I’m off to the mainland to take a couple of continuing education classes for massage and yoga. For massage, I am taking a cranial sacral class. In preparation, I’ve read one of John E. Upledgers books “Your Inner Physician and You”. After listening to media talk on “Obama care”, I thought a couple paragraphs within the book were quite relevant to current changes in our health care system. I know it is political and many are not supporting it but if we can leave out politics it is refreshing that “preexisting” conditions have the chance to be less of a label. We may have a disease or ailment but each day is different, the preexisting just might not be existing on another day. I’ve been a massage therapist for almost fifteen years so I have clients that are either regular or that I have known for years. Before their massage treatment I always ask on how they are feeling or anything new going on within their body. Some clients brush off the question with a response something like “oh just the samo aches and pains” or the self defacing “I’m just old”. I still ask and I’m glad I do because no day is the same day. Our bodies change, our life changes, our emotions change, our joys, sorrows, our movement, our chemistry, our exposure to stress, our experience of languid days, and so on….and all for the better or for the worse.
Each treatment is separate. Of course a massage has a template but depending on the words I hear, what I feel, what I see, there is a difference. Maybe something is added. Maybe something is subtracted or one technique is used longer and another less. The more honest but concise answer of “how are you today” the better the massage may be.
In John Upledgers words: “Whole body evaluation requires the practitioner to set aside anything previously known about the patient/client during this evaluation. The clues and cues that we seek during whole-body evaluation are extremely subtle. Previous biases and experiences with a patient/client can cause evaluators to imagine that they feel what they expect to find, based on these previous experiences. In my experience, each session is a new experience and I like to pretend that each is a first- time patient. That way we keep finding new and pertinent things.
Remember, all living things are in a state of dynamic change. Our biggest errors in healthcare are sometimes based on upon previous situations and the assumption that what was true of a person yesterday is true today.”
