Treatment Information

Breathe deeply - fully expand and use the ribs with the inhale. Use a sipping breath to enhance rib function. Refer to hand-out entitled “The Integral Breath.”
Give feedback! - If you are fighting a “wince,” then effectiveness of the therapy is compromised and treatment is actually slowed down. Make noise, increase your breath intensity, or give verbal directions until your therapist has backed-off enough so that you can “let go into your breath.” The therapist will either back off the pressure, or move away from the pain site, or both.
Stay warm - there are socks and robes and plenty more covers. The heat and fan can be adjusted. Ask for what you need.
Know - that at each session, we will do a postural evaluation that will require you to be in your undergarments. Women should wear a back closing bra for easy access to the spine. Men can wear any comfortable underwear or athletic shorts over underwear, however an “un-bunched-up” waist band is easiest for your therapist to work around. Please do not wear lotion on the day of therapy; it interferes with the connection to the connective tissue.

Exercise – WAIT 24-36 hours after therapy to do any other exercise besides walking or swimming. This resting period allows your body to accommodate to its more balanced position before putting it into greater demand.

Hydrate – Hydrate, Hydrate! We are returning suppleness to your tissues, and the principle component is H2O. Water is carried into the tissue via electrolytes, so including them in your hydration is even better. Good sources of electrolytes are: coconut water and/or Emergen-C which is available in packets at most any drug or grocery store. It has the added benefit of 1000mg of buffered Vit.C which helps rebuild tissue.
Soreness - It’s not unusual after the first several sessions as we initially release toxins from the tissue and as we both get accustomed to the work on your body. After that, you may experience occasional soreness if we move into and open up a new area. Taking a soak with two cups of Epsom salts, and/or 1 – 3 doses, every 6 hours, of Alka-Seltzer can aid in alleviating this soreness. Alka-Seltzer acts as an internal mineral bath.
Fatigue - Is often experienced, especially initially. Taking a nap after therapy enhances the body’s natural ability to deepen and integrate the response into your physiology (nervous system).
Anti-Inflammatory – Pursuing an anti-inflammatory regimen in the early stage of therapy is helpful. Continue to use any anti-inflammatory regimen as prescribed by your physician. There are also additional and alternative anti-inflammatory methods. Please discuss your regimen with your therapist.

Exercise Expectations – In the early phases of treatment, you may be asked to suspend, for a short time, your current exercise program. This suspension greatly reduces the possibility of re-injuring an area that we have just opened up. Start back again after the 2nd or 3rd session. Check with your therapist when you feel ready to resume.
Home Program - You may be given a corrective exercise regime to pursue as a home program.
Avoid Overstimulation - This includes becoming overly tired, overly pushed, negative self talk (beating yourself up), and/or emotionally holding on to things. REMEMBER: LET GO and BREATHE.
The Integral Breath – Read The Integral Breath handout (also available on our website.) Practice, Practice, Practice. Three times a day for three minutes at a time. With practice, three breaths are enough to send a clear and concise message to your nervous system to gear down - allowing your muscle tension to drop, allowing your blood vessels to open, allowing your brain waves to deepen and slow.

Yearly - You have invested lots of time, money and energy into your therapy and into feeling better. Maintain this with 3 – 4 bodywork sessions per year.

After an Injury – or a fall you should schedule a bodywork session after any bruising has healed. New injuries will tend to turn on old fascial patterns.

Illness – especially the flu will tend to turn on old patterns, not necessarily the common cold, but anything more serious, it is good to re-stabilize the connective tissue.