Tag Archives: marma therapy

What Is Energy Work Anyway?

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , , ,

Energized man 10.21.09One of our readers asked “what is energy work?   This very important question because it’s important to know for confidence as to why you are doing what you are doing   There are two ways to manage IC pain in my mind

The first is the matter science approach which is what everyone in the IC community has experienced  You go to the family doc, internist, or urologist and they prescribe pharmaceuticals for your pain  These drugs are molecules that have anticipated effects on your body, like a sedative or antidepressant  This medical science diagnoses disease like IC by measuring molecules  Since there are no specific molecules to measure  in IC bladder pain, there is difficulty in monitoring progress in therapy  At times the best that can be done is to make you comfortable for an hour by instilling a pain reliever like a topical anesthetic

The second way to manage IC from my perspective is to use an energy science medical approach  In this type of medical model of healing the mind and body are seen as an energy field   This is a different yet effective way of seeing the body and is different than the above molecular approach

When you apply healing energy science methods it is termed energy work

Energy work can be used in a loose way but here in my context, it is used in a very specific way   The term “energy work” is thrown around to just about mean anything from reiki to chiropractic work

But in my context “energy work” is rooted in ancient traditions such as the Ayurvedic system of healing or the traditional Chinese medical(TCM) model from which we get the practice of acupuncture   These healing systems go back 1000’s of years and are grounded in the concept that the mindbody is an energy field as well as a molecular field as discussed above

So acupuncture is a well established energy science method of doing “energy work”  In the Ayurvedic tradition the same points used in acupuncture are called marma points   These two energy science traditions parallel one another in many ways

One of the differentiating features of the Ayurvedic energy science healing discipline from that of TCM is that the nutritional science is very “user friendly” and well articulated   Because of the importance of nutrition in the management of IC, I chose the Ayurvedic energy work as the one to help people with their IC

Types of Energy Work

So here are a few examples of energy work

Following a nutritional format for reducing the hot quality is doing energy worrk

Avoiding incompatible food combinations to avoid flares is doing energy work

Downward gati with pelvic marmaTaking herbs that have specific subtle effects on the body is energy work  It reminds us that the energy field of the body is subtle and the molecular field is gross

Using hand positions called mudras that have specific physiologic effects as well as meditation is energy work

Using castor oil and specific marma therapy as shown in the accompanying schematic is energy work

Doing vaginal administration of herbs and medicated oils for IC is energy work

Paying attention while eating is energy work

Eating your biggest meal at noon is energy work

Using spices to improve digestive strength is doing energy work

So you can see that when the term “energy work” is used, it implies that the information being applied is based energy science principles that come from one of these ancients disciplines   These principles are based on seeing the body not as a complex collection of molecules but rather as an field of energy  When you apply these practices among many others you are doing energy work to bring about the healing of IC

Energy Work Language

The body’s energy field has been called prana, chi, qi, ru, ruha   These are all terms for the biological energy field that you are   It is distinctly a different way of healing and quite effective in helping people deal with their IC

Einstein’s famous equation E=mc2 tells us that what is matter is energy and what is energy is matter  That you are simultaneously both molecular and energy field

These ancient healing traditions have a tremendous amount to offer us in terms of healing advice  It’s just that you see your body in a different way when you are doing energy work

All the best  DB

 

IC and Freedom from Pain and Anxiety of a Damaged Bladder

bladder, bladder pain, GERD, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , ,

PillsIn the energy science world of healing it’s not just one thing but a mulitiplicity of treatments that you do that brings about healing of your IC   This is in contrast from the matter science model of healing that says if you do just this one thing (take a pill) you will get major benefit such that you won’t have to do anything else   For example if your blood pressure is high then take this pill and you’ll be better    Or better yet, take two or three different types of pills and you’ll be better

So pill popping is the ONE way to deal with the pain of  interstitial cystitis (IC) in matter science medicine   And there’s nothing wrong with that approach except for the fact that it usually doesn’t work most of the time

Energy Science Healing

Because of the nature of the energy science model of healing using a qualitative approach not all qualities that are out of balance can be addressed with just one approach   For example, the hot quality of IC exhibiting as burning on urination and heartburn or acid indigestion can be reliably dealt with by cooling herbs such as CCF tea, aloe vera gel, and the antiinflammatory herbs that I have written about in the past

But the symptoms of urgency, frequency, and to some degree of pain are related to the qualities of light, subtle, rough, and dry   These are best managed not only with herbs but with internal and external oleation with or without marma therapy, a nutritional format for your mindbody constitution, and basti therapy that I have discussed in the past

So you can see that in energy work it’s not just one thing but a multiplicity of things that are used in order to bring about balance of the qualities that are out of whack and producing the symptoms that you’re experiencing all the time or when flares occur

Anxiety About Bladder Damage

If you’re experiencing symptoms in the body then there is an imbalance being expressed   So if you’re experiencing anxiety there’s an imbalance in the nervous system of the qualities of light, subtle, clear, and mobile   See that the same qualities that are producing frequency, urgency, and pain are some of the same qualities that are creating anxiety   This is why people with IC often are anxious about their disease or imbalance which is completely understandable and why they need the qualities of heavy, gross, cloudy, and static   These qualities provide grounding and stability

In this case however some of the aforementioned therapies would be different  For example the herbs used would be those that would calm the nervous system, yoga asana practice could be used, yoga nidra as a form of meditation or a practice of calming the mind could be done, and aromatherapy    Here you see a group of therapies quite different from the above treatment for the hot quality because different qualities are being treated in order to bring them into balance

Another Important Difference from the Matter Science Model of Healing

Thus far I have talked about the pill oriented one step approach with the matter science healing model and contrasted that to the energy science multifaceted approach to disease

But another important difference is the time of exposure to treatment   Real healing takes time   So the rule is that for every year of imbalance it will take two months of treatment for recovery   And then you’re done   Not a bad tradeoff

Let’s see forever having symptoms with the matter science approach versus 2-3 years with the energy science approach   Which would you choose?

Please like this on FB or here at the website if you find this helpful and valuable

Until next week                              To Health as a Skill      Love Dr Bill

8 Acute and 4 Chronic Management Methods to Reduce IC Flares

bladder, bladder pain, IC, Interstiial cystitis, Uncategorized, , , , , , , , ,

 

 

 

 

The accompanying graph depicts what happens in the formation of any disease process of imbalance   There is a gradual buildup of excess qualities such as the hot quality in IC   This can occur over years of unconscious choice making that leads to at first GI tract symptoms that then eventuate in dissemination of the quality(ies) to various parts of the body

In the case of IC the dissemination of the qualities of hot, light, mobile, dry, rough, and subtle to the urinary tract leads to the early symptoms of bladder wall irritability and pain that takes you to the doctor thinking you have a UTI

As the hot quality along with others  progresses over further time the symptoms become flares that become unpredictable and ever more painful to the point of incapacitation   At this point the disease is in its full manifestation and as depicted in the left hand side of the graph these qualities are most often delivered in the foods that are eaten

Chronic Management of IC Flares

From the above you can see that if you don’t do anything with the nutrition that you have been unconsciously taking then all bets are off that you will have any success long term   So the fundamental shift in food choices is important and probably the most difficult for IC patients since the shift requires giving up comfort foods and “friends”

1  As you can see once you stop the aggravating foods that are delivering the qualities that are responsible for your symptoms the ceiling begins to be lowered and instead of the spikes off the top of the chart they begin to come down to lower horizontal lines   The ceiling for symptoms is lowered and so are the symptoms themselves

2  Next avoiding food incompatibilities that overproduce acidic loading can again reduce the chances for flares in the future

3  The third chronic thing to do is help the body eliminate the qualities from the urinary tract by using aloe vera gel on a regular basis   I have written about that earlier

4  Using CCF tea to bathe the urinary tract mucosal lining with these herbs on a regular basis helps calm and soothe the irritated bladder muscle leading to again a reduced ceiling   When you drink this CCF tea on a regular daily basis this goes a long way toward medicinally medicating the bladder

The Acute Flare Management Tips

The ground state is now established with the above chronic work but as you can see we’re not out of the woods yet because there will still be more releasing to go which will mean flares but gratefully not as severe as the ones before you began doing the chronic maintenance work as described above

1  The castor oil pack placed over the two large pelvic and bladder marma(accupuncture) points help cool off the pelvis and bladder   Adding a cooling aroma such as jasmine, sandalwood, or peppermint can be beneficial as well    Ani marma can also be effectively treated with cooling aromas    Ani is located at the inside of the elbow at its crease and massaging for a minute or two can help with pain

2  Eating foods that are cooling and trying cucumber milk or other recipes to cool off is good to do and you can try these recipes:

Coconut Milk Smoothie                                                                                   

1cup coconut milk

1cup sweet strawberries, cherries, or other berries available in season

0.5 tsp sucanat

1 Tablespoon coconut flakes

Blenderize and add water to change consistency

Cucumber Milk

Cut up a half of a cucumber and blenderize it with a cup of room temperature cow’s milk with a 0.5 teaspoon of cumin or turmeric.  Milk acts as a taxi cab to take the cooling qualities of the cucumber to the urinary tract.

Cilantro Smoothie

2cups of cilantro(this is the leafy part of the coriander plant and cooling)

1cup of kale

1cup of carrot

0.5 teaspoon of cumin

Blenderize to pleasing consistency

Add water as needed

—————

3  Sipping on freshly grated ginger that has been steeped in hot water can be cleansing to the GI tract and help bring the hot quality back to the GI tract where it can be eliminated

4 Getting plenty of rest during these energy draining times is very valuable and avoiding any exercise.

5 If you live in a hot climate such as Florida, Texas or the Southwest, it’s important to stay out of the heat   Use sunglasses as often as possible.

6  If it can be tolerated using targeted herbal therapy instillations to the bladder lining can be therapeutic as well

7  Lastly take time during an acute flare to nourish yourself   Try not to be impatient but compassionate with the body as it sheds this unwanted hot quality

8 Continue to do the maintenance work as above

All the best                  To Health as a Skill   Love DrBill