Remedial Massage

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A Remedial Massage Therapist is trained to use specific techniques to stretch and lengthen connective tissue and muscles, reduces pain and discomfort, bringing wellness and a sense of relaxation and mobility to the client.

Remedial Massage shortens recovery time from muscular injuries by flushing the tissue of lactic acid, uric acid, and other metabolic wastes. Massage improves circulation and stretches the ligaments and tendons, keeping them subtle and young.   While also stimulating the skin and nervous system. Massage reduces stress, both emotional and physical, and is suggested as a regular program for stress management. It also has specific clinical advantages to assist in a medical, rehabilitation or remedial therapy program.

Remedial Massage imparts feeling of deep relaxation and calm. This occurs because during massage the release of Endorphins, the brain chemicals (neuro-transmitters) that produce feelings of wellbeing.  Levels of stress hormones – such as Adrenalin, Cortisol and Norepinephrine – are also reduced.  Studies indicate that high levels of stress hormones impair the immune system.

Remedial Massage improves health and wellness by relaxing the tension in the muscles, stimulating the flow of blood through the muscles, breaking down and eliminating toxins, enhancing oxygenation of the brain and relaxing the nervous system and mind.

The skin is the largest organ of the human body and is packed with nerve endings. Any Form of Remedial Massage is going to sooth the nervous system  and encourage relaxation.

Modern studies have shown that Remedial Massage can be used to assist a variety of disorders, including anxiety, arthritis, back pain, chronic pain, constipation, depression, headache, insomnia and high blood pressure.

I am a fully qualified Remedial Massage therapist I can assist you reduce your discomfort, feel good and recover from injury.

Remedial Massage Back, Neck, Head30min$70.00
Remedial Massage60min$90.00
Specialised Craniosacral Massage60min$100.00
Kinesiology90min$130.00
Reflexology60min$70

Call for an appointment.

Hyview

33 Fourth st, South Littleton

0448513171

MOST HEALTH FUNDS PROVIDE A REBATE FOR REMEDIAL MASSAGE

Call out fees apply for off site work

Goal setting with the assistance of Essences.

Essences are a tool that many Kinesiologists use to assist clients to become more aware of how their emotions are a by-product of how events and circumstances impact who they are at any given time.

In my early study, the very first course at Nature Care College was the Bach Flower Remedies and how these seemingly simple essences helped their discoverer Edward Bach, a British Doctor, Bacteriologist and Homeopath, treat himself and others with Essences from plants and the energy pattern of a flower. Bach Flowers are easily available at chemists and supermarkets the most popular being Rescue Remedy which is safe for all and often administered in periods of stress or after shock.

Australian Bush Flower essences are another commonly used essence utilising the power of native Australian bush plants, Shell Essences, or colour essences such as Aura Soma. Each offer a individual element of vibration which assists, people harness personal growth and wellbeing.

An element of intuition is often needed when creating and administrating an essence for example I have made essences from flowers, colours , sounds, and native honeys I’ve found in the bush all interesting elements and which all seems to fit together and match the goal setting I do as an Kinesiologist.

I find goal setting the most important element of any session I do with a client. Its feels like a chat in which we decide what would feel better than the point they are at now. Many of the affirmations or goals give the persons unconscious clear instruction of how we should move forward. Kinesiology is biofeedback technique which aims to achieve self regulation.

I have adapted many of the goals I use with clients, coupled with a collection of my artworks and that of my talented daughter Beth Flynn to create an ever expanding affirmation card deck collection. In so creating the cards, and pairing essences together I’ve added to a fragrance base made from essential oil combinations.

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its all connected

Chances are if you are experiencing a racing heart, restlessness, irritability , nervousness, insomnia, mood swings, feeling overwhelmed you may also be experiencing gas, nausea, bloating, brain fog, diarrhea , sugar cravings , headaches, muscle pain , leaky gut, autoimmune disfunction or IBS.

When it comes down to the basics, stress is bad for you. You’re body regulates stress in the Autonomic Nervous system which regulates heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and digestion. The Autonomic Nervous system has 2 parts the Sympathetic Nervous system, where the fight or flight stress response tells the brain that you do not feel safe, and the Parasympathetic Nervous system, the come back down response of rest, relax and restore. With constant and repeated stress in our lives the body has trouble regulating the Autonomic Nervous system.

The physical aspects of worry and stress develops as a habit of contraction of the body. So adrenalin and cortisol levels increase, the muscles of the neck, shoulders, arms and hands tense often we pull the legs up unconsciously to protect the abdomen as in the foetal position. As tension increases smooth muscles get tense and heart rate increases. repeated stress takes a toll and can lead to burn out and changes in posture from repeated episodes and the body trying to defend and protect itself from stress.

So Super charging the Parasympathetic Nervous System is key to unloading stress. So to do this involves calming the Vagus Nerve. The Vagus Nerve is essentially responsible for the mind body connection. It is the longest Nerve in the body and has branches to all the major organs from the brain to the colon. It works as the connection part of us between the thinking brain and feeling emotions.

So the Vagus Nerve listens to the way we breathe and adapts the heart rate in response. When we breath slowly the heart rate also slows. Exercises which slow the mind body connection and bring us back into the present moment are useful in regulating the Parasympathetic nervous system.

A simple exercise of orientation can help calm your Vagus nerve. By simply noticing where abouts in a room you are sitting and noting what is immediately around you? What colours you can see? Then can you can send your gaze beyond where you are and into a distance and focus there for a moment all the way to the horizon if you are able. This can shift your perspective and centre you in the present moment?

Anything closed in like screens and small rooms tend to make you feel closed in as well. Moving your gaze beyond your immediate area to a window or out to the horizon can calm breathing and heart rate. Also slowing eye movement helps with calming and rapid eye movements can be an indicator for stress.

We are always looking for instant and fast paced changes to health and lifestyle. The quick fix. This is not the pace that the Parasympathetic Nervous system or the Vagus Nerve work. Any changes need to slow relaxed and manageable to be effective. With this in mind here are some Kinesiology goals which may help improve you’re health and stress levels.

  • I am calm and relaxed as I make good choices in my own best interests.
  • I am safe, supported and loved.
  • I calm my nervous system and allow healing.
  • I continue to improve the way I manage stress and develop effective long term health .

‘All disease begins in the gut”

‘All disease begins in the gut” is a quote from Ancient Greek Physician Hippocrates more than 2500 years ago. As time passes modern studies have shown much of this statement to be correct at least for many chronic diseases.

We are learning a great deal of how gut bacteria can affect your health and how increasing the good bacteria in your gut can offer health benefits.

The mouth is the beginning of the digestive system and has the second largest microbiome community in the body.

Most people know poor diet choices like simple carbs and sugar, white flour and processed food are bad for your teeth but these foods are actually damaging or reducing the good microbiome which in turn can damage the teeth and cause tooth decay. Poor oral Microbiome can go beyond the mouth and leak into the digestive system causing a host of more serious heath problems.

A balanced diet with diverse, healthy vegetables can improve health. Vegies like chicory, dandelion greens, onions, garlic and banana’s are good prebiotic sources. Probiotics like fermented foods are all good choices to build gut flora. So the healthier your mouth the healthier your gut.

As a kinesiologist I can see the benefit of improving the alignment of the muscles of the throat, jaw, tongue, for more efficient chewing and producing saliva for oral health and digestion.

Taking the time to chew and swallow the food and making the effort to eat healthy foods as well as taking the time eat slowly and not eating on the run can all make a difference to how well your body is able to digest food.

Several studies suggest that ancient Ayurveda technique called oil pulling can be beneficial to oral health. Although sesame oil is traditional. The most common oil used for oil pulling is coconut oil as it has a good vitamin E content.

Oil pulling is when 1 tablespoon of coconut oil is swished around the mouth first thing on a morning on an empty stomach for a period of around 10 minutes before being washed down the sink. and washing your mouth out with water. The process acts a a natural mouth wash and helps to neutralise bad bacteria.

The other important thing to note is swishing muscles around and mouth are useful exercise for the masticating or chewing muscles of the face and jaw and gargling is good for the throat and digestion.

Here are some kinesiology goals that may help to balance the digestive system

  • My inner health is a reflection of my overall heathy lifestyle.
  • I nourish my body with a healthy balanced diet.
  • I safely release bad bacteria and increase good bacteria in my mouth and digestive system.
  • My teeth are healthy and strong.

©C Flynn

I trust my gut

The link between emotion and the digestive system is much closer than previously thought. Have you heard of the brain in your gut, in which people refer to as the “Second Brain”. It makes sense if have you ever had butterflies in your stomach, or gone with your gut feeling?

The link between digestion, emotions , mood and health is really significant when you think of the fast paced, high stress world we live in and the diet choices available to us.

The Enteric Nervous System(ENS) has around 100 million nerve cells lining your gastrointestinal tract from the Esophagus to Rectum. so physiological stress response may be coming directly from the second brain to the first brain not vice versa. So that loss of appetite , tummy ache when upset, wind, bloating, indigestion, and IBS are thought to be linked with a greater selection of mental health problems such as depression and anxiety.

So it appears its the gut not the brain responsible for these increasingly common ailments and mental health problems we are seeing today.

So this is very interesting to me in my work as a Kinesiologist. I work with goals and incorporate body work to increase overall wellness.

Here are a few common goals I may use in order to improve the digestive system.

  • My digestive system functions at optimal levels.
  • I am able to digest and process stress in my life step by step.
  • I trust my gut.
  • I allow my digestive system to unwind, relax and let go.

©Beth Flynn

Breathing for Relaxation

Breathing is fundamental to living and its our most natural instinct. But to breath deeply, slowly and smoothly is almost and art that brings enormous benefits to our mental state and wellbeing.

So if we cannot breath properly it can be difficult to release stress and fully relax. To breath deeply oxygenates the blood and allows a full range of expression and a clearer head.

So when we are not calm we tend to hyperventilate causing too much carbon dioxide to leave the blood stream and this can cause all sorts of physical and psychological symptoms such as dizziness and panic attacks. In a panicked state we breath more quickly.

It may really be stating the obvious, but air is such an essential element to being human and to make the most of breathing by breathing deeply and evenly can be essential to bring a sense of calm and being able to relax the mind.

There are 2 types of breathing. Shallow, or costal, breathing where the air enters the upper chest and upper lungs and abdominal, or diaphragmatic, breathing where the diaphragm contracts and air enter the lower lungs.

Costal breathing can be a natural response to stress. When we learn to manage our breathing and make sure we are abdominal breathing we can bring calm and clarity to mind and body.

We can use visualisations such as this one to learn to breath fully and deeply.

Breathing slowly and deliberately imagine every deep breath inwards that your entire body is calm centred and beginning to unwind. By closing your eyelids and resting your eyes deep relaxation flows over your entire body. Each breath is  releasing and letting go of tension through out your body. Where there is tensions direct your breath and feel release and lightness and pleasure. As cool clean air reaches your diaphragm your body begins to open up to the feeling of relation.

As you breath deeply imagine a cool green colour deeply penetrating your throat entering your lungs and soothing your heart. As your continue to breath slowly and deliberately this beautiful green energy is wrapping around and soothing each vertebra of your spine and opening your pelvis. The  connection of your throat and pelvis allows freedom of breath and relaxation.

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Case Study – Frozen Shoulder

Case Study – Frozen Shoulder

 

I have a client aged 53 who presented approximately 8 weeks ago diagnosed with Frozen Shoulder left side. At the time he had roughly 15% range of movement in his left shoulder going straight up from his hip and both forwards and backwards. His pain levels were high relying on endone from 4pm to sleep.

He has previously broken his right hip, and calcaneus as well as 3 broken ribs in a fall from a ladder approximately 3 years ago. He has disc problems in his lower back and a tear to his right subscapularis both long standing injuries.

Visually comparing his shoulders his right was sitting as normal while his left was lower and wider and his muscles were no longer hugging the glenohumeral joint but loose and weak.

He is an ideal client in many ways, happy to come weekly and determined to increase his range of movement (ROM) and reduce pain. We used Kinesiology and these are the goal statements we used for each of the first 6 weeks.

Week 1 – My muscular system and shoulders function free of dysfunction.

Week 2 – I have freedom of movement in my left rotator cuff.

Week3 – My shoulder muscles work in harmony. I am able to extend my arm over my head.

Week 4 – I increase my range of movement(ROM) and my body functions free of pain.

Week5 – I build strength and ROM in my left arm.

Week 6 –  I am easily able to do tasks that require exterior rotation of my shoulder without pain.

Kinesiology is a form of biofeedback muscle testing where you follow a succession of protocols, for example frozen shoulder massage, gaits, diet recommendations, essential oils or many other options depending on the skills and knowledge of the therapist, to gain health benefits. Kinesiology is aimed at strengthening the body’s ability to heal. So, I’m aiming at achieving congruency with the goal statement to align emotional and physical wellbeing.

In the six weeks since we started his ROM is sitting around 80 % and both his shoulder are sitting symmetrical.  He is more than impressed to be able to wash is hair with both hands and is able to place both hands behind his back. He has been endone free since week 4 and making steady progress towards having full ROM and freedom in his shoulder region.

Published with permission of client.

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Rotator Cuff

Rotator Cuff

When we talk about the Rotator Cuff in relation to shoulder function we are basically describing four muscles which stabilise the shoulder joint (Glenohumeral Joint) or in other words the 4 muscles which hold the arm into the shoulder joint.

In Kinesiology certain muscles fall into different meridians groups as in Chinese Medicine.  The Rotator Cuff muscles are Supraspinatus (Central Meridian), Infraspinatus (Triple Warmer) Teres Minor (Triple Warmer) and Subscapularis (Heart Meridian).

So looking at the Supraspinatus and the Central Meridian. The Central Meridian is linked to clear energy flow upwards towards the brain. So when the Supraspinatus Muscle is working effectively you have clear thinking and able to make good decisions. Emotional upsets and stress can interrupt the flow restrict clear thinking and eventually damage the Supraspinatus.

Infraspinatus and Teres minor are muscles which both relate to the Triple Warmer Meridian so any dysfunction can be an indicator for Thymus and Thyroid function. These 2 Meridians are often associated with hyperactivity , fight and flight as well as weight gain. Infraspinatus can be further stressed by heavy metal poisoning. Weakness can show up also in the elbows and wrists. Both muscles respond well to iodine rich foods such as fish and seaweed.

The Subscapularis is under the shoulder blade (almost hidden) and associated with the Heart Meridian. If you look metaphorically at the Subscapularis muscle it about what is being hidden. The emotions of love, hate and compassion all fall under the heart meridian. Do your head and heart always communicate?

So these 4 small muscles and tendons basically provide support to the joint itself. So injury or overuse can cause pain reduced range of movement and a variety of painful conditions including frozen shoulder, bursae, and shoulder impingement.

So if you look at the shoulder more generally some larger muscles such as Deltoids , Traps and Pecs, Rhomboids  can all effect should movement but the Rotator Cuff allows the movement to be smooth, stable and supported.

For Kinesiology or Remedial Massage.

Mind Body Integration  33 Fourth St , South Littleton 0448513171

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Pec Major Sternal

All three Pecs Muscles, Pec Major Sternal (PMS), Pec Major Clavicular (PMC) and, Pectoralis Minor are very interesting but the Pec Major Sternal (PMS) in particular seems to go weak for a lot for people and some of that maybe caused by lifestyle factors.

So the pectoralis major muscle is divided into Pec clavicular (PMC) which lies on stomach meridian and Pec Major Sternal (PMS) which is one of the of the main liver meridian muscles.

There is also the pec minor which is deeper still and has nerves running to the arm and can get congested if lymphatics are not flowing smoothly in the area. Is a breathing muscle and associated with the lung meridian.

Functionally the pec major sternal moves the arm inwards and draws arm and shoulder forward. If too contracted it will cause the shoulders to roll too far forward.

If PMS is weak or not working effectively some of the problems that can be experienced are headaches, sensitivity to light, immune problems , liver conditions,  or glaucoma.

Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) works from a deeper understanding of human experience than does a more western approach. In TCM the PMS works in the liver meridian related muscle group. From the TCM approach the liver meridian is related to growth, flexibility and adaptability.  Bringing in a feeling of confidence and being understood and included can strengthen the liver meridian.

Lifestyle has a big part to play.  Fried, sweet foods, caffeine and carbonated drinks can all have a negative effect on the PMS. And if you are waking constantly of a night time between 1am and 3pm take a good look at your diet particularly of a night time to ensure you are digesting food and adapting to the days challenges. Or your liver meridian can have you up thinking about it.

Foods that will strengthen the PMS are green leafy vegies, parsley, vitamin A and rose hip tea.

To help your PMS to function more effectivly Kinesiology is a good option. Mind Body Integration, 33 Fourth St South Littleton. 0448513171

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About Me

My name is Amanda Spargo I am a Remedial Massage Therapist, Kinesiologist, and Artist working from my gorgeous home in Lithgow on the outskirts of the beautiful Blue Mountains.

I am Passionate about health, healing and creativeness in in all aspects of my business. Since 2005 when I qualified as a Remedial Massage Therapist I have been actively learning and discovering new ways to advance my healing skills. I am fascinated by the process of Kinesiloogy and believe there is so much more to health and living a healthy life that can not be accessed through any other means. I find Kinesiology a valuable tool to uncover the innate healing available to us.

This same wonder draws me into the world of art and colour. The main style I use in art is Expressionism and the media I use vary from Resin, Acrylic and Mosaic . I am drawn to vibrant colours and if I can make something shiny, glowing or transparent this adds extra interest to the piece.

My clinic is located 33 Fourth St, South Littleton it is surrounded by bush land and filled with beautiful art.

Book in for Remedial Massasge or Kinesiology while your there take a look at the unique art works by myself and my talented daughter Beth Flynn.

Mind Body Integration 33 Fourth St Lithgow  0448513171IMG_9225[1]1