First, I love me some chiropractors. About 5 years ago I herniated a disc in my lower back. I found Pilates to be the most helpful in helping me work through the acute stage of my injury. However, since then I have used a treatment plan that included chiropractics to manage the occasional pain that I still feel in my lower back. Coupled with my Pilates routine, I have avoided surgery (even after I was told that surgery was unavoidable given the severity of my herniation), have little to no pain, and enjoy increased mobility and flexibility throughout my back and hips. Additionally, recently my chiropractor and I have been experimenting with the Graston technique on my ankles. I have to say, after having a swollen left ankle for approximately the last 18 of my life…I am STYMIED at the results. NO SWELLING! It’s amazing to me. So what is the Graston technique you ask? Graston is a form of soft tissue mobilization and manipulation that uses a special instrument to break up scar tissue and adhesions in fascia and muscle. I can’t say this enough; my ankle looks and feels better than it has in years! So that is my two cents on chiropractic work. You will hear many warn you against going, call them quacks what have you. All I can say is it works for me. So my advice to you is to do your research, ask for recommendations from trusted sources and meet with your doctor before starting treatment. I have never had a chiropractor who had me lay down on a table and started cracking away, but I have heard scary stories of such. A good doc is going to give you a full exam, run tests, and explain to you what he or she is doing and why. If you are in San Diego try Dr. Lance Cohen or Dr. Jay Kunard.
The second method I have recently began playing with is Reiki. Reiki is a form of energy healing. Three therapists I recommend are Jessica Elzinga, Ashley Branker and Michael Purviance in the San Diego area. This technique is a Japanese technique for stress reduction and relaxation that promotes healing. Basically I laid on a table and my practitioner slowly and methodically hovered her hands over my body. She spent a certain amount of time in different areas. At one point my head started buzzing so loud it sounds like radio feedback inside my head. WEIRD!!!!!! My practitioner also used a pendant, and well let’s just say I was a little closed off to this method, and therefore I haven’t felt all the benefits yet that I am told I will feel but I will say this; after my first session I slept deeper than I had in years! I am really excited to keep exploring this method!
I had my first acupuncture experience last week. Ok I’m in love! Sandra Rudin worked on my upper back and (sorry for being graphic) menstruation relief. It was amazing! I felt so relaxed after, and had probably the most comfortable cycle I have had in months. I never felt the needles at all and it was actually relaxing as she placed them in. She then hooked up a wire and did some electro therapy (not sure how to explain this better quite yet) but this part was awesome and made my muscles feel really rejuvenated. I have a good friend that swears that acupuncture cured her depression and another that used it to get pregnant. Not sure how any of this works….but I will let you know because I am hooked!
The last therapy I want to tell you about today is probably the one that is going to worry you all the most in terms of me sounding nuts for trying. It is called NET, Neuro- Emotional Technique. It is mind-body technique that uses a methodology of finding and removing neurological imbalances related to the physiology of unresolved stress. Emotions such as fear, anger, grief and many others can negatively affect us long after the original event that caused them. When our body fails to “let go” of these emotions we can find ourselves with unexplained aversions, self-sabotaging behaviors, and chronic physical problems. My first “treatment” lasted an hour and a half and included several tests, some self-reporting, some physical, some relating to my structural being and some relating to my emotional being. All my follow up appointments have been about an hour. I don’t want to tell you more than that quite yet for fear of you not trying. The person that referred me to this technique just kept saying “you have to do this.” I would ask what it is, and she implored me to just trust her and go. Well I did, and I feel like I treating areas of my body and brain that I never thought I either had problems with or could fix. I’ll say this NET treatment is not psychotherapy although it sometimes feels that way. My doctor is not a psychic, but sometimes it feels that way. This is not the same as meeting with a nutritionist or an allergist, but sometimes it feels that way. This is not the cure all for all my ailments, but sometimes it feels that way. If you have ever felt stuck, or physically inhibited in any sort of unexplainable way. If you have any sort of pain to manage…I can only say….I would try this treatment. What do you have to lose? In San Diego, I recommend Dr. Nathan Cohen.
So that’s my two cents…I will let you know if I try anything else in the near future. Please share below if you have any experiences with any of these techniques or techniques of your own.
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