The Healing Power of Touch - Fibromyalgia
by, Linda Chollar

 A number of specific therapeutic touch disciplines are being integrated with conventional treatments to meet the challenge of supporting the Fibromyalgia Community. Medical professionals are recognizing the importance of touch therapies as studies and clinical trials are showing the effectiveness of touch as an essential component of a holistic health model. Touch therapies can play an important role in a multidisciplinary approach for managing pain, fatigue, depressed mood, sleep problems, gastrointestinal distress, poor concentration, restless leg syndrome, anxiety and headaches.  

Touch therapies promote a “relaxation response” in patients, which allows for a state of deep rest that changes the physical and emotional responses to stress (e.g., decrease in heart rate, blood pressure and muscle tension). Bodywork disciplines that can have this effect on the body are massage therapy with lighter to medium pressure, aromatherapy massage such as The Raindrop Technique, Polarity Therapy, Cranio Sacral Balancing, energy therapies such as Reiki and Foot Reflexology. The “relaxation response” induced by the many forms of touch therapy is crucial in helping patients overcome chronic pain and the associated overlapping illness. 

Pain Management Beyond Medication While medications help patients cope with the devastating symptoms of fibromyalgia, touch therapy enables the body to heal and function. Researchers at the Touch Research Institute, University of Miami, have studied adults with fibromyalgia and the effects of massage therapy1. The results reported reduced anxiety and uplifted mood immediately after a massage session. Sleep quality improved and other fibromyalgia symptoms such as pain, stiffness and fatigue were relieved as well. Researchers say that massage therapy alters the sleep pattern, increases serotonin levels and reduces levels of the chemical messenger for pain. 

Touch therapy practitioners who specialize in treating chronic pain clients agree that a multidisciplinary approach is essential to improve quality of life, lend emotional support, decrease pain and support conventional treatments. As we educate the fibromyalgia community and physicians that many complementary therapies have precisely this focus and expertise, we provide options and avenues for each individual to take an active role in their wellness. 

Foot Reflexology In Pain Management  One specific therapy that is effective in promoting deep relaxation and relief of acute and chronic pain is Foot Reflexology, sometimes referred to as foot acupressure. Reflexology is a type of therapy applied to the feet, likened to massage but having a specific focus on systems of the body (organs and glands). The effects take place through the nervous system and clients often report feeling euphoric and deeply relaxed. One explanation for this is the release of the body’s endorphins (the body’s ‘feel good’ chemicals) that can occur with the techniques applied to the acupressure points and nerve reflexes in the feet. The effects of regular reflexology treatments can have profound results, many reporting overall improvements in health, a greater sense of well being and an increased awareness of their body. 

As a provider of various touch therapies specializing in chronic pain conditions, Reflexology is the foundation for every therapy I provide because of its ability to relax the body and reduce pain. A program for pain management may include craniosacral therapy, polarity, essential oils and so on. However, as I tailor the treatment for each individual, the feet are the basic assessment tool and an efficient communicator to the rest of the body. 

How Does Reflexology Work?  With the extensive nerve distribution in the feet, and the large portion of the sensory and motor area of the brain devoted to the feet, stimulation and therapeutic movement of the feet activates responses throughout the nervous system. The results are body-wide effects. Circulation is improved, lymphatic movement is enhanced and the body’s natural pain relieving chemicals are triggered. 

Neurologically, the activation of receptors in the feet changes the tempo and tone of the body by sending new messages into the system, which responds by becoming homeostatic (balanced). In essence, the foot becomes a conduit for sharing information throughout the body. Pressure applied to the feet generates a signal through the peripheral and central nervous system, then is relayed to the brain and on to the various organs to allocate the necessary adjustments in fuel and oxygen. Finally a response is sent to the motor system and the body’s overall tone and tension level is adjusted, reducing stress on the body’s internal systems.  

Dr. J. Manzanares, M.D., surgeon and reflexologist with 20 years of medical experience who has treated 70,000 clinical cases of reflexology patients, confirms this neurological circuit that takes place from the receptors in the feet2. There are over 7,000 nerve receptors in each foot and there is no other single part of the body that when massaged can affect the entire body like the feet. No wonder we love foot rubs!  

Trigger Points In The Feet  The feet have tender points and trigger points just as the body does. With fibromyalgia patients, these points in the feet are significant and relevant to aches and pains elsewhere in the body. A Reflexologist assesses these tender areas in the same way that trigger points are addressed in the body. Identifying structural and mechanical factors in the feet or legs that contribute to these perpetuating trigger points is essential for the treatment of the chronic pain. One example is restless leg syndrome which can be caused by trigger points in the feet and calf muscles. Relieving these tender points can often alleviate this syndrome. 

In addition to treating the body’s 18 FM tender points, the feet need to be addressed. A ‘fibromyalgia foot’ is characterized by certain shape variants. The feet are good indicators of stress in the body. We’ve all heard it said, when the feet hurt, the body hurts. Unfortunately, many are unaware of the importance of the health of our feet and with fibromyalgia and chronic pain sufferers, they are of vital importance. 

A reflexologist will address these points in the feet as part of tailoring a session for the individual. In a treatment, a health history is taken and specific concerns are discussed. The feet are assessed and the treatment proceeds to relax the overall body, internal organs and promote relaxation.  

Closing Thoughts The Electricity of Touch is the title of a report from the Institute of HearthMath that measured the cardiac energy exchange between individuals participating in certain healing techniques3. It presents a sampling of results which provide intriguing evidence that an exchange of electromagnetic energy is produced by the heart when touch or close contact occurs. One person’s ECG signal registered in another person’s EEG and elsewhere on their body. This study provides a solid, testable theory on the observed effects of caring touch and gives a plausible mechanism to explain how this energy from an individual can facilitate a healing process. 

J. Madison Taylor, M.D., wrote in 1908: “No single therapeutic agent can be compared in efficiency with this familiar but perfect tool…The Human Hand. If half as much research had been expended on the principles governing manual treatment as upon pharmacology, the hand would be esteemed today on a par with drugs in acceptability and power.”4 

Science is confirming what we know in our hearts: intentional, caring touch is good medicine. It can create hope, ease the symptoms of disease and calm the body and soul. 

About the Author  Linda Chollar, MTI, APP, CHT, is a board-certified Reflexologist, educator and director of Advanced Body Wellness, a center for healing therapies. She has spent the last twenty years in the holistic health field, treating private clients, researching and teaching at massage schools, hospitals, nursing schools, and health organizations about complementary therapies in an effort to bridge the gap between traditional and complementary medicine.  Linda lectures nationally and is available for workshops and training classes for professionals and the general public. She is designing a program for fibromyalgia support groups to learn reflexology for self care and will soon be releasing a book on reflexology and chronic pain. Her office is located in the Los Angeles area and she can be reached at 310-318-3353 or E-mail: linda@lindachollar.com 

Resources

1Fields, Tiffany,, M.D.: Touch Research Institute, http://www.miami.edu/touch-research/history.html
2Manzanares, J.,M.D.: Principles of Reflexology, 2000
3McCraty, M., Atkinson, M., Tomasino, D., Tiller, W.A.: The Electricity of Touch: Detection and measurement of cardiac energy exchange between people. Summary: http://www.hearthath.org/ResearchPapers/Touch/Touchsum.html
4McDonald, G., Medicine Hands, Massage Therapy for People With Cancer. vii, 1999

We at Sole 2 Soul Therapies in Wicklow Town offer a variety of healing therapies each customised to the clients requirements. Therapies include: Holistic Massage, Reflexology, Deep Tissue Massage, Indian Head Massage, Hopi Ear Candling and Reiki. While conventional allopathic medicine is vital and necessary ‘holistic’ healing addresses the ‘whole’ of the body not just the physical ailment. Imbalances which occur with in the body are addressed from a mental, emotional and spiritual approach which can often cause physical issues to improve.

We all have an innate ability to help heal ourselves. While we may be suffering form a physical ailment or disease (an imbalance in our body causing dis-ease) we become very aware that we need medical help and we know we need healing. This is because on a physical level we can see it or feel the pain, however when we are in need of healing on an emotion, spiritual or mental level it may not be as apparent. Sometimes we ignore this need for healing and to be honest going to a doctor with a broken heart or because you have money issues won’t really get the kind of healing you are in need of. As we ignore our issues and choose not to heal them they can manifest to a physical level. For example……you have just heard about job losses in your firm or you are deeply unhappy in your relationship, this causes you to worry and to stress. After a while your sleep pattern is disturbed, your blood pressure may be on the rise or you may develop anxiety which manifests as panic attacks or skin psoriasis, to mention but a few. While a visit to the doctor will put a band aid on the illness and you will feel cured or healed the underlying root or cause of the physical manifestation is still there. This will just inevitably resurface and cause another trip to the doctor for more pills or medication. Sometime the very medication can cause other ailments too. What a vicious circle.

As I said earlier conventional/chemical medicine is vital and the holistic approach works beautifully injunction with it. Many people find great coping mechanisms and healing through therapies such as reflexology, massage and reiki. When we sleep it allows our body time to rejuvenate damaged cell and to process our thoughts. Deep relaxation is the key to quality sleep. There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning and feel as tired as the night before because you have had bad sleep.  So when our mind and spirit heal it allows our body to heal.

Many of the physical conditions helped through holistic healing are:

Depression, anxiety and stress

Back and neck pain

Self Confidence issues,

Sleep disorders,

Infertility,

Digestive problems and skin conditions,

Fibromyalgia and MS

Muscular pain

Sexual dysfunction

Low self esteem……

……the list goes on.

What are these therapies?

Reflexology: the foot is like a map of the body. Certain reflex points on the feet and hands correspond to organs and areas of the body. For example the head area is represented but the big toe. Through reflexology we can use pressure and finger techniques to release blocks in our body causing illness through the corresponding part of the foot. A head headache could be alleviated by working on the big toe and the eye reflex points on the foot. As the therapist works over all the foot she may find imbalances which feel crystal like or gritty to the touch. The client may feel slight pain in certain areas and when massaged the pain can leave. Often after a treatment the client feels relaxed and rejuvenated. There can be a sense of a cleansing and balancing.

Massage: most of us can identify with the power of touch. Remember when you were little and falling over grazing a knee was so painful, but a hug and a rub from a parent or loved one made it all better. As adults we forget how much we need physical contact with others and how healing it can be. Through massage the therapist warms up the muscles using different techniques and movements. Once warm the muscles can be worked and strains and knots may be worked out. This alleviates tension and pressure often carried around the neck back and shoulders. Different types of massage can have different results. Deep tissue massage is perfect for anyone suffering form injuries or strained muscles while holistic massage is more relaxing and often induces sleep. Indian Head Massage is deeply therapeutic and is concentrated on the head neck and shoulders.

Reiki: is a hands on/off ancient healing technique which works on correcting the energy which runs through our bodies. The client remains fully clothed and while lying down the therapist who is used as a channel uses her hands to sense where there are energy blocks around the charkas. Bringing the body back into balance helps us to de-stress, relax and to heal. Most people find reiki to be a fascinating experience with a general feeling of well being. Often clients wish to learn how to channel reiki themselves and this can be done through a series of workshops. This is a joyous journey and often leads to a spiritual awakening and enlightenment.

Hopi Ear Candling: This is a great therapy for anyone suffering form ear problems. Conditions such as tinnitus, sinus, rhinunitus, headaches, migraine and hay fever can be completely cured using ear candling. Ear candling should only be preformed by a trained therapist. The special candle is hallow and infused with essential oils. When placed in the ear it is lit allowing the infusion into the ear and helping to clear the problem. After the treatment the therapist can read the residue (this is not wax from the ear) and determine if further treatments are needed or if the ears are clear.

All of these therapies have been practised for thousands of years. This is testament to their success and I have no doubt that they will be around for many more years to come.  


I you would like more information please call me on 086 104047