The Natural Wellness Clinic

17/07/2022

Nice piece of research here - we have several types of receptors in our tissue and they all respond to different kinds of stimuli, so in order to help we as therapists must use various methods of touch.

16/07/2022

Last chance for a pre school holidays massage!
Two appointments left next week for an hour's massage:
Friday 22nd July @ 9.45am & 11.30am

If you fancy a quick 45 min treatment, I have space on Thursday 21st @ 1.15pm

20/06/2022

I'm celebrating the longest day ☀️ by offering you the longest massage! 🙌
90 min massage = £50
VERY limited availability, so please message to book asap 😁

19/06/2022

"Patients with fibromyalgia have some distinctive muscular abnormalities, not in the muscles themselves, but in the connective tissue that encases them, the fascia. Biopsies show an unusually high number of immune cells, and excess collagen. There is growing data that pain from the fascia generates fibromyalgia muscle pain, and this has been my personal, clinical, and research experience.

Two European studies found that after twenty sessions of Myofascial Release therapy, which focuses on gently stretching the fascia that surrounds every muscle, fibromyalgia subjects reported significant pain reduction. What is really great, though, is that they also showed long-lasting pain relief, with reduced levels after one month and six months after their last session.

MFR is by far the most effective treatment I have found to unstick the fascia and reduce fibromyalgia pain. The therapy reduces the fight-or-flight nervous system influences and studies have shown that gentle stretching of the fascia activates a relaxation response.

Unfortunately, 'myofascial release' has become widely and inappropriately used as a generic term for deep tissue massage, and many practitioners confuse the two. Some athletic trainers also teach foam roller techniques that they call myofascial release. Deep tissue massage and foam rolling is not helpful in fibromyalgia. When I refer to myofascial release I mean the gentle prolonged stretching of the fascia of the John F. Barnes' Myofascial Release approach."

Ginevra Liptan, M.D., author of The Fibro Manual: A Complete Fibromyalgia Treatment Guide For You and Your Doctor

18/06/2022

An older person's posture may give clues to hidden cognitive decline, a new study reports.

26/04/2022

Grab your 3 for 2 May massage treatments with Emily Castle while you can 😊

18/02/2022

Such amazing tissue, fascinating to work with.

The connective tissue found throughout the body, from the bones to the skin, tendons and nerves, plays an essential structural role—and it’s also responsible for the mobility and flexibility of liv…

14/12/2021

Fascia is heralded as the ubiquitous tissue as it touches all other tissues and cells of the human body.

Many questions remain unanswered as to the complete role and function of the fascial system and its involvement in pain and dysfunction.

Fascia does alter dependant on body location and its role. For example, the retinacula (fascia) is different to the fascia surrounding nerves, called epineurium, and the thoracolumbar fascia is different to the pericardial fascia (heart).

According to Paoletti in his book ‘The Fasciae: Dysfunction and Treatment’ and ‘The Extracellular Matrix and Ground Regulation' by Pischinger, as fascia is involved in health, it is involved in all pathologies.

Train with MFR UK.

19/11/2021

Fear is essential for survival, but must be well regulated to avoid harmful behaviors such as panic attacks or exaggerated risk taking. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology have now demonstrated in mice that the brain relies on the body's feedback to regulate fear. The brain's insu...

14/11/2021

Inflammation is a normal and natural
response to injury.

However, chronic stress results in the inability of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis to regulate the release of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol increases tissue inflammation resulting in persistent pain. An on-going release of cortisol in the bloodstream also hinders tissue healing.

Tissue inflammation also results in a decrease of fascial glide exacerbating the experience of pain.

The light and sustained touch of MFR improves tissue glide and helps to down regulate the stress response resulting in a reduction in the experience of pain.

Train with MFR UK.

06/11/2021

We already know that water has 3 states, that of liquid, solid and vapour.

However, Prof. Gerald Pollack discusses that water has a 4th state. He suggests that, in the presence of protein, water changes is molecular structure and becomes more like a gel.

The ground substance is a gel-like substance in and around the fascial fibres. It comprises of water molecules, acids and glycosaminoglycans (aka GAGs). Hyaluronan is a GAG.

The ground substance is viscous and adapts to tissue load and density (and inflammation) by becoming less or more viscous. This is called thixotropy.

Viscosity is the thickness of a fluid. Think the difference in thickness between honey and water.

The higher the viscosity of a liquid, the thicker it is and the greater the resistance to flow. This results in tissue density and lack of tissue glide.

It is thought that the slow sustained nature of MFR, the heat, weight and gentle pressure of our hands helps to return the increased viscosity of the ground substance to normal, restoring tissue and cellular communication.

The 4th Phase of Water. Prof. Gerald Pollack.

09/10/2021

See this regularly in clinic.

Headaches, migraines and occipital neuralgia may benefit from Myofascial Therapy.

In a recent 2021 study, the upper trapezius at the occiput was measured for thickness on 92 subjects experiencing either headaches, migraines or occipital neuralgia. It was found that the myofascia of the upper trapezius was unusually thick averaging 3mm. In some patients, it also appeared fibrotic. Yet, the semispinalis muscles, normally thought to contribute to head pain, were normal.

The average thickness of the plantar fascia of the foot is 3mm!

This study demonstrates the potentially valuable role that Myofascial Therapies could play in the treatment of headaches, migraines and occipital neuralgia.

Gfrerer, Lisa M.D., Ph.D.; Hansdorfer, Marek A. M.D.; Ortiz, Ricardo M.D.; Chartier, Christian; Nealon, Kassandra P. B.Sc.; Austen, William G. Jr. M.D. Muscle Fascia Changes in Patients with Occipital Neuralgia, Headache, or Migraine, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: January 2021 - Volume 147 - Issue 1 - p 176-180
doi: 10.1097/PRS.0000000000007484