SCENAR Saves the Day…Again

I have just had another “SCENAR recovery story” happen in my own life. I really appreciate how this little device has saved me from my own stupidity so many times…

I was helping my son and daughter in law ready their old home (they just built a new home on their property last year) for renting. In that process, I “wrenched my back” lifting something heavy (dumb and I knew better). By that evening, I was concerned that my ability to help had been waylaid. Both sacroiliac joints in my low back were screaming.

Whenever I have something happen like that I pull out my original SCENAR (a Denas Diadens T). It was the device that changed my life back in 2004. And even though Revenko and Karasev pooh-pooh it as “not a true SCENAR,” it has always worked beautifully for me. What I love about its design (and it is the only SCENAR device with this design) is that the buttons to change the settings are recessed so you can lay on it without changing the power and frequency. So, for hard to reach areas on the back, you can pin it between your back and a couch cushion, or you can lay on it. My Denas has been a sleeping partner for me on many occasions when I have been sick or injured.

So, I went to bed with my trusty healing friend. I would put it on one SI joint, go to sleep, wake up needing to change positions, realize the Denas was still working happily away on the joint, move it to the other side, and go back to sleep. I did this all night. By the next morning, to my delight, I was able to get out of bed with very little pain, and knew I could (with wisdom) continue to work. I worked all day and then did the same thing with the Denas that night. The next morning I woke up feeling normal.

What a blessing it is that I found SCENAR!

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 for Athletes

Used by the Russian athletes in the 2000 Olympics, SCENAR can effectively improve training and performance. During marathon competitions in the late 1990′s, SCENAR was used to not only treat injuries so that athletes could return to competition, but was also found to enhance rapid recovery from the exhaustion of long periods of high physical stress. When added as a regular training aid, SCENAR can increase physical recovery and regulation as well as protecting against muscle strains, overuse, and other injuries. This makes it possible for athletes to sustain a more intensive training, thereby increasing their performance parameters.

Athletes using SCENAR during training experienced shorter recovery times required after training, thereby making their training routines more efficient. The effect of the treatments revitalizes and restores the body’s healing capacity which improves its ability to accommodate training stress. Using SCENAR right after training sessions promotes faster recovery and improves endurance.

Perhaps the most well known effect among athletes is the SCENAR’s ability to accelerate the healing of acute injuries. If SCENAR treatment is begun within moments of an injury, it can significantly minimize the swelling, bruising, and pain that would normally occur, allowing a return to training or competition in a minimal amount of time. Because of the instrument’s compact size, it can be carried along with the athlete to competitions or during training routines. The SCENAR has also been documented to be useful in resolving chronic or repeated injuries by reducing pain and improving strength in an injured joint or muscle. It is used extensively in rehabilitation practices with athletes in Russia, Europe, and Australia.

For some research and testimonial articles related to SCENAR and its use by athletes go here.

An Excellent Complement to SCENAR Therapy-The Alexander Technique

Because SCENAR is so complementary to other modalities, we are always looking for ways our clients can augment and facilitate what we are doing related to relieving their pain. There are times when the pain we are treating is based in structural issues or ways in which our clients are habitually using their muscles. The SCENAR can re-educate the muscles to resume their natural positions with resulting pain relief, but these changes can be overridden by old postural habit patterns set up in the body, and the pain can return. In chronic situations, consistent and frequent SCENAR treatment can over time shift the body into healthier muscle use patterns. Typically, our clients are interested in what they can do to help themselves and we often give them ideas about things they can do to improve the way they use their bodies. But, we recently encountered something that has the potential to give our clients a way to support what we are doing with SCENAR as well as learn how to use their muscles and bodies in ways that promote health and prevent any recurrence of pain.

One of the things we love about the field of natural medicine is the numerous alternatives that we are exposed to that promote health and well being. I have a personal interest in this because of having had polio with residual paralysis of my left foot. Needless to say, wearing a brace on my left lower leg sets me up for all manner of improper muscle use all over my body and all the varieties of pain from my neck down to my feet that result from that. Complicating that is Post Polio Syndrome which is caused by the death of motor neurons damaged in the initial polio infection that have been overused for a lifetime. A progressive condition, I was told early on that I would end up in a wheelchair. I believe SCENAR has slowed that progression and it is a God send for managing the pain I encounter from living in this wounded temple. Now I have found another incredible tool that will help me assist my body even further.

The Alexander Technique was developed over a hundred years ago by F. Matthias Alexander, a young Australian actor, who discovered that unconscious habits of posture and movement can interfere with the performance of normal activities. Originally used by performers involved in music, dance, drama, and opera, it has now gone mainstream and is used as a practical method to promote body awareness, flexibility, energy conservation, and ease in daily activities. The technique engages the thinking process and refines an individual’s ability to perceive the way they move. Through observation, experimentation, and an Alexander teacher’s guidance, habitual muscular tension and awkward or inefficient movement patterns are reduced or eliminated. The stress and demands of modern life have fostered a virtual epidemic of neck, back, and other problems related to misaligned posture and improperly tensed muscles. The method is considered not a therapy, but an educational process, whereby awareness can be brought to an area of tension in the body and that tension can be consciously released allowing the muscles to resume their normal positioning. The Alexander Technique empowers and enables people of any age to make positive, lasting changes in their personal movement patterns that can be applied to daily functional activities such as walking, stair climbing, moving in and out of chairs, bending, and reaching as well as the more complex movement tasks of work, sports, or the performing arts.

We found out about this technique through Michele Drivon who learned to be an Alexander teacher through three years of training in California. She was interested in how SCENAR could compliment her work, just as we were interested in how her work could benefit our clients. Because of my personal situation, I’ve been working with her individually and have been impressed with the helpful learning experience it has proven to be (for more information on my personal experience, go to the Healing Tips page). We are happy to recommend her to anyone who has pain related to muscle tension and postural issues. She can be reached at 828-712-2804.

Benefits and Applications of SCENAR

So, what does SCENAR do that is different from what traditional medicine offers for pain relief? The biggest benefit is that it alleviates pain rapidly without drugs or  invasive procedures. Using the body’s own adaptive capacity, the SCENAR wakes up the brain and central nervous system to the areas of pain that need attention, and often accelerates the body’s process of doing what it is designed to do: HEAL ITSELF. Although drugs can provide pain relief, they often interfere with the body’s self-healing ability and create negative “side effects”. What we are trying to do is relieve our pain, but we may end up constipated or woozy or addicted.

SCENAR causes the release of regulatory chemicals called neuropeptides, including endorphins, which naturally alleviate pain. By using frequencies native to the body, SCENAR supports the body in doing the healing work that is its natural capacity. So, not only does the SCENAR alleviate pain, but it supports the body in healing the issue that is creating the pain. Because it speaks to the body in the body’s own language, it can speed up the healing ability so that positive results occur more rapidly than could be accomplished without it.

Under what circumstances and conditions is getting a SCENAR treatment helpful? Although pain is always a good indicator that a treatment would be helpful, the SCENAR, in its support of the body healing itself, can affect other dynamics besides  pain. For instance, the SCENAR has an anti-inflammatory effect, anti-venom effect,  it lowers fever, reduces swelling and edema in general, promotes tissue regeneration, and helps the body in its effort to restore homeostasis. So, it can have a wide ranging effect from fast recovery of  insect stings to muscle strains and sprains, and  from chronic pain syndromes to post operative recovery. In Russia, the SCENAR accompanies the ambulance responders and is also used in hospitals to promote a quicker recovery from surgical procedures without having to use as many pain medications.

So, in essence, the SCENAR can be helpful anytime there is a need to recover the body’s natural balance, whether an imbalance occurs from injury, pain, surgery, infection or anything else. We carry our SCENAR everywhere with us, just in case. On many occassions, we have been glad we did.

Upcoming Events

This spring will be an exciting time for Healing Innovations. On March 21-22 Kathy and Penny will be providing free SCENAR demonstrations for participants in the 2009 Organic Growers School Spring Conference at Blue Ridge Community College. The SCENAR can be a significant help to anyone who gardens or farms with the strains and muscle overuse involved in that work. It is also “organic” in the truest sense of the word in that it improves the body’s own ability to heal itself with no drugs or invasive methods. Since Kathy and Penny are also organic gardeners, they hope to be able to learn from some of the lectures as well.

As representatives of the large number of  natural health practices in this area, Kathy and Penny have been invited to be members of a panel at the Boomers and Beyond Summit to be held at the Reuter Center on the UNCA campus on April 14, 2009. They will discuss ways in which use of SCENAR can facilitate the maintenance of a healthy and active lifestyle in natural and effective ways.

And most exciting, Kathy and Penny will be traveling to Fort Worth, Texas to train with Alexander Revenko, one of the two inventors who worked together in the Russian space program to develop the SCENAR technology. The training conference, on April 16-19, is hosted by Tomatex and is Revenko’s first training to be held in the US. His company manufactures and distributes the RITM SCENAR that Healing Innovations uses in our treatments.