Appalachian Medical Massage Associates

The practice of various massage techniques can be traced though human history and nearly every culture. Artwork and literature from many civilizations show that nearly all ancient cultures practiced massage in some form. This is shown in cave drawings by out prehistoric ancestors, ancient Chinese books dating back as far as 3000 B.C., medical textbooks by Greek and Roman physicians written in the millennia preceding Christ, Indian and Hindu tradition and literature dating back over three thousand years.

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Dr. Andrew Weil’s “Tip of the Day” for the 4th of July is “Four Reasons to Try Rolfing”. That’s fitting for Independence Day!

Four Reasons to Try Rolfing

Do you suffer from chronic stress, pain or bad posture? You may want to consider Rolfing. Named after Dr. Ida P. Rolf, Rolfing is often referred to as “structural integration.” It is not simply massage, it is a system of deep manipulation of the connective tissues that aims to restructure the fascia (the sheath of tissue that surrounds a muscle) and relieve physical misalignment.

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Mike Bulger does a great job answering this question on his website.

Check it out here: Structural Revolution.

By Gloria Hansen

Good posture makes everybody look 150 percent better. You look thinner - taller - and your clothes hang better. It is probably the most consistent connective thread running through every man and woman of style.

There is a certain magnetism, self-confidence, and to-the-manor-born charisma about a strong, graceful carriage. It is a body language that works.

But there is much more to good posture than your mother might have told you. It is during a state of ideal posture that the muscles will work most efficiently. Poor posture not only takes away from aesthetics, it compromises how we were designed to function, eventually leading to pain and/or injury.

Old, unconscious habits of misalignment, never detected and thus never corrected, directly cause muscle and joint pain, fatigue and general bodily difficulty. Most of us do not realize this crucial connection, much less know what to do about it.

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Xazmin Garza

It seems that Oprah and Dr. Oz have set off a domino effect leading to even more great news coverage of Structural Integration!

Fashion reporter Xazmin Garza writes “Beauty Queen,” a monthly column published in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

In her column on the 29th of February, titled “The Evolution of Man,” the Beauty Queen writes:

I’m in a slump. Not a Shaquille O’Neal kind of slump but more of a Quasimodo one, as in my upper back borders on hunch status. . . . During one of her Dr. Oz shows, the queen of daytime introduced the world to Rolfing. Say it aloud: Rolfing. Yes, it sounds like another name for vomit or the noise Arsenio Hall used to accompany his fist roll with but it’s neither. The name comes from its founder, Dr. Ida P. Rolf, and it’s a “connective tissue manipulation technique” used to bring your body’s alignment back in order. Translation: it deslumps.

Read the entire article on the Las Vegas Review-Journal website, http://www.lvrj.com/image/16105522.html.

Written by Amber Vachon

We have just returned from an information-packed week in Cambridge and Boston, MA. The First International Fascia Research Congress was held at The Conference Center of Harvard University Medical School.

The Congress was truly international in nature, as there were more than 700 attendees from over 70 different countries and is set to be rebroadcast at over 40 universities and medical centers around the world. We feel fortunate to have been able to attend this sold-out conference.

Leading scientists in fascia research from around the world came together with professionals involved in the therapeutic manipulation of this structural fabric that weaves its way throughout the body. The result was absolutely amazing. We’re saving our pennies for the Second International Fascia Research Congress to be held in Amsterdam in 2009

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Written by Kevin Shihoten

The documentary short by Nathaniel Kahn, Two Hands, nominated for a 2006 Academy Award, airs tonight on Cinemax at 7:00 p.m Eastern time (check local listings).

In the 17-minute film, pianist Leon Fleisher speaks about the despair and triumphs he has experienced due to focal dystonia, a neurological condition that caused two digits in his right hand to curl early in his career, forcing him to retire at 36.

Fleisher turned to teaching, conducting and the left-hand piano repertoire. In 1982, after tendonitis surgery, he performed Franck’s Symphonic Variations with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in an ostensible return to traditional two-handed repertoire.

“I remember being backstage in the dressing room before going out … and bursting into tears,” recalled Fleisher, realizing further treatment was needed for a more complete recovery.

In recent years, Botox injections and Rolfing have enabled him to resume a regular performing career.

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If you’re plagued by muscle pain, Dr. Oz recommends a technique called Rolfing, which he describes as “even deeper than a deep-tissue massage.”

This technique, which was developed by Dr. Ida Pauline Rolf, aims to separate bound-up connective tissues (or fascia), which link the muscles. “Rolfing literally releases the joints,” Dr. Oz says. “When you talk to folks about the impact it has on them, a lot of them just stand taller. A lot is just freeing you up to live the way you’re supposed to live.”

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Get the full segment at Oprah’s website, http://www.oprah.com/health/oz/oz_20070426_350_101.jhtml.

He even demonstrates receiving the work!