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minxyContext:
I started getting migraines in my late 20s. This is not unusual. Folk develop lots of things at this time, probably because we're settling into our adult frames and metabolism; it's just enough time to really feel any major issues you have in your system go full-blown. Anyway, not unusual.
I moved to California in 2007 (age 29), where I had shiite medical insurance. This may be unusual, but I haven't checked.
Point one is related to point two by the following, well, point of fact: I am weather-triggered for migraines, and the weather in California (where I was, for versions of weather that include wind shifting from inland to ocean causing pressure differentials) changes daily sometimes. I had no recourse but to self-medicate with coxibs (aspirin, Aleve, ibuprophen) for months at a time, occasionally.
Later (fun fact!) coxibs in the form of Vioxx and Celebrex were shown to inhibit the relaxation mechanism in muscles (and by extension, everything muscle-like). This warning now shows up on every bottle of ibuprophen, but wasn't there before Vioxx was withdrawn from the market.
Around 2009, I discovered cranio-sacral massage therapy as part of my (much better!) medical insurace in my (much better!) job in a different part of the country.
Preamble:
I think of trying chiropractic care and cranio-sacral massage therapy as a major step in the right direction; a lot like a childhood game of hot and cold. You feel like you're getting warmer, but not quite there yet. I'm a believer in Western medicine except for the fact that sometimes it fails you, and if you really believe that there's a pill for every ailment (most medical doctors do)*, then you'll forget to look anywhere else. In my case, Western medicine failed me when it came to migraines. Alternative medicine taught me, at minimum, that circulation in my spine was critical to my ability to use my brain reliably. I sought everything I could to maximize my circulation and spine health: chiropractic care, Pilates exercises, whatever.
I moved again (those of you who know me realize this is not unusual in my world) but this time I seriously leveled up my medical insurance, access to excellent primary care physicians, as well as access to and healthy appreciation for alternative medicine. The following was covered under my medical insurance, with referral from my primary care physician. You may find hourly rates closer to the hourly rate of a physical therapist or massage therapist.
Now:
A really good massage therapist in Oregon recommended I see a world-class "Rolfer" in my current town. I did not know what this was. It has changed my life.
Rolfing was devised by a biochemist who realized there was a gulf of practical kinesiology between bones (chiropractic care) and muscle (traditional massage care); this comprises fascia, tendon and ligament, all of which should be mildly elastic without actively articulating.
Most of us lose a lot of this elasticity with age. You can also use it if you are self-medicating for chronic pain (hello). I lost it and knew as much when I was told by a Pilates instructor that I looked like I was getting ready to bank into a right hand turn when I thought I was standing up straight. Most folk who are relatively inactive (read: desk job) have fused their ilio-sacral joints by the time they are 50, this is related to the fascia and ligaments tightening up.
Rolfing< (or as I like to think of it: Brain Rehab) is generally a series of ten sessions, over ten weeks with possible breaks at particular times. Apparently, for some patients, it hurts? But it shouldn't. You have a therapist with sub-standard technique; pain means you brace yourself, and you'll see much slower results with that level of resistance. My understanding of what they are doing is this: massage of the surface layer of muscle until they can get to the ligaments/fascia etc. Light specific stroking of the ligament/fascia etc, to enable "clearing" of the cells, or removal of the detritous that could block blood flow and flexibility. Lastly, manual stretching (this is part of the art of the care: the direction is something the therapist would sort out by feel) of those inelastic ligaments and fascia to get back to the right movements and articulation of the body. Post-script: you settle into this new range of motion over the course of the week. You may have homework as simple as taking a walk, or specific stretches or movements. You'll see fast results if you do these things.
I don't know if I can explain the ways in which my body changed, but the following things are documented in my before and after shots: I stand straight now. I am 1 3/4" taller (not joking. I initially measured an inch shorter than I thought I was due to the leaning. I'm now roughly 1/2" taller than I thought I was.) I walk differently, with my weight shifting evenly over my toes as I rock. I walk *lighter* than I did: I can articulate my ankles and heels and hip so much farther that a lot of my body weight is absorbed differently and not in the heel strike.
We didn't get to my shoulders and head until session, what, 7? 8? I noticed major changes long before that. I noticed them on day one (average height gain after the first session: 1") A big thing for me was releasing the psoas muscle. This is my new favorite muscle.
But back to my brain: I don't remember a lot of the details of that session, but there were fingers in my ears, mouth and nose (with gloves. And nice smelling oil, if you were wondering.) I don't know if you have ever had anyone stick their fingers in your nose, but it's odd. They are right next to your brain, after all, but that is why I was there, so I was all in, you know? My upper three or so cranial vertebrae had been pretty much fused into my skull from tension and stress and chronic pain. They move now. They articulate. IT IS AMAZING.
My migraines aren't gone, but the side effects are so minimized they may as well be. I noticed, the other day, a mild amount of light sensitivity before I went home for the day. The thunderstorm cracked that evening, and I was on an average dose of ibuprophen, but awake and functioning. Previously, 8-12 hours ahead of tiem, I would have checked out, gone home and shut the blinds and hoped to sleep through it (stupidest superpower ever). The change, can you even appreciate the change? The difference for me is the ability to rely on my brain when I need it and choose to take an evening off as soon as I have the luxury. It used to be that every week or few weeks I would work through such significant pain and side effects that I knew I wasn't at full capacity. I didn't used to be at full capacity, and I missed it.
I walk so much more fluidly now. I can move my leg without canting my hip, I can move my hip without tugging my ribcage around. I can stand straight and let my arms fall over my hips. I can TILT MY HEAD TO THE SIDE. Also, and I may not have mentioned this before: the point is that I only go back two or three times a year if I choose. The point of Rolfing is that it sticks, not that they create a patient for life.
It was a game-changer. I have the levels of energy and range of motion I had as a teenager. I am also on summer schedule (meaning, I am not teaching two-three new courses right now!) I may take over the world. LOOK OUT.
So, yeah. Rolfing. Anyone else try this?
*er, I am a doctor, though I don't play one on T.V. This post should not be taken as a directive.
I started getting migraines in my late 20s. This is not unusual. Folk develop lots of things at this time, probably because we're settling into our adult frames and metabolism; it's just enough time to really feel any major issues you have in your system go full-blown. Anyway, not unusual.
I moved to California in 2007 (age 29), where I had shiite medical insurance. This may be unusual, but I haven't checked.
Point one is related to point two by the following, well, point of fact: I am weather-triggered for migraines, and the weather in California (where I was, for versions of weather that include wind shifting from inland to ocean causing pressure differentials) changes daily sometimes. I had no recourse but to self-medicate with coxibs (aspirin, Aleve, ibuprophen) for months at a time, occasionally.
Later (fun fact!) coxibs in the form of Vioxx and Celebrex were shown to inhibit the relaxation mechanism in muscles (and by extension, everything muscle-like). This warning now shows up on every bottle of ibuprophen, but wasn't there before Vioxx was withdrawn from the market.
Around 2009, I discovered cranio-sacral massage therapy as part of my (much better!) medical insurace in my (much better!) job in a different part of the country.
Preamble:
I think of trying chiropractic care and cranio-sacral massage therapy as a major step in the right direction; a lot like a childhood game of hot and cold. You feel like you're getting warmer, but not quite there yet. I'm a believer in Western medicine except for the fact that sometimes it fails you, and if you really believe that there's a pill for every ailment (most medical doctors do)*, then you'll forget to look anywhere else. In my case, Western medicine failed me when it came to migraines. Alternative medicine taught me, at minimum, that circulation in my spine was critical to my ability to use my brain reliably. I sought everything I could to maximize my circulation and spine health: chiropractic care, Pilates exercises, whatever.
I moved again (those of you who know me realize this is not unusual in my world) but this time I seriously leveled up my medical insurance, access to excellent primary care physicians, as well as access to and healthy appreciation for alternative medicine. The following was covered under my medical insurance, with referral from my primary care physician. You may find hourly rates closer to the hourly rate of a physical therapist or massage therapist.
Now:
A really good massage therapist in Oregon recommended I see a world-class "Rolfer" in my current town. I did not know what this was. It has changed my life.
Rolfing was devised by a biochemist who realized there was a gulf of practical kinesiology between bones (chiropractic care) and muscle (traditional massage care); this comprises fascia, tendon and ligament, all of which should be mildly elastic without actively articulating.
Most of us lose a lot of this elasticity with age. You can also use it if you are self-medicating for chronic pain (hello). I lost it and knew as much when I was told by a Pilates instructor that I looked like I was getting ready to bank into a right hand turn when I thought I was standing up straight. Most folk who are relatively inactive (read: desk job) have fused their ilio-sacral joints by the time they are 50, this is related to the fascia and ligaments tightening up.
Rolfing< (or as I like to think of it: Brain Rehab) is generally a series of ten sessions, over ten weeks with possible breaks at particular times. Apparently, for some patients, it hurts? But it shouldn't. You have a therapist with sub-standard technique; pain means you brace yourself, and you'll see much slower results with that level of resistance. My understanding of what they are doing is this: massage of the surface layer of muscle until they can get to the ligaments/fascia etc. Light specific stroking of the ligament/fascia etc, to enable "clearing" of the cells, or removal of the detritous that could block blood flow and flexibility. Lastly, manual stretching (this is part of the art of the care: the direction is something the therapist would sort out by feel) of those inelastic ligaments and fascia to get back to the right movements and articulation of the body. Post-script: you settle into this new range of motion over the course of the week. You may have homework as simple as taking a walk, or specific stretches or movements. You'll see fast results if you do these things.
I don't know if I can explain the ways in which my body changed, but the following things are documented in my before and after shots: I stand straight now. I am 1 3/4" taller (not joking. I initially measured an inch shorter than I thought I was due to the leaning. I'm now roughly 1/2" taller than I thought I was.) I walk differently, with my weight shifting evenly over my toes as I rock. I walk *lighter* than I did: I can articulate my ankles and heels and hip so much farther that a lot of my body weight is absorbed differently and not in the heel strike.
We didn't get to my shoulders and head until session, what, 7? 8? I noticed major changes long before that. I noticed them on day one (average height gain after the first session: 1") A big thing for me was releasing the psoas muscle. This is my new favorite muscle.
But back to my brain: I don't remember a lot of the details of that session, but there were fingers in my ears, mouth and nose (with gloves. And nice smelling oil, if you were wondering.) I don't know if you have ever had anyone stick their fingers in your nose, but it's odd. They are right next to your brain, after all, but that is why I was there, so I was all in, you know? My upper three or so cranial vertebrae had been pretty much fused into my skull from tension and stress and chronic pain. They move now. They articulate. IT IS AMAZING.
My migraines aren't gone, but the side effects are so minimized they may as well be. I noticed, the other day, a mild amount of light sensitivity before I went home for the day. The thunderstorm cracked that evening, and I was on an average dose of ibuprophen, but awake and functioning. Previously, 8-12 hours ahead of tiem, I would have checked out, gone home and shut the blinds and hoped to sleep through it (stupidest superpower ever). The change, can you even appreciate the change? The difference for me is the ability to rely on my brain when I need it and choose to take an evening off as soon as I have the luxury. It used to be that every week or few weeks I would work through such significant pain and side effects that I knew I wasn't at full capacity. I didn't used to be at full capacity, and I missed it.
I walk so much more fluidly now. I can move my leg without canting my hip, I can move my hip without tugging my ribcage around. I can stand straight and let my arms fall over my hips. I can TILT MY HEAD TO THE SIDE. Also, and I may not have mentioned this before: the point is that I only go back two or three times a year if I choose. The point of Rolfing is that it sticks, not that they create a patient for life.
It was a game-changer. I have the levels of energy and range of motion I had as a teenager. I am also on summer schedule (meaning, I am not teaching two-three new courses right now!) I may take over the world. LOOK OUT.
So, yeah. Rolfing. Anyone else try this?
*er, I am a doctor, though I don't play one on T.V. This post should not be taken as a directive.