The Benefit of SCENAR in Traumatic Injury – Christina’s Story

I am a Scenar practitioner, and have used this wonderful technology on myself, my family, and hundreds of clients over the past 8 years.  I never had the opportunity to test its capabilities in a situation involving a serious injury with a great deal of pain, however, until I broke my wrist this past December. I knew that Russian practitioners treat injuries with Scenar at athletic events all the time, but I had not experienced this myself.

Sorry if I’m getting too graphic, but my injury involved a whiplash to my left wrist that broke my radius (the large forearm bone) clear through and tore many ligaments.  All I knew at the time, though, was that it hurt so much I thought I would pass out and was deep breathing to keep the pain tolerable.  On a pain scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the worst imaginable), it was definitely a 10.   Fortunately, I had my Ritm Scenar with me and immediately began treating my wrist while my sister drove to the hospital.  I put the frequency on 350 Hz, turned the power up as high as I could take and held it on the most painful spots as well as stroking all around my wrist.  For the first 15 minutes, I didn’t feel much relief, but noticed the swelling was minimal and the pain wasn’t increasing, as it usually does when swelling begins.

I continued treating myself non-stop and by the time I was checked in and waiting for a doctor, amazingly enough my wrist was actually feeling better.  The whole wrist still felt mangled but the pain was really manageable.  When they asked how bad the pain was, I told them it was a 10 so they would take me seriously.  But I thought to myself: actually, now it feels more like a 4-5!  Wow. The swelling was so minimal  (only about the size of a large egg), that it looked like a minor injury. When I broke a smaller bone in my ankle years before, it had swollen to the size of a melon.

During this entire time I had not taken any kind of medication for pain or inflammation. But after 2 hours of Scenar treatment, not only was the pain way down, but I also felt more clear and relaxed because the pain wasn’t dizzying me and making me tense up anymore.  My sister couldn’t believe how calm and collected I was, and neither could I.  I had to stop using the Scenar while they took x-rays, and the pain started to return.  As soon as I could, I slapped it on again!

Having broken bones before, I knew it was broken from the minute it happened, but judging by the swelling and my composure, none of the hospital staff thought it was broken until the x-rays came back. They told me it was broken almost like they couldn’t believe it. But it was broken pretty badly and they wanted an orthopedic surgeon to set it.  Unfortunately, none were available on Saturday so they put me in a splint, gave me an Rx for pain meds and told me to call an orthopedic doctor on Monday – 2 days away!  I couldn’t believe I was going to have to wait 2 days to have my bone set.

The next 2 days were the most challenging part of the whole ordeal because I couldn’t treat my wrist with the Scenar now that it was in a splint.  I knew I could take pain meds, but I try to stay away from medications as much as possible (ok, I’m a purist).  But I also wanted to keep testing the Scenar, which had so far exceeded all my expectations for reducing pain and inflammation.   I went home, exhausted and daunted at the prospect of having to treat myself constantly for the next two days.  An hour after they put on the splint, the pain was creeping back in.  How was I going to do it?  To make myself feel better, I even thought how lucky I was compared to a pioneer with a broken wrist, with no Scenar or fancy splints bumping along in a wagon for days to find a doctor!

Fortunately, my dear friend and business partner, Penny Bond, came over that afternoon to give me a treatment.  We knew from Scenar training that treating the paired, uninjured limb was the next best thing to directly treating an injury. Our instructors said that treating an uninjured limb is 80% as effective in treating an injury as treating the injured limb.  This is because the nervous system does not distinguish between the nerves of paired limbs, and sends almost as much healing energy to the opposite limb as to the one being treated.  But honestly, I didn’t believe it would help that much.  I just couldn’t see how treating my right arm was going to relieve the intense pain in my left.  Amazingly, it did.  As soon as she started treating my right wrist, my left felt markedly better.

This experience gave me the courage to continue treating myself by laying my right wrist on the Scenar and using electrode patches on my right wrist for the next 2 days.  The pain was worst at night, when I went for hours with no treatment, but I managed to make it until Tuesday morning, when I went in for surgery, without taking any pain medication whatsoever.  I feel that this is nothing short of a miracle.  I only wish that every sports team and every hospital and doctor in our country utilized Scenar technology the way they do in Russia and much of Europe.

Christina Morrison recently joined our Healing Innovations team. She is a certified Scenar practitioner who introduced Penny to the Scenar back in 2004.   She has also practiced massage, energy balancing and movement therapies for over 20 years.  An NC native, she returned last summer from Austin, TX, and is very happy to be back in her beloved mountains. She can be reached at 828-273-7131. (See her interview with Penny, posted below.)

An Interview with Scenar Therapist Christina Morrison

Nearly six and a half years ago, Christina Morrison and her work with Scenar changed my life. Below is an interview with her about her journey as a healer using this remarkable healing tool.

Penny: What is your background that you think led you to Scenar?

Christina: I’ve been on a healing path my whole life…. always involved with healing arts in some way.  I was a licensed massage therapist in Texas for the past 10 years.  I’m certified in polarity, rebirthing, and cranial-sacral therapy.  I worked in two destination wellness spas for years, practicing massage, Thai massage, aromatherapy, Ayurveda, hydrotherapy, and chakra balancing. Prior to that, I studied movement therapy and taught dance. All those modalities were wonderful, but I wanted to help people heal and change in even deeper and more lasting ways.

Penny: What gifts, experiences, or interests drew you toward alternative healing?

Christina: I’ve always loved touch.  I love receiving massage and also sharing that experience with others.  I lost my brother to cancer when he was only 16…. and he spent a lot of time in hospitals.   That was a very painful experience that inspired me to pursue alternative healing.   I’ve also had some chronic conditions that kept me searching for relief.  I’ve experienced all kinds of healing art forms… and everything that’s helped me, I’ve shared with others.

Penny:  How did you encounter the Scenar?

Christina:  I took a workshop in 2003 from a Scenar practitioner who was also an acupuncturist.  He said it was one of those rare tools that could “raise the dead!”  That was a bit of an exaggeration but it definitely got my attention.  He found that Scenar treated his clients faster and more effectively than acupuncture.  It was not like anything I’d encountered before.  Here I was using a mechanical tool… a very different experience for a “naturalist” like me!   I was leery at first, but when I started seeing amazing results, I was convinced.

Penny:  What are some of the more dramatic results you’ve seen in working with the Scenar?

Christina: A client came to me with extreme fatigue and brain fog to the point of having brain scans. She was having trouble putting sentences together and no one could figure out what was wrong.  I’d just been trained on Denas Scenar and wasn’t sure I could help her.  Fortunately, Scenar shows where the dysfunction is, so I worked on the areas revealed: her neck and the back of her head. She came in hardly able to get up the stairs and left feeling great!  After eight sessions she had her full energy and cognition back. That amazed us both. I also saw a client who’d had a stroke that left her numb on one side of her body. After fourteen sessions she regained full sensation and her balance also improved. And then, of course, there was you.

Penny: Yes, you worked with me twice and I was so impressed with my improvement, I decided to buy one in order to continue to work on myself. My story can be found on the About page of this blog.

Christina: I’ve only had one person who experienced no results. They had neuropathy, which is when nerves die.  Everyone else I’ve worked with has had good results. I’ve worked with several hundred people and have seen it over and over relieve pain, restore function, improve energy levels, and enhance mood and a sense of well being.  Scenar causes the release of neuropeptides which the body uses to heal itself, including endorphins, which relieve pain and improve mood.  But it’s worth owning a device if all you ever did was neutralize insect bites and stings!  Living in Texas, I really appreciated that.  I’ve completely eliminated all effects of stings, including scorpions, in minutes.

Read more »

SCENAR and Complementarity

One of the most wonderful things about SCENAR is how it complements any other modalities that are available in the treatment of pain. There is one exception to this, which is important for those who are considering using SCENAR to know. If  narcotic pain killing pharmaceuticals are being used on a schedule of more than once a day, the receptor sites for the body’s own opiate substances (endorphins) are taken up by the synthetic narcotic drug and prevent the body from using its own internal pharmacy to address pain.

The SCENAR’s main action is to help the body regulate and heal itself. Pain relief is the most obvious of the effects, however, much more is being activated within the body to reestablish homeostasis. In my experience over the last 6 years, I have noticed that clients who are using other modalities as well as SCENAR find that they make better progress toward healing. I have worked closely with chiropractors who find that SCENAR treatments can make adjustments easier and that they hold better. SCENAR also can find subluxations in the spine easily, which can be addressed quickly by the Chiropractor.

There is an acupuncturist, Dr. Donald Snow, in Louisiana who uses SCENAR and acupuncture together and finds that his results are better with the combination than with using either modality alone.

There have been times, because of Post Polio Syndrome, when I have used Physical Therapy.  Along with the PT, I have used SCENAR to ameliorate the pain that can result from those treatments. I have also found that I recover a lot faster, since using the SCENAR in this way, than I did before I had the SCENAR to complement what I was doing in PT.

My experiences with the complementary way in which SCENAR works with massage therapy have been impressive.  If someone has a SCENAR treatment before a massage, the relaxation and pain relieving effect is enhanced. It also makes it easier for the massage therapist because it is easier to go more deeply into the muscles to effect a release.

In SCENAR literature it is often suggested that when working with someone who is taking a pharmaceutical for a chronic condition such as diabetes, that the levels of the drug be monitored. This is because as the body begins to balance itself and recover, not as much of the drug will be necessary.

Unlike the idea in conventional medicine that one cure fixes all, natural medicine recognizes the uniqueness of each individual, and that very often a mix of modalities appropriate to the individual will speed healing faster than using only one. For this reason it is good to find a natural practitioner, such as a naturopath, who understands this and can monitor your progress if you are using more than one modality.

This capacity of the SCENAR to complement other treatments is also a good reason to own one. If you are interested in discussing owning a SCENAR and which one might best suit your needs you can contact me at 828-337-6854.

Holistic Medicine and Chronic Pain

If one looks only at the philosophy of the alternative and conventional  medical approaches, holistic or alternative medicine would seemingly be the place to start if a chronic condition is the issue. American conventional medicine is the best in the world related to treating acute trauma or crisis situations. But, because its approach is toward the disease, not the patient, and  seeing the person as a collection of parts resulting in the narrowed view of specialization, the holistic well-being of the patient is often overlooked. In relationship to pain, the major intervention is drugs, which usually only mask the symptoms and can have dangerous side effects.

In the late fall, a conversation of sorts between an MD and a DC was carried out through letters to the editor of the Crossroads Chronicle, the Cashiers, North Carolina local newspaper. In a column titled, “Arthritis one of most common problems treated by physicians,” written by Dr. Richard Matthews, the only recommendation for the treatment of the pain of arthritis was the use of drug therapy. In response to this article, Dr. Jim Johnson, DC, DACBN, CCN, writing from the perspective of holistic medicine, illuminated not only the numerous alternatives available, but also the philosophy of healthcare guided by respecting the whole person and the capacity of the human body to heal itself. I was so impressed by what he wrote that I wanted to include it here in its entirety.

“I read with much interest the article on arthritis in the Crossroads Chronicle Wednesday, October 20, 2010. As someone who has worked with patients to find alternative approaches to health challenges, it strikes me that only drugs are offered as the answer to such problems. Aleve, Advil, Motrin, Mobic, Feldene, etc. are pharmaceutical drugs that offer effective pain relief; however, their long term use is not desirable due to a large number of secondary effects. NSAIDs, in particular, actually make the overall disease process of arthritis worse, by increasing ‘leaky gut’ and by depleting the very nutrients necessary for joint repair, including iron, folic acid, calcium, and zinc. COX 2 inhibitors, introduced with a media blitz touting them as a much safer drug therapy, are now known to also have serious side effects.

Are some diseases, or even all diseases, the secondary manifestations of altered or abnormal states of health? Does the swamp exist first, and various pests such as mosquitoes find it to be a good habitat for their propagation; or do such pests pick a random landscape and then set about to create a swamp to support them? Read more »

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!

TMJ Syndrome

Another very common complaint that SCENAR has great success with is temporomandibular joint syndrome. This condition has earned the nickname of “The Great Imposter” because it produces such a wide variety of symptoms and mimics so many different diseases. It can cause facial and neck pains, difficulty opening the mouth or chewing, earaches and congestion, sinus pain (often diagnosed as infections), headaches, and shoulder pain. Often there is no pain, only dizziness, tinnitus (ear ringing), and/or hearing loss. It is now estimated to affect 20% of the population at various times and is completely overlooked in most. More often than not, the people we treat have unsuccessfully sought help with internal medicine specialists, neurologists, and ear/nose/throat specialists. They are often told there is nothing the specialist can do, or worse, that their symptoms are imaginary.

Dentists are very familiar with this condition, but alas, are seldom consulted because of the symptoms may appear to have nothing to do with the teeth.

The temporomandibular joints are located in front of the ear where the lower jaw (mandible) hinges to the skull. One or both of these joints can get out of adjustment by a blow to the head/jaw, whiplash injury to the neck, dental work, clenching teeth while sleeping, or from opening the jaw to yawn. More often poor bite dynamics cause the trouble. It may develop, for example, when a tooth is lost and adjacent teeth drift, thus moving the lower jaw out of position causing a misalignment of the joint.

Once the joint is affected, the equilibrium of muscles and ligaments that control the movement of the joint are upset. In response the muscles go into spasm with resulting pain. This pain my shoot out a considerable distance radiating from small areas of great sensitivity called “trigger areas” within the muscles. “Trigger areas” in the TMJ muscle system can produce a dull ache or a stabbing pain, not just in the teeth but anywhere in the head, neck, and shoulders.

SCENAR can locate the affected areas in the face, neck, shoulders. Treatment stimulates the release of endorphins and the relaxation effect such that the muscles can relax and the jaw return to alignment. It also reduces the inflammation in the affected tissues. In concert with the treatment process, there is much that an individual can do to relieve TMJ pain. Read about those in the Healing Tips section of the blog.

If you are experiencing these symptoms, contact Healing Innovations at 828-337-6854. SCENAR treatments can help!

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 »

Another Amazing SCENAR Assisted Recovery

A month ago I began working with a woman through the Highlands office of Mountain Air Wellness Center. She came in with neck, hip, and knee pain. We began with her neck, which resolved after one treatment, but that’s not the amazing part. She missed her second appointment a week later because she had been at the ER related to a fall in which she had sprained both ankles. Last week she was able to get to the office for a treatment but could barely walk. Her ankles were still very swollen with deep purple bruises below both of them. She had very high initial reactions in all areas. I used the protocols for acute injury, but realized that treating acute injury must be done several times a day, and I would not be able to see her for a week. So, I loaned her my personal DENAS Diadens-T SCENAR and showed her the basic way to use it. She is a quick study, easily grasping the concepts, and hobbled out of the office with my device.

I saw her again today. She walked almost normally, the swelling was greatly reduced, the bruising was gone, and the pain had localized to the area around her arches. Her initial reactions were much lower and there were fewer asymmetries overall. She had treated her ankles three times a day for the entire week, as well as icing the areas.

So, in a week of daily treatment, she had gone from hobbling to walking, from generalized ankle pain to specific locations with significantly diminished intensity, from generalized swelling of her ankles and feet to only swelling around the ankles themselves, and from severe bruising to no sign of bruising.

The body’s capacity to heal itself never ceases to amaze me! I have to agree with Alexander Karasev (the engineer in the Russian space program who co-lead the development of the SCENAR) that everyone should have a SCENAR in their home first aid kit.

If you sustain an injury and would like to try SCENAR, please call us (828-337-6854) as soon after the injuring event as possible (time is of the essence). We can likely shorten your healing time dramatically.

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.