Whiplash and Its Wide Ranging Effects

Neck and shoulder pain are common issues that respond well to SCENAR treatment. Over the last five years I’ve noticed a specific pattern of asymmetries that are associated with whiplash injury. I call it the “whiplash necklace” because the asymmetries appear at the base of the back of the neck in the area where a necklace typically lays. In 100% of the cases where this pattern appears, when I have asked if the client has ever experienced an injury to the neck (such as a car wreck, falling off a horse, or taking an unexpected fall), they share some event where whiplash likely occurred. More often than not, it was never specifically treated.

Most people don’t realize that a whiplash injury can affect more than just the neck and the effects can be long lasting. In the last six months, I have worked with several people who had temporomandibular joint disorder (commonly called TMJ), headaches, as well as tinnitus. I typically found the “whiplash necklace” pattern of asymmetries, and when asked, the clients all had some variety of injury to their necks, many happening as far back as 20 years previously.

It is now been shown that whiplash, TMJ, and tinnitus are linked. Two studies in Sweden in 2004 and 2008 have shown that trauma to the neck affects temporomandibular  function (Swed Dent J 2004;28:29 and Swed Dent J 2008;32:171). Chiropractic adjustment coupled with SCENAR can relieve the symptoms of TMJ and tinnitus.

If you have jaw pain and or ringing in the ears, call us (828-337-6854) and schedule an appointment today!

Pain Awareness Month

Here we are at September again (where did the summer go?) and National Pain Awareness Month. Those of us who have chronic pain are always aware, but this designation gives organizations devoted to helping those struggling with pain an opportunity to provide information, meetings, and conferences in a focused way.

In the last few months, I have had another flurry of a specific complaint in those who have sought natural pain relief from SCENAR: low back pain. Treatments with SCENAR have been largely successful in reducing or eliminating this complaint, and part of the treatment is to advise clients on things they can do to help themselves heal and prevent further episodes. In researching low back pain (the internet is full of resources) there is one site I would like to recommend: The National Pain Foundation. They have an online manual about back pain, what causes it, how it can be managed, and common myths about it. Of all the web resources I’ve seen, this is most concise and comprehensive.

In 1983, I injured my back while working as the circulation manager of a local newspaper. I went through physical therapy and attended a “Back School” held by that office. From that experience I took away three tidbits of information that helped me enormously in managing my weakened back as it healed and grew stronger over the next several years. I have not found these techniques anywhere on the web, so wanted to add them to the awareness of things you can do to help yourself, should you have an injury or suffer with recurring back pain episodes.

1) Think about and change the way you get into and out of a car. My physical therapist was convinced that how we get into and out of a car is the number one behavior that predisposes us to back pain. Most of us get into a car by putting our right foot in first and then in a somewhat controlled fall, land ourselves in the seat. Then we bring in the left leg. That landing of our bodies in the car’s seat produces powerful sideways distorting forces on the vertebrae of the low back. We don’t notice it generally, but it happens nonetheless, and can set us up for later back issues. The best way to get into a car is to sit in the car’s seat first and then bring our legs into the car one at a time as we turn our bodies to face forward. Those who have “bad backs” are usually aware of this, as throwing oneself into a car when the back is sore can produce pain. But, the rest of us go our merry way, without awareness, until our backs begin to complain about the abuse.

Read more »

SCENAR and Post Polio Syndrome

In 1950 at age 2, I contracted polio and was hospitalized for six weeks. I was left with paralysis of my left foot. At age 37, I was diagnosed with probable Post Polio Syndrome with symptoms of extreme muscle pain, fatigue, and muscle weakness. I was told by the orthopedic doctor that I would likely wind up in a wheelchair. Having small children at the time, I denied the diagnosis and went on with my life. After spraining my left ankle five times in 1999, I was forced to go back into a brace. By then I was having difficulty managing my symptoms while working full time. I had pneumonia twice, and often had to take off time because I was too fatigued to work. In 2004, my doctor took me out of work for severe tendinitis in my right shoulder, elbow, and wrist. Over the next three months my doctor tried everything to treat my symptoms. Nothing worked. Then a friend suggested I let her daughter treat me with her “weird Russian Voodoo device.” Her daughter had experienced an amazing recovery from carpal tunnel syndrome through an acupuncturist who was using a little known device developed in the Russian space program called the SCENAR.

I had an amazing response to my first treatment. For the first time in 15 years, I had no pain anywhere. Stunned by my improvement, I bought a SCENAR, received training, and began working on myself. Word spread about what I was doing, and I began providing treatment for others. The recoveries of those I worked on for various pain related issues was surprising to me as well as those I worked with.

I began working with people who had Post Polio Syndrome in order to see if their response was similar to mine. I have worked now on several polio survivors. In all but one situation, their recovery was just as stunning as my own. One of those clients slowly walked into our office with a cane for his first session. After the treatment, he walked out of the treatment room with his cane held in front of him exclaiming, “I feel 20 years younger!!”

I have often pondered what the SCENAR’s action could be that would cause that kind of dramatic improvement. Scientists believe that in the initial polio infection more than half of the motor neurons that control the voluntary muscles are killed outright, and the remaining surviving ones reach out to paralyzed muscles, innervating them. This is thought to be why so many who had polio were able to recover so much function in the years immediately after the infection. However, this meant that the surviving motor neurons were carrying 8 to 10 times the number of connections to muscles than what they were designed to carry. After about 35 years, those overworked neurons begin to lose their muscle connections or die from the overuse, thus bringing on new muscle weakness, pain, and fatigue.

In thinking about the action of the SCENAR and how that might impact PPS, I wonder if the cascading release of neuropeptides that results from the treatment provides nourishment to the failing motor neurons. I haven’t had a PPS flare in over a year. My functioning is improving. I don’t have the fatigue of the past, nor the debilitating pain. I have not had pneumonia again, even though I have had colds. Although, self care has been an important part of managing my life so as to not bring on a exacerbation of symptoms, I believe it is the SCENAR that has improved my functioning and allowed me to live a much less disabled life.

If you have PPS or know someone who has it and would like to see if SCENAR can help, call me at 828-337-6854, or email me at penny@BioHealingWeb.com.

The Magic of SCENAR

The SCENAR never ceases to amaze me, or perhaps I should say, the human body never ceases to amaze me. This began back in 2005 when we provided SCENAR treatments for individuals who were “bone on bone” and scheduled for knee replacement surgery, and they were able to avoid the surgery. Or when a woman was facing amputation of her foot because of poor blood supply, and as a result of SCENAR treatments, her foot was saved. I could go on and on. A new one has happened: a woman with no disc between her cervical three and four vertebrae decided to try SCENAR. Her doctors told her the only option was to surgically implant spacers between her cervical vertebrae. She had difficulty moving her head, her neck and shoulders were painful, and her hands constantly tingled or were numb. After 3 sessions, the pain stopped and her range of motion normalized. After 5 sessions there was only a bit of numbness left at the end of her index finger and thumb of her left hand. One has to ponder what can be happening that would create this kind of recovery in a situation described as structural degeneration.

The Russians believe that the body can heal anything if it has what it needs to do so. I would assume that would include adequate nutrition, hydration, and oxygen. But, the missing link may be energy. The SCENAR actually energizes the tissue, re-balancing the charges of the cells, but it also interacts with the energy fields of the body. Perhaps that is where the mystery lies.

Regardless, I am forever amazed by the recoveries of those I work on. It is demonstrated over and over to me that the healing capacity of the body/mind is far greater than most of us have any idea about. Call us at 337-6854 and see how your body can heal with a little help from SCENAR!

Things You Can Do For Foot Pain

I have run into another flurry of a certain type of painful situation and it is foot pain. I have written about foot pain previously, but wanted to provide readily available information about things that anyone can do to prevent and relieve foot pain.

Stretching is the single most important thing you can do for foot pain. Tight hamstrings can communicate issues all the way from the sitzbones to the Achilles Tendons. Keeping them stretched and flexible is an important way to maintain the health of the foot. Two easy stretches we have found helpful are:

The Runner’s Stretch – Place your hands about two feet away from each other on a wall while standing about two feet away and leaning into the wall. Step forward with one foot, while leaving the other with the heel on the ground behind you. You are looking for a gentle sensation of stretch, not discomfort in that leg. Krista Kelley at Mission Rehab Services told us that a stretch any shorter than 45 seconds is not worth doing, so count slowly to 45 and then switch the positions of the feet and stretch the other leg. Doing this in the morning and evening will help the hamstrings to not get so tight. Muscles get tight from normal use so slowly that we may fail to recognize the sensation. Doing this exercise will help you become more familiar with the feeling of muscle tension so that you can monitor the status of your hamstrings more accurately and stretch them more effectively, thus preventing issues from arising.

The Hamstring Stretch – While laying in the bed, before arising, use a towel or strap and loop it under the ball of the foot. Holding an end of the towel in each hand, gently raise the leg while using the towel to keep the foot at a 90 degree ankle to the leg. Raise the leg until you feel a gentle stretch, not pain. Hold for 45 seconds, bring the leg gently down to the bed, and do the stretch on the other leg. Over time you will be able to raise the leg higher and higher as the hamstring is re-educated to be relaxed rather than tight. This will prevent the discomfort and possible micro damage to the tendons that can occur when getting out of bed when hamstrings have tightened up during sleep.

Things you can do to improve the health of your feet:

Massage - In the evening, while relaxing, deeply rub and massage your feet in a conscious way from the tips of the toes to the backs of the heels. Let it be your intention to touch every single inch of skin on the bottom of your foot. When you find areas that are tender, press into them and hold. In just a few minutes the tenderness will dissipate and the area will relax. This can also be a good way to improve your overall health through Reflexology.

Strengthen the Muscles of the Foot - The muscles in the feet need exercise and strengthening, just like any other muscle in the body. However, shoes are not conducive to exercising foot muscles. Take off your shoes and socks and while sitting in a comfortable position, imagine (or use real ones if you’d like) that you are picking up marbles with your toes. This strengthens the muscles in the arch which tend to flatten as our foot muscles weaken with age and wearing shoes.

Strengthen the Muscles of the Ankle and Top of Foot – How many of us have sat on the beach and almost unconsciously (because it feels so good), moved our feet back and forth from side to side in the sand, digging a little trough. This motion strengthens the muscles in the ankles and top of the foot to provide better stability for walking. You don’t need sand to do this. Sit in a comfortable position and imagine doing this little activity as if you were at the beach, moving your feet against the floor back and forth from side to side. If you vividly imagine you are at the beach digging the comforting little trenches with your feet, your body will not know that you are not, and other benefits such as shoulder and neck relaxation can be experienced as well.

Our feet are probably the most ignored area of the body. They carry our weight and do whatever we ask for most of our lives without complaint. As we age, our inattention to caring for our feet can take its toll. Notice your feet. Appreciate how hard they work for you. Do kinds things for them like massage or hot soaks. Become friends with your feet. They will love you for it!

What a SCENAR Session is Like

The first session is where many important things happen. First, I have you fill out some paper work so I know what is going on and start to formulate an idea of where to begin. Once we have talked about what issues you bring to the table, I can create an initial treatment plan. I discuss the plan I think will work with you and show you the SCENAR and how it works.

Let’s suppose you have pain in your neck and shoulders (many, many people do). I place the device on an area proximal to where we will work and bring up the sensation level until you feel a buzzing or tingling. The SCENAR will work regardless of whether or not you feel it, but feeling it helps you track not only where I am working, but also other places in your body where the sensation may travel. This tells me other areas to work that may have a healing impact.

Then I begin to stroke your neck and shoulders with the instrument. I am looking for places where the skin turns red and/or the device “drags” over an area. These are called “sticky” places and they indicate  what are called “asymmetries,” which is the way your body tells me where to work. There is a difference in the skin impedance between an area that is unhealthy and an area that is healthy, and the SCENAR picks that up.

When I determine where the asymmetries are, I focus on them and narrow down, through stroking, to what is called the “smallest asymmetry” in an area. Once found, I hold the device there until it gives me a signal that the healing chemicals (neuropeptides) have arrived at the spot. When they do, they immediately begin the process of healing, and the skin impedance changes. The device is looking for this and when it happens, there is a series of bells that tell us that the first “dose” of neuropeptides has arrived at the spot. The body’s healing attention is refocused on the area.

From there I look for other areas and treat them in the same way. There are typically several areas involved in neck and shoulder pain in the neck, upper back, shoulder, clavicle area in the front of the neck, and the muscles involved there.  I continue to treat any area that shows distress (asymmetries).

Usually, when I have treated all that I have found, you will feel substantial release from pain, more freedom of movement, and a sense of well being overall. Often this is most noticeable the next morning after the treatment.

Generally, after a SCENAR treatment, you will leave with a sense of relief from pain and an over all sense of well being in your body. The parasympathetic system is activated, so you will likely also feel a sense of relaxation.

It is important to drink water after a session because as the body heals it releases toxins from the tissues and you will want to wash them out of your system as efficiently as possible.

Chronic conditions may require 5 to 10 treatments.  Acute situations require fewer sessions which must done more frequently.

SCENAR is effective with any kind of injury, post surgery, and chronic conditions. If you have pain, call us at 828-337-6854. Mention this post for a 20% discount on the first session.

SCENAR Pain Relief and “Trigger Finger”

Over the last five years of working with people in pain, a curious phenomenon has emerged. Frequently, I will notice that a number of clients will show up in the same time period with the same condition. Recently, it has been something called “Trigger Finger.” It is similar to Carpal Tunnel syndrome where the little tubes, or sheaths, through which the nerves and tendons move in the wrist become inflamed, scarred, and narrowed, impinging on the nerves and tendons themselves, and causing pain, tingling, and restricted flexibility in the hand. The tendons also become inflamed by traveling through the narrowed and scarred passageways.  In “Trigger Finger” the sheaths and tendons in the palm of the hand become inflamed causing one or more of the fingers to get “caught” in the bent position. When straightened out, the client feels a “popping” sensation as the inflamed tendons are freed from the restriction of the sheath through which they travel. Often a bump or nodule can be found below the affected finger or thumb. Today’s lifestyle involves much more fine motor activity of the hands, most notable being the use of the computer and cell phone. The structure and function of the hands is often compromised by this increase in fine motor activity. Without ergonomic adjustments, the pressure of this sustained activity over time can create inflammation and damage. In researching this condition, I found a nutritional support for the work I do with the SCENAR. Read more »

Why Consumers Turn to Alternative Medicine

In June of 2009, the Journal of Consumer Research published a study  that asks in layman’s terms why consumers choose to use alternative medicine. Based on surveys done in the US, China, and India, the authors found that consumers prefer alternative medicine when they are uncertain about the cause of an illness because holistic medicine tolerates uncertainty better than western medicine. Most alternative modalities favor a holistic approach, view the mind and body as a whole system, and rely on inductive tools and methods for treatment. The study also found that survey respondents preferred holistic approaches because they tend to focus on underlying sources of the problems rather than symptom alleviation, which is the focus of western medicine.

In another study reported in the June 2008 Journal of General Internal Medicine, primary care physicians who see the bulk of patients with chronic pain are frustrated by the limited options of western medicine (opioid drugs, physical therapy, or surgery), and the overwhelming numbers of alternative therapies which are only now being researched more empirically. This makes it difficult for them to know what treatment will work for a given patient. The researchers also say that these physicians have not been well trained in pain management.

Reading these studies brought to mind a client we have worked with who had surgery to treat a dangerous narrowing of his cervical vertebrae that could have impinged on his spinal cord causing paralysis. He had been in constant pain for nearly a year since the surgery. In working with him with the SCENAR, it was pretty clear that the muscles of his upper back were in severe spasm, likely from trying to adjust to relating in a new way to the four fused vertebrae in his neck. He related that he had developed significant pain in his mid back as well that radiated around to the sides. When he talked to his neurologist about it, he was told that it was his heart and he was sent to a cardiologist who after running numerous tests said that his heart was fine. The neurologist had nothing further to offer about the intractible pain the client was suffering. It was after that experience that he decided to try something alternative. The SCENAR identified the area in distress and the treatment greatly reduced his pain there as well as in his upper back. The SCENAR  assists the body to gently relax spasming muscles so they can return to their normal positions, thus relieving pain. The experience of this client exemplifies why consumers turn to alternative medicine.

Healing Frequencies in a Cat’s Purr

In a Chinaberry Christmas catalog there is an advertisement for “Catnap Kitties”. These are soft cuddly stuffed animal kitties that produce a sound using the frequencies of a real cat purr. Apparently research has been conducted into not only the soothing experience of a cat snuggling up to you and purring, but also the healing produced by the frequencies of the purr itself. It has been found that all cats (from lions and tigers to the domestic cat) purr within a frequency range of 20 Hz to 151 Hz. Most domestic cats purr between 20Hz and 50Hz which seems to be the most healing. According to the catalog and research found on the web, these frequencies can help a whole list of things from insomnia to the healing of bones, muscles, and tendons, as well as pain relief.

What is fascinating about this is that the frequency range of most SCENARs is between 10Hz and 350Hz. The low frequencies are used to treat chronic issues because the slower vibrations penetrate more deeply and are more soothing. Chronic muscle tension and tendon inflamation are treated with the lower frequencies as are issues like insomnia. Years ago when I first heard the Denas SCENAR being used at 20Hz, I was struck by how much it sounded like a cat’s purr.

So, if you don’t own a SCENAR, the next best thing to help your healing may be a cat!

Chronic Pain + SCENAR = Relief

Chronic pain is difficult. It can take the pleasure out of living. Most of the people who come to Healing Innovations have long standing pain for which they have tried all manner of things to relieve it. Although the process for treating chronic pain with the SCENAR reqires more time, it can bring relief where hope was lost (see our “What Our Clients Say” page).

We can categorize the issues people bring to us into four main areas: low back/hip, neck/shoulder, knees, and extremities like foot, wrist or hand pain. Treatments involve working not only with the direct area of pain, but also with the body as a whole to reawaken it to the problem. Chronic pain conditions emerge from poor healing of an injury usually as a result of repetitive stress on the area (it’s hard not to walk even though the knee/foot/hip is complaining about it). The body seems to “forget” about healing chronic areas. It can’t seem to get ahead of the reinjuring that is going on, so it does its best to “stablize” the area. This is when pain becomes chronic.  All the while the pain fibers are always doing their job of alerting your consciousness to a problem your body is having. You are conscious of the problem, but your body may have disconnected from the area to the degree that there are no signals getting out to alert it that the area needs healing. The SCENAR simply awakens it. Once awakened, the body goes about what it does to heal itself.

That sounds simple, but chronic pain issues are very complex. For example, the SCENAR can only provide temporary relief if there is a structural problem that needs correcting. Other modalities such as chiropractic or osteopathic care can speed the healing that SCENAR treatments initiate by correcting structural problems that are underneath the issue of pain. SCENAR works very well in concert with physical therapy as well, both to relieve the pain that sometimes results from PT treatments, but also mobilze the body’s resouces toward recovery.

There are things that an individual can do to minimize their chronic pain. On the “Healing Tips” page are suggestions about how to release your own neuropeptides, among them being endorphins which stop pain. There are also instructions on how to do a mindfulness meditation that may be helpful.

If you have chronic pain and want to try SCENAR to see what it can do for you, call us at 828-337-6854 for a free 30 minute introductory session.