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Articles: bodywork
Below are the articles associated with this topic. Click on a title to read one.
12 Exercises for Strength and Grace
by Samm Kweku Richardson
The author tells us that a healthy body is one that is well nourished in all areas through its regular use.
A Better Approach to Complementary Therapy
by Thea Bailey MRSS
I suspect that all Complementary Therapists (CT) would agree that, no matter which technique, 'map' or energy system is being used, amongst the myriad therapies on offer today, all would see themselves as dealing with the whole person.
A Fluid Core: Redefining Core Strength
by Liz Koch
This article focuses on core strength, intended to help stabilize, coordinate and organize movement in the human body, and the author's understanding of how it evolves, following 30 years of exploring the core muscle (iliopsoas).
A Shoulder Problem in Context
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
In this column the author explores further the complexity theme of identical symptoms emerging from quite different backgrounds (discussed in a previous column which touched on breathing pattern disorders and back pain).
A Sympathetic System
by Joel Carbonnel
There may be some truth in the saying 'no pain, no gain'. Pain is a friendly signal alerting us that something is dangerous or abnormal. Pain is not a disease but a symptom.
Achieving an Integrated Approach for Treating Musculoskeletal Conditions
by Wendy Emberson
There is a growing body of research evidence that is beginning to change our attitudes to treatment away from being a pure medical condition model.
Alignment and Breathing Techniques for Health
by Harmon Hathaway
Applying and maintaining physical alignment gives us the information to understand our own body. Within a brief period, the application of the principles of alignment will show positive results across the spectrum of health.
Are You Feeling 99% Better?
by Joel Carbonnel
How do you know if a treatment is working? Can you tell if you are feeling better or not, better or worse? Although the answer seems obvious (after all, it is your body), relying on how you feel may not be a good indicator of your progress towards health.
BEAM™ – Bosiger Energy Alignment Method
by Fiona Slatter
The author is a co-founder of the Bosiger Energy Alignment Method (BEAM™), and explains how the technique works to balance the body's natural energy flow (vital force/chi). It works on the principle that illness is the result of blockages or a reduction in the circulation of this energy.
Biodynamic Psychology: Healing Through the Body's Wisdom
by Ellena Fries
The author discusses the origin and concept behind Biodynamic Body Psychotherapy & Massage, developed by the late Gerda Boyesen (1922-2005), how it works, the techniques used as well as the healing process.
Biodynamic Psychotherapy – Meeting the psyche in the body
by Clover Southwell
Biodynamic psychotherapy was developed in the 1950s by Gerda Boyesen, a Norwegian psychologist and physiotherapist, and is based on a deep appreciation of the inseparable interaction of mind, body and spirit.
Bizarre Bazaar!
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
This month’s column is bound to irritate some readers, and anger others, but as I have recently been both irritated and angered myself, this possibility seems to me worth while in order to unburden myself just a bit.
Body Alignment Technique and Vortex Technology
by Cherry Tyfield
Body alignment technique uses vibrational energy to heal others and ourselves. Negative emotional experiences become subconsciously locked into our body at a cellular level. This unique technique clears these subconscious memory pathways.
Body Stress Release
by Kerry Teakle
The article discusses how Body Stress Release (BSR) began as the idea of retired American chiropractor Dr Richard van Rumpt, that the body is limited in its ability to respond to severe stress and what to do about it.
Bodywork: The Relevance of Subclavius
by Caroline Barrow
This article touches on the importance of small muscles in the body such as the pectoralis minor, sternocleidomastoid, omohyoid, etc., and focuses on the subclavius, a small, long, triangular muscle that sits under the clavicle and in the front of the first rib arising mainly from the cartilage of the first rib.
Bow Legs and Knock Knees
by Joel Carbonnel
This column looks into the shape and language of legs. The author provides a simple tip on how to check if you have bow legs, knock-knees or lock-knees, flat or hollow feet, hallux valgus, quintus varus, hammer toes, or any other leg shape that departs from the norm.
Breema® Essence of Harmonious Life
by Jon Schreiber
Through deep receptivity to the body, and a rhythmic connection to the Earth, Breema can help us become available to the instinctive wisdom of the body. By allowing that wisdom to participate with us in our daily lives, we can experience bountiful health and vitality.
Carrying Weight
by Joel Carbonnel
In Greek mythology, the Titan Atlas, having angered Zeus, was forced to hold up the sky – a Herculean task if ever there was one. As the heavens were at that time thought to be spherical, artists mistakenly depicted Atlas holding a globe.
Chinese Herbal Sports Medicine
by Lev G Fedyniak
This article focuses on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and why and how Chinese herbal medicine, in particular, is one of the best treatments for sports injuries.
Chironic Healing – The Cranio-Spinal-Sacral Mechanism and Physical Etheric Interface
by Dr Trevor D Creed
The basis of Chironic Healing is that each of us has an etheric energy pattern, or 'blueprint', that underlies the physical body that we can see and touch. It is a conductor of vital energy from our inner origins to the outer physical. Physical and chemical traumas, and emotional/mental restrictions, may block the flow resulting in 'dis-at-ease-ments' on all levels.
Core Blimey!
by Joel Carbonnel
In his Expert Regular column, Joël Carbonnel looks at the trend of the so-called 'core area' currently circulating in fitness circles and magazine articles. Much is spoken of concepts such as 'core muscles', 'core training' and so on and he questions what anatomical basis there is for this.
Cranial Osteopathy
by Joseph Goodman
To understand cranial osteopathy it is necessary to understand osteopathy itself. As with visceral osteopathy, the term refers to an aspect of osteopathy, not to a separate modality.
Curing By Poisoning
by Joel Carbonnel
"All drugs are poisons, and chemotherapy is a particularly nasty set of poisons," says Richard Sullivan, head of clinical programmes at the charity Cancer Research UK.[1]
Disk-Eating Pimple Bugs
by Joel Carbonnel
A concise history of the theories of aetiology would show that among the myriad of ideas put forward to explain the cause of disease, four stand out clearly. They have in common the premise that disease is an inimical entity that must be fought, driven out, or cured.
Double Chins, Triple Bellies and Demi-Thighs
by Joel Carbonnel
"You are going to give me a double chin!" complained my patient while I was coaxing her to put her chin in, during a Mézières' session. "Quite the contrary," I replied, realizing that she needed an anatomy lesson!
Dr Rolf, Rolfing and Structural Integration
by Allan Rudolf
The practitioner of Structural Integration (Rolfing) applies systematic pressure (energy) to re-shape and re-balance the body structure. Tissue which was short and hard becomes soft and has more length and resilience. People look very different after undergoing the process.
Empowerment Fitness®: Revolutionary Mind-Body Programme
by Sharon O’Connor
This article focuses on the positive effects of body movement. For centuries, high achieving individuals, including runners, walkers, cyclists and rowers, have understood that if you move your body, you will think better and do more than you ever thought possible.
Expert Tease
by Joel Carbonnel
This column focuses on the value of ‘experts’ and their expertise. The author believes there is some truth in the saying ‘an expert is one who knows more and more about less and less’, since in order to learn one subject in depth, one has to neglect many others. And even though, in contrast, ‘jack of all trades is master of none’, both types, however, are needed and complement each other.
Eyes That Feel, Hands That See
by Joel Carbonnel
Hands and eyes are the favourite organic implements of the bodyworker. 'Bodyworking' is a hands-on, eyes-on affair. But, according to their elective technique, therapists can give the hand preference over the eye or vice versa.
Face Value
by Joel Carbonnel
Everybody does it! Consciously or unconsciously, everyone gives a psychological meaning to new faces, and judges character subjectively. From earliest time, the "mirror of the soul" has enticed Man to find the key that could unlock its psychological secrets. To cover the many methods of face-reading, Aristotle created the umbrella name Physiognomy.
Fitness for Health
by Nigel Kerr
Articles dedicated to the benefits of regular exercise show that exercise routines are much like religious doctrine. They all claim to be the miracle that will change your life forever. Truth is essential in the world of "Health & Fitness", because it is true that practitioners in these fields do have the power to facilitate permanent change, and not always for the better.
Flotation and Body Harmony - A unique healing experience
by Peta Knaggs
Wellspring combines the benefits of flotation therapy and Body Harmony. It is an experience which clients describe as, "exquisite", "profound", "extraordinary", "unlike anything I have experienced in my life".
Getting A Wiggle On
by Joel Carbonnel
In his column this month Joel Carbonnel looks at the muscular legacy we have inherited from our distant relatives the reptiles.
Give Me Five
by Joel Carbonnel
When it comes to digits (fingers and toes), Nature has never been able to count above five. If we except a few genetic mishaps, no animal belonging to the Amniota (reptile, bird or mammal) was ever able to evolve, as a fixed characteristic, more than five digits.
Gravity: Balance of Body – Balance of Mind
by Will Johnson
Our physical relationship with gravity determines whether our journey through life will be one of buoyancy and lightness or tension and struggle.
Gravity: Friend or Foe?
by Joel Carbonnel
Would you like to live in a zero or low-gravity environment? I suspect that many, especially the posturally challenged, dream of being free from gravity's bonds. This dream is the result of the misconception that gravity is the cause of much of our ills.
Hamstrung
by Joel Carbonnel
According to the dictionary, a hamstring "in humans, apes, etc.," consists of "each of the five tendons at the back of the knee". But who pulls the strings? It is the hamstring muscles that pull on three of them.
Health Exercise Techniques: Strength Training and Stretching
by Neil Summers
The article looks into correct exercises for the maintenance of a Healthy Lifestyle and the few exercises where the benefits outweigh the damaging elements brought on by unwelcome stresses and strains caused by the pounding and jerking movements of many regimes.
Heeling Power
by Joel Carbonnel
Evolution is something that happens not only to living organisms but also to physical objects, particularly those that have an intimate relationship with living things. In his column this month Joel Carbonnel looks at the evolution of the shoe and the implications of that evolution on our health.
Hellerwork – Excellence with Ease
by Roger Golten
Hellerwork is a Structural Integration school founded in 1978. Overall there are about 250 active and certified practitioners worldwide using the Hellerwork service mark.
Hidden Pains
by Joel Carbonnel
Unless you are a masochist, avoidance of pain is a normal reaction. Nature, in its kindness, has provided us with reflexes that allow us to escape painful stimuli. Without these mechanisms life would be unbearable.
Hip Hope
by Joel Carbonnel
Mézières was fond of saying that the primary problem is never where it is felt (pain) or seen (deformation). It is always at some distance, in a pain-free and discretely distorted part of the body.
Holistic Exercise Techniques for Optimum Training & Conditioning
by Jason Barlow
The author, a Holistic Physical Specialist who integrates Mind, Body and Nutrition techniques, touches on his experiences in a health club and consultation with clients and members who showed signs and symptoms of over and under-training. Without proper coaching from highly skilled and trained fitness professionals, he says exercises can produce the opposite result to that which is promoted, creating a greater imbalance within the body.
How Misuse Misshapes Us
by Joel Carbonnel
To a Mézièrist, the primary cause of musculo-skeletal disorders is the departure from a normal, healthy body shape caused by the hypertonicity and shortening of some groups of muscles termed 'muscular chains' (MCs).
How to Address and Prevent Repetitive Strain Injuries of the Body and Eyes
by Meir Schneider and Melissa Moody
RSIs are also known as overuse or cumulative trauma syndromes, and they are caused by a myriad of actions performed during daily work and leisure activities. The inflammation, numbness, pain, fatigue and loss of mobility inherent to these disorders begin when we perform repetitive tasks, day after day, with muscles that are already habitually tensed up.
Iliopsoas – The Flee/Fight Muscle for Survival
by Liz Koch
Liz Koch continues her lifelong study of the voluntary Iliopsoas muscle. Understanding the muscle to be part of our survival response provides both therapists and clients a fresh perspective and more thoughtful approach to personal healing.
In Search of a Model
by Joel Carbonnel
What is your idea of human beauty? Do you fancy giraffesque necks or chipped teeth? Or do you prefer huge and bulky buttocks and droopy breasts? If scarred and tattooed skin, stretched and pierced ears and lips are not to your liking, what about atrophied feet?
In Your Face
by Joel Carbonnel
In the last column I went into the theoretical aspect of Morphopsychology. Now I am going to give you hints on how to decipher faces. Faces are everywhere, so you have plenty of opportunities to practise your budding morphopsychological skills!
Independent Physiotherapy
by Jean Kelly
Physiotherapists utilise a growing number of complementary forms of medicine and treatment methods such as massage, manipulation, acupuncture, reflex therapy, cranio-sacral therapy and therapeutic exercise.
Insights & Questions
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
Intuition is an area which fascinates many in the health care world. To some – the academically orientated in particular – it is an area to be disparaged and discouraged, whereas to many in the bodywork field in particular – intuitive methods are seen to be an integral and vital component of their work.
Insights and Questions
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
This month I am more, or less thinking aloud . . . and am unlikely to come to any final conclusions. Put simply I am wrestling with why the same phenomena observed by different people from varied disciplines should lead to such a variety of conclusions – and why so many therapeutic approaches based on these conclusions can all be successful – when their focus is so patently different.
Integrative Bodywork Techniques
by Ian Traynar DO APSMT
In his article, the author sets out an argument for integration of bodywork 'modalities', working with the similarities, dealing with 'professional stubbornness' and the diversity of philosophy and belief. Ian believes research into whether what each modality claims it does for clients actually happens and would create enough trust for relaxation of long-held beliefs and merging of treatment methodology.
Integrative Bodywork – Art and Science: Complexity in Bodywork
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
Over the next few issues Leon Chaitow will be looking at how breathing patterns can affect health. He starts by citing that there are few cases of direct cause and effect situations for health and backs this statement up with a closer look at a recent US study. In this issue he looks at a study on back pain which concluded that patients suffering from chronic low back pain can clinically improve their condition with breathing therapy.
Interdisciplinary Bodywork for Best Results
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
Approximately one year ago I was teaching a group of physiotherapists the basics of osteopathic soft tissue manipulation, demonstrating a version of positional release technique (PRT) on the neck, when one of them asked me whether I was familiar with 'SNAGS', which is based on the work of a New Zealand physiotherapist, Brian Mulligan.
Introducing...Neuroskeletal Dynamics - For accident trauma, sports injuries and general back pain
by Carole Preen
Neuroskeletal Dynamics was devised by Diana Hunter in Adelaide, South Australia about 17 years ago. It was discovered that by accessing the body's electrical system, a way could be used to promote correct skeletal alignment.
Ishta Spinal Touch – Core Alignment
by Sue Weller and Allyn Edwards
This article focuses on the Ishta Spinal Touch – Core Alignment method used to assess the level of postural distortion in the spine, pelvis and other parts of the body, and how this is done. The authors also explain how postural changes and the health of the spine relate to the overall health of a person.
Know Your Bunions
by Joel Carbonnel
If you don't want painful and inefficient feet, don't be callous with them, give its 31 joints plenty of space by choosing sensible shoes and, whenever it's possible, do discalceate[2] and walk barefoot. The author explains all!
Leptins and Inflammation
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
In this column on bodywork, the author focuses on imbalances derived from hormones produced by white fatty tissue, particularly leptin (an area of fast evolving research).
Maintaining Standards in Massage and Bodywork
by Mario-Paul Cassar
Osteopath and bodyworker Mario-Paul Cassar begins his piece with the case of a 72-year-old woman with severe lumbar pain who had been advised to keep moving her back. This resulted in more pain. She began to recover after the author treated her and advised her to rest. In a second case, a middle-aged runner with a pain in his leg, who had been treated by a manipulative therapist but continued to experience pain, sought a second opinion. He improved after being treated by the author and following advice on exercise and stretching.
Malocclusions Linked to Abnormal Foot Motion
by Brian A Rothbart PhD
This article focuses on the impact abnormal foot motion can have on the cranial bones and occlusion, based on clinical data that statistically suggests a link between the two.
Man, The Lordotic Ape
by Joel Carbonnel
We all started life bent double. Cramped for space, we had to adopt a humble position to fit in our uterine home. Curled up, bowed and rounded was our foetal posture. We had food, warmth and a roof, but no room to swing a cat. Eventually came the day when we could not bear this restricted environment any longer – we moved out.
Matrix Repatterning(tm) – The Structural Basis of Health
by George B Roth
In this authoritative feature, Dr. George Roth, the originator of Matrix Repatterning, explains how symptoms, especially in chronic conditions, are often the result of the compensatory tensions and stresses created within the body in response to a primary site of tissue injury.
McTimoney Chiropractic
by Dr Christina Cunliffe
As the largest healthcare profession in the world after medicine and dentistry, and in the light of the new legislation regulating its practice in the UK, chiropractic is fast becoming one of the most popular methods of treating neuromusculo-skeletal problems today.
McTimoney Chiropractic
by Susan Cartlidge
McTimoney chiropractic is a particular branch of the profession in the UK which developed for some years outside of the apparent mainstream, so to speak. There are over 300 McTimoney chiropractors registered with the McTimoney Chiropractic Association representing approximately one-third of the chiropractic profession in Britain.
McTimoney-Corley Spinal Therapy
by Dr Heather Parsons
This article focuses on McTimoney-Corley Spinal Therapy, a treatment that involves gentle whole body manipulation. The therapy works at the level of adjusting the bones and realigning the joints. This brings about a re-balancing of the bony structures, unrestricting the body's natural restorative healing mechanisms.
Meet the Endocannibanoids – Pleasure Producers, Pain Relievers – And Much More: The Bodywork Connection
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
In this Expert Column, Leon Chaitow looks at our body’s ability to produce virtually identical chemicals to those that appear in cannabis.
Metamorphic Technique – Tool for Inner Change
by Katherine L Knight
The Metamorphic Technique was created in the 1960s by Robert St John, a British naturopath and reflexologist, and further developed by Gaston St Pierre, founder of the Metamorphic Association.
Muscle Tone Story
by Joel Carbonnel
The idea that many of us lack muscle tone is common, but in his column Carbonnel reveals that in fact most of us have more than enough of it. He explains that muscle tone is the permanent, involuntary tension in our resting skeletal muscles which enables us to stand up, hold our heads up with little muscular contraction.
Myofascial pain trigger points nerve root pain satellite trigger points
by John Halford
Myofascial trigger points coincide with the acupoints of traditional Chinese medicine.
Myofascial Trigger Points and Beyond
by Simeon Niel-Asher
Trigger points develop when parts of the muscles stop moving as they should and instead become set in one position, which leads to a state of contraction. Niel-Asher looks at the different ways of describing trigger points, how to treat them using different techniques.
Naturopathic Osteopathy
by Jeff Richards, Registered Osteopath, Registered Naturopath
In 1874 Andrew Taylor Still brought osteopathy into the world. It had taken the death of three of his children from meningitis in 1864 for Still to realise that the drugs and preparations he prescribed were useless.
Network Spinal Analysis™ (NSA) – Interview with Dr Epstein
by Dr Donald Epstein
This is an interview with New York Chiropractor Dr Donald Epstein, on Network Spinal Analysis (NSA), which was discovered in 1982, when Dr Epstein began networking various chiropractic techniques – marrying certain techniques in a manner which enables the practitioner, through the use of light touch to release large amounts of spinal tension from a patient.
Neuroskeletal Re-Alignment Therapy (NSRT) and Neck Pathology
by Carole Preen
This column focuses on Neuroskeletal Re-alignment Therapy, which can be used for a wide range of back, neck and joint problems. The therapy works through the Central Nervous and Meridian systems to help the body gently back into balance without the need for any forced manipulation.
Of Blue Jeans and Back Genes
by Joel Carbonnel
Jeans are out, genes are in. Culture and commercial pressures have decided on the fate of these two homophones. It was in the papers a few months ago – wearing jeans, once so popular, is fast fading out. Meanwhile, genes are very trendy, the little darlings of the scientific community, and of the financial world.
Of Snakes and Men
by Joel Carbonnel
Have you ever wondered how snakes move? The ease with which they achieve their limbless locomotion has puzzled many observers since the beginning of man (in this column the word embraces woman). Even the wise King Solomon was baffled by a serpent on a rock, but could not find any clue to its mysterious and tortuous gliding techniques.
On One's Head
by Joel Carbonnel
Head carrying has been studied by some scientists, such as Norman Heglund, a physiologist at the University of Louvain. He wanted to understand how Luo women could carry on their heads loads that weigh almost as much as themselves without apparent tiredness, and why they easily outperformed elite American soldiers who carried the same weight in a rucksack.
Pelvic Integrity – Centering the Core
by Liz Koch
Liz Koch has made a lifelong study of the psoas muscle and sees the pelvis as the keystone of our structural system. It is not only the base of support for the upper body, but transfers weight down the legs to the feet. Pelvic instability shows itself in pelvic tilts, forward flexion, twists, dips or torques.
Physiotherapy Today
by Nadia Ellis
Physiotherapy today is defined as: "A systematic method of assessing musculoskeletal, cardiovascular, respiratory and neurological disorders of function including pain and those of psychosomatic origin and of dealing with or preventing those problems by natural methods based essentially on movement, manual therapy and physical agencies."[1]
Pilates for Today
by Dreas Reyneke
Pilates looks after the basics of posture, the cardiovascular system, breathing and reduces stress to make it, according to the author, the most suitable method to counterbalance our sedentary 21st century life. He takes us through a brief history of the background to Pilates before moving on to the core of the article: how he has seen Pilates evolve in his 30 years of teaching and specifically in relation to his own development, 'Ultimate Pilates'.
Podiatry – Importance of the Foot
by Paul Harradine
This features look in depth at the way your feet can affect other areas of your body. Podiatry is the profession which specializes in the treatment, diagnosis and prevention of foot-based problems. The author, an eminent and well-published podiatrist, looks at the relation between foot to gait dysfunction and related symptomology such as back, hip, knee and foot pain.
Prenatal and Birth Therapy - Healing our Earliest Wounds from Conception to Birth
by Graham Kennedy RCST
Prenatal and birth therapy was developed by Dr Raymond Castellino as a powerful method of working with babies and their families in order to resolve traumatic imprinting that originated in prenatal life and the birth process. The approach draws on other modalities, such as cranio-sacral therapy, polarity therapy, psychotherapy, trauma resolution work and birth simulation work.
Releasing Trauma Through Bodywork The Power of Awareness
by Anthony Deavin Ph.D.
In Polarity Therapy we recognize that the harmonious flow of energy within and around the body is the essential prerequisite for health. For Polarity Therapists, the safe release of trauma is a key concern.
Respectable Energy
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
This week I attended a post-graduation party at the University of Westminster. Candidates from the first intake of the MA in Therapeutic Bodywork had, with all due ceremony, received their well deserved degrees.
Respecting Symptoms
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
I suppose all complementary health care disciplines and systems agree that the body/mind complex is self-healing. That given the opportunity the self-regulating mechanisms will act in the best interests of the individual, always attempting to move towards the normalising of whatever is currently ‘wrong’.
Reviving Head Carrying
by Joel Carbonnel
If you have never put anything on your head apart from the occasional hat, hood, helmet, cap, headscarf, headphone or even beret, you haven't lived yet. Carrying any weight on your head heavier than these can greatly improve your well-being and the way you look.
Rolfing®: Transformative Method of Structural Integration
by Jean-Pierre el-Rif
This article focuses on Rolfing, originally named Postural Integration and later Structural Integration, a comprehensive system of hands-on connective tissue manipulation which releases both deep and superficial stress patterns, restoring the body to good posture, better health and emotional wellbeing.
Self-Breema – Exercises for Harmonious Life
by Denise Berezonsky
Through Self-Breema, we can discover a natural, joyful connection to the body and the aliveness of our Being participating in life, in the moment.
Self-Help or Self-Delusion?
by Joel Carbonnel
In this column the author shares his views on self-help books, after being approached to write one on the Mézières method.
SHEN® Physio-Emotional Release Therapy
by Eilís Ward
Eilís Ward C.S.P.I. tells us about this powerful technique for emotional growth and empowerment.
Sleep – Steps for a Peaceful Night
by Joel Carbonnel
In this column the author focuses on how to improve sleep, a complex behaviour which, like any other function in life, can become disordered.
Tenderfoot
by Joel Carbonnel
Twenty-six bones, 31 joints, 20 muscles. These are the vital statistics of the foot. In spite of these numerous bones and muscles, arthritis in the joints of the feet, compared with those of the hips and knees, is relatively rare. Far more common are the deformations and distortions that the feet have to endure.
The Bat Method
by Joel Carbonnel
Bats are known to have the odd, almost comical habit of resting upside down. But let us not joke at the bat's dangling behaviour, because I think we would benefit from aping it a little. I'll tell you why.
The Beauty Factor
by Joel Carbonnel
What is your idea of a beautiful body? Wafer-thin, fat-free females and muscular hunks to which a normal mortal can't possibly aspire? But what is the norm? "I doubt there is such a thing as normal shape" was the sceptical remark of a teacher of physiotherapy to whom I was explaining the Mézières Method.
The Body – A User's Manual
by Joel Carbonnel
"What's the difference between the Mézières method and the Alexander technique?" is the question most often asked of Joel Carbonnel by his potential clients.
The Bone-Eaters
by Joel Carbonnel
The skeleton has an important influence on posture and shape in its role as supporter of the human frame. If, for some reason, bones lose their normal rigidity, the human scaffold can no longer properly support the body and this can have dire consequences on its health and appearance. This is exactly what happens in a condition called osteoporosis, also known as widow's stoop.
The Cold Facts about the Frozen Shoulder
by Joel Carbonnel
In the course of evolution, the shoulder, of all the joints in the body, is the one that has developed the greatest flexibility. According to Bernard G Campbell, "…it seems clear...that the upper arm of modern man carries characters associated with the arm-swinging primates…".[1]
The Corporeal Cores
by Joel Carbonnel
The concept of core muscles and core strength is now being used to describe a muscular corset, a girdle of strength, which, in some people, can be drawn too tight. In explanation, the author introduces the work of Mézière who divided the body into hindquarter and forequarter:
The Feldenkrais Method®
by Barbara Barnes
Feldenkrais invites you to learn how to move in a new way. It is a movement based solution to movement based problems. If you imagine a friend of yours walking down the street, and that all you can see is their silhouette – not the person, I imagine you would recognise them by the way they move.
The Healing Process: A Polarity Therapy Case History
by Anthony Deavin Ph.D.
This article takes the form of a comprehensive case history undertaken by a student who had just completed a ten-day foundation course in polarity therapy, and illustrates how effective the therapy can be even after only a short period of training.
The Human Spirit Level
by Joel Carbonnel
When it comes to our senses, we usually only speak of five of them: sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. But in fact we have many more. For example, embedded in our muscles, tendons and joints, are special sensory organs that form what Sherrington[1] called "our secret sense, our sixth sense", which he termed 'proprioception' as it informs us, among other things, about the position of the different parts of our body in relation to one another (from the Latin proprius, own).
The Importance of Anatomy to all Healthcare Practitioners
by Caroline Barrow
Caroline Barrow discusses the importance of studying anatomy for all those working in healthcare. She points out that so often in natural medicine there is a pull between the scientific and intuitive approaches. These two approaches she believes can be melded together and are indeed complementary.
The Importance of Correct Breast Support
by Lynn Young
That 'most women wear the wrong size bra' has almost become a cliché. Women today should be very aware that wearing the wrong bra size can cause all sorts of medical problems, not to mention psychological problems.
The Metamorphic Technique and the Universal Principles
by Agnes Boes
Life itself is the great healer. It appears simple and obvious, yet the finite mind has difficulty in grasping it. The Metamorphic Technique and the Universal Principles put into practise this idea and offer an environment for contacting and reawakening the self-healing quality of life.
The Mézières Method - a revolution in manual therapy
by Joel Carbonnel
Françoise Mézières' (1909–1991) career as a physiotherapist and a teacher of anatomy/physiology changed radically following an empirical discovery. With this discovery she found the clue to all our deformities, developed a powerful therapeutic tool for our musculoskeletal dysfunctions and pains, and formulated totally new biomechanical laws.
The Mini-Trampoline
by Michele Wilburn
Mini-trampolines, also referred to as Rebound units and bouncers, are easily accommodated in homes, and widely used in sports centres, gymnasiums, health hydros, hospital physiotherapy and rehabilitation departments, sports injury clinics and schools
The Multiple Applications of Swiss Balls
by Paul Chek
This article looks into the benefits of Swiss ball training and the multi-functional exercises one can perform with it. He says that the use of Swiss balls in most gyms tends to be limited to crunches, which actually represents only a fraction of the exercises that can be performed with this equipment.
The Originality of The Mézières Method
by Joel Carbonnel
This column touches on the misrepresentation of physical therapies, namely Mézières Method, and development of totally irrelevant systems of exercises (such as Yogalates), in an attempt to explain the uniqueness of Françoise Mézières technique, and how it differs from the other forms of physical therapies.
The Osteopathic Approach to the Temporomandibular Joint (TMJ)
by David Lintonbon
This article looks at the structural osteopathic approach to evaluating dysfunction at the Temporomandibular Joint and its associated structures.
The Psoas Within
by Liz Koch
At the very core of your physical body lies a muscle that influences every aspect of well-being. The psoas muscle, critical for balance, alignment, joint rotation and range of motion, also influences the circulatory system, the functioning of organs and diaphragmatic breathing.
The Relevance of the Diaphragm
by Caroline Barrow
This column focuses on the anatomical diaphragm in relation to its respiratory function.
The Relevance of the Viscera
by Caroline Barrow
This column focuses on the connection between musculoskeletal issues and our internal organs and the discovery made by French osteopath Jean-Pierre Barral when exploring the anatomy of these viscera to see how relevant they were.
The Relevance of the… Sympathetic Nervous System
by Caroline Barrow
This column looks at the body’s Sympathetic Nervous System, how it affects us and how this particular range of nerves gets around the body.
The Relevance of … Ribs
by Caroline Barrow
This column focuses on the relevance of our ribs and the small joints associated with them, including their function and interplay with other organs in the body, namely the lungs and breathing.
The Relevance of….The Parasympathetic Nervous System
by Caroline Barrow
This column follows on from an earlier column (in Issue 142 of PH - December 2007) by the author on the Relevance of the Sympathetic Nervous System.
The Role of Anatomy and Physiology in Bodywork
by Darien Pritchard
At present Anatomy and Physiology sit uneasily in much bodywork training and practice. In this article I want to look at their place and relevance.
The role of soft tissue work
by Mario-Paul Cassar
Soft tissue work was incorporated in physical therapy many years ago. Its efficacy has been demonstrated by the extent of its utilisation and by its continuous evolvement, sometimes into other therapy forms.
The Self-Healing Method – A Physiotherapy for the 21st Century
by Maggie Lyons
Self-Healing – a unique therapy combining massage, movement, and natural vision training based on the teachings of Meir Schneider (see our interview with Meir under - Interviews). Our bodies have forgotten what they most need – movement. Self-Healing is a gentle yet dynamic method dedicated to reversing this trend.
The Weakest Chains
by Joel Carbonnel
The work of Mézières is firmly based on what she called 'muscular chains' (MCs). I don't know if she was the first one to use this term but she gave a clear and precise definition of what they comprise.
Touch Therapy Training Programme For Children with Disabilities
by Katie Essex
The author shares her experiences of her involvement as both therapist/instructor and research assistant in the Touch Therapy Training Programme (TTTP) developed by Julie Barlow and Lesley Cullen at Coventry University's Psychosocial Research Centre.
Transformational Bodywork
by Graeme Stroud
Transformational Bodywork is a method of working on the physical body that begins the process of contacting, accepting and transmuting the pain, trauma and congested energy that resides within the physical, emotional and mental bodies.
Trauma Energetics
by William Redpath
The author, William Redpath, a psychoanalyst, Reichian therapist, special education teacher and certified advanced Rolfer, has spent many years studying tragic theory and trauma theory, and has written Trauma Energetics, A Study of Held-Energy Systems. However, it was not until 1991, when undergoing a trauma resolution session himself, that he discovered the importance of 'vibrational black' in resolving trauma.
Trauma Release Body-Mind Processing
by Louis A Gross BSEE
In this article Gross describes his system of Trauma Release Body-Mind Processing, which combines Ida Rolf's Structural Integration Method of Connective Tissue Manipulation, psychiatrist Wilhelm Reich's body-oriented psychological therapy and psychotherapist Morris Netherton's method of past traumatic event release. He describes how the use of these three methods gives a better resolution in faster times than would be usual with any of these individual methods.
Treating Chronic Pain Deep Tissue vs. Muscle Release Technique™
by Michael Young
By using the Muscle Release Technique,™ we not only break up scar tissue, we lengthen the muscle. This results in more flexibility, no more nerve impingement and no more pain. By using this technique regularly, the muscle memory is restored and most pain sufferers experience permanent relief.
Treating Pain in Joints and Muscles
by Vicki McKenna
As an acupuncturist I commonly see people with pain in their joints and muscles. Often pain in joints is labelled "arthritis" and muscular pain may be classified as "fibromyalgia" but in Chinese medicine these problems are viewed differently.
Treating the Complex Shoulder
by Simeon Niel-Asher
This article focuses on shoulder problems, such as frozen shoulder, rotator cuff tendinopathy, capsulitis, arthritis of the glenohumeral joint, impingement syndrome, post operative/fracture stiffness, etc., which the author says as many as one in four adults suffer at some time, and shares his special technique to treat such conditions.
Trigger Point Therapy
by Steve Hefferon
This article focuses on the importance of Trigger Point therapy and how it works.
Truth will out
by Leon Chaitow, ND DO
In 1988 I coauthored (with investigative journalist Simon Martin) a book with the title World Without AIDS (Thorsons) and in 1994 my other book on this topic You Don’t Have to Die (coauthored with Jim Stronheker) was published in the USA by The Burton Goldberg Group. In these books my coauthors and I documented the scandalous degree of misinformation which was emerging from official sources regarding this disease.
Twisted Life Forms
by Joel Carbonnel
Nature, as a rule, does not like straight lines but rather favours curves, and has a marked preference for that most beautiful of curves – the spiral.
Vibromuscular Harmonisation
by Mark G. Lester
The Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique (VHT) is a new bodywork technique developed by Jock Ruddock and inspired by such disciplines as Aikido, Bowen Technique, Tai Chi, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Kinesiology and Zen.
Vibromuscular Harmonisation
by Mark G. Lester
The Vibromuscular Harmonisation Technique (VHT) is a new bodywork technique developed by Jock Ruddock and inspired by such disciplines as Aikido, Bowen Technique, Tai Chi, Cranio-Sacral Therapy, Kinesiology and Zen. Jock Ruddock and his wife Ivana teach VHT worldwide, including in the UK, and have also developed The Equine TouchTM, a discipline for horses. The first part of the article, an interview between VHT practitioner, Mark Lester and Jock Ruddock, describes the technique.
Walking and the Mind
by Joel Carbonnel
Joe Carbonnel looks at the benefits of walking for the mind. Walking has been shown to slow the rate of memory loss and keep the mind sharp.
Walking with your Iliopsoas Muscle
by Liz Koch
The author explains the importance of maintaining a supple, well-functioning iliopsoas muscle, and has written a book on the subject.
Walking – The Good Way
by Ganapati Iyer Ravishakar
Psychologists claimed that communication among human beings is 7% verbal, 30% toe and 55% body language. Whether these figures are correct or not, it's plain that we speak with our bodies. In fact what we don't say can be more influential than what we verbalize. We constantly transmit and receive non-verbal messages, often revealing our attitudes before we say a single word.
What The Neck!
by Joel Carbonnel
This article focuses on the neck, its structure, function and treatment. Our neck, the author explains, is a relatively stiff but fidgety structure: it moves about 600 times an hour, even when asleep. An Olympic feat that no other part of the musculoskeletal system can achieve. It is when we misuse it that things start to become a pain in the neck literally!.
Who is Afraid of Beauty?
by Joel Carbonnel
If you had to sit down to reinvent the wheel I bet you would end up with a round thing, not a square. It's elementary – round wheels work, square ones don't. Well, to be honest I've never seen square wheels but I know I wouldn't like them on my bike. If I am talking to you about wheels it is to illustrate the importance of shape in relation to function.
Yawning Your Head Off
by Joel Carbonnel
Joel Carbonnel gets into yawning – a contagious, communicable, infectious practice, quickly affecting others. He also looks into the art of this gesture and what triggers it.
Zen-Bodytherapy
by Sula Thomas-Forero
Zen-bodytherapy is a system of bodytherapy and somatic education whose goals are to align and balance the structure, function and energy of the body.
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