Fascia is a tough seamless tissue that holds us together, somewhat like a body stocking that covers and connects muscles, organs and skeletal structure. There are three layers – superficial which determines the shape of our body; deep which interpenetrates and surrounds the muscles, bones, nerves and blood vessels of the body; and visceral which surrounds organs within their cavities.

If the deep muscular fascia becomes restricted due to injury, stress, inflammation, trauma (physical or emotional) or poor posture, it can lead to myofascial pain, affecting our flexibility and it can impair the effective exchange of cellular nutrients and wastes.

Fascia is highly adaptable – stretching to accommodate, for example, pregnancy – but if subjected to prolonged tension, it can become thicker and less extensible. Because it is interconnected, the effects can be felt distant from the point of trauma – imagine pinching up the fabric of a stocking and seeing the fibres radiating out in wrinkles. However because it is thixotropic (it can change from solid to more liquid gel consistency) special fascial remodelling techniques can reverse this thickening and ’unwind’ the fascia.

These soft tissue manipulation techniques need initial gentle palpation and then focussed pressure and can constitute a whole treatment. It can also be very beneficial if carried out for a few minutes prior to applying oils for a massage. The therapist’s hands need to ‘engage’ with the underlying fascia and slowly ‘sink in’ to encourage gentle movement and heat to the area.

As a client you may experience a ‘softening’ of that muscle area, some heat, even twitching and a physical or mental sensation of ‘unwinding’. It may not seem a very ‘active’ technique but as with any focussed bodywork, it can be therapeutic and beneficial.

Last month I proposed that while we may not be able to enjoy ‘perfect’ health we might need to challenge ourselves not to get stuck in ‘satisfice’ by accepting that our condition has become our ‘ordinary’ state. “Perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things, but in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well”[1].

‘Ordinary’ is an emotionally charged word and can be defined as  ‘usual, normal’, or even ‘second-rate, inferior’. Do we really want to settle that in terms of our health?

“The ordinary acts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest”.[2] Elements of Complementary Therapies can be ‘ordinary’ in that they need not be complex or involve complicated procedures and there are a number of self-help remedies which you can practise at home. There are a number of goods on the market, such as pre-mixed aromatherapy products and Bach Flower Remedies which can safely be administered, providing the precautions and instructions are followed. Or perhaps an holistic health assessment might highlight that you may need to drink more water regularly to keep cell tissues hydrated and able to perform their function more effectively and efficiently.

In the holistic therapy clinic, some bodywork techniques may appear to be unspectacular or ‘ordinary’, but they can have tangible effects. For example, something as simple as a focussed, still pressure on the right place of a tense muscle gradually allows the muscle fascia to relax and ‘unravel’ knotted tissues.

Complementary therapies do need to be carried out professionally by a qualified therapist (for example, see www.fht.org.uk or www.naturaltherapypages.co.uk) and with an ‘extraordinary’ level of focus, energy and engagement in order to be effective.

“If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary”[3] – if you haven’t tried any complementary therapy before – ‘risk the unusual’, and be prepared to be surprised how the apparently ‘ordinary’ can yield ‘extraordinary’ benefits.

[2] Sir Thomas More

[3] Jim Rohn

Psychologist Herbert Simon coined the phrase – ‘satisfice’ – a combination of satisfy and suffice. This would probably involve ‘going with the flow’ which tends to mean we worry less rather than agonising over the very best option or looking for something that doesn’t even exist – the perfect job, the perfect house, the perfect partner.

We might hang onto an unsatisfactory life situation simply because we’ve invested a lot of time and energy in it. It might be better to make a choice, even if the choice is to change nothing, rather than get stuck in the decision-making process and worry about all the possible – usually negative – outcomes. Usually once a decision is made intuitively, our energies become focussed into making that decision the ‘right’ one for us.

I suspect this could also relate to our health. We may have a chronic condition that we’ve got used to and have developed coping mechanisms to function adequately. We might be reluctant to change our lifestyle or have become ‘stuck’ in ‘satisfice’. In the case of our health, I would argue that it’s worth not settling for ‘good enough’ but to consider making a decision to change – it may be too late to reverse the effect of some conditions, but we may well be able to ease the symptoms, even if we know that we’ll never achieve ‘perfect’ health. Surely if the decision is to eat more healthily, drink more water, take more exercise or have a regular massage then you will feel better and you’ve nothing to lose – except weight perhaps!

The lifestyle assessment before your first holistic treatment is a good opportunity to assess what changes you might like to make. Some clients then find it useful to use the therapist as their external ‘conscience’ to provide useful feedback and help them implement and maintain those changes.

After yet more back-breaking work my attractively designed raised vegetable beds are now in place. I’m looking forward to reaping the benefits – not only harvesting and eating my crops, but also the whole experience of sowing, tending and being close to nature in my small garden from where I can enjoy apples ripening, dappled sunlight through silver birch leaves and a laburnum dripping with bright yellow flowers.

Being in an environment of trees and plants can be physically and emotionally beneficial. A mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as ten people inhale in a year and certain trees produce beneficial essential oils such as Tea Tree and Pine, or form the base for certain medicines such as aspirin and quinine.

The Tree Council[1] organised a ‘Walk in the Woods’ month in May to attract people who rarely, if ever, visit woods, possibly motivated by research[2] in Japan which showed that ‘forest bathing’ or ‘shinrinyoku’ measurably reduces stress levels, improves the immune system and regulates pulse and blood pressure. Being surrounded by the sights, sounds, smells and textures of a forest can also help to clear the mind. ‘Green Gyms’ [3],run by BTCV, is an initiative to improve well-being through involvement in practical conservation activities – some GP’s are advocating this project to patients suffering with mild depression.

Office workers have reported that they felt healthier and had fewer sniffles and sore throats when they have plants in their office. As well as boosting oxygen levels, plants are purifying and help clean pollutants from the atmosphere ‘tainted’ by photocopiers and computers. Apparently, Sansevieria (Mother-in-law’s tongue) is particularly suitable for busy people because it is indestructible and needs little watering! Furthermore, like Aloe Vera, the sap of the ehrenbergii species has healing qualities.

I’m thinking of offering, weather permitting, a brief, pre-treatment stroll in my garden to enhance the benefits of a massage!

[2] http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/025839.html

[3] http://www2.btcv.org.uk/display/greengym

“Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
Berthold Auerbach

Two clients have recently commented on the beneficial effect of the music during their treatment which they felt amplified the therapeutic effects, both physically and mentally.

As well as affecting our heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure, music is proven to affect the amplitude and frequency of brainwaves and change the dominant frequency from one stage to another.

Brainwave patterns are

• beta and gamma when we are active, busy, concentrating or anxious
• alpha when we close our eyes, are peaceful, reflect and relax
• theta when we are highly creative, insightful and intuitive
• delta when we are asleep and unconsciously process information

Ideally during a relaxing massage, we are aiming for alpha and theta states, which certainly tallies with the actual experience for most clients. Alternatively, if the work is more remedial which requires the client’s active participation, the beta or gamma states may be more appropriate.

Apparently when a brainwave pattern is practised over a period of time, the brain ‘learns’ that state – this is called ‘entrainment’ and it becomes easier to produce the desired brainwave state at will, as practitioners of meditation will confirm. Clients who are stressed may book for a series of massage treatments to regularly experience the alpha/theta states which they then, through ‘entrainment’ may be able to reproduce, perhaps by playing suitable music, when they need ‘down’ time.

I have a wide range of music which is covered by PRS licence so I, or the client, can choose an appropriate selection to instantly create a suitable ambience and enhance the therapy session.

Talking of music…. I and other therapists will once again be at The Gate to Southwell Folk Festival running the ‘Chill Out Zone’ from 5^th to 7^th June – do come and have a treatment from the wide range on offer. – see www.southwellfolkfestival.org.uk