The body has stories to tell! And those stories are nestled in our fascia. They hold memories of pain, fear, and trauma that physically affects the health of the body. Through our lifetimes our fascia encounters stress which causes it to twist and become constricted, and we sometimes unknowingly carry with us this trauma at a cellular level. Through an effect known as the piezoelectric effect that creates electricity when pressure is applied, a Myofascial Release therapist can non-forceably prompt the fascia to ‘unwind’ and stretch out once more. The fascia and the cells it encompasses are finally free again! The body is designed to heal itself, and by applying Myofascial Release techniques it is able to. The healing fluids of the body can once again nourish the cells and perform the work that no amount of prescription medicine will ever be able to do.
Scar Release is specifically addressing points of the body that have endured physical, emotional, or mental stress. These areas have lost their full healing potential and are tight and constricted.
Scars traumatize the tissue and hold the story of pain, tightness, and even emotion in the fascia. Myofascial Release engages this tissue and it then softens and releases much like any of the other releases. This often prevents complications down the road due to the fact that fascia when traumatized wraps itself around bones, muscles, joints, and nerves in and around the site of trauma much like poison ivy.
Release and Relief YMCA Newsletter
Rehabilitating Saliva Glands
Val De Cristofano of Doylestown is smiling again. He is sleeping for an uninterrupted five and a half hours as night instead of his usual hour or hour and a half. He savors the foods he had been missing for so long. Family and friends have begun to notice a change in his voice and demeanor. He is enjoying renewed hope after twelve years of discouragement. Why? Because of the help he’s received from a program called Myofascial Release and a massage therapist he found at a local YMCA.
In 1992, a malignant tumor was discovered on his neck. Doctors removed the tumor and implemented an extensive program of chemotherapy and radiation. After his first treatment, Val lost 30 pounds in 15 days. By the third treatment, his saliva glands and taste buds were gone. His quality of life had diminished.
Although his sense of taste came back after about a year, his saliva glands still did not work. He tried all the usual prescriptions and also tried chiropractic and massage therapies to no avail. Always a positive person in the past, Val began to lose hope. Medical professionals told him that his ability to produce saliva on his own would not come back.
Val began treatment at the Y with Caran Kalish, certified massage therapist & rehabilitation nurse practicing Myofascial Release. Myofascial Release is a very effective hands-on technique that provides sustained pressure into myofascial restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion. Kalish describes this fascial ‘web’ as having no beginning or end and able to hold 2,000 pounds per square inch.
Normally reserved and reluctant to speak about himself, he willingly shares his experience with renewed hope that it may help others who also may have similar problems.