If you are living with pain, then you have probably tried many of the usual treatments such as medication, physical therapy and maybe even surgery.  Much of the pain we feel comes from inflammation–a defensive response that causes tissues to swell and amplifies the signal from pain nerves.  Could a more natural approach be the way to go??

Many of our clients here at JerseyShore Myofascial Release Center have found tremendous relief from pain with our gentle hands-on treatment sessions and home stretching programs to open up the fascial system and relieve restricted blood vessels, nerve and muscle fibers but occasionally they need a little something additional and this is where we suggest trying some natural remedies to boost the bodies ability to heal and combat pain.  Remember to always check with your physician before using any supplements.  Here is a list of the top ten remedies for natural pain relief to use in addition to your Myofascial Release sessions.

Fish oil can also ease the inflammation and pain caused by many chronic conditions. The dose used in the most convincing research is 2 to 4 grams of DHA + EPA daily. Although beneficial omega-3 fatty acids are available from other sources, experts say that fish oil has the best evidence.

Researchers found that eating 3 g of fish fats a day relieved the joint pain, inflammation, and morning stiffness associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). In another study of rheumatoid arthritis patients, daily supplementation with 2.7 grams of EPA and 1.8 grams of DHA resulted in striking reduction in the number of tender joints and increase in the time span before fatigue appeared. Various other studies have put forth that the same dosage of fish oil can reduce the severity of Crohn’s disease by more than 50 per cent.

White Willow Bark. White willow bark decreases pain by blocking the production of inflammatory prostaglandins. White willow bark is also a very effective fever reducer. It is said to contain a compound called salicylic acid and aspirin (acetyl salicylic acid) is a synthetic form of this compound. White willow bark provides all pain-relieving benefits of aspirin. Conventionally is safer then aspirin and other synthetically derived salicylate based anti-inflammatory drugs. No contra-indications and serious side effects have ever been reported by medical science. It is said to provide relief to headache, toothache, backache or even arthritis.
It is important to keep in mind that white willow bark should not be taken with aspirin, and should be avoided by people with gastritis or ulcers. It should not be used by children under 16, because of the associated possibility of developing Reye’s syndrome in children during a viral infection.

Feverfew. For long-term relief, feverfew helps stop headaches before they occur. A member of the sunflower family, feverfew relaxes blood vessels in your brain and prevents them from constricting, a primary cause of migraines. In one recent study on migraine sufferers, researchers found that after 16 weeks of treatment with feverfew extract, attacks had decreased from almost five per month to just under three a month. Feverfew works best to stave off migraines rather than treat ones that have already developed, but keep in mind that it takes one to two months to see benefits. It is suggested to take 100 to 200 mg daily.

Vitamin D. This vitamin, which comes from foods and is also produced in the body as a result of sun exposure, has become a hot topic among pain researchers. A number of studies have linked low levels of vitamin D with increased levels of chronic pain.

One 2009 study looked at the vitamin D levels of people with chronic pain who were using opioid painkillers. Those who had a deficiency of vitamin D needed almost twice as high a dose of medication to control their pain.

Personally, this has helped my own chronic pain issues from fibromyalgia and it is also beneficial for bone and joint pain .

Capsaicin. Derived from chili peppers, capsaicin may soothe pain when applied to the skin. Topical capsaicin seems to be helpful for all sorts of pain. Studies have found it can help relieve pain from rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, shingles, and diabetic neuropathy. It may also offer natural pain relief for back pain, fibromyalgia pain, and headaches.  Capsaicin temporarily desensitizes pain-prone skin nerve receptors called C-fibers; soreness is diminished for 3 to 5 weeks while they regain sensation. Nearly 40 percent of arthritis patients reduced their pain by half after using a topical capsaicin cream for a month, and 60 percent of neuropathy patients achieved the same after 2 months, according to a University of Oxford study. Patients at the New England Center for Headache decreased their migraine and cluster headache intensity after applying capsaicin cream inside their nostrils.

Arnica: For acute injury or post surgery swelling
This herb comes from a European flower; although its complete healing mechanism is still unknown, it does have natural anti-inflammatory properties. Taking oral homeopathic arnica after a tonsillectomy decreases pain, say British researchers, and German doctors found that it reduces surgery-related knee swelling.

Release your inner endorphins. These natural chemicals block pain signals from reaching your brain. Endorphins are the body’s natural pain relievers, and they can be as strong as many of the strongest pain relievers. Endorphins also help alleviate anxiety, stress and depression — conditions that often accompany and exacerbate chronic pain. The body produces endorphins during aerobic exercise. A “runner’s high” is not just for those running long distances — any activity that gets your blood pumping for a sustained period will release pain relieving endorphins into your system.

Eat cookies This is my personal favorite. Research shows that eating sweet foods like cookies, chocolate or ice cream, helps reduce the sensation of pain.  If your looking to skip all those extra calories, enjoying a smell that is both sweet and pleasant has also been shown to reduce the perception of pain. Aromatherapy works great for this also.

Feel the heat. Applying some form of heat — a hot water bottle, gel-filled pad heated in the microwave, electric heating pad, or hot bath — can go a long way in easing your pain. Benefits of heat are twofold: it increases the flow of healing oxygen and nutrients to the damaged area, and it suppresses pain signals being sent to your brain.

Cool it with ice. Ahh, how this cools down inflamed and sore tissues. Acute pain almost always comes with some level of inflammation, and ice is the best natural way to reduce it. Ice also helps by acting as a local anesthetic, and by slowing the nerve impulses, which in turn interrupts the pain-spasm reactions between the nerves in the affected area.

These are just a few of the natural remedies that we at Jersey Shore Myofascial Release Center have found to aid in pain relief.  What are some of your favorites?

If there was ever a time that you can visibly see angels all around us, it is the Holiday Season. Many of us have the home tradition of placing an angel on top of the Christmas tree, we see them on greeting cards, carrying the message of “Peace on Earth,” – and even as the celestial choir depicted at churches and town displays – angels are everywhere!

The truth is that angels are always around us, and we actually have the ability not only to talk to them, but to hear them as well. The secret will be revealed right here!

On December 11^th, from 2-5 PM, The Jersey Shore Myofascial Release Center will welcome Gerry Gavin, Angelic Communicator, and author of the soon to be released Balboa Press book, “Messages from Margaret…For the Year 2012 and Beyond.” The book was relayed to Gerry through the angel Margaret and covers topics from what is going to happen in the year 2012, all the way to what we can do to achieve the life of our dreams!

Gerry began communicating with the angel Margaret over 20 years ago and has performed hundreds of astonishing personal readings for individuals throughout the world…including yours truly, Michele!

He is also a healer that works with a mixture of many new modalities, as well as traditional shamanic techniques, including guided visualization, drumming and trance-work. Those techniques led him to develop the Angels and Shamans workshop that takes participants through a series of exercises designed to allow you to communicate with your personal angels!

On December 11^th, Gerry will give us the very first, exclusive glimpse into the new book and will share some key chapters. He will also communicate with Margaret in order to answer questions from the audience and finally we will all participate in one of the exercises from the Angels and Shamans workshop, which will help us through the hectic holiday season.

Gerry is an old friend, and our center is going to be his very first, and the most intimate stop, on the start of his 2012 book tour. Please don’t miss this very special event and come with questions for Margaret and be prepared to be “Touched by an Angel”.

Call to reserve your spot    732 223- 9335         Cost $10

Jersey Shore Myofascial Release Center  248 Washington Street Toms River,NJ

Most hands-on therapists today agree that no therapeutic approach to pain is complete unless body posture is generally improved. Whatever the root of a persons discomfort, special attention must be dedicated to posture-especially the balancing of the pelvis . At Jersey Shore Myofascial Release Center each initial consultation and evaluation includes a postural analysis to help us assist in determining the contributing factors to a clients pain.

With an efficient ten-minute hands-on evaluation we can quickly identify gross body asymmetries, such as pelvic tilts, short legs, sacroiliac dysfunctions, scoliosis, facet restrictions, forward head and joint capsule adhesion.   Combining a hands-on and visual assessment allows us to immediately tell which muscles are tight and pulling unevenly on the body’s bony framework, and which weak muscles are permitting the asymmetry.  Muscle-imbalance and fascial restrictions explain how faulty postural patterns, such as slumped shoulders, forward heads, swaybacks and dowager’s hump can lead to and also increase pain within the body.

Ultimately, for long-lasting relief of chronic pain, Myofascial Release works to:

• balance the head on the neck
• balance the neck on the shoulders
• balance the shoulder girdle on the rib cage
• balance the pelvis on the femurs
• restore overall body function
  
• restoring pain-free movement

Recent studies have confirmed a noticeable reduction in noxious neural input entering the spinal cord and brain when the postural goals listed above are met. In 1979, biomechanical researcher J. Gordon Zink, D.O., coined the term “common compensatory patterns” to describe routinely found postural patterns in the neuromyofascial-skeletal system. His studies were the first to validate how structure and function play a dual role in posturally initiated pain syndromes. Eventually, he concluded that postural muscle stress leads to chronic, recurrent central nervous system irritation.  This  is why it is so important to relieve fascial restrictions to restore proper muscle balance and restore proper posture.

Postural muscles are structurally designed to resist fatigue and function in the presence of prolonged gravitational exposure. If their capacity to resist stress is lost due to stress, surgery, illness and fascial restrictions, the postural muscles become irritable, tight and shortened. Fortunately, as balance and function are re-established in distorted myofascial structures, hyperactivity in agitated joint and muscle receptors rapidly dissipates and pain is alleviated.

Call Jersey Shore Myofascial Release Center at 732 223-9335 for more information on how we can help you restore proper posture and rid your body of pain.

Fascial stretching is a wonderful self treatment technique that can result in permanent lengthening of the body's connective tissue, which has the ability to open the entire fascial web within the body allowing it to function optimally and dramatically increase health and quality of life. Fascia is the tough connective tissue surrounding not only muscle but every cell in the body from head to toe, like a giant spider web.  This fascial web provides support and flexibility to all structures of the body.  When the fascial system tightens down it can cause pain and dysfunction, therefore, using fascial stretching techniques daily can decrease pain, refine athletic performance,increase ease of movement, increase balance and overall daily functioning. The three primary ways that fascial stretching differs from traditional stretching is first the time component.  All fascial stretches are held a minumum of 90-120 seconds to allow release of the elastic and muscular component of the connective tissue but also release of the collagenous component as well.  Traditional stretching holding for 30 seconds , provides tempoary results and only affects the elastic and muscular components.  The second difference is fascial stretching incorporates the concept of active elongation to engage the fascial barrier where you feel resistance to the stretch by using the techniques of REACH, TELESCOPE, and ELONGATE the body part to engage the tissue along the entire length.  The third essential difference is the need to be consciously present throughout the entire process to focus on tension in the tissues, breathing into the restriction, noticing the release and elongating into the next barrier.  This results in being more focused and grounded in all aspects of life.  Below are some basic guidelines to stretching

• Let common sense be your guide.Seek a qualified medical opinion if you have questions about how your body responds to stretches.  Fascial stretching can be uncomfortable.  If necessary, back off on the intensity to a more comfortable level.  It is impossible to force the fascial system to let go.  The key is to wait patiently at each restriction/barrier for it to release.
• Don't consider stretching a warm-up. You may hurt yourself if you stretch cold muscles. So before stretching, warm up with light walking, jogging or biking at low intensity for five to 10 minutes.
• Focus on major muscle groups. When you're stretching, focus on your calves, thighs, hips, lower back, neck and shoulders. Also stretch muscles and joints that you routinely use at work or play. And make sure that you stretch both sides. For instance, if you stretch your left hamstring, be sure to stretch your right hamstring, too.
• Don't bounce. Bouncing as you stretch can cause small tears in the muscle. These tears leave scar tissue as the muscle heals, which tightens the muscle even further, making you less flexible and more prone to pain. So, hold each stretch for about 90 to 120  seconds to get the maximum benefit from the elastic and muscular component of the connective tissue but from the collagenous component as well.
• Don't aim for pain. Expect to feel tension while you're stretching, not pain. If it hurts, you've pushed too far. Back off to the point where you don't feel any pain, then hold the stretch. Remember to hold 90 to 120 seconds for maximum benefit.
• Make stretches sport specific. Some evidence suggests that it's helpful to do stretches tailored for your sport or activity. If you play soccer, for instance, you're more vulnerable to hamstring strains. So opt for stretches that help your hamstrings.
• Keep up with your stretching. Stretching can be time-consuming. But you can achieve the best benefits by stretching regularly, at least two to three times a week. If you don't stretch regularly, you risk losing any benefits that stretching offered. For instance, if stretching helped you increase your range of motion, and you stop stretching, your range of motion may decrease again.
• Bring movement into your stretching. Gentle movement can help you be more flexible in specific movements. If you're going to perform a specific activity, such as a front kick in martial arts, do the move slowly and at low intensity at first to get your muscles used to it. Then speed up gradually as your muscles become accustomed to the motion.

If you would like more information or are interested in joining a class, please call Jersey Shore Myofascial Release Center in downtown Toms River, NJ at 732 223-9335

This is the second part of a brief explanation with John F. Barnes, PT the developer of the John F. Barnes’ Myofascial Release Approach TM, a revolutionary hands on therapeutic treatment technique and approach. In this segment he describes Rebounding and covers some reasons why some people don’t heal.

If you have any further questions about Myofascial Release or how this can help you with your health issues please contact Jersey Shore Myofascial Release Center for a FREE consultation at 732-223-9335

Myofascial ReleaseTherapy

Performed in the tradition of John Barnes, P.T., this Myofascial Release technique utilizes gentle prolonged holding techniques to release the fascia, promoting increased flexibility and range of motion, increased postural functionality and stability, increased circulation and decreased toxicity within the tissuse. Uniquely superior in addressing the following conditions:

• Women’s Health Issues
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Pain
• Migraines
• Traumatic Injuries
• Carpal Tunnel
• TMJ problems

Myofascial Release Co-Treatment

Same technique but two therapists are working at the same time to enhance the therapeutic process.

Therapeutic Massage

Utilizes traditional Swedish Massage techniques for relaxation and relief of muscular tension.

Therapeutic Retreats

Myofascial Release Intensive Retreat

(16 hours of treatment during a one week period)

* 10 Hours of Myofascial Release Therapy
* 5 Hours of Myofascial Release Co-Treatments
* 1 Hour of Therapeutic Massage

Myofascial Release Therapy Mini-Intensive Retreat

(10 hours of treatment over a 3 day period)

* 6 Hours of Myofascial Release Therapy
* 3 Hours of Myofascial Release Co-Treatments
* 1 Hour of Therapeutic Massage

Myofascial Release Therapy Daily Intensive Retreat

(3 hours of therapy in one day)

* 2 Hours of Myofascial Release Therapy
* 1 Hour of Myofascial Release Co-Treatments

Monthly Multi-Session Package
This is for the client who is serious about taking charge of their health and returning to a pain-free active lifestyle. We will offer $100 off pre-paid multi session packages for the client who comes more than 3x per month.

Jersey Shore Myofascial Release Center is excited to announce the addition of their NEW Massage Therapist, Pepi Spurr.  Pepi has an extensive background in sports massage/deep tissue, pregnancy massage, and mastectomy scar release and has been practicing for over 15 years .  She is also one of the only massage therapists in Toms River practicing La Stone therapy.

La Stone therapy is similar to hot stone massage but it uses 54 hot stones, 18 cold stones and one room temperature stone and can only be performed by someone who is certified to be a La Stone therapist.  This is to prevent any insufficient training that can be a problem with hot stone massage.

La Stone Therapy is a trademarked style of therapy that uses both hot and cold stones to massage the body.  Although cold stones do not sound very relaxing, they actually have been scientifically and medically proven to have a beneficial effect and can bring relief to tired and sore muscles.  Alternating between heat and cold both stimulates and relaxes the circulatory system, which helps detoxify the body.  The heated stones bring oxygenated blood to the area of application , increasing lymph flow and metabolism , while  the chilled marble stones create a dramatic movement of fluids within the body by pushing away the unwanted congestion, inflammation and blockages.   In this way the use of alternating temperatures brings about healing, balance and rejuvenation.  This can also aid in the balancing of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual energies.  The use of the alternating hot and cold stones , allows the therapist to penetrate and gently work the tissues at a deeper level than is possible in traditional massage.  This makes LaStone Therapy a very good detoxification program combined with Myofascial Release and an excellent immune system booster.

LaStone therapy begins with gentle stretches and swedish massage to warm up the body’s muscle tissues and then the therapist uses both the hot and cold stones as an extension of her hands while continuing the massage.  Stones of varying weight are also placed on the body’s key energy channels, including the seven main chakras.  Chakras are the openings for life energy to flow into and out of our aura. Their function is to vitalize the physical body and to bring about the development of our self-consciousness. They are associated with our physical, mental and emotional interactions.

The combination of La Stone and Myofascial Release therapy can help balance the bodies energy field, and enhance personal awareness.  During these treatment sessions, many clients report a release of stuck emotions which has led to relief from fatigue and irritability and a decrease in pain and tension throughout the body.  Clients often leave their treatment session in a deep state of relaxation.

Call Jersey Shore Myofascial Release center today at 732 223-9335 to book your appointment.

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