Massage therapy is an art.  It’s a skill and it needs to be a passion.  Good remedial massage therapists meet a client and create a plan of attack in order to solve a physical problem; frozen shoulder; knee issues; back or neck or shoulder pain – whatever the problem, it needs skilled hands to sort it out.

Clients often come in thinking that an issue will be sorted out in one session.  Then it comes down to what has caused the problem in the first place as to how long it takes to fix.

What causes chronic pain?

• muscles being too acidic (therefore you probably need a high quality magnesium such as fibroplex powder) from lactic acid;
• muscles being too dehydrated (most Aussies don’t drink enough water!)  Coffee, tea, soft drinks, white sugar and flour products all dehydrate our bodies;
• structural problems: sitting badly, sleeping badly, exercising badly, not stretching, not being able to relax, nutritional deficiencies…
• immune activation within muscles such as fibromyalgia (the immune system attacks the muscle fibres); auto-immunity in problems such as Rheumatoid Arthritis

These reasons give us an idea why 1 massage isn’t always the only answer.  Cherice & Katherine will put together a plan of attack so that you can start healing from the inside out.  If there’s more of a health picture that needs naturopathic attention, you will be referred to Madonna Guy ND or Jacqueline Dekoke ND.

Yours in health
Cherice & Katherine

1. Eat a small portion of protein every 3-4 hours to keep your blood sugar balanced.  Proteins and good fats contain little glucose which stores as fat.  About 80-100g protein per meal, 5-6 x daily.
2. Eat plenty of salad veggies and low-carb veggies.  We need to eat 5-6 cupfuls of veggies per day to keep us alkaline throughout the weightloss process.  The more acidic we are the less weight comes off.
3. Know your thyroid numbers… take your temperature first thing in the morning before getting out of bed.  If the temperature is less than 36.5 (consistently) your thyroid may be sluggish.  Jacqueline Dekoke ND or I can prescribe natural supplements to help this problem.  When the thyroid is dysfunctional it slows down every metabolic function in the body.
4. Drink oodles of water.  When the BMI is over 28 we find the body is ALWAYS dehydrated.  Our high BMI and/or waist measurement over 88 are both high risks for many chronic diseases, which are also linked to dehydration and de-oxygenation of the body’s tissues.  We get oxygen from breathing, water, and green leafy veggies.
5. Avoid grains: rice, breads, cakes, biscuits, rolls…  In weightloss grains have no value.  Grains make the body more acidic which impacts negatively on weight loss.  Grains are mostly carbohydrates and raise blood sugar, therefore causing the body to store fat.
6. If weight loss doesn’t begin quickly, have yourself checked for the foods you are eating.  Jacqueline Dekoke ND has a technique whereby we can find out if the body has an issue with particular foods.  Sometimes we are eating a healthy food which isn’t doing us any favours – it may be making us acidic, not digesting and creating allergies, slow down our metabolism and cause tiredness and digestive issues.

Mostly, you need to know what your muscle mass is to start with.  When we have held weight for a long time, we often lose muscle mass.  This causes thyroid issues and chronic fatigue.  Our Cellular Analysis (VLA) machine takes these measurements accurately and quickly.  Therefore we can start you on the right treatments immediately to support your weight loss goals!

Madonna Guy ND
New Leaf Natural Therapies

Imagine an elderly person, on many medications, who has her first massage in years: a gentle relaxation massage.  Imagine some of the muscle starting to release toxins – inflammatory hormones being released into the bloodstream, coupled with a lack of hydration since medications dehydrate the system so much!  Link that to a huge magnesium deficiency created by a lifetime of poor diet, excess tea and coffee and depletion via the medication and you end up with pain after a massage…  a side-effect???

There needs to be support for natural therapies for pensioners!  The only healthcare the elderly can often afford is medical drugs with it’s huge government assistance.  It’s devastating for us to speak to people every single day who cannot afford our services and yet they get unhealthier and unhealthier following a ‘medical lifestyle’!  This needs to be changed!

Madonna Guy ND

Chief Clinician at New Leaf