Myofascial Release therapists are experiencing a huge ?up swell? of interest in Myofascial Release. Their practices are booming. If you have been ?on the fence? about considering including Myofascial Release in your practice, it might be the time to seriously consider the benefits of Myofascial Release for you and your clients.
Recent research has verified the Myofasicial Release principles that I have been teaching for 40 years.
For a fun read, see my latest Therapeutic Insight article, ?Kahuna.?
The tide has turned! I wish you the best; join us!
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Recently, the new book ?The Extracellular Matrix and Ground Regulation,? was mentioned. This was written by one of Germany?s leading scientists, Alfred Pischinger. It is the research that he has done for the last 30 years on the fascial system. This has just been translated into English. Basically, the research shows what John has been teaching now for close to 40 years and that there is not one nerve that touches the over 50 trillion cells in our body. It is the environment of every cell that the ground substance, the fascia?s fluid component, which should be different viscosities of gel through which all of the oxygen, nutrition, supplements, biochemistry, hormones, energy and information that every cell needs to thrive must pass through the ground substance of the fascial system to get to the cell. When the ground substance solidifies, then the cell itself is compromised disturbing inner cellular function. As the cell goes to excrete, it cannot get through the ground substance that has solidified to get to the lymphatic system becoming toxic.
Scientists at the recent Fascial Research Congress in Vancouver are now verifying the principles of Myofascial Release that I have been teaching for close to 40 years. For more clarification, check out the book titled ?Cells and Gels and the Engines of Life? by Gerald Pollack, one of the world?s most respected researchers on fluid dynamics in and around the cell.
Science is in the middle of a deep-seeded revolution. When you look at the evidence that the mind is not confined to the skull, you automatically expand the horizons of research. Many people are now realizing the ways in which we have been limited by these assumptions of science.
My approach to Myofascial Release utilizing new and unique techniques focused on changing the viscosity of the ground substance and releasing the crosslinks that lie within the natural boundaries in the fascial system. My daily experience demonstrated clearly that the Myofascial system was moldable within its natural boundaries full of consciousness, awareness, emotions, memories, and life!
Read John?s latest Therapeutic Insight article ?New Myofascial Release Principles? by clicking on the following link.
To read John F. Barnes? interesting background and biography, click here.
For information on seminars in your area, click here to visit our website.
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
I?ve often said that the results of Myofascial Release speak for itself.
The following pictures and Peter?s description say it all.
BeforeNext Day
Here is Peter?s story:
?I wanted to share something interesting with you. Last night my son, Adam, broke his clavicle during a karate class. I took him to the emergency room, he got an x-ray, was given a sling, medication, and was told he will heal in a couple of weeks, but his clavicle will stay deformed. So, after we went home, I did some MFR for his neck and shoulder with very gentle touch and off-body work. He felt much better. His pain went significantly down, he slept well, and the next day we decided to see an orthopedist and re x-ray his shoulder. According to the doctor, he couldn’t explain why his bone was reset in as little as 16 hours and said that sometimes ?nature takes its? course?. Talking about researching MFR, it proves that it?s hard to research the power of nature. It proves only what John teaches that we may not have research, but we definitely have results.
Please take a second to look at the x-rays to compare them.
P.S. Adam is doing just fine; he has no pain, and attempted to play basketball today.
Please view this link for more information on this and other fascinating stories.
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Are you suffering from frequency, urgency, or incontinence? »»
All of our organs are fascial structures that ideally are capable of expanding and contracting. As you know, the bladder is a hollow organ that should be capable of expanding and contracting to hold fluid (urine) for a prolonged period of time. Fascial restrictions from trauma, scars, and/or the delivery process can exert crushing pressure upon the bladder creating the symptoms of frequency, urgency, and/or incontinence. To view John?s latest Therapeutic Insight article ?Women?s Health,? click on the following link. (Women’s Health) You might be interested in finding a Women?s Health seminar near you. Click on the following link to view upcoming seminars. (http://www.myofascialrelease.com/fascia_massage/public/sem_cal.asp)
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
I meet so many therapists that are suffering with neck pain, back pain, headaches, fibromyalgia and/or sore hands. This is because you were taught to force a system (the fascia) that can not be forced!
Something for us all to consider is that even with light massage techniques we are forcing a system (the fascia) that cannot be forced. The fascial system is too powerful. Unfortunately, either too much force is used or it?s done too quickly with other techniques. There are Myofascial Release principles that need to be applied so the system truly releases so we do not experience the frustration of temporary results of other techniques and the wear and tear on our bodies. For more information please see my recent article Frantically Swimming Up Stream.
In a recent statistical study found in Massage Magazine, it was determined that 47, 000 massage therapists and body workers leave the profession every year. I think the reason for this is exactly what I say in “Frantically Swimming Upstream;” that there is too much force, Myofascial restrictions in you, the therapists’ body, and the boring protocols we were taught.
47, 000! That?s shocking.
Embrace Myofascial Release for the New Year!
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Many therapists ask me how I explain Myofascial Release to clients, therapists, physicians, their referring physicians, and families of clients who are receiving Myofascial Release. For that and other educational purposes, I developed the Fireside Chat DVD.
Richard Harty helped me to develop and produce the Fireside Chat DVD. He is an extraordinary therapist, great musician, and an expert in video production. So if any of you have a need to develop a video to help promote your practice, you might want to contact Richard. Richard and his wife, Karey, run two successful Myofascial Release practices in California. (801 South Ham Lane Suite G, Lodi, CA 95242 (209) 712-3592 and 7829 North Pershing Avenue, Stockton, CA 95207 (209) 406-5387)
I hope you enjoy the Fireside Chat and that it inspires you to move into the New Year with a new direction and way of achieving a more lucrative and fulfilling career by utilizing Myofascial Release.
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Myofascial Release is also used successfully with animals. It is totally safe and highly effective. If you are interested, visit http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=11926 for a story about a dog that I treated that was in a total state of agitation.
Please share your stories, questions and comments about using Myofascial Release with animals.
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
There?s a therapist who has taken my myofascial release classes that has a cat, and he told me a funny story. Every morning at six, the cat would be on his chest doing the kneading thing with his paws, waking him up, ready to be fed. You know how cats are. He said when he came back from my Myofascial unwinding class, he unwound his cat. The next morning, for the first time in its life, the cat wasn?t there at six. When the therapist got up out of bed he saw that the cat was lying down on his back across the doorway, so the man could not get out of the door. The cat was basically saying, ?Unwind me again.? This is now a new morning routine. He cannot get through the door until he unwinds his cat. Smart cat!
Some cats are easy to treat; others are pretty skittish. So, with any animal, I start slowly by petting them. They then gradually start Myofascial Unwinding, which is a spontaneous movement that allows for self correction. With some cats you might have to do off-the-body work, though, because they are not going to let you touch them. Dogs are easier.
For those of you who are interested in hearing some more stories about the treatment of both cats and dogs, you might want to go to my new Therapeutic Insight article called ?Waldo.?
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
I?ve been told ?It can?t be done!? just about anytime I?ve tried something different, or I would hear ?Where is your proof??
I answer these challenges with action. An example is a horse that I treated that couldn?t run more than 150 yards without going lame.
After I treated him with Myofascial Release, he broke and shattered the record at Belmont Stakes Park, which is one of the most important racetracks in the New York area. Within six months from the time of injury, this horse had won over $600,000!
Please read my Therapeutic Insight article titled ?Animal Friends Part II.? Don?t let anything stop you!
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
I have just finished reading one of the most moving pieces I have ever read about the rich interconnections between species, in this case elephants and humans. Lawrence Anthony, known as “The Elephant Whisperer”, died March 2nd and this link chronicles the moving story of how wild elephants, whose lives he had saved years before, traveled many, many miles on their own to pay their respects at his home after his death. No one knows how they knew he had died. They stayed for almost 48 hours doing what they do when one of their own kind dies. They were clearly in mourning. Take five minutes and go to this link and be prepare to be moved, (as I was – will someone please pass me a tissue?)
Today we leave for my daughter’s graduation from college. My stomach is fluttering with the excitement of it all. She has been calling us for weeks with updates on this party and that additional reception. In the midst of all of this, I feel so blessed to have her as my daughter. She has worked hard for four years and this week is one of celebration and blessing.
And so, we are shifting gears. Our family does ‘hard work’ really well. We know how to set a worthy goal and go for it. We know how to plan, prepare, clean, build and present our final product to the world. This we do almost automatically.
It is now time to celebrate. This is a major life transition we are about to enter with her. I have a strange feeling of lightness and bubbly expectation in my heart. Many texts have been sent back and forth this week saying simply “WOOHOO!” And, I feel the edges of tears of joy I am sure to have this week. I am ready for it all. I am so proud of her. Let the celebration begin!
Standing at the window – peering out,
Puddles are everywhere,
And it has been raining off and on,
For almost twenty-four hours.
Everything is drenched,
No more rain spattered leaves,
They are washed completely clean,
And rewashed several more times.
No one in the forest has been overlooked.
Mother Nature we feel your blessing,
Drench us – we are all now dripping,
See that we are completely clean,
Nowhere untouched by your liquid bounty.
Like small children after a much needed long bath,
Standing naked beside the tub shivering,
Waiting to be enfolded in the warmth of a towel,
Perhaps the forest is now ready for the sun,
To return the balance of nature to a drier state.
Walking in gentle rain through a canopy of tall trees,
Dusty green ferns and plants growing on the forest floor,
Beginning to be spattered with clear drops from above
Slowly washing them clean.
Mother Nature is blessing us with the gift of warm rain,
My own face is being touched by her clear, gentle presence,
A drop here, then one there
Cleaning me as my footsteps continue down the path.
This rain is a sweet blessing,
Our world was getting dusty ,
The air filled with pollens of all kinds,
Carried on the dry breezes,
Creating coughs and sneezes,
So we were ready to be washed clean.
By tomorrow we will all be drenched,
Perhaps thinking – enough!
Running and ducking
From her warm rain blessing
And feeling slightly put upon.
But for now it is a sweet thing,
I welcome it and am thankful,
For all her blessings.
As the week closes I ran across this one last TED talk that inspired me in a whole new way. I hope your perceptual lens is opened as wide as mine was on this issue. Here is the link:
To complete this week of great TED talks and eating in a healthy manner, I found this TED talk by Jamie Oliver on the actual steps in the bigger picture of healthy eating in the United States today. He is very entertaining as he delivers a really important message about current trends in obesity and unhealthy eating. He then goes on to outline exactly how to make this happen. It is well worth the 20 minutes it takes to watch him deliver his message. Here is the link: http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html. Enjoy!
Every now and then a really, really funny video comes along. And this one, by Julia Sweeney as she tries to answer her eight year old daughter’s about sex, is one of the funniest I have seen in a long time. Here is the link - and enjoy!
This is a sweet, inspiring TEDx talk about gratitude done by Louie Schwartzberg. I first saw this one in a colleague’s talk at the Beyond the Dura Conference. When I discovered where he had gotten it this week, I was delighted. Now I get to share it with all of you. Here is the link. Sit back and be moved with gratitude for each day, for your body and capacity to be here now. And, enjoy!
This week is all the best TEDx Talks that I could find and this one was done in Iowa by Dr. Terry Wahls who has/had MS (Multiple Sclerosis). What she has been able to do is truly astounding at one level and divinely simple at another level. It is a 20 minute talk, and well worth every minute of it. It builds on my blog post from last week about the article by Dr. Mark Hyman on how eating healthy does not ultimately cost more than eating cheap, processed, junk food. Here is the link - and, enjoy!
My good friend and colleague, Dr. Rachel Abrams has done a TEDx.com talk and I want to share it with all of you. She is a fine physician and I love her message. It is everything I teach and then some! It is a seven minute talk and well worth your time – here is the link. And, enjoy!
?No, look, ?cat? is spelled C A T. Now Tad, how is cat spelled??
“No Tad, I said the man went to the store. Now, where did the man go?”
I was a child and these simple questions were tortuous. Language made absolutely no sense to me. Because of this I felt stupid, alone, and of less value than other people.
Luckily I can see and draw things three dimensionally. I became an artist, but lacked skills of organization and language to promote my art. Over time artwork piled up in my studio, I became discouraged and all of a sudden making art became a burden rather than a joy. That?s when I stopped pursuing a fine arts career.
Around that time I began receiving CranioSacral Therapy (CST) for ongoing high-level pain. The treatments helped to decrease my pain levels so much that I learned CST to help others as I had been helped. I?ve immersed myself in CST for years.
Understanding the world visually has been a great asset for me in my clinical work and in studying the human body. I often ?see? what my hands feel while working with someone in the clinic. This helps me to understand what is changing in the client?s body. I also love to draw or animate images that relate to CST which helps clarify information for myself. I know if I can draw it, ?it? being anything from a body part to a biological process, then I know it. Visuals can make learning easier for others too, whether dyslectic or not.
Words? Word use has become easier for me over the years due to practice using them, receiving CST, and help from a friend who shows me ?glitches? in the way I use language. CST helps my brain to see, hear, understand, organize and use words better. Words are becoming more like friends rather than monsters.
If you know someone who is having difficulty with language, or has been identified as ?dyslexic?, please ask him or her to view these videos. They show children accepting themselves as unique and using their differences in creative and inspiring ways.
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is produced in the ventricular system, which is deep in the brain. The ventricular system is comprised of four specialized cavities that communicate with each other by way of channels.
CSF flows:
throughout the ventricles
into the subarachnoid space
around the brain and spinal cord within the subarachnoid space
into and throughout the brain and spinal cord tissue
out of the brain and spinal cord back into the subarachnoid space
into the arachnoid villi
into the intracranial sinus system
into the jugular vein
into the body?s general circulation
Some of the major functions of CSF are to protect the brain and spinal cord by ?floating? them within the subarachnoid fluid filled space; supply nutrients to the brain tissue; help maintain optimal brain and spinal cord: temperature, hormonal balance and ph; and to remove waste material from the brain and spinal cord. The unencumbered flow of CSF is essential for the health and healing of the brain and spinal cord.
This video shows the orbit, which is formed by seven bones: frontal bone, sphenoid bone, maxilla, zygomatic bone, ethmoid bone, lacrimal bone, and palatine bone.
Dysfunctional bony orbit position or decreased orbit motion response to the craniosacral rhythm can lead to conditions, such as:
Impaired vision,
Difficulty controlling eye movement
Altered eye position
Head tilt
Altered body posture and muscular tone
Balance problems
Neck muscle imbalance, rigidity or pain
Eye pain
Face pain
Irritation of the mucous membrane of the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses
Headache
Stress
Anxiety
Memory problems
Craniosacral Therapy can help to improve the bony orbit, which often facilitates the body?s ability to self-correct the issues listed above.
The maxillae, palatine bones and the hard palate are part of the bony structure of the face. This video focuses on the maxillae, palatines, and the hard palate in different views: front, side, back and bottom. The horizontal portions of the maxillae and the palatines form the hard palate.
Atypical position, or distorted shape, of the maxillae, palatine bones or hard palate can cause a wide range of problems, such as:
Sinus congestion or inflammation,
Ear infection,
Temporomandibular joint pain,
Ear pain,
Headache,
Ear infection,
Eye pain,
General face pain,
Malocclusion,
Difficulty chewing or swallowing,
Difficulty breast feeding or using a bottle,
Difficulty speaking,
Mouth breathing,
Lack of smell,
Intracranial membrane strain leading to issues, such as: endocrine disorders, immune system compromise, anxiety, difficulty paying attention or remembering things, and movement impairment.
Craniosacral therapy can help to decrease atypical position, or distortions in the shape, of the maxillae, palatine bones and hard palate. This can help to alleviate not only the conditions mentioned above but other issues that may arise due to the interrelated nature of the body.
Facilitated Segments are spinal cord neurons (nervous system cells) that become:
hypersensitive,
hyperactive (responding to stimuli that they would not normally respond to),
dysautonomic (disrupting autonomic nervous system balance), and
dystrophic (de-vitalizing body tissue).
Facilitated segments can cause alterations in normal neurological signaling, which can lead to visceral and body tissue dysfunction, as well as homeostatic imbalance and harmful stress levels.
When an area of the spinal cord becomes facilitated it may affect other neurons as irritation travels from side to side and/or up and down the spinal cord and the sympathetic chain. The sympathetic chain is a portion of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system that modulates and directs neurological signals.
Neurons of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system originate in spinal cord levels T1 through L2 and are referred to as ?pre-ganglionic? neurons. They synapse (communicate) with ?post-ganglionic? neurons in ganglia (clusters of neurons and synapses) before proceeding to their target tissue. (Except the adrenal glands, which are innervated by both pre and post-ganglionic neurons.)
Notes Regarding The Illustration Titled, ?Facilitated Segments?
Illustrated by Tad Wanveer, LMBT, CST-D:
Figure #1 shows an example of how irritation from a facilitated segment at the level of T8 may not only affect the liver but also cause other neurons to become facilitated as the irritation travels to neurons, ganglia, and associated tissue of the sympathetic division.
Figure #2 shows the control of blood vessels, sweat glands and hair follicles throughout the entire body.
Figure #3 shows the central nervous system and the sympathetic chain of the autonomic nervous system within the body.
Figure #4 shows an enlarged view of the craniosacral system as it surrounds, protects, nourishes and cleanses the central nervous system; the sympathetic chain of the autonomic nervous system; pre and post-ganglionic neurons; the central nervous system; and ganglia.
Figures #5 and #6 show the viscera that are controlled by the nerves.
Irritated nerve cells (INCs) can cause a wide range of ill health, such as: pain, chronic stress, migraine, dizziness, or difficulty breathing. Craniosacral Therapy can reduce nerve cell irritation, which helps the body heal.
INCs can be anywhere in the body’s vast neurological network. They can be in the brain, or spinal cord, or clumps of nerves called ganglia. Nerves receive, organize, modify, and transmit information required for all activity, like: sleeping, walking, talking, eating, or thinking, to name a few.
Nerves form communication networks with other nerves, or with body parts. When nerve cells become hyper-irritated they can no longer do their job in an organized way. This disorganization causes chaotic communication between nerves, or between nerves and body parts.
Body parts can lose normal function when neurological communication is chaotic. For instance, INCs within the spinal cord communicating with a leg muscle may cause that muscle to be in chronic spasm, or INCs within an area of the brain involved in memory processing may cause difficulty remembering recent experiences.
Often INCs are undetected because they are hidden in the nervous system. If INCs are not found then they remain the cause of dysfunction. When the cause of dysfunction is not addressed then the effects of that cause will usually persist.
Craniosacral therapy can locate INCs and then help the body reduce nerve cell hyper-irritation. This can lessen harmful nerve stress, which stimulates normal nerve-to-nerve, nerve-to-body, or body-to-nerve, communication. Greater ease of function within the nervous system and within the body arises as nerve communication normalizes, thus helping the body heal in a multitude of ways.
Nerve cells of the brain are constantly talking to each other. This neural conversation can be observed in a number of ways, such as measuring blood flow to brain areas. Increases in blood flow signify increased neural talk, whereas less blood flow signifies decreased neural talk.
CranioSacral Therapy works with the brain?s rhythmic motion to help release restrictions that may be distorting neurons or neuronal pathways. Perhaps CST also helps to harmonize brain regions so that neurons, or groups of neurons, can optimize the way they communicate. This can enhance information flow and elevate processing neurological information, which can lead to improved function of the brain.
The craniosacral rhythm is an ongoing cycle of expansion and contraction of the entire body that takes place about nine times every minute. Every so often the rhythm pauses for an extended period of time; this pause is called a stillpoint. Stillpoints occur spontaneously, or CranioSacral Therapy manual techniques can bring them about, or stillpoints can be self-produced using a devise called a stillpoint inducer.
William G. Sutherland, D.O., creator of Cranial Osteopathy, made the first stillpoint inducer. He wanted to improve overall health and well-being by enhancing the function of vital physiological centers located in the brainstem. He thought he could do this by increasing the flow of cerebrospinal fluid into the brainstem by using a device to compress the fourth ventricle (a cavity in the brain containing cerebrospinal fluid) forward. The devise he created was made of two catcher?s mitts sewn together so they formed a “V” shaped headrest, and a strap attached to the mitts.
Dr. Sutherland described lying down, placing the back of his head (occiput) upon the “V” shape, and then compressing his occiput by tightening the strap, which was wrapped around his head. He stayed in this position for a little while and experienced such profound inner quietness that he described his feeling as a ?state of inanimation?. Immediately after taking the contraption off his head he recounted, “A sensation of warmth followed, and a remarkable movement of fluid, up and down the spinal column, throughout the ventricles, and surrounding the brain.” “Fantastic!” “Believe it or not there also was movement of my sacrum!” In addition he described feeling a fluctuating motion of cerebrospinal fluid.
Various devices have been made to simulate Dr. Sutherland?s original baseball mitt apparatus (minus the strap), such as two tennis balls in a sock, or shaped foam. These devices are known as stillpoint inducers. Stillpoints can rejuvenate and optimize one?s health, and they can help in a myriad of ways, such as by increasing energy, alleviating headache, lessening pain, decreasing stress, removing fluid congestion, or reducing anxiety.
The craniosacral rhythm (CSR) is an ongoing minute full-body movement that helps each cell in the body flourish. Cells must have uninterrupted access to essential nutrients, oxygen, and pathways that process waste products. Illness or dysfunction can develop when the flow of substances to, or from, cells is compromised.
Flow to and from the cells is dependent upon the quality of the material in which cells live; this material is called the extracellular matrix (ECM). Everything cells require to survive and function passes through the ECM, and everything cells get rid of likewise passes through the ECM. The motion of the CSR helps move substances throughout the ECM.
The CSR is an ongoing cyclic movement that occurs six to twelve times per minute. Each cycle is made of two phases. One phase causes a slight expansion of the body and the other phase causes a slight contraction of the body. The CSR expansion and contraction phases are reflected throughout the entire body, including the ECM.
During the expansion phase the ECM spreads itself out a little which helps to propel substances towards cells. During the contraction phase the ECM squeezes itself slightly helping to propel waste material away from cells. When the ECM does not easily expand or squeeze then elements cannot flow efficiently through it, and this can cause cell deficiency or toxicity that can eventually lead to illness and dysfunction.
A major cause of decreased ECM expanding or squeezing is adverse tension of the ECM, which may be formed by problems such as inflammation, traumatic impact, scar tissue or infection. This often leads to thickening of the ECM, or the development of pulls and twists within the matrix, which can all reduce the flow of substances.
To release stressful ECM areas the CSR is used first to locate and then release the strained areas. As the ECM regains its normal consistency and pattern the natural flow to and from cells can be reestablished, cells will be able to thrive at their peak levels, and when cells thrive the body as a whole flourishes.
The ventricles in one of Leonardo DaVinci?s anatomical drawings are huge and a different form than human ventricles. He was an extraordinary artist. Why did he draw them out of scale? This question led me to explore the ventricles from an historical perspective. The following is a brief account.
? Systemic human dissection began in the Hellenistic Era (323-30BC). Herophilus of Chalcedon practiced as a physician around 300BC and he preformed hundreds of dissections. He proposed that the fourth ventricle housed the soul.
? Galen of Pergamon (129-216AD) was a physician, physiologist, philosopher, and writer who is often considered the most important contributor to medicine following Hippocrates. He suggested that animal spirits are produced in the choroid plexuses of the ventricles, and that these spirits act as the physical manifestation of the soul.
? Around 400AD, Nemesius, Bishop of Emesa (which was in Syria), blended the medical science of Galen with Christian theology and stated that the ventricles are the home of the soul and that each ventricle has a specific function. He related perception to the two lateral ventricles, cognition to the third, and memory to the fourth. Scholarly Christians supported this view throughout the Dark Ages (476-1000AD).
? Leonardo DaVinci (1452-1519AD), painter, sculptor, architect, scientist and master of other disciplines, proposed that the ventricles are the home of the soul, sensation, cognition and memory. DaVinci used oxen for some of his ventricle research. One method he used was to insert a tube into opposite ends of the ventricles. He poured melted wax into one tube, and as this wax flowed into the ventricles it displaced cerebrospinal fluid, which drained out of the other tube. When the wax cooled he dissected the form out of the brain and in doing so had a replica of the oxen ventricles. In one of his anatomical drawings he drew the oxen ventricular form within a human brain.
? Rene Descartes (1596-1650AD) was a philosopher who used geometry, physics and mechanical models to explain his ideas. He thought that tiny particles from the blood filtered into the pineal gland and the pineal converted these particles into animal spirits. These spirits were then released by the pineal gland into the ventricles. The pineal would mechanically pull on the ventricular walls to direct the flow of these spirits into the nerves allowing them to flow into the body. He also believed that it was through the pineal gland that the soul became aware of the flow of animal spirits, which allowed the soul to perceive, imagine and generate new ideas.
? Thomas Willis (1621-1675AD) was a physician and brilliant researcher. He proposed that only humans possess an immortal soul, and it cannot be studied anatomically or physiologically since it is intangible. On the other hand perception, cognition and memory, which he called the corporeal (physical) soul, can be linked to the brain and consequently can be studied scientifically. He proposed that the brain tissue itself was the site of the physical soul, not the ventricles.
? William G. Sutherland, D.O. (1873-1954AD), the creator of Cranial Osteopathy, believed that a divine spirit enters the ventricles. He called this spirit the “breath of life” and it is carried by cerebrospinal fluid to the entire body. Thus the breath of life is manifested in the anatomy and physiology of each cell and the body as a whole. Dr. Sutherland hypothesized that the breath of life merges with brain pulsations to create the craniosacral rhythm.
? John E. Upledger, D.O., O.M.M., (1932- present) the founder of CranioSacral Therapy, proposed that the ventricles mechanically create the craniosacral rhythm. He suggests that the ventricles produce cerebrospinal fluid in on-and-off phases. These phases create an increase and decrease of cerebrospinal fluid pressure within the container of the brain and spinal cord. The fluid pressure changes are then felt as the craniosacral rhythm.
The ventricles are cavities deep within the brain, birdlike in form with wings, body and tail located within major portions of the brain.
? Does the soul enter the ventricles or reside within them?
? Do the ventricles or cerebrospinal fluid manifest some form of unique universal vibration or divine essence?
? Body form creates itself to fulfill specific functions. Does the shape or location of the ventricles suggest a purpose far beyond cerebrospinal fluid production?
Myofascial Release therapists are experiencing a huge ?up swell? of interest in Myofascial Release. Their practices are booming. If you have been ?on the fence? about considering including Myofascial Release in your practice, it might be the time to seriously consider the benefits of Myofascial Release for you and your clients.
Recent research has verified the Myofasicial Release principles that I have been teaching for 40 years.
For a fun read, see my latest Therapeutic Insight article, ?Kahuna.?
The tide has turned! I wish you the best; join us!
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Recently, the new book ?The Extracellular Matrix and Ground Regulation,? was mentioned. This was written by one of Germany?s leading scientists, Alfred Pischinger. It is the research that he has done for the last 30 years on the fascial system. This has just been translated into English. Basically, the research shows what John has been teaching now for close to 40 years and that there is not one nerve that touches the over 50 trillion cells in our body. It is the environment of every cell that the ground substance, the fascia?s fluid component, which should be different viscosities of gel through which all of the oxygen, nutrition, supplements, biochemistry, hormones, energy and information that every cell needs to thrive must pass through the ground substance of the fascial system to get to the cell. When the ground substance solidifies, then the cell itself is compromised disturbing inner cellular function. As the cell goes to excrete, it cannot get through the ground substance that has solidified to get to the lymphatic system becoming toxic.
Scientists at the recent Fascial Research Congress in Vancouver are now verifying the principles of Myofascial Release that I have been teaching for close to 40 years. For more clarification, check out the book titled ?Cells and Gels and the Engines of Life? by Gerald Pollack, one of the world?s most respected researchers on fluid dynamics in and around the cell.
Science is in the middle of a deep-seeded revolution. When you look at the evidence that the mind is not confined to the skull, you automatically expand the horizons of research. Many people are now realizing the ways in which we have been limited by these assumptions of science.
My approach to Myofascial Release utilizing new and unique techniques focused on changing the viscosity of the ground substance and releasing the crosslinks that lie within the natural boundaries in the fascial system. My daily experience demonstrated clearly that the Myofascial system was moldable within its natural boundaries full of consciousness, awareness, emotions, memories, and life!
Read John?s latest Therapeutic Insight article ?New Myofascial Release Principles? by clicking on the following link.
To read John F. Barnes? interesting background and biography, click here.
For information on seminars in your area, click here to visit our website.
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
I?ve often said that the results of Myofascial Release speak for itself.
The following pictures and Peter?s description say it all.
BeforeNext Day
Here is Peter?s story:
?I wanted to share something interesting with you. Last night my son, Adam, broke his clavicle during a karate class. I took him to the emergency room, he got an x-ray, was given a sling, medication, and was told he will heal in a couple of weeks, but his clavicle will stay deformed. So, after we went home, I did some MFR for his neck and shoulder with very gentle touch and off-body work. He felt much better. His pain went significantly down, he slept well, and the next day we decided to see an orthopedist and re x-ray his shoulder. According to the doctor, he couldn’t explain why his bone was reset in as little as 16 hours and said that sometimes ?nature takes its? course?. Talking about researching MFR, it proves that it?s hard to research the power of nature. It proves only what John teaches that we may not have research, but we definitely have results.
Please take a second to look at the x-rays to compare them.
P.S. Adam is doing just fine; he has no pain, and attempted to play basketball today.
Please view this link for more information on this and other fascinating stories.
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Are you suffering from frequency, urgency, or incontinence? »»
All of our organs are fascial structures that ideally are capable of expanding and contracting. As you know, the bladder is a hollow organ that should be capable of expanding and contracting to hold fluid (urine) for a prolonged period of time. Fascial restrictions from trauma, scars, and/or the delivery process can exert crushing pressure upon the bladder creating the symptoms of frequency, urgency, and/or incontinence. To view John?s latest Therapeutic Insight article ?Women?s Health,? click on the following link. (Women’s Health) You might be interested in finding a Women?s Health seminar near you. Click on the following link to view upcoming seminars. (http://www.myofascialrelease.com/fascia_massage/public/sem_cal.asp)
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
I meet so many therapists that are suffering with neck pain, back pain, headaches, fibromyalgia and/or sore hands. This is because you were taught to force a system (the fascia) that can not be forced!
Something for us all to consider is that even with light massage techniques we are forcing a system (the fascia) that cannot be forced. The fascial system is too powerful. Unfortunately, either too much force is used or it?s done too quickly with other techniques. There are Myofascial Release principles that need to be applied so the system truly releases so we do not experience the frustration of temporary results of other techniques and the wear and tear on our bodies. For more information please see my recent article Frantically Swimming Up Stream.
In a recent statistical study found in Massage Magazine, it was determined that 47, 000 massage therapists and body workers leave the profession every year. I think the reason for this is exactly what I say in “Frantically Swimming Upstream;” that there is too much force, Myofascial restrictions in you, the therapists’ body, and the boring protocols we were taught.
47, 000! That?s shocking.
Embrace Myofascial Release for the New Year!
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Many therapists ask me how I explain Myofascial Release to clients, therapists, physicians, their referring physicians, and families of clients who are receiving Myofascial Release. For that and other educational purposes, I developed the Fireside Chat DVD.
Richard Harty helped me to develop and produce the Fireside Chat DVD. He is an extraordinary therapist, great musician, and an expert in video production. So if any of you have a need to develop a video to help promote your practice, you might want to contact Richard. Richard and his wife, Karey, run two successful Myofascial Release practices in California. (801 South Ham Lane Suite G, Lodi, CA 95242 (209) 712-3592 and 7829 North Pershing Avenue, Stockton, CA 95207 (209) 406-5387)
I hope you enjoy the Fireside Chat and that it inspires you to move into the New Year with a new direction and way of achieving a more lucrative and fulfilling career by utilizing Myofascial Release.
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Myofascial Release is also used successfully with animals. It is totally safe and highly effective. If you are interested, visit http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=11926 for a story about a dog that I treated that was in a total state of agitation.
Please share your stories, questions and comments about using Myofascial Release with animals.
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
There?s a therapist who has taken my myofascial release classes that has a cat, and he told me a funny story. Every morning at six, the cat would be on his chest doing the kneading thing with his paws, waking him up, ready to be fed. You know how cats are. He said when he came back from my Myofascial unwinding class, he unwound his cat. The next morning, for the first time in its life, the cat wasn?t there at six. When the therapist got up out of bed he saw that the cat was lying down on his back across the doorway, so the man could not get out of the door. The cat was basically saying, ?Unwind me again.? This is now a new morning routine. He cannot get through the door until he unwinds his cat. Smart cat!
Some cats are easy to treat; others are pretty skittish. So, with any animal, I start slowly by petting them. They then gradually start Myofascial Unwinding, which is a spontaneous movement that allows for self correction. With some cats you might have to do off-the-body work, though, because they are not going to let you touch them. Dogs are easier.
For those of you who are interested in hearing some more stories about the treatment of both cats and dogs, you might want to go to my new Therapeutic Insight article called ?Waldo.?
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
I?ve been told ?It can?t be done!? just about anytime I?ve tried something different, or I would hear ?Where is your proof??
I answer these challenges with action. An example is a horse that I treated that couldn?t run more than 150 yards without going lame.
After I treated him with Myofascial Release, he broke and shattered the record at Belmont Stakes Park, which is one of the most important racetracks in the New York area. Within six months from the time of injury, this horse had won over $600,000!
Please read my Therapeutic Insight article titled ?Animal Friends Part II.? Don?t let anything stop you!
Sincerely,
John
For more information about Myofascial Release, you can now access two separate excerpts from the Fireside Chat with John F. Barnes, PT DVD on ?You Tube?! Just click on the following links:
Any time one of the major organizations in the massage field tries to fire up a project that will ?advance the profession?, I get awfully suspicious. When a group of them get together to do something on the big scale, I go on full nuclear alert. That?s the case right now with a dubious education standards project introduced by ABMP in September 2011 at the Leadership Summit in St. Louis, which I detailed in my previous post, Behind Closed Doors.
As the title of that blog suggests, 100% of the activity surrounding this project has taken place in secret, with no information about the project being released to the massage therapy community?and no opportunities for review or comment before time, money and human resources are thrown at solving a perceived problem.
AMTA and FSMTB have signed on to this project, which will involve gathering information from the Federation?s upcoming Job Task Analysis survey, to use in a process that will ?identify the rudimentary knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to pass a licensing exam and provide basic, but safe, massage in an early massage career.?
That doesn?t sound like a such bad thing?in and of itself?but the group intends to use this data to create an ?evidence-based minimum educational requirement? for state licensing. This would be used as a rationale for changing state laws, and would likely be used to drive the curriculum standards for entry-level massage programs?basically telling schools what to do.
Goodness knows, there is a lot of inconsistency in massage education and regulation, but there is no problem in our profession that justifies one or a group of our so-called ?stakeholder organizations? seizing the ball and marching down the field without our input or permission. I don?t give a rat?s you-know-what if they claim to be doing this in our best interests; this power play is a gigantic betrayal of trust. And I might add that I am personally in favor of the evidence-based practice of massage, but I don?t think one tiny group of people should get to decide what that is.
I?ve not yet been able to confirm the status of NCBTMB, Massage Therapy Foundation, AFMTE or COMTA as it relates to this project (mum?s the word all around). These four organizations, along with ABMP, AMTA and FSMTB just gathered on May 1-2 for another Leadership Summit?this time in Chicago. I?m taking bets that they will issue another sanitized press release that gives us regular folks in the bleachers little substance about what really happened in this meeting that has the potential to alter the very nature of our profession.
The only other info I?ve been able to glean is that ABMP, AMTA and FSMTB hand-picked a new workgroup of massage educators and other ?experts? in instructional design and curriculum development to start this project on May 3-4, right after the completion of the Summit. Are you kidding me? Where was the public notice of this opportunity to serve on a panel that will influence the future of massage therapy? Who gave these organizations the authority to do this on our behalf? READ MORE…
From the title, you might think this blog is about The Client List, the trashy new show on the Lifetime Channel that gives massage therapy a black eye. No such luck; the event I am referring to is the upcoming Leadership Summit #2, set to take place next week in Chicago.
The first Leadership Summit (to clarify: there were summits in 2003-04 before AFMTE and FSMTB existed) took place last September in St. Louis, with the executive directors and chairs of ABMP, AFMTE, AMTA, the Massage Therapy Foundation, FSMTB, COMTA, and NCBTMB in attendance. It was a historic event in that it was the first time all seven of these organizations had come together in the best interests of the profession. The purpose, according to the press release announcing the meeting, ?was to hold a beginning conversation about major structural issues and impediments to profession progress. The desire is to have candid exchange about core challenges, quality concerns, consumer expectations and organizational roles.?
Apparently, one of the hot topics at this week?s meeting is going to be the number of required entry-level education hours. Although this was not on the agreed-upon agenda at the first meeting, it was introduced anyway by ABMP Chairman Bob Benson, complete with a thorough proposal prepared by Anne Williams, Director of Education at ABMP. Basically, the proposal was for a task force to be formed immediately, and using Job Task Analyses that have been conducted by the NCBTMB and the FSMTB, to nail down a definite number of hours that should be required for entry-level education. This was contrary to the facilitator?s recommendation?and the group?s agreement? that they would spend the initial meeting identifying problems, and would address possible solutions for these problems at meetings to follow. READ MORE...
CAMTC Responds to ?Money Grab? Accusation from Massage Today »»
Last week, Massage Today President Donald Peterson published an article entitled The CAMTC Money Grab. It cast the CAMTC in a very unfavorable light; to make a long story short, it appeared to expose excessive financial wrongdoing at the organization by stating that the CAMTC was paying the expenses and per diem for no less than 14 board members to attend the American Massage Conference. The AMC is a moveable event that is held each year in a different location, and this year?s event was taking place in San Diego.
Peterson backed up his claims of financial excess with a table showing who voted to spend the money and who didn?t, and also stated that Massage Today Senior Associate Editor Kathryn Feather had actually been on the CAMTC conference call when the vote was taken about spending the money. The criticism was that although it was not unanimous, that for the most part the people who voted to spend it were the people who were going to receive it. In reality, that?s the way it goes on all boards; board members vote on things, and that includes where and when to attend events and how much money will be spent on it, so there?s really nothing unusual about that.
I shared this article on my Facebook page, and immediately started hearing from board members of the CAMTC that Peterson?s story was very biased and not telling all the facts. Since I initially shared it and contributed to giving a bad impression of the organization, I made the offer to them that I would give them equal time on my blog to present their side of the story. The fallout from this has been swift, not the least of which is the resignation of Keith Eric Grant from the magazine, which he has been contributing to since 2002. Grant is a CAMTC board member, and someone I have admired as a writer, a scientist, and a person from afar. READ MORE…
I?ve been criticizing the Maintenance of Core Competency (MOCC) proposal from the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards since the moment it landed on my radar, and I haven?t changed my mind. I think it?s a terrible plan that doesn?t serve any good purpose other than increasing the coffers of the FSMTB. In its present form, it appears to be a blatant move to put the NCBTMB out of business.
What has been interesting to me is to see the way this thing has unfolded. Right off the bat, I had some criticism of the Task Force assembled by FSMTB that supposedly got this thing together. I say supposedly, because when I saw who was on it, my first thought was ?No, they couldn?t possibly have supported that.?
So here we have Immediate Past President of AMTA, Glenath Moyle, whom I know personally and like a great deal. In spite of Moyle?s presence on the Task Force, the national office of AMTA only took a few days to come out with a statement shooting more than 20 holes in the MOCC proposal. In spite of the fact that the FSMTB chose Task Force members who were supposedly representatives of their respective organizations, that apparently didn?t work too well in this case.
AMTA has never allowed an individual officer to speak for the entire organization without their board?s approval; their blanket slam of the proposal seems to indicate that they never saw the proposal prior to publication, much less given the opportunity to sign off on it. I wholeheartedly support AMTA?s condemnation of this far-fetched plan, but I didn?t like to see Ms. Moyle in a position of looking like she had egg on her face. That could have been prevented if this process had been carried out in a more transparent manner….READ MORE
I confess to being too lazy to be in depth with my blog this week. It?s Easter Sunday, and quite frankly I need a day of rest, so I?m just handing out a few cheers and jeers. There is usually a swirling sewer of legislation going on somewhere, and I?m sure today is no exception. AMTA keeps their finger on the pulse; you can read the latest here. ABMP also reports legislative updates; you can read them here under News and Information.
Cheers to Idaho for becoming the 44th state in the nation to license massage therapists. Beginning July 1 2013, all therapists will be required to have a license. There will be a one-year grandfathering period for therapists who meet certain qualifications. You can read the entire practice act here.
Cheers to COMTA (Commission on Massage Therapy Accreditation) for their improved website and their new online learning resources. Schools who are seeking accreditation, or thinking about doing so, can access a number of informational courses about the process. I started as a site reviewer for COMTA last year, and will be doing several site visits for them in the next few months. Seeking COMTA accreditation is a voluntary process that is rigorous?and sends a clear message for any school that you are doing more than you have to do. I would encourage any school owner who wants to uphold standards of excellence to consider seeking COMTA accreditation. Part of the process is a very thorough self-study?.it forces the question of ?What could we be doing better?? The organization will bend over backwards in order to help you meet your goals. READ MORE…
I?ve spent the past couple of weekends teaching at AMTA meetings; first in SC and this past week in Alaska. One of the classes I taught at both meetings was ?Using Research to Market Your Massage Therapy Practice.? I?ve been on my research soapbox for a while now. The big question is, ?Who gives a flip about research?? My answer to that is, inquiring minds want to know.
Except when they don?t want to know. Consider this: IF research validates an idea, a theory, or a belief you?ve had, doesn?t that make you happy? Don?t you want to give a thumbs-up and shout ?Yes! I knew it all the time!? That would make anyone feel good, wouldn?t it?
So when research shows something that?s contrary to what we believe, we don?t like that. We don?t want to accept it. We don?t want to listen to it. We want to act as if it doesn?t exist, or that it applies to everyone except us.
I?ve been surfing PubMed this afternoon and reading interesting studies. I don?t have any research to back it up, but my educated guess is that maybe, just maybe, 20% of massage therapists actually read research studies?or even know what the difference is in a peer-reviewed study performed within the parameters of scientifically accepted procedures, as opposed to website hype making all kinds of unfounded claims. READ MORE…
The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage & Bodywork has announced several bold new initiatives for moving the organization ahead. It?s no secret that the NCBTMB has had their ups and downs. The immediate past CEO, Paul Lindamood, had a lot to do with bringing them back from the brink of financial disaster that was caused partially by the MBLEx cutting drastically into their exam income, and partially by a previous administration that seemed hell-bent on bankrupting the organization. In a press release dated March 14, the organization outlined their new directions:
? Beginning in the first quarter of 2013, NCBTMB will end its existing National Certification credential, and will replace it with a new Board Certification credential. This will require passing the new Board Certification exam, which has Eligibility Requirements of 750 hours of education, 250 hours of hands on work experience and passing of a background check. Additional qualifications may be added, based on feedback from the profession. This will elevate the value of ?certification? to a true post-graduate credential as opposed to the entry-level status it has held since its inception.
? In the summer of 2012, NCBTMB will launch a new online portal where all interaction with NCBTMB can be accomplished. including applications for all exams, recertification, approved providers, school reviews and payment for all NCBTMB services and products will be accomplished through this new portal. This will streamline their operations and cut down on the amount of time involved for all concerned.
? Beginning in the summer of 2012, NCBTMB?s continuing education approval program will also require courses to be vetted, along with CE providers. Providers will be required to submit their qualifications to teach each course. Previously, once a provider was approved, they could add on courses at will, which has caused some problems with people teaching subjects they are not truly qualified for. There has been some abuse as well concerning inappropriate course content, such as people creating a course just to sell a product they?ve invented. I attended last year?s meeting held by the NCBTMB for the purpose of gathering input and suggestions on how to improve the CE program, and vetting individual courses was at the top of the wish list. It?s good to see them listening and taking suggestions. READ MORE…
Last week, the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards presented their long-awaited proposal for a new national continuing education approval program. They are calling it Maintenance of Core Competencies ? or MOCC for short. As I indicated in my previous post, this proposal not only failed to deliver on the original promises made by FSMTB, it has turned the entire professional landscape on its ear by recommending that most continuing education should be voluntary, not mandatory for license renewal.
Under this ?MOCC-ERY? of a plan, the only mandatory components of continuing education would be those FSMTB deems to be relevant to ?public safety?. If that?s not bad enough, FSMTB is proposing to take control over the design and delivery of these courses. Except it isn?t continuing education ? it?s proving that you still know the things you should have learned in entry-level massage training as it pertains to protection of the public.
As a licensed therapist, do you want to be taken back to subjects like Ethics 101, principles of hygiene and sanitation, and the naming of unsafe massage practices ? EVERY TIME YOU HAVE TO RENEW YOUR LICENSE? I?ve been teaching professional ethics for 14 years, and frankly, I find this proposal to be an insult to my intelligence.
?AMTA reviewed the proposal and has many concerns with the approach of the FSMTB, the proposal itself, its inconsistencies and the lack of support provided for their view. Some of our specific areas of concern are: READ MORE…
Last week, the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards published a document outlining their proposal to jump into the continuing education market. They are calling the new program Maintenance of Core Competency ? to be abbreviated as ?MOCC?. I don?t know what planet this thing came from, but it sure ain?t from this solar system.
Coming fast on the heels of the unresolved conflict-of-interest mess with the FSMTB President spearheading legislation in her home state of Iowa that would eliminate the education hours from that massage law, the timing of this MOCC release is strange, to say the least.
But let me get to the main event here: When you have a problem on your hands, there?s nothing more aggravating than a solution that is worse than the original problem itself. That?s exactly what has happened.
For many years, those of us who teach continuing education courses, as well as the sponsors of continuing education, have had to put up with an absurd and ineffective system for CE approvals. Most regulated professions have a single national entity that handles this function; we have the national provider approval program run by NCBTMB, as well as individual approval processes operated by about 10 state massage boards. The standards are inconsistent, and it forces CE providers to go through redundant and costly approval processes to be able to offer their courses in more than one location.
There was a cause for hope when we started to see some activity about this last year at the national level. In a press release entitled ?FSMTB to Establish New Continuing Education Approval Program? (dated March 29, 2011), the organization announced:
??the launch of a project to develop a new national program for the approval of both continuing education courses and providers. Once it is established, the program will provide state regulatory agencies with a centralized quality assurance process for all courses taken by massage and bodywork therapists for the renewal of State licensure or State certification. READ MORE…..
Iowa House File 2342 has been on my radar for several weeks (initially introduced as HF 2126). Yesterday, I received a further communication on it, which stated that ?the bill as written will not be brought up for consideration unless Matt Windschitl (the sponsor of the bill) requests it. The understanding is he will hold the bill until next year so there will be time for positive feedback from the profession and new language can be, at that time, introduced with the support of the massage community.?
That?s good, because at this time, it doesn?t have the support of anyone except the misguided person who set it in motion, nor should it.
I was initially stunned at the poorly-written and ill-conceived bill that eliminates the education requirement for massage therapy, which is currently 600 hours. The first draft of the bill I saw just struck through the education requirement altogether, although line 25 still says ?meets or exceeds Iowa?s educational requirements.? This upset me to the point that I called on several Iowa residents and people in the know, who basically assured me that it was a ?placeholder? bill?.a simple explanation of a placeholder bill is that ?the deadline for introducing any bills is imminent, and we?ve got to get something in there now that we can revise later??.one of those quirks of politics.
As of February 21, I hate to report that the revision doesn?t look any better. The language getting rid of the 600-hour requirement is still there, and nothing to take it?s place. READ MORE…
Promoting a book is weird. It's a swirling stew, equal parts thrilling, embarrassing, discomfiting, and wonderful. It's prideful and boasty, narcissistic and ego-y. It's one-tracky and tacky. But, listen, it's also important, not only because it represents the culmination of several years of work, but also because without promotion, books languish and die in warehouses and on store shelves.
And, so, Paulette and I have embraced the task before us and are getting out there -- in our hometowns and yours, at venues small, large, and medium-sized, together and apart. And you know what? Talking with people about colorful fruits and vegetables is fun. Super fun. It's even more fun than talking to computer screens, which is so squarely inside my wheelhouse I often get stuck in there and can't find my way out. Book promotion forces me to speak out loud and swallow big gulps of fresh air. It's good.
Above are some scenes from our early spring events and signings.
In the top row, I'm signing books (hello) at the Blossom Hill Certified Farmers' Market, my go-to market here in San Jose. I'm booked at several other local markets this spring and summer, and I couldn't be prouder to sit beside the farmers that grow my family's food. You can see their gorgeous produce in that basket in the upper right.
In the middle row, you'll see the favas I received from Melissa's Produce, a Southern California-based produce distributor that twice provided juicy pixies tangerines for Ripe parties, and shipped me not only those beautiful beans, but also chioggia beets, fresh edamame, kumquats, fennel, and cucumbers for the launch party at my home. I paid them in invisible money, so consider this a DISCLOSURE, FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION. The local produce from my area farmers' markets and the generous donations from the Melissa's crew intermingled on plates and in salad bowls. There was no fussing or fighting. Just fruit, vegetables, accompaniments, and libations all getting along in a riotous mash of color until it disappeared into waiting mouths and bellies.
Also in that row, you'll see the Ripe display at Rizzoli Bookstore in New York City, which hosted a wonderful launch for us in late March. There you will also see Paulette with her daughter Cassidy, a little girl so cute I want to nibble her earlobes every time I see her.
The bottom row of photos showcases squares of blueberry-nutmeg cake I served along with several other dishes from the cookbook -- grilled five-spice pineapple, cucumber-halloumi salad, chocolate-dipped strawberries, tarragon-lime green tea, and radish-olive crostini -- at a party my very dear friends Alison and Julia hosted at Alison's home last weekend. It was such a joy to talk about produce with so many interesting women. To all of you who bought 4, 5, even 6 copies of Ripe at Alison's house, I will nibble your earlobes as soon as I'm done nibbling Cassidy's.
And finally, in the lower right corner, a photo Colin took of me just before my event at Omnivore Books in San Francisco. God, I love that shop. I can't wait to get back there and sink into the walls.
One more thing. I read every single comment you left on my Mother's Day post. Every single one. As some of you know, the New York Times even linked to that post. I want to thank you all for sharing your words and thoughts with me. I found myself unable to respond in line, but you moved me deeply, and I am grateful.
April was a Very Big Month, as capital m months go. I did a lot of reflecting, soul-searching, stressing, and not sleeping. I am an excellent notsleeper, and April was a banner notsleeping month. I also spent a lot of time thinking about my mother, and my children, and how much my mother would have loved my children had she not died on April 10, 2002, six days after my younger son turned one.
I don't want to be morbid, and my-mother-is-dead posts tend to be very heavy and awkward and morose and sad. And that's not why I'm here. So I'll just be blunt and get this part out of the way: there are very few good things about having a dead mother.
However.
Once we lose a parent, we really have no choice but to carry on and try to find blessings in our new reality as motherless children. And without any disrespect toward the memory of my own mom, there are some blessings, at least in my case, that are worth noting.
My mother's diagnosis, long illness, and death probably saved my life. I won't go into the specifics here, but her dark physical reality was a wake-up call to me, and I made major life changes to protect my health and longevity after she died.
My mother worked exceptionally hard at building her career. She was a whip-smart woman who commuted by train each day to and from work, and she came home tired. She was really good at her job. And while she had moments of happiness and great joy throughout her life, I'd be lying if I said happy was the first word I'd use to describe her.
Four months after she died, I enrolled in culinary school. I was 32. I'd been married for 8 years and had two toddlers at home, but her death screamed LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO DO ANYTHING BUT THAT WHICH WILL MAKE YOU VERY HAPPY to me in all caps, bold, underline, italics. I flung my prior career aside, stripped off my academic persona, and donned the garb of the creative. I reinvented myself.
With my husband's permission, encouragement, and full-on support, I grabbed my future by the teeth, pried open its mouth, and stared down its throat. If we're all going to end up dead anyway, I wanted my ride to the bottom to be a happy one. One filled with sweetness, color, creativity, and passion.
I don't think about this stuff often, but now that Ripe is out and I'm being interviewed, people are interested in my career. They want to know when I started cooking, and why I chose this path. How did you become a food writer? they ask. And since Mother's Day is nearing, I figured I'd tell you the truth.
I started on this path the year my mother died. Had she lived, I'm not quite sure I'd be here.
Hug your mother, if she's around. Tell her you love her. Make her a scone. Pick her a flower. Give her a call.
If she's not -- if you, too, are a motherless child, then grab your future by the teeth, pry open its mouth, look down its throat, and let the looming darkness spur you to find meaning, fulfillment, and unbridled joy while you're here.
Don't wait.
...
Recipe for Iced Candied Fennel Cardamom Scones
These scones are a touch sweeter than I'd normally go, but Mother's Day is a sweet holiday. (Stick with 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar if you want to scale back.) Candied fennel is often found in pretty bowls by the hostess stand at Indian restaurants, and the brightly coated seeds make a surprising addition to the batter. You can find them at any Indian market.
This recipe is an adaptation of these iced lemon scones, which themselves are adapted from the Classic Scones in Lora Brody's book Basic Baking.
Makes 11 scones
2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 3 to 4 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon ground cardamom 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 1 1/3 cups cold heavy cream, plus a bit extra for brushing 1/3 cup candied fennel (see headnote)
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom 2 to 3 tablespoons milk
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Stack two baking sheets together (this helps keep the bottoms from burning) and line the top sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.
Sift the flour, baking powder, sugar, 1 teaspoon cardamom, and salt into a large bowl. In a measuring cup, stir the vanilla extract into the heavy cream, then dribble this mixture over the dry ingredients. Sprinkle in the candied fennel. Stir with a wooden spoon until you have a shaggy dough. Scrape the bottom to make sure you absorb all the dry bits into the dough mass.
Dump the dough onto a floured board. Knead about 10 times, then pat into a disc about 1" high. Use a floured 2-1/4" round cutter to stamp out circles, and transfer them to the baking sheet. Brush lightly with cream. Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 22 minutes, turning the sheet halfway through.
Meanwhile, make the glaze. In a large bowl, whisk the sifted powdered sugar with the 1/8 teaspoon cardamom. Whisk in 2 to 3 tablespoons milk until you have a shiny glaze that falls slowly off the whisk and isn't too runny.
When the scones are ready, let them cool for a few minutes. Let the glaze fall off the whisk onto the scones. (Use a small offset spatula to smooth, if desired.)
When I eat bananas, I don't think about potassium.
When I eat radishes, I don't think about lycopene.
When I eat green vegetables, I don't think about isothiocyanate.
When I eat oranges, I don't think about cryptoxanthin.
My point is this:
Why do we as a culture try to persuade people to eat better by focusing on one of two extremes? On the one hand, we toss around this crazy scientific terminology that's so inscrutable to the average person that it's basically meaningless. I pulled the lutein, isothiocyanate, and cryptoxanthin examples from a chart that a popular magazine sourced from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The chart is useful enough, I guess, but I don't believe most people make food choices this way.
On the other hand, we insult the intelligence of the American eater with hyperbolic headlines claiming that eating more produce will instantly make us younger, happier, sexier, and skinnier.
Two extremes: one that's overly detailed, another that strains credulity.
I propose a different conversation entirely, one that promotes the same idea (produce is good), but with a more moderate tone and a more meaningful approach.
Produce didn't used to need advertising the way newfangled, packaged foodstuffs did. People just knew intuitively it was good for them. But now, to compete, we push its nutrient composition to the fore, as though this were its primary selling point in our diets, as though these features had magical powers. To me, this direction is actually a step back, as it confuses the straightforward but boring reality that fruits and vegetables are simply good for us. That's the nugget. That's the sound bite.
But it's not newsworthy.
So it doesn't sell.
I wait eagerly for the day when bizarre diet books don't dominate bookstore shelves, when headlines like Fiber Your Way to a Younger You! stop screaming from the newsstands, and when we can once again focus on the pure joys of good food.
When our commercials, our magazines, our celebrities, and our very culture openly acknowledge this:
Some Food is Quite Obviously Good for Us, and Some Food is Quite Obviously Bad for Us But We Choose to Eat It Anyway.
It's a long, clunky, non-newsy headline.
And to me, it's the only one that approaches the truth.
Two weeks ago, my extended family gathered at an Italian restaurant in suburban New York to celebrate my dad and stepmom's 27-year marriage. There was a long table, a crisp white tablecloth, a convivial proprietress ("I will bring more eggplant!"), and wine. There were 15 of us, and twice as many platters of food. There was a 6-year-old child, a couple in their 80s, half-siblings, step-cousins, boyfriends, girlfriends, a fiancée. We all took part to toast this couple who fell in love in the 80s, when I was the age my older son is now.
My east coast family. This is what we look like. Halves, steps, old, young, coupled, uncoupled, recoupled, united.
Out here in California, things are different. We don't use tablecloths, for one, and the proprietress, while convivialish, knows she's the only one who generally wants more eggplant. Only four of us fit around the table: one mom, one dad, two pre-teen boys. We eat in t-shirts, jeans, and socks. We serve meals from pots on the stove. We spill milk, we pass bread, we roll eyes, we laugh. Some of us burp, but I'm not naming names. (OK, it's Alex.)
I often think about my kids, and how different their upbringing is from my own. In broad terms, things are similar: two loving parents, one close sibling, a piano in the living room. Games, books, papers, cards, all splayed out in various configurations around the house. Plenty of food, a safe home, a pretty, tree-dappled community.
But in other ways, things are different. When I was young, my grandparents lived within a short drive. We'd see them each month, and on holidays. We'd share soup with them, and bagels, and lox, and pie. We'd celebrate birthdays, eat candy from their jars, muss the fabric on the arms of their recliners.
New York reminded me that I miss having my family nearby. I don't just miss the actual people, though of course that's part of it. I miss the very idea of relatives in close geographic proximity. And not just for me, but for my kids. For every quiet Sunday we spend at home, taking bike rides, hiking hills, reading, running errands, that's a day we're not with their grandparents, cousins, uncles, and aunts. And as lovely it is to eat Sunday dinner in our socks, just us, with paper napkins and spilled milk and a single, solitary platter of eggplant, or pasta, or chicken with rice, it might be lovelier still if there were 11 other people around that table beside us.
Certain words grate. They're the popcorn kernels that park in your throat mid-film -- the ones just annoying enough to distract you from the screen but not so stuck that they cause you to choke and die.
"Trend" is this word for me. It's a minor but persistent annoyance, and our relationship is strained.
I don't dress artsy. I don't create new paradigms or dye my hair blue or invent things. I don't risk it all. I am a trend follower in many ways -- in how I present myself, how I move in society, how I exist. I'm the person you don't notice in a crowd. I'm camouflage.
But in my head, I strive for more. I want to think outside the box, and push the needle forward. I don't want to mirror what's around me, especially if it's mediocre. I want to create. Produce. Improve.
I want to delight.
Look above. That reflection is flawed. The beauty of what's real, at bottom, is marred when it's mirrored up top. The window is dirty, and you can see the outline of the flower pot and garden outside. The top image is gray, imperfect, overcast.
Last year, I pitched an article to a website about Passover food. Big site, wide national audience. I'd written for them before, had a good relationship with the editor. Her response was appropriate from a business standpoint, but it was that popcorn kernel in my throat all over again.
"As much as I?d love to have more Jewish holiday content on the site, the traffic potential is low and it?s hard to get the powers that be to approve."
You want to know why the traffic potential is low? Because Jewish people don't find articles about Jewish holiday food on your site. Because you're not sticking your neck out. Because you're giving people what they've always had, and not willing to offer something new.
It's a vicious-circle, this publishing world, and that's why we see so much recycled content, celebrity diet bs, sensationalized nothing, and food articles as deep as a puddle. Yes, I'm generalizing, and no, not all media is like this. I am giddy and grateful for those that surprise me. I want to read them, and write for them. I want to link arms with them and chant and bring them flowers.
Am I suggesting food media has to be serious to refresh? Hell, no. We can have fun, be lighthearted, and play. We can tout whimsy.
Look, I'm going to re-commit myself to bucking trends. To moving the needle forward, a bit at a time, until it sits just a groove or two ahead of where it sat before. Until, slowly, we can step away from the mirror, away from that dirty window, and start to see not what's in it, but what sits beyond the pane.
...
I have been overwhelmed by the warm responses -- emails, Facebook posts, tweets -- of so many of you to my IACP win on Monday night. I am still processing how to thank you properly, but in the mean time, please know that you have moved me deeply.
I'm popping by to invite those of you in New York City to come help Paulette and me celebrate the launch of our cookbook, Ripe: A Fresh, Colorful Approach to Fruits and Vegetables. You've seen the Ripe cookbook website, watched the video trailer, and perhaps noticed a bit of early press. We feel very blessed by the warm reception the book has already received, even in its pre-publication phase.
Now that the release date is officially here, I will celebrate by pretzeling myself into a coach airline seat and eating snacks for five hours. If you hear someone mumbling incoherently in row 13, please say hi.
You are all invited to swing by Rizzoli Bookstore for the kickoff signing and toast. I would love to meet you, and I know Paulette would, too. Details are in that top photo. Rizzoli Bookstore is located at 31 West 57th Street in midtown.
In addition, we will both be signing our book at the IACP Book & Blog Expo on Sunday, April 1 at 82 Mercer Street from 1:30p-4:30p. (Tickets to the Book & Blog Expo run $10 and can be purchased online). There will be more than 100 cookbook authors signing books that day, so you're sure to get your money's worth.
Finally, I do have plans to be in Maine, Boston, Philly, Portland, Seattle, and at several venues in the SF Bay Area over the next few months. Our Events & Signings page has all the details, and will be updated regularly.
And thank you. Did I say that already? Thank you for your support. It means more than you know. More, even, than lip balm on a long-haul flight, and lip balm means very, very much to me.
With affection and sincere gratitude~ Cheryl
{{Thank you to the Running Press design team for creating such an artful invitation to our Rizzoli kickoff. Thanks, too, to IACP for permission to use the Blog & Book Expo photo.}}
A few weeks ago, I was talking with a friend about how I got started as a food writer. I was going through my whole wacky, completely nonlinear career -- the philosophy degree; the years in the Justice Department; my time as a nanny in Paris when I had to watch Beauty and the Beast every single day; my Peace Corps service; grad school; and on and on. None of it made sense, not from any angle. There was no cohesion, no logic, no way to pretend point A influenced point B influenced point C. Frankly, it didn't. My career to that point was a happy mess, a colossal grab bag of experiences whose contents, while colorful and lively, were disconnected from one another in every conceivable way.
And that was all pre-1998. Then came the tenure research, and the babies, and the early years of motherhood during which I struggled to find my place as an at-home mom who yearned to be two places at once -- in a career, and on the floor with my boys. I wanted to be home, but more than that, I wanted to WANT to be home, and that part was the hardest. Because those years were tough. They were tough not in spite of, but precisely because of the relentless activity in that preceding decade. I also felt that, while some women could successfully navigate domesticity as a full-time gig, I, perhaps, might suddenly be out of my league.
I would ask myself, looking at my boys, does this count? Can I actually do this and have it count, not just to them, but to the outside world? Am I fulfilling the role I set out to fulfill, or failing, somehow, to achieve some nebulous goal? I would reflect back on the bosses from my earliest jobs and wonder: would they be disappointed to learn that I'd stepped off the career-track, even though the track I'd been on was shaped like a curly fry?
Let me just say this: I loved those years. I questioned every little possible thing, and I second-guessed often, and deeply, but I loved those years, and I would not for a second grab Father Time's hair and yank him around so I could re-do it. No way. I treasure those years at home with my boys. But they were hard, dude. They were hard.
I spoke with a young woman recently. She's 24, and uncertain about how to fulfill her ambition. She knows she wants to be successful, but her path is shrouded in mystery. Well, yes, of course it is. Hello, young me. There's fog ahead, I hear you, but you just step into it, find your fulcrum, and do your best to wade on through. The fog will lift, eventually, so take your time. The years you spend tiptoeing, then leaping, first left, then right, watching Beauty and the Beast, staying home, changing diapers, feeling scared and unsure and uncertain that what you're doing is the right thing for you, those years count. They count.
The fog will lift.
And you'll have that journey.
And be grateful for it, too.
...
Recipe for Ouzo-Steeped Calimyrna Figs
I recently had a few couples over (my first dinner party since the Stone Age), and I wanted to put out something simple to accompany the baklava I knew a friend was bringing for dessert. I didn't want to compete with her, or to make the meal end on a heavy note. A few hours before the gathering, I filled a few glasses with ouzo and dropped in some Calimyrna figs. I decided it counted, even though it took about 6 seconds to prepare. By the time the meal was finished, the figs were nicely drunk, and plump, and crazy, crazy good.
Dried figs, preferably Calimyrna Ouzo
Fill a few glasses with ouzo and drop in some dried figs. Let steep for several hours. Serve, passing around skewers or fondue forks so guests can fish out the fruit.
Refrigerate leftovers, covered, in glass jars, topped off with additional ouzo to cover. These will taste terrific for days.
Your call will be answered in approximately 10 minutes. »»
Life is absurd.
Really, truly absurd.
In the past 2 weeks, several people have sought my advice. During the same period, I've reached out to several other people seeking their advice. I get off the phone after dissecting one friend's issues, and 10 minutes later I'm back on the horn yakking about my own tangled knots to someone else. It's a weird, twisted, and utterly inefficient triangle. I'm this advice-pod, with inputs coming in one end and outputs streaming from the other. But the inputs and outputs don't align, so as much as I'd like to, I can't just recuse myself, connect them to each other, and go out for ice cream.
Instead, I'm sticking close to home, advising and being advised, strategizing and shoring up. During this incubation period, after which travel and mayhem take flight, I find some measure of solace at the market and by the stove.
On Sunday, I took my son out for breakfast, and during the hourlong wait for a table we hit the nearby farmers' market. We scooped up spring carrots with twirly strings and frilly tufts, and admired their non-conformity before dropping them in our bag. They're super-sweet, but weird-looking. (Any resemblance to persons real or imaginary is purely coincidental.)
When we got home later, the phone rang.
I touched two carrots together. Jammed them this way and that -- stem to stem, root to root, tuft to tuft, head to toe.
Nothing happened. Not a spark. Inputs/outputs unaligned.
So I took the call. Advised, and sought advice. Spoke up, and stayed quiet. And when it was over, this advice-pod, this info-portal, this giver and receiver, needer and provider, listener and listenee, we all sat down and ate.
...
Recipe for Spring Carrot Sauté with olives, garlic, and millet
The golden hue of this millet caught my eye, and with some advice from Maria Speck's wonderful cookbook Ancient Grains for Modern Meals, I learned how easy it is to cook. (Look for millet in the bulk bins at natural foods stores.) I used it here as a bed for garlicky sauteed carrots. The next day, I splashed broth over the leftovers, simmered it anew, and added a few shrimp for a speedy second meal.
Makes 4 servings
1 cup (dry) millet 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling 3 cloves garlic, peeled & smashed 1 pound slender spring carrots, scrubbed, halved lengthwise 1/4 cup pitted calamata olives, slivered 1/2 cup (packed) flat-leaf parsley Salt and pepper, to taste Optional add-ins/stir-throughs: cooked shrimp, cooked beans or lentils, peas, any leftover vegetables
First, cook the millet. Combine the millet with 1-3/4 cups cold water in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat. Keep covered.
Meanwhile, combine the 3 tablespoons olive oil with the garlic in a large skillet. Set over medium-low heat and allow to warm slowly, becoming fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the carrots and olives, crank the heat a bit, and saute until the carrots are tender but not mushy, 8 to 10 minutes, tossing frequently. (Cook time will vary based on the carrots' freshness and thickness.)
Scrape the cooked millet into the carrots and give everything a good toss. Sprinkle with the parsley, drizzle generously with additional olive oil, and adjust the seasonings to taste. (Add optional stir-throughs, if desired.)
To re-warm leftovers, moisten first with a bit of vegetable broth, then simmer gently.
Like what you see? Then help us pass this baby around. If you do, I'll give you a big fat kiss when we meet. Unless you prefer a handshake, a high-five, or a subtle head-nod. I'm not above customizing my affection to suit your needs.
My heartfelt thanks to Paulette for producing this trailer. If I told you the budget she had for this project (zero point zero zero dollars, rounded down), you would cry.
With exactly three weeks until this cookbook hits shelves, we're gearing up and taking names. Thank you, (insert your name here), for your support.
Does it wake up, stuck in the hard ground, and long for the kiss of the midday sun? Does it curse the grapes on the vine, the pumpkins in the patch, the plums on the tree and wonder if it deserves more? Different? Better?
Perhaps. Or perhaps it's just grateful for the dank earth, for the calm, unbroken solitude.
The world outside is cool and gray. Rain has come, finally, to my perch here in San Jose, and I huddle tight inside my sweater. Outside it's quiet. Mostly. Then the wind speaks up. It knocks the rake against the side of the house, jostles the neighbor's wind chime, and emits a plaintive, weary sigh. It's awake, and wants me to know it.
Beyond my door, the lemons bob near the apricot tree. One on the way out, the other on the way in. It's poetic, really, their job-share. I imagine them communing at night, negotiating terms.
~You'll take summers, and I'll take winters. Then we can each have a rest.
~Deal.
Of course, I shouldn't count my chickens. Not yet. The apricot tree, while speckled with blooms, may not bear fruit this year. I wouldn't presume to know. Who could presume to know?
The wind howls.
And suddenly, it's clear. The beet doesn't wish it were a pea at all. It's happy underground. It's safe there, far from the howling wind, from the driving rain, from the endless turbulence of what goes on above.
