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Pain relief sessions on Zoom

April 8, 2020 by Janine McCarthy Leave a Comment

During the CO-VID19 pandemic I can’t offer in-person Ortho-Bionomy bodywork sessions to help you relieve pain and stress.

But I’m determined to continue helping all my clients as much as I can.

So during the lockdown you can meet with me for pain relief sessions on Zoom for 30 or 60 minutes.

During these sessions we can:

  • examine the pain, discomfort or reduced functionality you experience,
  • consider the impact your daily activities (e.g. working from home) are having on your body
  • explore how your current postural habits are contributing to your pain/discomfort/reduced mobility
  • discuss pain relief techniques, movements and positioning you can use to improve your daily experience in your body
  • develop new habits of posture and movement to help you create a new relationship with your body and support your transition to sustainable, authentic wellbeing

Your body is always trying return to its primal state of wellbeing. It has enormous resources for self-healing and regeneration. Physical tension and emotional/mental stress create resistance that blocks your natural healing processes. Relaxation and ease are the keys to release this resistance and allow your cells to return to their natural state of vitality.

So now you don’t have to miss out on the benefits of Ortho-Bionomy sessions due to our forced social isolation. Book your appointment online HERE  or contact me by SMS on 0422 266 190 or email janine@ortho-bionomymelbourne.com

Here’s what some of my clients are saying about the video consultations:

“I worked with Janine online and it was a really useful session: we were able to review progress and add some new strategies to the mix. Working this way underlines the ‘teamwork’ aspect of her treatment and succeeds because Janine is so clear in her understanding and perceptive about the feedback she is receiving. It can also be helpful to address issues in the home environment where from day to day we move, live and work.” EM

“I booked a video session with Janine after feeling pain in my lower back and shoulders. This session was very helpful as Janine demonstrated the movements, showing me in great detail and with patience how to apply a range of exercises to ease the pain. I have had better posture since, which is very helpful considering all the time spent in front of the computer working from home.” MA

“Last year I started working with Janine to reduce my neck and shoulder pain and associated headaches and this had been so effective going from 3 or 4 headaches a week to now only once or twice a month. But my neck and shoulders got really jammed up just after the (COVID-19) shutdown and I got a headache that had persisted for a few days. So I asked Janine for an online session. It was really effective, we released the neck and shoulder pain and the headache went away. I felt so much better. I was so relieved that I could still work with Janine from home, I don’t know what I would do without this. I am going to keep doing regular online sessions with Janine to manage my headaches, yay!” SB

“I booked a video session with Janine because I’d sustained an injury right at a part of my body that I’ve been working with her for many months. There was also a bit of unresolved tension in that area still, and stress had been affecting my ability to listen to my body. During the session Janine recommended techniques I could use at home and gave me support and encouragement to apply them for myself reminding me that just because my body isn’t yelling at me (with pain) that it doesn’t mean I should stop listening to it. Since that session, I have been using the practices every day. Not only do they help physically relieve pain, but also I’m giving attention to my body in calming, conscious and intentional ways, which really helps to relieve stress and feel nurtured.” MK

 

Woman sitting on a bed working with a laptop
Video consultations from home

Filed Under: Ortho-Bionomy, Ortho-Bionomy Melbourne, Self-care, Whole Life, Women's health Tagged With: back pain, chronic, Frozen shoulder, gentle treatment, Menstrual pain, natural pain relief, Natural posture, ortho-bionomy, pain, pain management, pain relief, pain-free, pelvic pain, post-surgery, posture, pre-natal, pregnancy, Rest, self-care, shoulder pain, Stress, techniques, women's health

How to feel better in December

December 3, 2019 by Janine McCarthy Leave a Comment

Feel better in December

Do you need to feel better in December? It feels like time speeds up at this time of year, doesn’t it? Things are supposed to be slowing down and coming to an end but somehow that means the to-do list is doubled because everything (illogically) MUST be done before Xmas.

It can be a great time of celebration, time with family and friends. But many of us also feel stress, worry, sadness and pain during this time of the year.

If that’s you, I hope this simple technique will help turn down the volume in your body from freaked out to chilled out.

Firstly, give yourself this first Xmas gift : set aside 15 minutes each day (more if you want to be even kinder to yourself). Lie down on the floor on your back in front of a chair or sofa. Lay a blanket on the floor first if it’s hard or cold. Then put your legs up on the seat of the chair/sofa, with your knees bent. See the photo with this post for the right positioning. If the chair is hard, put a pillow on it first, then rest your legs on the pillow. You can use a pillow for your head too, if you want one, and cover yourself with a blanket if needed.

Now rest your hands on your belly and close your eyes. Let your breathing slow down. Let your thoughts drift through your mind. You can meditate or listen to music or just rest quietly.

Inverting your body like this takes all the weight off your back, hips, legs and feet, allowing them to stop resisting gravity for a while. This releases tension from the muscles, connective tissues and joints. Breathing slowly with your eyes closed communicates a message of safety through your nervous system and brain. This message of safety reminds your brain that you are not under attack. Your brain begins to reduce the pain signals it sends to the body and to reduce feelings of worry and stress. After 15 minutes your whole nervous system will be calmer and you’ll get up feeling better, ready to go on with your day. Used every day, this technique can help reduce back pain and stress.

Try it through this silly season and let me know how it goes in the comments below. As always, if you need more support at this time for pain or stress, please seek help from your health practitioner.

If you need more help for back pain, an Ortho-Bionomy session can help. Read more about my practice here and learn about the unique approach to pain relief with Ortho-Bionomy here.

Filed Under: Self-care Tagged With: anxiety, back pain, natural pain relief, ortho-bionomy, pain management, self-care, Stress

Simple self care for pain relief

September 13, 2019 by Janine McCarthy

Enrol in a class with Janine McCarthy

Do you or a friend need pain relief? Are you looking for a simple, quick, natural solution?

Then this class is for you:

Simple Self Care for Pain Relief
Saturday 28 Sept 2019 12.30-2.30pm

If you experience pain on a daily basis or even just sometimes, you’ll know that it gets in your way. It makes you tired and grumpy. It makes you scared that something is wrong with your body.

There are lots of options out there for pain relief. Many of us are told we have pain because we don’t have enough ‘core strength’ or we should ‘stretch more’ or we have ‘bad posture’ and should ‘just straighten up’, ‘put those shoulders back’ or ‘tuck your tailbone under’. We’re told to do repetitive (and sometimes painful) exercises. We reach for the painkillers but worry that we might become dependent on them or take too many.

I’m here to tell you that your body knows how to relieve most pain all by itself. Our bodies have evolved over thousands of years to look after themselves when something goes wrong. And they’re REALLY good at it.

In this class you’ll learn simple techniques for relieving pain from all major regions of the body, with no special props or equipment. They’re quick and easy to use and most importantly THEY DON’T HURT.

You’ll be blown away by how simple it is to feel better.

The class is suitable for all ages from children to elderly. Bring your friends, children and family members and learn to tap into your body’s natural self-correcting ability.

The class will be held in the peaceful One Heart Yoga Studio at Abbotsford Convent. Numbers are limited so BOOK NOW to secure your place.

Call Janine on 0422266190 or email janine@ortho-bionomymelbourne.com for more information.

Filed Under: Ortho-Bionomy Melbourne Tagged With: abbotsford convent, back pain, classes, knee pain, natural pain relief, neck pain, ortho-bionomy, pain, self-care, shoulder pain

Ortho-Bionomy relieves shoulder pain and resolves ‘frozen shoulder’.

February 24, 2015 by Janine McCarthy

I have so far dubbed 2015 the ‘Year of the Shoulder’ in my clinical practice. Almost every client I’ve seen so far has consulted me for shoulder pain.  Almost everyone has also come to my studio saying they realize they have been working too hard and not taking enough time out to rest.

These two things often go hand in hand. We ‘shoulder’ too many responsibilities, shoulder the burdens, and sooner or later our shoulders start to get tired from the constant ‘weight’ of all that tension. If we don’t pay attention to our body’s need for rest to balance with our work and stress, it creates pain messages that are the equivalent of shouting to get our attention.  If we continue to ignore these messages, our bodies stop functioning as they should and collapse, ‘seize up’, ‘freeze’, spasm and/or experience constant strong pain. Just like you, your muscles get tired when they work long and hard, and they need to rest to recover their strength.

Are you listening to your body? Rest and time out are the Yin to the Yang of work. Neither can exist without the other. If you demand a lot of output from your body you must be prepared to give it what it needs to restore and recharge.

One of my clients worked constantly all last year in a state of overwork and stress. She ended up by December with extreme shoulder pain followed by major restriction of movement, being unable to raise her arm to shoulder height. An MRI confirmed her doctor’s diagnosis of frozen shoulder. She was offered cortisone injections or a procedure known as ‘shoulder manipulation’ under general anaesthetic, where the ‘frozen’ arm is forcefully moved to the extent of its range to break up adhesions around the joint. As you can imagine, patients usually experience a lot of pain following this procedure. She decided against both these options and decided to try Ortho-Bionomy instead.

We began sessions in early January, with visits twice a week initially, reducing to weekly, and fitting around her schedule – so far we have had 9 sessions over 7 weeks.

After the second visit her pain was less frequent and less intense and she was sleeping better. Since then she has had more improvement every week so that now she only has occasional pain in certain movements, can use her arm almost normally and sleeps comfortably, with approximately 70% of her range of movement restored. Other clients with the same condition have needed treatment over longer periods up to around 6 months. For clients who begin their sessions after having the condition for 12 months or more, the recovery time may be longer, but generally with obvious improvement each week that we work. This contrasts starkly with the 18 months that many doctors estimate for recovery of this condition.

Many people believe the medical treatment options shown above followed by painful physiotherapy exercises are the only possibilities for this condition. However my experience has shown me that the pain-free approach of Ortho-Bionomy is extremely effective, usually with quicker recovery times and more lasting results. Because it is a gentle technique with a strong focus on immediate pain relief, it is suitable for clients suffering from intense pain and severe restriction of the shoulder and arm. Beginning sessions early is also beneficial, as this client’s experience shows – she began Ortho-Bionomy sessions soon after her diagnosis. She was also very committed to using the release techniques I gave her for home use and the combination resulted in her quick recovery from this debilitating condition. She is also taking steps to reduce her workload and increase rest time to balance with work and stress levels.

Another client works long hours 6 days a week and developed shoulder pain that was so strong it could take his breath away. He was becoming dependent on strong pain killers to get through the working day, which he was not happy about. After his first Ortho-Bionomy session he had the best night’s sleep he’s had in months. He also remembered during that first session that he used to have a long bath once a week, listen to music and fall asleep, which allowed him to forget all his worries.

I asked him why he stopped doing this for himself and he said he didn’t know why or when it had happened. I suggested that he bring this habit back into his life – we should all give ourselves permission to take time out from the work and stress more often. If we did that, we would balance all that tension and responsibility with some restorative relaxation, and our bodies – particularly our shoulders – wouldn’t need to shout so much to get our attention.

 

This information is offered as my opinion and should not replace medical diagnosis or treatment.

Ortho-Bionomy is the trademark of Ortho-Bionomy Australia Ltd and is used with permission.

Filed Under: Ortho-Bionomy, Whole Life Tagged With: chronic, Frozen shoulder, gentle treatment, Medical treatment, natural pain relief, ortho-bionomy, Overwork, pain relief, pain-free, physiotherapy, Rest, shoulder pain, Stress

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Resources

GAPS™ Gut and Psychology Syndrome (Revised ed.) by Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride, Medinform Publishing, Cambridge UK, 2010

Nourishing Traditions: the cookbook that challenges politically correct nutrition and the diet dictocrats (2nd rev. ed.) by Sally Fallon & Mary Enig, New Trends Publishing Inc, Washington DC USA, 2003

Slow Death by Rubber Duck: how the toxic chemistry of everyday life affects our health by Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie, Knopf Canada/University of Queensland Press, Australia, 2009

The Story of the Human Body: evolution, health & disease by Daniel Lieberman, Penguin Books Ltd, London, 2014

Toxin Toxout: getting harmful chemicals out of our bodies and our world by Bruce Lourie and Rick Smith, Knopf Canada/University of Queensland Press, Australia, 2013

Weston A. Price Foundation “for wise traditions in food, farming and the healing arts” www.westonaprice.org

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Recent Posts

  • Pain relief sessions on Zoom April 8, 2020
  • How to feel better in December December 3, 2019
  • What’s the ideal sleeping position? November 20, 2019
  • Simple self care for pain relief September 13, 2019
  • Walking without pain December 11, 2018

Ortho-Bionomy is the registered trademark of Ortho-Bionomy Australia Ltd and is used with permission.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of Janine McCarthy, unless otherwise noted. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-to-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Janine McCarthy. Janine encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your own research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

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