressure, and even what kind of oils. During the assessment the massage therapist should use every sense, palpating visualizing hearing, smelling, to analyze the subjective and objective data always comparing both sides of the body their looks, range of motion, reaction to pressure, posture, always remembering that is a person looking for your help and that is your duty to respond the best way you can. The client must be informed of the plan of action, the short term , and long term goals, the desirable and the possible undesirable effects. It is very important to establish a close communication with the client, any objective or subjective information of any changes needs to be recorded, positive or negative. This will allow the massage therapist to keep good records of the treatments to be able to satisfy the individual needs of clients, make adjustments if necessary and have legal evidence if needed.

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cancer and neoplasia

April 23, 2010

When a person hears that has cancer, that person knows is facing death, cancer can easily metastasize or spread to other organs since cancer cells can travel through blood stream or lymphatic fluid. The majority of cancers are caused by exposure to carcinogens; they can change the gene structure of the cell; for example the tar in cigarette smoking, radon gas, and ultraviolet rays from sunlight. There are three types of cancer treatments; surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Massage treatments help people with cancer, in a great deal, relaxing them, cleansing de body of toxins and the powerful drugs used for chemotherapy and its side effects. Massage to, helps to boost the immune system decreases the pain and edema of cancer patients by integrating body, mind and spirit, the patient can fight the illness. Before there was the idea that massage could help to spread the disease, no medical evidence has proof that massage can do that, on the contrary there are more and more publications saying the contrary.

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reproductive pathologies and sexually transmitted diseases

April 23, 2010

Two of my clients are both of them infertile, they have few things in common, their abdominal area could not be massaged, they are around forty years old, with a lot of stress in their lives and both of them want to get pregnant. It was so uncomfortable for them to be massaged, I tried different modalities and nothing work. I had to quit massaging them in that area and instead, I started using energy work, finally is working very good for both of them. They have not got pregnant yet, but the abdominal muscles are not so tense and painful as they used to be, one of them is being able to accept Swedish strokes in upper and lower abdominal muscles. Reproduction is a very important issue for a couple, some of them have problems procreating, relaxing the body and the mind with massage can help them to procreate. Many of the reproductive pathologies, are related to sexually transmitted diseases, some of this pathologies do not show symptoms for some time, the carrier keeps passing on the pathogen to other people for few years until is to late for their reproductive system. Other have the pathogen dormant as in HIV and they unknowingly pass on the virus to other people, it is not recommended to become pregnant having HIV, because the offspring will be born with the virus.

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urinary system pathologies

April 23, 2010

Our body is constantly making wastes and this wastes need to be expelled out of the body. The urinary system is in charge of that purification of the blood by eliminating nitrogenous waste, water, electrolytes, uric acid , lactic acid, urea, oxalic acid, drugs,. The kidneys form urine from the blood and they can maintain the PH and normal composition and volume of the body fluids by excretion of water and electrolytes. Two kidneys, two ureters, one bladder, one urethra, form the urinary system very simple and effective. The urinary system can be affected by chronic infections from other organs like mouth, throat, sinuses, causing serious damage infection to the glomerulus. The formation of calculi can block the flow of urine and cause severe pain. The massage therapist should be careful not to overload weak kidneys with extra waste from the massage.

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gastrointestinal system pathologies

April 23, 2010

The body needs energy for survival, with energy the body can create new tissues, and repair damaged or worn out organs. There are six classes of nutrients: carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, vitamins, minerals and water, the last three can be absorbed as they, do not need any further breaking down. During digestion, the chemicals released by the digestive system, break down complex structures like carbohydrates, proteins and lipids. This is broken down into molecules like monosaccharides, amino acids, and triglycerides that are easily absorbed by the body. All this takes place in a synchronized manner from mouth to anus, the food is chewed by the mouth into small pieces and mixed with the saliva forming a bolus that will go down the esophagus and into the stomach for mixing with digestive juices and enzymes, and after some time depending on how heavy was the meal. The bolus becomes a watery substance called chime, the pyloric sphincter opens and the chime goes down the duodenum, there, sensors will tell how much of bile is needed to break down the fat, next pancreas will do its job. This could take from three to ten hours; most of the nutrients will be absorbed. Once in the colon most of the water will be absorbed and will become the feces, with the help of peristaltic movements they will be transported to the anus to be expelled. There are many pathologies that can affect the gastrointestinal tract the massage therapist should be very careful wile assessing clients with different gastrointestinal pathologies and if any abnormality is found during abdominal massage, the client should be advice to look for medical diagnosis.

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cardiovascular and lymphatic/immune systems

April 23, 2010

Not having all the elements to build a strong cardiovascular and immune systems in combination with stress and the addition of all kinds of negative to our health products like food preservatives, hormones, pesticides, fertilizers, genetically engineered fruits and vegetables, contaminated water, polluted air. Lacks of: enzymes, minerals, vitamins, amino acids all that, and probably much more, is the price of living in a modern life style society. STRESS KILLS!, is not true, stress is the one that saves our lives in case of an emergency, remember fight or flight?, it is caused by the stress hormone epinephrine, this hormone increases blood pressure and heart rate constricting and dilating different circulatory vessels, if this condition of emergency remains for too long in our bodies and repeats over and over, as with any drug, becomes addictive. Remember? I work better under pressure, my adrenaline is flowing. Over time, poor stress management will take its toll. The first heart attack or stroke is on the way. This is why cardiovascular diseases are the number one killers in the United States of North America. All this affects to, the number one protector of our body, the immune system. Massage, in clients with cardiovascular and lymphatic disorders should be oriented to relax their nervous system. Breathing, walking and stretching exercises should be recommended.

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endocrine system pathologies

April 23, 2010

The endocrine system in conjunction with the nervous system is the one that is involve in most of our body functions, setting our body into motion. From conception to death hormones control every aspect of our lives that is way, it is very important to maintain a healthy endocrine system for example, our reproduction is sexual means that male and female endocrine systems have been working in cooperation to be able to attract a man and a woman to have sexual relations. Who creates this powerful attraction that can be called love, passion, and lust?, their endocrine systems. As we grow up the thymus gland plays big role the immune system, this gland will be smaller as we get older. When some endocrine organs like the pancreas have an abnormal output of insulin it is life threatening since insulin helps to transport glucose to most cells depriving them of energy. Excess adipose tissue acts, as if it is a gland. Fat cells secrete estrogen; this hormone has been linked to several cancers like the breast cancer. The worst fat is the one located around the waist, since is close to many organs in the abdominal area. Massage to people with endocrine system problems should be only after clearance from their health care provider since an internal bleeding could be caused.

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musculoskeletal pathologies

April 23, 2010

Muscles together with the nerves gives as motion protect our internal organs and place our bones in position. They are responsible of posture, temperature of the body, pumping the blood and when something is going abnormal will give us pain to protect a muscle or a group of muscles. Pain probably is the best guard we have for not damaging the muscles, now is very common almost too epidemic proportions the use of pain killers, this analgesics not only camouflages the problem but also inhibits the body the ability of creating its own pain killers. The musculoskeletal structure is the area where the massage therapist should be very knowledgeable, since the main purpose of the massage is relaxing, cleansing and helping the muscles of the client to recover from stress, injury or fatigue. If the massage therapist observes during the assessment that something looks abnormal in the musculoskeletal structure, should work on it or referred to a health care provider.

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Lung Cancer

April 20, 2010

Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer related deaths for both men and women. There are some long-term irritants that are associated with lung cancer, including: air pollution, cigarette smoke, asbestos, and coal dust. Cigarette smoke is the main cause of lung cancer. However, it is also important to note that lung cancer can also affect individuals who have never smoked. Tragically, lung cancer is often not detected until the late stages when symptoms include chronic cough, difficulty breathing, chest pain, coughing up blood, weight loss, and fatigue. A neighbor of mine was diagnosed with lung cancer last year. His health went from bad to worse and he died less than 6 months after receiving the diagnosis. He was vibrant and active before these symptoms appeared, had generally been in good health, exercised and was a vegetarian. He had also been a smoker. It was very hard for his family and friends to see him go through this painful end. As medical technologies and innovations advance, we will hopefully find better ways to detect cancers and other diseases earlier, and provide better treatment options that extend the quality and quantity of life by providing cures. For massage therapists, there are several guidelines to follow with patients diagnosed with cancer. It is essential to obtain clearance from the health care provider, and also educate themself about the type of cancer and the treatments that the client is undergoing. Massage over the site of tumors or areas infected by cancer are contraindicated due to pain from pressure of massage. The massage must also be adjusted to the stamina of the client and observe for signs of fatigue. Communication with both the client and primary care physician is essential in the planning of massage therapy.

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