Your Personal Health Plan

You probably have a plan for retirement – why not for that thing you live with every day for the rest of your life (your body)? In general I find that people have a general idea of how they hope to maintain health, but it is far less explicit than say, a well developed retirement plan. My intent with this article is to outline common ways people approach health. See where you fit and how you can begin to improve.

Strategy Zero: Defensive Care

This is the path of least resistance. This is basically a “fix it when it’s broke” mentality. Our medical system supports this way of thinking, and unfortunately we pay a premium for broken bodies in both time and finances. This strategy falls short on several fronts such as when:

1. your doctor says “it ain’t broke” when you know it is… then you’re up a creek.
2. after looking over expensive diagnostic test results your doctor admits it’s broke, but we don’t know how to fix it
3. your doctor says we can fix it but here’s the list of complications and awful side effects my “fix” will create.

Unfortunately, this puts you at the mercy of doctors and the medical system, albeit good, it’s a limited strategy that can yield poor results, and operates with a high risk/side effect margin.
I think when you factor in quality of life to your decision making process, you have to do more. You must change from the typical defensive healthcare model into an offensive or strategic position with your health. The good news is I believe we have an innate ability to know when something is amiss and get care before it’s too far developed, as well as utilize common healthy practices, and preventive measures to maintain health for the long run.

Strategy One: Fight the Losing Battle

When an MD can’t fix it then go to preventive care and/or make a change in diet/exercise/etc.. While this is a decent strategy, and one many people use, this strategy is just an add-on to “strategy zero”. It fails to address chronic problems prior to their entrenchment. Type 2 Diabetes, carpal tunnel, and obesity are all examples of problems that take years to develop. The conundrum of “you don’t know what will kill you till it’s a too late” is the threat here and unfortunately this strategy can lead to mediocre results.
Though a few “home runs” are always the exception to this rule the danger here is that fundamentally a long-term issue is not be properly addressed. Short-term solutions are just that. Living well works best in a proactive format. Asking too much out of a regimen renders suboptimal results, and the tides of the health battle may turn for a day, a week, several months, then strategy zero takes over again and you’re back to where you started. That said, it’s never too late to quit smoking!

Strategy Two: The Adherent

Exercise, eat right, get 8 hours of sleep. This is the mantra of “healthy living” for our culture. If you have an excellent primary care doctor she will remind you to do these things when you visit her office. Additional common recommendations are: maintain a healthy BMI (weight to height ratio), maintain positive social interactions/ friendships, quit smoking, and don’t abuse alcohol or other drugs. This is all standard preventive care and in general I think it should be followed. If you work for a company that has “wellness” programs in place these are generally the types of behaviors it will assess and suggest.
I applaud you if you’re on this track right now. Keep it up, but remember the middle road as well. Fitness and diet are just as crucial as relaxation and good social interaction. The trap for the Type-A is to turn this approach into a do or die strategy, which can turn into another job on top of the already high-powered career you have. Remember the middle road.

Strategy Three: Proactive Ignorance

This preventive strategy guides you to seek to build awareness and change/expand your internal health indicator. This may be the heart of preventive care in that the devotee asserts, “I don’t know what I don’t know so I need help finding it”. A strategy that seeks out and catches the beginning stages of illness in its path and redirects the body towards health is the optimal lifestyle choice. During massage and Rolfing sessions, people are amazed to realize the amount of tension they carry in their body. When someone begins meditation he may be startled at the amount of constant internal chatter inside his head. When someone begins exercising she may be enlightened by the newfound amount of energy she has after a workout – when previously she had just felt too drained to workout. The body is a miracle, and we must approach it with humility and an openness to new, healthy, lifestyle changes, health practices, etc.

To some degree every person reading this probably feels justified in his/her own health choice. I hope this article has caused you to begin to think differently about your own approach towards health on a daily basis, and CityRolfer looks forward to being a part of the preventive care plan for your own body. Resilience: Managing Your Energy

by Greg Brynelson

Three Things Men Do Wrong

By Greg Brynelson, 8/17/10

To follow up the post, “Three Things Women Do Wrong” here is one for the men. Please know this is a bit tongue and cheek - and really these are simply suggestions as to how to modify common habits to make your body a bit happier. Plus, I know guys do a lot more than 3 things wrong.

1. Sit on your wallet:
When you sit on a wallet it places a good inch to half inch rise on that hip. Always sticking your on a wallet in the same back pocket can drive the pelvis into an asymmetrical pattern. Doing this day in and day out can create an imbalance in the low back that becomes chronic.

My suggestion: When you go to sit down, switch the wallet to the front pocket or place it in a bag.



2. Get intimidated by wellness classes (i.e. Pilates, yoga, dance):
Many men in the Bay Area are “enlightened”, but by in large I get the sentiment from men that things like yoga, pilates, and dance are for women. In fact women still dominate purchases in this industry and are the majority gender in any classroom of this type.

My suggestion: There are a lot of ways to change your thinking about this, but it helps to think of attending these classes as ways to balance out the other ways you use your body. For instance if you work a lot at the computer, or do physically demanding work, or even exercise, think of dance, yoga, or pilates as a counter-balance to that part of your life.
If you’re a woman, please invite a man friend to your class, he might consider it coming from you. For the straight men – just think of all the toned and flexible women you stand to meet at such classes.



3. Slouch!
I know we all do this, but if I had to guess men do this more than women. We’ve come a long way with the ergonomic support and analysis in the workplace – so there is beginning to be an awareness here. But even the best ergonomic chair won’t help if you’re not sitting in it properly. Many men don’t even know what proper sitting is (maybe if we attended more pliates or yoga classes)!

My suggestion: Before you settle into your chair, slide your butt back as far as it goes. Leaving a large gap of space between your butt and the back of the chair is the main culprit of the slouch. By sliding back along the chair, your low back is supported and this good base of support will naturally raise your shoulders and head to the sky. Mentally check in throughout the day to see if you’ve slid forward, and then slide on back if you have.

Thanks for reading! Be well.

For more interesting articles, or to schedule a session with me personally visit my website: www.cityrolfer.com

Three Things Women do Wrong

By Greg Brynelson Certified Rolfer®, RN
7/28/2010

#1. Carry a heavy purse on one shoulder.

It’s big, it’s heavy, it has all your stuff for the day in it, and it’s throwing off your shoulders. As a Rolfer I constantly see women with one shoulder hiked up and frozen in this position. In fact many women can no longer even carry a purse on the opposite shoulder their body is so organized around holding up the purse carrying one..

The alternative: Get an across the body strap or wear a backpack.

#2. Wear high heels daily.

I know that couple extra inches under your heels make your legs look longer, your butt stick out and your chest too, but daily wearing of heels throws off your center of gravity and messes with the foot/calf structure. It doesn’t allow for full articulation of the foot on the ground, jams the toes to a point, and shortens calf muscles. Not to mention, your lumbar spine is thrown into a sway and your body organizes backwards – as if you’re walking downhill all day.

The alternative: Shorter heels, wider heels, or just simple supportive shoes that have no lift.

#3. Talk on a phone for work.

If you answer the phone for a living and don’t wear a headset you’re not alone. I see a lot of women with jammed up necks and shoulders from trying to hold onto the phone throughout the day. Not only does this make multitasking harder, it creates a pattern of usage that over time leads to neck and shoulder imbalance.

The alternative: wear a headset or go speakerphone.

These are all observations from my Rolfing practice of over 7 years in San Francisco’s Financial District. I work with many people to assess their posture patterns and release the deep holdings carried within the body.

If you would like a free consultation, or to find out more about Rolfing visit my website today:

www.cityrolfer.com

Coming soon: “3 Things Men do Wrong”

Ida Video

Ida Rolf speaks about myofascia.

The Pain Game

"Why is Rolfing so painfull?" When I see a new client I often hear about Rolfing's painfull repuatation. This may be due to the nature of the therapy, people's expectations around Rolfing, and the communication that happens during a session. Fundamentally the pain happens when nerves are stimulated.

THE NATURE OF ROLFING

The nature of myofascial release work - and Rolfing therapy - is one that creates a deep and lasting change for the client. This said, the depth of the work, and the speed at which the tissue changes are two key components of the pain level experienced within the therapy. If I jump into your quadricep with my elbow, and start pushing hard and fast - that will create a lot of pain (unless you're particularly thick skinned). However, if I address outer layers of myofascia first, and unravel the tissue on different layers (outer to inner) with a slower approach the you will NOT experience much pain/neuro sensory overload.
This said, Rolfing isn't for the faint hearted (unless you found a particularly patient and unique practitioner). Tissue change is challenging, and I liken it to deep psychological work. Sometimes it feels great, and sometimes it just sucks. We go to therapy because we have problems, and want to elevate our overall quality of being/existence. A good therapist (whether myofascial release, deep tissue massage, Rolfing practitioner, chiropractor, etc.) will know your limits, know how to manage your pain level and not let it get out of control to the point where you just don't want to come back. A key question in deciding whether Rolfing is for you is deciding if want to confront the ingrained reality of inflexibility in your body. If this is true, a happy medium can be found. However, like talk therapy, sometimes the confrontation of self can be too much. Rolfing can end up feeling like a trap that you just want to get out of, and for that we need to allow agentle, kind, patient, loving presence in our work. I strive to provide this on balance to my clients and utilitze to outer to inner approach to unraveling as much as is possible in order to create a wholly satisfying, yet transformational client experience.

COMMUNICATION IN ROLFING

A key component in Rolfing is direct communication between client and therapist about the pain level, moderation of the level, and a mutual sense of satisfaction around this. Rolfers are not masochists or sadists. We care about helping people, creating new alignment, better posture, improved breathing, freedom from chronic pain and myofascial restriction, transformation in life, and many other things. For this reason, I am typically very direct with clients about the pain level in the session. A number scale is a quick and dirty way to find out where the client is with the therapy - "1 is nothing, 10 is excruciating, I never want to go above a 7 or 8 for you during the session, so please let me know if I'm getting there" is a typical statement I make to my clients when I first meet them, and during our first session I make a point of using this system a couple times so they get a good feel for it.

With the 1-10 scale in place, direct communication can still be still elusive. For this I typically watch breathing patterns (restricting breath can mean pain), and facial grimacing. Nonetheless, clients can withold their expression of pain, hide it from the practitioner, and go away feeling it was too much. Creating a promise to the client to moderate pressure and approach according to pain/sensation threshold is only as good as the client's expression of his/her threshold. Trust on the Rolfing table is not an easy thing to come by, especially if you have difficulty expressing your limits in day to day activity, or with your body in general. So Rolfing is not something I would recommend to people who struggle greatly in this area. Or if they do -to consider Rolfing but only with the open discussion of this boundary issue with your therapist. There are truly great moments in Rolfing when the client - choosing to face his/her inflexibility in an area can find great satisfaction, trust, and relief in literally handing his/her body over. This is built on trust with the practitioner, and trust of self. It intimate but not sexual. It is simply a state of being safe, met, and realized. For me, these are some of the finest moments in my practice.

Charity Promotion - Giving Back

Season's Greetings!

Transforming other's lives and bodies and bringing them deep relaxation and awareness is a great job, but I am looking to give some of what I do away this season. For this holiday season I'm giving back by donating new client session fees to charity. Best of all, you can choose your charity.

If you give $125 to a charity (listed below) through the link below for the holiday season I'll give you a Rolfing session. This is a great way to help get on track for 2009 as well as promote a worthy cause.

The charities you can give to for a free Rolfing session are:

AIDS Action Foundation
San Francisco AIDS Foundation
American Cancer Society
Humane Society of the U.S.
Marine Mammal Center
Kiva Microfunds
American National Red Cross
National Health Care for the Homeless
World Wildlife Fund. Inc.

Descriptions of these charities and payment must be made at my (Greg Brynelson) Registry through the link at justgive.org below:

http://www.justgive.org/basket?acton=viewList&donorId=208257&listTypeId=1

All scheduling can be done through my website online scheduling request forms (see cityrolfer.com). Please indicate your participation in the program either during donation checkout or on your session schedule request form.

Much love and good tidings!

Ida Rolf - A Quote

This is a great quote, revealing how Ida linked all aspects of life. Her unique gift for seeing the body in the context of the human condition.

"Old religions used to teach you to sit or kneel and always rock, gently but definitely rock. When you rock, you swing from prevertebral to postvertebral muscle. You'd see the same thing with sailors in the more active days of the war. You'd go down the street and you'd see a man in uniform, but you'd know without checking the uniform wheter that man was a seaman or a landman. The landman went down rolling- from the prevertebral to the postvertebral, the prevertebral to the posvertebral. He may not have had what we would call a really balanced gait, but he did use that alternation which kept the whole body at its peak. And they do this in many religious rituals. So much of ritual, if you look at it in the light of what you know of physiology, can be seen as a form of preventive medicine."

from, "Ida Rolf Talks About Rolfing and Physical Reality"
edited with an Introduction by Rosemary Fetis, 1987

Contact and connection

What is it about the touch of another that can bring satisfaction?
What is the difference between a skilled touch, and that of a friend or loved one?
Why does modern medicine ignore our need for touch?

We are a social species, and touch is an integral part of our basic needs. Babies know when they are being held, and when they are deprived of touch - actually grow up with brain damage. Touch is a universal language. We shake hands to greet, hug good friends, request back rubs (well some of us do ;-)), and pet animals to befriend them. Though the language of caring is conveyed through touch, I believe there is more to it. We become more connected to ourselves (and the other person) when physical contact happens. Touch brings a sense of relief and happiness, and also a sense of being known that cannot be captured by simple conversation. What would you rather have when you come home from a hard days work? An empathetic conversation or a shoulder and hand massage?

Though pills can do wondrous things for our physiology, I know of no pill that can bring the relief and connectedness found in a simple backrub. Why does modern medicine ignore this, and why is the insurance industry lax to cover any skilled touch? I'm not sure, but it has to do with our culture's desire to lead with our heads rather than our whole organic understanding.

Through my work as a nurse in several hospitals, I have seen that medicine is delivered primarily through pharmaceutical and surgical solutions. Cutting it off, open, or direct control of the bodies fluids and chemicals is the mainstay of Western medicine. You'll be lucky to get any other touch in the hospital besides a needle stick, IV line, bandage change, or repositioning in bed. Obviously our culture needs some help accepting the value, and fundamental NEED for this other part of health called skilled touch.

And why must touch be skilled? Well would you like to have a trained surgeon or layperson digging around for your inflamed appendix? Skill brings satisfying results. And if the primary goal is connection, integration, and relaxation you better call the best in the industry. Of course, once you are sold on an alternative route deciphering which alternative to take can be another ball of wax. I'll save that for another entry. Thanks for reading, now go touch somebody!