Body Balancing of Central Florida

Lymphatic drainage is a type of gentle massage which encourages the natural circulation of the lymph through the body. The lymph system depends on peristalsis and the movement of skeletal muscles to squeeze fluid through lymph ducts and vessels. Lymph drainage consists of gentle, massaging of the skin to stimulate the lymph nodes to open and drain. The treatment is very comfortable and non-aggressive. A typical session will involve drainage of the neck, abdomen, trunk, and extremities and lasts approximately 60 to 90 minutes.

70 % of the lymphatics are in the epidermis, even hair follicles are deeper than that.

Lymph drainage benefits include:

1. Improved immune function
2. Improving fluidic balance
3. Draining toxins
4. better tone and fluid in skin

If you notice there are new "diseases" popping up on the news all the time and many of them have no treatment. These little "bug"ers tell antibiotics to "bring it on!!" So the only recourse we truly have to battle these "new" bugs is to have a strong efficient immune system to protect us. That strength is in the proper flow and function of the liquid body. Of course don't get me wrong, not everyone gets sick, some are just aware of more drainage in the throat and sinuses, or even just urinating a lot more than usual. Either way the system is cleansing with assistance from this lymph drainage technique. I have no doubt that LDT will provide health benefits beyond compare.

A full session of LDT for the whole body, conservatively takes about 90 minutes. I have done a couple of FULL BODY sessions since returning from seminar/workshop 1 of 4. I think at this point there is more "use" to do localized areas and clear them than trying to do a whole body. I have run into no one so far that was not suffering from some type of congestion problem. I say congestion in that their lymphatic system seemed to be filled with toxic sludge. They were suffering from allergies or asthma and were overloaded, or had high levels of toxicity and swelling, or were suffering from a lifetime of cyclical problems and never realized it until they eased. Localized work on congestion with traditional massage therapy to improve the circulatory function of the musculature is a great combination. In some cases it may take a full hour just to improve the lymphatic and circulatory system of a simple limb. Of course even with the concentration being on a single limb, the neck and shoulder girdle must still be opened.

I would offer that this would not be an isolated session type of massage. LDT would be a great initial step of a course of treatment to really boost the immune function of the body. The obvious effects may be as slight as not getting any colds or even just feeling lighter and more energized. But then it may be as big,...well there is no telling.

Anna, age seventy-three, an unknowing victim of pectoral trigger points, strapped on a TENS unit every day for her chronic mid back pain. Unable to wear the unit at night, she regularly had to take a pain pill to enable her to sleep. Trigger points had shortened her pectoral muscles to such an extent that she couldn't pull her shoulders back to stand up straight. After her first massage she was able to go to sleep without taking her pain medication for the first time in years. Though she's never eager to massage her own pectoral muscles, which are still very tender, her back always feels better when she does.

Tightness from trigger points in the pectoralis major keeps the shoulder pulled forward, making it difficult to reach back and putting a constant strain on the upper back muscles. This round-shouldered posture also causes the head and neck to be constantly projected forward, which sponsors trigger points in the sternocleidomastoid (V muscles in front of neck) and scalene muscles (deep to Sternocleidomastoid). This can make the pectoralis major indirectly the ultimate source of the many symptoms. The overload imposed on shoulder and upper back muscles by a shortened pectoralis major can lead to the development of secondary trigger points throughout the region, progressively limiting movement of the arm and ending in a frozen shoulder. (1999: 833)

The round-shouldered posture fostered by pectoral trigger points can have many unanticipated effects, including excessive pressure on spinal disks, compression of nerves, jaw problems, restricted breathing, chronic fatigue, neck pain, and headaches. Each of these symptoms can in turn, like a snake eating its own tail exacerbate the pectoral muscles.

Unfortunately, attempts to force a correction of your posture generally fails unless you first find and deactivate the specific trigger points that are keeping the pectoral muscles tight. Efforts to stretch these sensitive muscles without releasing their trigger points can make all your symptoms worse. After the trigger points are gone, stretching and postural retraining are quite appropriate and can be expected to have a beneficial effect.

When your muscles are limber, pain-free, and responsive, the best posture is attained simply by raising the crown of your head and standing tall. In the absence of pectoral trigger points, your shoulders will find their own dynamic balance.

This Months Muscle: Pectoralis Major /Subclavius

The ability of the pectoralis major muscle and the subclavius to mimic a "heart attack" is something we should all be aware of. But lets get down to the muscles themselves first.

The pectoralis major muscle is the largest of two pectoral muscles, Pectoralis Major and the pectoralis minor. As visible in the diagram to the Left the P Major has 4 aspects to it each has different abilities and responsibilities according to its placement as well as working in conjunction as a whole. The lowest aspect often fails to fully develop and as such is not visible in the diagrams. The bulk of the muscle presents as strips of fibers that overlap each other like the shingles on a roof or the  leaves of a fan. All  fibers contribute to three movements of the arm at the shoulder: (1) adduction (2) movement across the chest and (3) internal rotation. The subclavius muscle assists protraction of the shoulder by drawing it in a ventral (towards the center bone) and caudal direction (towards the feet).

Active TrP's in the central part of the pectoralis major refer pain widely over the precordium (In anatomy, the Precordium is the portion of the body over the heart and stomach) and down the ulnar aspect (little finger side) of the arm to the 4th and 5th fingers, and also may cause a sense of chest constriction that is readily confused with angina pectoris (heart attacks), and/or panic attacks. The patient with TrP's in the intermediate fibers of the left sternal section is likely to complain of intermittent, intense chest pain  that appears in the precordial region at rest and/or on effort. The trigger point for a fluttery kind of heart arrhythmia is found between the ribs, a couple of inches to the right of the end of the breastbone Nocturnally this pain often disturbs sleep. Breast pain and diffuse soreness are a feature of TrP's in the free margin of the costal (ribs) section, laterally The nipple may be hypersensitive. An example of a myofascial viscerosomatic interaction begins with coronary artery insufficiency, or other intrathoracic disease, that refers pain from these visceral structures to the anterior chest wall. As a result, satellite TrP's develop in the somatic pectoral muscles.

Shortness of the pectoralis major is often a missed precursor to a variety of other problems, not the least of which are carpal tunnel, frozen shoulder, anxiety attacks, breathing problems, low back pain, migraines, disk problems, irritability and many others.. P Major is a critical muscle in the "placement"  of the shoulder girdle but more specifically the humeral head (the head of the arm). Working like a pulley not only front to back but on at least 5 other axis with each influencing the other and modifying its own operation in this spider web. Often times with the flexion (fetal position) induced postures that we adopt in our computer oriented society. The P Major tightens and shortens since it is a postural muscle and therefore the fan like area of the shoulder to back not only is stretched long but is working hard in this stretched long state to pull the shoulder back into an easier gravity resisting posture.

Taking frequent 5 second breaks during the day to stretch the elbows together and down in back of you is a great way to hold off this sneaky instigator.

People who are typically sufferers of this problem, desk workers, phone answers, Hair stylists, .