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Biography
Here
is a bit of information on how I got started in this field, and how my
skills can help you.
When
I was a teenager in the early 60's, while going to high school, I had a
part-time job at a hospital as a nurse's aid. We did all sorts of
jobs helping the nurses--mostly distasteful--but there was a
physiotherapist on staff who was also an expert in Swedish massage.
He believed that after an extensive manipulative, joint moving and muscle
stretching therapy, that massage would integrate the treatment in the
joints and muscle and reduce the after pain of the manipulations.
Since
he had to see so many patients he didn't have the time to do both jobs.
At that time the only people who could be paper-certified to give massage
were doctors, nurses, and physiotherapists. So, since we were
nurses' aids, he taught 6 of us to do the Swedish massage techniques he
used. He would do his physio and we would follow up with the
massage. I did that for 4 years.
After
I graduated from high school, I did what most people did at that time in
Ottawa: I wrote an exam to get into the government--and there I sat
for 30 years! But I never lost my massage skills, for I was in hot
demand by my family. When I was affected by the first wave of
government cut-backs, I decided no rocking chair was for me! So... I
got myself certified in the field that I always wanted to be in anyway--as
a health practitioner.
I
got my massage certification from the Academy of Scientific Massage which
specialized in the Swedish Massage techniques that I had been familiar
with. The official title of this muscle technique is 'orthotherapy'.
I became an Orthothechnician--something a little different than a
Registered Massage Therapist, for they are two different schools.
Both are good, but uniquely different from each other.
"Ortho"
is a Greek work that means 'straighten' or 'align'. We have
'orthodontists' who straighten teeth, for example. Orthotherapy
straightens or re-aligns the muscle along its framework which is the
skeleton. However, this technique is also a relaxation massage, a
muscle toning massage, a healing massage for contracted and congested
muscle, and a deep-penetrating massage to keep the muscle pliant and
flexible and working smoothly. It also keeps the circulation flowing
freely, as well as the lymphatic system which removes toxic waste from the
body and is a major player in our immune system. A good massage will
benefit all our major organs as well as flush out the toxins from the
muscles, sending them to the liver, kidneys, and lungs for processing and
removal.
The
heart doesn't have to work as hard while you are receiving a massage
because the blood supply from the extremities is being manually pushed
towards the heart. Breathing slows down and becomes more rhythmic
because the heart doesn't have to work so hard. Pulse rate reduces,
blood pressure lowers, and the body makes better or more effective use of
the extra oxygen in the blood for organ stimulation and removal of wastes
in the blood.
All
this happens internally. As for externally: total relaxation
and bliss! I hear sighs of relief as muscles start to come to life.
It is extremely rewarding for me to see a person who has come to see me in
a state of pain and discomfort, to get off the table, move and stretch,
and give a big smile of relief. They can now move without the
restricted range of motion they came in with.
Snowglobes by Cheyenne Midi Butterfly Fairies by Geoff
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