Tag Archives: Massage

Specialised Kinesiologist providing therapeutic massage for pain relief, structure issues, stress, detoxing, lymph drainage, body balancing

Self care for Vagus Nerve Inflammation

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What are the symptoms of an inflammed vagus nerve?


Abdominal pain and bloating.
Acid reflux (gastro esophageal reflux disease, GERD).
Changes to heart rate, blood pressure or blood sugar.
Difficulty swallowing or loss of gag reflex.
Dizziness or fainting.
Hoarseness, wheezing or loss of voice.


As you can see from the image below, all these functions can be affected if the parasympathetic nervous system is not working properly;

If stress or anxiety is affecting your breathing or digestion, these self care tips could really bring relief for you.

vagasnervestimulationDownload

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Vagus Nerve Massage for Stress Relief

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Anxiety is a survival mechanism, but when you experience anxiety in situations where you are safe, it could be because your nervous system has gotten “stuck” in danger mode. This is when your parasympathetic nervous system is not kicking in and happens when we spend a lot of time in fight or flight mode.


Research has shown a correlation between many chronic diseases and a person’s history of stressful events.


Most anxiety treatments focus on changing your thoughts however you may need a body correction to shift your nervous system out of danger mode and back into safe mode.


During a vagus nerve stimulation massage, pressure is applied to key areas on the head, neck, ears, feet and stomach. This experience is very relaxing and helps to reset your autonomic nervous system, to help your body deal with stress.


As you can see from the image below, all these functions can be affected if the parasympathetic nervous system is not working properly;

If stress or anxiety is affecting your breathing or digestion, this could really bring relief for you.

During a therapeutic massage session with me, one of the areas I focus on is stress relief by combining vagus nerve stimulation. Book your massage with me to experience this stress release.

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Slow down aging. Increase immunity with regular lymph massages

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Get glowing skin, tone up, and reduce inflammation, boost your immunity, improve digestion, clear congestion, and reduce stress in the body.

When you get a lymphatic massage, you are working the fluid layer that removes excess stagnant toxins in your tissues that may be making you feel unwell, lethargic, heavy, achy, bloated, slow to heal, and prone to common colds and illness.

The lymphatic system plays an important role of keeping the immune system functioning. Adverse lifestyle choices, stress, toxins, pathogens, pregnancy, surgeries and medications compromise the immune system. A sluggish lymphatic system can lead to major imbalance and a diseased state.

During a manual lymph drainage massage a therapist will gently massage you from your feet to your head as your lymphatic system runs throughout your body.

It is unfortunate that many western massage therapists overlook the stomach. When you massage your stomach, you can increase the movement of your vital organs and improve your digestion. Many of us store stress in our abdomens. Lymphatic massage around your colon can also reduce belly fat and increase energy.

Symptoms that your lymph may not be functioning optimally:

• Rings get tight on fingers

• Soreness and/or stiffness in the morning on rising

• Feeling tired

• Bloating / Holding on to water

• Itchy skin

• Weight gain and extra belly fat

• Swollen glands

• Low immunity

• Brain fog

• Breast swelling or soreness with each cycle

• Dry skin

• Mild rash or acne

• Hypersensitivity

• Mild headaches

• Elevated histamine and irritation due to common environmental allergens

• Occasional constipation, diarrhea, and/or mucus in the stool

Benefits of lymph massage:

  • Improve Digestion
  • Reduce bloating
  • Boost metabolism
  • Circulate virus fighting white blood cells
  • Remove excess built up toxins from your tissues
  • Boost your Immune system
  • Improve skin conditions
  • Increase energy
  • Reduce brain fog
  • Improve appearance of cellulite if performed a regular basis
  • Clear ear congestion
  • Reduce headaches
  • Speed up recovery from injury and wounds

Lymphatic drainage can benefit these issues:

  • Edema
  • Skin disorders, such as acne, rosacea, eczema
  • Metabolic problems, including fatigue, sleep disorders, chronic pain and stress
  • Gastrointestinal issues, such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), celiac and Crohn’s disease and constipation
  • Rheumatology disorders, like arthritis and osteoporosis, and Fibromyalgia
  • Neurologic problems such as migraines and vertigo
  • Respiratory congestion, sinus
Tips for Lymphatic System support:
Deep breathing- Deep diaphragmatic breathing stimulates the largest lymphatic vessel in your body- the thoracic duct- which brings the fluid from the lower half of your body up towards your heart.  I recommend watching how Wim Hoff does it. Not only will this benefit your lymphatic system it will increase your immunity and calm your mind if you make it a regular practice.

Hydrate - Try warm lemon water 
Exercise- Some of the best forms include rebounding on a trampoline, biking, swimming, dancing, yoga (especially inversions and twists) and walking.

Get adequate sleep- The Glymphatic system in your brain works with your CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) to clear out plaque when you’re asleep.

Infrared saunas and ozone pods will help decrease inflammation and sweating will help flush toxins from the surface of your skin.

Dry-brushing- before you shower, at least 3 times a week, is a simple and affordable way to increase lymphatic circulation, improve appearance of cellulite and increase your energy. 

Use clean non-toxic skin care and home products - This is essential! Some hormone imbalances can be attributed to the hidden chemicals in products. Your lymph system picks up excess hormones that are too big to get absorbed by blood vessels.
Stop stressing -  It wreaks havoc on your digestion, your mind, your heart, your soul and your lymph.

Eat a clean, healthy diet- avoid processed foods, sugar, alcohol, tobacco, dairy, gluten and salt as much as you can. Incorporate anti-inflammatory herbs when you cook and eat more organic vegetables and fruits.

Find Joy- when we nurture ourselves and find simple ways to experience joy, we increase our health and spread love and happiness to others.

I offer full body lymph drainage massages to assist with lymph drainage and circulation issues. Call or WhatsApp on 065 924 7332 to book your massage.

Testimonials

I was suffering with severe pain and swelling of my left ankle for more than a year. Several visits to doctors, specialists, MRI scans, sonars and X-rays and thousands of rands later no one had a solution. After only one lymphatic drainage massage and ozone treatment with Gillian, to my surprise, there was an immediate improvement. After the 3 rd treatment I could walk normally and the swelling was gone . My last treatment was more than a month ago and no swelling, no pain and no medication. I recommend this treatment. It sure changed my life.

Sylvia

The most incredible massages I have ever had. I’ve been for four already over the last two months. The only way one can describe Gillian’s lymph drainage massages is that she tunes in to your body and senses what it needs.

Not only relaxing, the times with Gillian extend into deeply meaningful explorations of where one is at with one’s life.

Every session with Gillian is a truly remarkable and enriching experience. I cannot recommend her highly enough.

Ingrid

Gillian is outstanding. Her knowledge and guidance shine through, and she has the gift of massage and healing. I am a massage therapist myself, and have never experienced a better massage and healing experience. I will visit her every time I come to Knysna, and highly recommend her.

Saskia

Massages are good for you

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What’s not to love about getting a relaxing massage? On a primal level, being gently touched sends a signal of safety to our core. It harkens back to infancy, when being swaddled and cared for by others was essential to our survival. We are literally hardwired for touch! When deprived of it, especially in infancy, serious physical and psychological issues can result. Conversely, proper application of therapeutic touch can be used as an effective adjunct therapy to create better health outcomes across a spectrum of diseases. Simply put, touch makes us feel better. And when we feel better, we often get better.

Greenmedinfo’s Research Database has eighty-five unique abstracts on the healing powers of massage and therapeutic touch. These scientific studies have proven the usefulness of touch therapy for a variety of conditions. Massage is a stand-out treatment in the area of pain management and is non-drug option for sufferers of numerous psychological disorders, such as anxiety and depression, insomnia, and anorexia nervosa. With pain-pill addiction driving the nation’s ongoing drug overdose tragedy, studies on massage for treating pain are especially encouraging. It has proven effective at alleviating pain caused by numerous conditions, including lower-back and knee problems, fibromyalgia, as well as pain associated with cancer treatment, and complications of diabetes.

Massage’s holistic healing effects are due, in part, to the release of endorphins, the body’s natural “feel good” hormones and neuropeptides. Gentle touch stimulates endorphins, enhancing feelings of pleasure and security. We also benefit through connecting with another person, which is itself a form of healing energy. In addition to easing pain, massage decreases levels of stress and anxiety, conveying a greater healing benefit to patients. Massage is a “feel good” prescription, making it a natural alternative to antidepressants and sleep-aids, medications that, along with painkillers, have the highest rates of addiction. A regular regimen of massage can even help people who are stepping down from pharmaceutical medications, or breaking the addictive hold of nicotine and alcohol.

  • extract taken from wakeup-world.com

Knysna a top destination for wellness, weight-loss and healing

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Knysna is a top holiday destination offering temperate weather, amazing nature and forests for hikes and biking, lovely beaches and lagoons and lies in close proximity to wine and tea farms and various animal sanctuaries.

Knysna also offers a variety of beauty, health and healing options where you can spoil yourself, de-stress, rejuvenate, heal or lose weight while on holiday.

Some of the services available for you while visiting our beautiful town:

Massage
Reduce stress, improve circulation, soothes anxiety, loosens muscles and tendons, reduce pain, eliminate toxins, improve flexibility, improve sleep, reduce fatigue, relieve headaches, counteract postural stress and drains lymph.

Specialised Kinesiology
Kinesiology is the science of assessing the energetic systems of a person for balanced function, by using the change of physiological response through the muscular system as feedback. Using this same feedback, Kinesiology identifies any non-invasive treatment strategy to primarily affect and balance the energetic systems of a person for the purpose of promoting, restoring and maintaining health.

NLS Diagnostic Therapy

The application of nonlinear diagnostics is a true breakthrough in the field of diagnostic medicine, allowing for the correct determination of the cause of the disease, and consequently, select and prescribed effective treatment.

We can test the condition of biological and fine energy bodies, detect bio-photon waves of biological homeostasis, brain waves, detect quantum energy vibration levels of 874 cells and the frequency spectrum of any drug.

Iridology and Sclerodology

Irisdiagnosis is a natural non-invasive diagnostic method that used the Iris (colour part of the eye), Sclere (white of the eye) and Pupil (dark middle of the eye) to help a trained Iridologist to accurately assess the health status of a person’s body.

An Iridology assessment provides the trained Iridologist with information about the root cause of ailments, strengths and weaknesses of all organ systems and tissues within the body, as well as inherited genetic disease patterns.

A great advantage of Iridology is that it provides information about the status of vital processes in the body. By vital processes we mean both disease causing (e.g. poor waste clearance) and health maintaining processes (e.g. blood circulation). It allows the practitioner to detect signs of biochemical and physiological function and dysfunction in the body before symptoms of disease appear, therefore it is great as a health maintenance method.

Electrotherapy (Rife)
Arthritis, influenza, bronchitis, tonsillitis, shingles, candidiasis, fibrositis, chronic fatigue syndrome, glandular fever, cellulitis, sports injuries and many other acute and chronic diseases. Not only are viruses and other pathogens destroyed, but also damaged tissues are detoxified and regenerated. Rife is also very effective for inflammation and pain.

Ozone therapy
Removes fat, eliminates cellulite, restores skin elasticity and combats stretch marks, slows down effects of aging by stimulating collagen fibers, stimulates oxygen metabolism, alkalises and detoxes the body. Beneficial for various diseases including muscle-skeletal disorders, coronary vascular insufficiency, migraine, hypertension, skin disorders, neurological disorders, autoimmune diseases, stress, inflammation, wound treatment, allergies, sleep disorders and injuries.

Cryo therapy
Weight loss, breaks down fat and cellulite, restores skin elasticity, lymph drainage, pain relief, improved blood circulation. Carries fewer risks, much less invasive, no scarring and a lot cheaper than liposuction. Plus you could see up to 2cm loss per session.
Combined with the cryotherapy we offer cavitation, lipo laser and radio frequency treatments which break down fats, firm and tone skin and minimise stretch marks.

If you are visiting Knysna these coming holidays, do pop in and try some of these treatments.

Ozone for sportsmen and women

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runnerOzone oxygenates the tissues, while also increasing the production of ATP. This shortens recovery times from sports injuries and high intensity exercise and increases energy levels. It also assists with sore muscles and slows anaerobic fermentation which combats the building up of lactic acid in muscles.
Studies have shown that ozone therapy can help increase an athlete’s endurance, the capacity to build muscle, and even increases brain function. It also increases blood flow to the heart, which reduces the amount of strain your body takes during a workout.
One of the conducted studies showed that male runners who engaged on an average of 12- to 30- minute sessions twice a week (immediately after intense running sessions) experienced a 32% increase in the distance they could run before reaching the point of exhaustion. Another case study showed that a group of athletes who underwent frequent sessions in between training increased their physical fitness by 53.7%, as opposed to the 11.55% of the group who did not.
Benefits of ozone treatment for sportsmen and women:
• Increased tissue oxygenation
• Higher levels of ATP, resulting in more energy and faster recovery
• reduced lactic acid build-up
• Prevention of sore muscles
• Reduced swelling, bruising and pain, and faster healing
• Could increase performance

Whole systems thinking to balance

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There are a few key principles to health, happiness and balance:

  • Fasting
  • Detoxing/cleansing (the body and mind)
  • Healthy eating plan
  • Light exercise
  • Enough sleep
  • Positive thinking and gratitude
  • Massage
  • Balance/moderation
  • Meditation/relaxation
  • Pursuing your purpose

Specialised Kinesiology can assist you with this process Call 082 602 2882 to book a consultation.

The laws of health

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When confronted with a health challenge, whether a loss of energy or a medically diagnosed, chronic condition label, it is important that you understand what you are dealing with.

Every cell in the body is like a little battery. Every organ, gland and system in your body is made up of cells. In order for your body to function healthily, you must have full cellular power.

If any part of the body shows signs of pain, degeneration, illness or disease, then it’s not the part or system that is affected, it’s the cells in the part or system that are affected.

Every cell needs oxygen to convert glucose into ATP. ATP is the cell fuel or energy that maintains a delicate mineral balance in and around your cells. It’s this delicate balance that accounts for the electrical potential of your cells, without it you are powerless.

In order to get oxygen and remain healthy, your cells must be in a Living, Dry state. If the Living, Dry state is altered you will experience pain, degeneration, illness and disease and ultimately death.

Only one thing can alter the Living, Dry state and that is trapped blood protein. Trapped blood protein pulls water out of the blood stream, reducing the energy field and altering the Living, Dry state.

This only happens when you break the Pure Laws of Health.

The laws are:

1.         Everybody must work…optimal health relies completely upon circulation – the circulation of the blood to deliver essential ‘groceries’ and the circulation of the lymph to ‘do the dishes’. While movement is fundamental to good circulation, it is primarily through breathing that constant flow is maintained.

2.         Don’t argue quarrel or fight…don’t stress yourself physically, emotionally or mentally. Stress is like a shock to the system, it dilates your blood vessels causing massive blood protein loss.

3.         Don’t defile your body . . . if you put anything unnatural into your body you are quite literally poisoning yourself. Make sure that the food you eat is nourishing your body. Even the healthiest body is susceptible to environmental toxins as well as having its own metabolic waste; therefore it must also regularly be cleared, through cleansing.

In conclusion, in the Wet state, four primary conditions arise that lead to every diagnosed symptom of pain, degeneration, illness, disease and ultimately death.

These are oxygen deprivation, dehydration, acidity and nutrient deficiency.

 

*Extract from the brilliant book by Keith Armour McFarlane, Neo health. I can strongly recommend that everyone should read this book. You can order it from www.healsa.co.za

 

Stress – Emotional, mental & physical

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When we find ourselves in situations where what we are doing is not aligned with our values and beliefs, we experience stress and often with that, some pain. If we are focussing more energy in any one of these quadrants (emotional, mental, physical, spiritual) then one or more of the other quadrants will suffer.  This is when we experience imbalance.

When we don’t feel heard, or despite best efforts we don’t get the desired results, or even when we overwork our bodies or minds to achieve acceptance, we go out of balance and usually one area or more will suffer.

Symptoms of this stress could include:

Relationship problems

Depression

Weight issues

Fatigue

Insomnia

Lack of direction and focus

Pain

Specialised Kinesiology has proven very successful in dealing with the above symptoms and redefining values and beliefs to assist people in living more balanced and happier lives.

I look forward to assisting you with your journey to a happier, less stressed life.

Book a consultation

Kinesiology Massage

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There are few things in life as wonderful as a decent, relaxing, massage especially when you are feeling stressed or your muscles are spasming in your neck, hips and lower back.

As a kinesiologist, with a deeper understanding of anatomy, meridians, chakras and acupressure points, I have developed a massage which combines my kinesiology training with massage in order to offer a deeper balancing experience for my clients. Ultimately, I want to assist you to get to the bottom of your symptoms and not just offer another treatment to treat your current symptoms. I also incorporate healing sound frequencies and essential oils in this massage.