by Evolve Manual Therapy
Have you started to notice the smell of spring in the air? Maybe you have started to feel the urge to start spring cleaning? There is a reason for this cyclical inspiration!
According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, Spring is transitional season and space; we keep one foot in winter and step one foot into summer. Taking things slowly as we unfurl from the cold, dark winter and move upward and outward toward the expansiveness of summer.
The shift to spring is a subtle change that brings with it new energy and excitement for the warmer weather.
We can think of the body as a small version of the universe around us – a microcosm of the macrocosm. As the seasons change, so should we. Humans should be adaptable; to flow with the seasons is to live in harmony. Just like bare, dormant trees begin to grow buds and blossoms; we too can harness the power of spring to slough off the old and usher in a fresh, new experience of health, mental clarity, and emotional well-being.
In Chinese Medicine, Spring is associated with the wood element that governs the liver and gall bladder. The liver and gall bladder work together to move blood and bile, and play pivotal roles in spleen and lung health (immune system and seasonal allergies), tendon health and our vision. During these transitional months, disturbances may be manifested in these organ systems, and you may experience symptoms such as:
+ muscle tension
+ sciatica
+ headaches, especially migraines
+ visual disturbance
+ menstrual irregularities, PMS, fibroids
+ digestive disturbance
TIPS FOR THE SPRING SEASON
+ Get moving!
Spring is the time to slowly get moving again after the reduced activity of the cold winter months. Movement is not only good for your physical health, it supports your emotional health by shifting stagnation and old hurts.
+ Spring clean
Take the time to engage in a little spring cleaning, whether this be your home, your e-mail inbox, or your digestive system. Now is the time for “out with the old and in with the new”.
+ Make a to-do list
The energy of spring often brings with it a desire to start bringing the dreams of winter introversion to fruition. Why not make a list and start taking steps toward creating the life your heart desires!
+ Eat your greens
The colour associated with Spring is green and the taste is sour, these are perfect places to focus your eating awareness. Be inspired by the luscious green veggies of the local farmer’s market, when we eat according to the season, we restore inner and outer balance.
CRANIOSACRAL THERAPY AND SPRING
As we feel the urge to get moving again, we can become aware of some of the stagnations that have built up during winter. One of the core aspects of CranioSacral Therapy is to support your body in restoring movement and flow. This might be supporting the fluid to flow with ease through your central nervous system, nourishing your brain and spinal cord. It may be supporting your immune system, hormones, or digestive system to move more easily and supporting inner health. It may even be supporting you in letting go of hurts and anxieties that are lingering, so that you can move forward and thrive in your life!
At Evolve, we love nothing more than supporting you in finding your natural rhythm (did you know even the nervous system has a rhythm?!), so please reach out and let us know how we can support you move with ease into Spring.
by Evolve Manual Therapy
At Evolve Manual Therapy, we understand the complexities of living life with chronic pain. Chronic pain is persistent pain which carries on for longer than 12 weeks, despite medication or treatment. It can be felt in nearly any part of your body and may be a constant, or an intermittent pain. Chronic pain disorders are the leading cause of disability and continue to increase in prevalence – it’s a growing health concern in our modern world.
Chronic pain and increased stress
Many of our Evolve patients have tried just about everything to help rid themselves of their chronic pain – multiple medical appointments to no avail, with little improvement to the frequency or severity of the pain. They’re really struggling to continue to enjoy normal life, within the confines of their illness. Evidence points to the fact that symptoms of chronic pain are heightened by our stress response and by feeling disconnected from society and those we love around us, which has of course been exacerbated throughout 2020.
Impact of disconnection and isolation on chronic pain
During the global pandemic, we know that there has been reduced access to treatment, which has meant that people have not been physically able to continue their chronic pain management routines. They’ve not been able to seek help to improve their symptoms from professionals, like our team at Evolve, but also from their nearest and dearest. We’ve also seen a significant impact on activity and movement due to people working from home, and spending increased time online, sitting down. Routines – heading to the local pool for a swim or walking the last block to work have been unable to be continued, meaning that normally active people are more sedentary, often causing chronic pain issues to flare up.
Factor contributing to chronic pain
Of course, it’s often a combination of factors which can exacerbate chronic pain. Changed lifestyle is clearly one, the other important element is the reduction in human touch. Central to the study of pain mechanisms, neurophysiological investigations have proven that touch increases humancommunication,bonding,andhealing. Thanks to neuroscientist, Edmund Rolls, we know that touch activates the brain’s orbitofrontal cortex which is linked to feelings of reward and compassion. Basic touch calms cardiovascular stress –it activates your body’s vagus nerve and even a simple touch can trigger a release of oxytocin (known as the love hormone). Science tells us time and time again that chronic pain can be helped by touch, why is why we see such great results with our clients at Evolve Manual Therapy.
CranioSacral Therapy – a gentle treatment for chronic pain
Derived from osteopathic manipulative treatment, CranioSacral Therapy (CST) is a gentle, non-invasive treatment we practice here at Evolve. It holds a unique ability to normalise your sympathetic nervous system activity (something which is often increased in people with chronic pain) by supporting a shift to your parasympathetic nervous system. This part of the nervous system is responsible for rest and repair. Our practitioners use light touch to help release any blockages in your nervous system, and help to rebalance your body – often releasing years of tension or stress you didn’t even know was there, or connected to your chronic pain issue. It’s a treatment plan formulated to work with your body, not artificially against it. It’s a treatment brilliant for helping to reduce your chronic pain. If you’re struggling with chronic pain and aren’t sure where to turn to, give our friendly clinic a call to discuss how we can help you manage your underlying condition, and the symptoms surrounding it.
by Evolve Manual Therapy
There’s little doubt that 2020 has brought with it, a substantial shift in the mental health of Australia’s population. Trends indicate that the numbers of people suffering from stress, anxiety and panic attacks is on the rise and is a true threat to the future state of Australia’s mental health.
Many of our patients arrive at our clinic with the classic but very real symptoms of stress and anxiety. Much of the time, people are aware something isn’t right but aren’t sure what the root cause is, or the extensive litany of symptoms that stress and anxiety can cause to our emotional, spiritual and physical selves. Our patients find themselves manifesting in a myriad of different ways – becoming irritable, restless, suffering from fatigue, chest pains, insomnia and a racing mind amongst many other symptoms, all seemingly unconnected but potentially debilitating if not properly managed. It’s been estimated that stress related workers compensation claims have doubled in recent years, now costing over $10 billion each year. Let’s unpack the enormity of that number. The huge number of people impacted by stress and anxiety if the average payment is just $250,000. That’s an average of 40,000 people whose claims were so debilitating, that they went to court. Imagine the thousands of other cases, perhaps no less serious but of which we have no recording and we’ll understand the scale of the issue we’re dealing with.
What does stress do to our body?
We try to help our patients understand that its normal to feel stressed and anxious in small quantities. It’s when we wait until stress and anxiety become overwhelming that issues start to become more marked in our bodies. In our modern, digital world, stress triggers can exist on a constant level, which stimulates a response in our body. Stress and anxiety stimulate changes in our body and activates our ‘fight or flight’ response, leaving us constantly in an inflammatory response and unable to self-regulate our hormones and responses. In turn, the appearance of mental and physical stress symptoms can cause further stress and perpetuate a vicious circle, people feel unable to break.
How can CranioSacral Therapy help stress?
At Evolve Manual Therapy, we practice Craniosacral Therapy (CST) which is a light touch manual therapy which works with the body to promote greater wellbeing and health. It’s a whole of body approach which works to remove restrictions within the cranium and sacrum (head and pelvis) and helps shift the body out of stress mode into a calmer, more relaxed state. Our practioners gently apply manual pressure to help increase mobility and circulation within the craniosacral system. When the body slows down during a session, it’s like untangling a tightly knotted ball of wool – where the stressed and confused reactions and responses get a chance to unravel and rebalance. Our bodies have an innate ability to self-correct and heal and CST, as a non-invasive therapy allows our mind and body to correct in an absolutely safe, non-medicated way.
The science shows the enormous benefits experienced by a wide range of patients suffering with stress or anxiety related symptoms. At Evolve Manual Therapy, we encourage patients to seek support early, whatever the source of stress. We all need help from time to time.
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by Evolve Manual Therapy
Life is a roller coaster of emotions – full of extreme highs and the inevitable lows. Life is unpredictable, yesterday’s highlight can easily become tomorrow’s challenge. As humans, we tend to pack our lives full of people, work, activities, hobbies and a long list of things we ‘should do’. But what happens when despite all our efforts, we feel flat, uninspired and isolated?
We’re genetically programmed to connect and for the most part, have some form of interdependence on one another. Profoundly shaped by our social environment, humans suffer when our social connections are severed, and social pain has been scientifically proven to translate into real pain. We have evolved in such a way that being social, has become a necessity, not just a luxury. We live busy lives in fast paced world and it’s increasingly common for us to feel under the weather, to not really enjoy the life we’re living, even if we’re not sure what’s causing our low mood. The advent of social distancing and isolation with COVID has induced two distinct personas – one is perfectly happy to snuggle down in pyjamas at home, revelling in the slower pace of life and the chance to do the jobs they’ve been putting off for a while. The other has become a little unravelled with the lack of contact and socialising, easily recognised by the constant calls and desperate attempts to find a coffee shop that’s open. Both are perfectly normal responses to what has been an uncertain and unprecedented time.
The power of connection shouldn’t be underestimated. At Evolve Manual Therapy, many of our clients have been coming to us feeling the disconnect between their body and the connection with themselves and others. Clients typically come into our clinic aware that they’re feeling low and a little flat but unsure how to restore their natural vibrance and a happier demeanour. Many are missing the healing power of touch – an essential feeling which ground us from day dot – a parent with their child, a couple in love, a Grandparent with their grandchild – we’ve been raised to enjoy, and even need human touch. Isolation over the past few months has deprived many people from the joy of human touch and has impacted upon the health and wellbeing of countless others. Medical research has proven that Neuroscience has shown touch lowers levels of the stress hormone cortisol and increases the amount of oxytocin, a feel-good hormone.
Raising your mood, gently and effectively
At Evolve, we practice a gentle, hands on approach called CST (CranioSacral Therapy) which is a delicate manipulation of the cranial bones and sacrum. It’s non-invasive and works by helping the flow of cerebrospinal fluid in the central nervous system to be normalised and removes blockages or tension, enabling the body to heal. The relaxation of the body and brain during CST can have a positive effect on the regulation of mood and on the reduction of stress. As your body secretes the ‘happy hormone’ serotonin, your body is flooded with a feeling of wellbeing and calmness.
It’s a natural way of lifting yourself up, no cocktails of chemicals required, only a regular appointment with your favourite therapist.
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by Evolve Manual Therapy
At Evolve Manual therapy, we offer hands on, light touch therapy to remove restrictions in your body, enabling it to heal itself.
Many of our patients arrive through our door with a host of seemingly conflicting symptoms and niggles – it’s taken some patients months to seek help to help correct their symptoms and find out what’s really going on within their body. One issue that’s becoming more prevalent is undiagnosed tongue tie.
Tongue tie is when the tip of the tongue is anchored to the floor of the mouth causing restrictions to the lips or tongue – it can present itself in a few shapes and forms but breathing difficulties, headaches, shoulder and neck pain, digestive issues and anxiety are common symptoms. If untreated in childhood, tongue tie can cause a number of serious issues in adulthood.
How would I know that I have tongue tie?
Tongue tie is a frequent issue we see in our clients at Evolve Manual Therapy – it’s not an issue that will self-correct over time, meaning that many of our clients find themselves with consistent or worsening symptoms and often no idea what’s causing them.
Common symptoms can be:
- Breathing difficulties and sleep apnoea– due to tongue impairment, smaller airways are common leaving sufferers to breathe through the mouth not the nose
- Headaches due to the jaw moving sub optimally which can result in pain of the jaw, neck or head
- Poor oral health – due to restricted movement of the tongue, people with tongue tie are more prone to dental cavities due to less saliva in the mouth
- Speech issues – it’s extremely hard to speak clearly when your tongue doesn’t have a full range of movement
- Poor posture due to jaw positioning and range of movement – the ‘shoulder slump’ is common
Kasia, one of our loyal clients came to us seeking a gentler treatment to correct symptoms which she now knows were related to tongue tie.
These symptoms which had been causing significant impact on her children’s little bodies – poor posture with the head sitting forward and the jaw lowered, breathing through the mouth and not the nose, and breast pain when feeding her infant. Seemingly random symptoms, but ones which we at Evolve recognise as classic tongue tie symptoms.
It was only after seeking treatment for her boys that Kasia realised that she too was suffering from tongue tie and sought treatment from our expert therapists. Within a short period of Kasia’s tie being released and CranioSacral Therapy (CST) practiced, gone were the headaches and in came a sense of calm and huge posture improvement.
Kasia still visits us at Evolve on a frequent basis to maintain the great work by our therapists and is delighted to continue to see immediate positive results on each of her visits.
How do you treat tongue tie?
At Evolve, we use two gentle, non-invasive techniques. The first is CranioSacral Therapy (CST) which is a whole-body approach involving light touch manual therapy and the second is Orofacial Myotherapy which helps to regain and maintain orofacial muscle function leaving you able to eat, sleep, chew and move efficiently!
Both methods focus on restoring your body’s natural function through gentle therapies and tailored exercise programs to help rid of your symptoms for good.
As tongue tie doesn’t correct itself, it’s important to get yourself checked if you feel that something isn’t ‘quite right’. At Evolve, our expert therapists can diagnose and treat you in our welcoming, calm and clean clinic. Call +61 (0) 406 249 221 today or book an appointment online.
