Therapies - Mesa Lymphatic Massage, GuaSha & PEMF
Gua Sha Therapy
GuaSha therapy recently become popular on TikTok for its beauty benefits from decreased inflammation. But originally, GuaSha is founded on the principles of Ancient Traditional Chinese Medicine and based upon the principle that energy (sometimes called Chi) must flow properly throughout the body so your organs can work together synergistically.
When that energy doesn’t flow properly, in the body and there is improper blood flow health problems worsen.
The term GuaSha is broken down into 2 parts with Gua meaning “to scrape” and Sha meaning “to sand”.
Put together we are scraping and moving away congested areas of the body where inflammation resides.
The GuaSha tool is usually made out of pure Jade or Obsidian. Jade is a mineral that is high in
Calcium-Magnesium. Jade is the only stone that can hold both heat and cold equally making it effective
at helping to remove toxic waste and promote relaxation and calm in the body.
Obsidian is dense volcanic glass that is rich in iron and magnesium and retains a natural warmth to it so it is helpful in
lifting the skin and breaking up congestion in the body.
GuaSha is performed using the jade or obsidian tool to gently but effectively scrape the tissues and
muscles. The tool itself is an oblong shape with rounded edges. Before a session begins the therapist
will apply a pure jojoba oil to the skin to soften and warm the area. The tense tissue area is identified
and the GuaSha tool will gently work back and forth building intensity to promote circulation and break
up the area. The movement of the GuaSha will promote blood flow to the surface and create what is
called petechiae. This can appear as light bruising or redness but it is not dangerous or harmful and is what
facilitates the circulatory movement and benefits the body.
GuaSha is a very helpful way to promote lymphatic flow in the body-working along the lymphatic
pathways to remove fluid build up to drain waste and toxins from the body.
GuaSha has been shown to increase range of motion which in turn can reduce chronic pain and break up scar tissue. This
can be very effective at reducing the pain and tension associated with things like plantar fasciitis, bicipital tendonitis, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow, etc.
GuaSha benefits the immune system by stimulating the pathways to help promote health in our organs and
organ systems by reducing inflammation. Correct use of GuaSha can help promote a healthy metabolism
and aid in the flow of energy for women experiencing pre and peri-menopausal symptoms.
GuaSha is focused on promoting the flow of Chi (Qi), lymph and blood flow through the body. It is performed to help ensure a
better blood supply and proper nerve conduction so that everything is moving through the body as it
should.
By adding GuaSha to your functional medicine and nutritional regimen, you can expect an increased quicker resolution to your symptoms and a longer lasting result. GuaSha is safe and effective for most people, but for people with health conditions such as blood clots, are on blood thinners, or those who recently had surgery.
Manual Lymphatic Drainage Massage
The purpose of lymphatic drainage massage is to gently work or manipulate specific areas of the body to help move lymph toward an area of working lymph vessels.
Lymphatic dysfunction can happen when swelling /inflammation inhibits the lymph fluid to drain into the bloodstream and is present in nearly all chronic conditions.
Lymphatic fluid is throughout the body that surrounds all of the body’s tissues. It plays an important role in maintaining health by protecting your body from invaders that can cause illness. Lymph helps maintain proper fluid levels and allows the digestive tract to absorb fats along with removing cellular waste.
Lymphatic dysfunction can occur due to multiple reasons including injury or illness and causes a myriad of symptoms such as visible swelling of arms, legs, fingers or toes. It causes a sensation of tightness and a heaviness in the body. It can cause your movements to become restricted and lose mobility as well as create areas of the skin that have a thickening to them. Oftentimes recurrent infection can be a symptom of lymphatic dysfunction.
Some conditions that can cause the lymphatic fluid to not properly drain and create bigger issues are cancer and cancer treatments, arthritis – particularly rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, venous insufficiency and an excess amount of fat called lipedema that accumulates in the lower body.
Lymphedema is another cause of decreased lymphatic flow from lymph fluids accumulating in the tissue and causing swelling. Ulcerative Colitis along with Inflammatory Bowel Disease as well as several inflammatory auto-immune conditions can increase the possibility of having lymphatic flow dysfunction due to the excessive inflammation.
Manual Lymphatic Massage is a helpful form of massage that can encourage proper lymphatic flow. Lymphatic massage works by way of a two-step process called clearing and reabsorption. Clearing is the first step that releases the lymphatic fluid into your tissues. Then, reabsorption happens when the lymphatic system will take that excess fluid and move it along so that it can return to the bloodstream and then it is recirculated throughout the body.
The process by which manual lymphatic massage is done is very gentle. It is unlike deep tissue or even therapeutic massage in that it is a light pressure-about 9 ounces of pressure only (imagine the weight of a dime sitting on your finger pad). Lymph sits very close to the surface of the skin and therefore does not require deep pressure to move. Manual lymphatic massage is done in a supine or face up position beginning with deep breathing from the diaphragm. It is done in light pressing or sweeping and rhythmic motions working toward the heart. At times, a gentle process of a small tool called a gua sha is used to help move lymph fluid out of the body and increase circulation.
Manual Lymphatic Massage is an excellent therapy to help assist the movement of fluid in the body and it is one way to help encourage a healthier lymphatic function in helping remove more waste from the body. Along with Manual Lymphatic Massage it is encouraged to properly hydrate and to keep active with physical movement. A healthy anti-inflammatory design of eating does play a role in maintaining a well-operating lymphatic system as well.
There are very few contraindications for Manual Lymphatic Massage which include having a pacemaker or heart condition or having and being at risk for blood clots.
Pheonix NeuroRehab
This is what got Dr. Anderson into natural treatment modalities. With most conditions it treats pain and dysfunction in a fraction of the time it takes to rehab using traditional physical therapy exercises. Originally called the “Therastim” then the company was bought and changed to the “Arpwave”, Dr. Anderson was the first person known to reverse engineer the waveform and recreate the therapy for use in his own home in the early 2000s.
Our Phoenix NeuroRehab is an updated model of that same technology with specific changes to enhance comfortability and improve results. Our focus with NeuroRehab as of now is focused on dysfunction such as chronic plantar fasciitis, morton’s neuromas, CRPS, chronic shin splints, sprained ankles, jumper’s knee (aka patellar tendonitis), achilles tendonitis, heel pain, foot neuropathy, golfer’s elbow, tennis elbow and more.
PEMF - High Intensity
PEMF Therapy in our office is used to restore cellular health.
For general health, the patients that love it the most are those with neurological symptoms such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and POTS.
For injuries, high intensity PEMF is used for any chronic problem. It is amazing for chronic low back pain as well as chronic shoulder pain.