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Park Attwood Clinic gives you zest for life with a unique therapy known as rhythmical massageAt Park Attwood Clinic in Worcestershire they practice a unique form of massage therapy, known as rhythmical massage, which is being used to treat a wide range of problems and illnesses, from depression to cancer. This form of massage recognises the healing power of touch, but it works at a far deeper level than a pampering aromatherapy session, and even diseases like cancer and disorders such as anorexia are being addressed by this therapy. Rhythmical massage is a medical therapy. It’s not like having a facial at your local salon or a soothing back rub at the health spa. The therapists are trained to a high level of expertise, meaning they are able to treat cancer, which is often not suitable for massage [there is a risk of over stimulating the lymphatic system which can ‘spread’ the cancer]. The massage may be used individually, or with other complementary therapies or physiotherapy, or in conjunction with natural remedies or conventional medication. Rhythmical massage is ‘prescribed’ by the doctor at Park Attwood, as an integral part of the treatment which is shaped by the full medical team and guided by regular multi–disciplinary team meetings which include doctors, nurses and therapists.
Rhythmical massage therapy is a soft–tissue massage: there is little pressure or friction, and no pummelling. It was developed at a clinic in Switzerland in the 1920’s by Dr Ita Wegman, a pioneering medic schooled in physiotherapy and massage. After the famous Dr Margarethe Hauschka joined the clinic, she and Dr Wegman collaborated for 12 years to develop this new approach to massage therapy. The technique is very specific and the touch light, the hands lifting the tissue in gentle movements. The flat hand is rarely used. Movements are fluid, circling, sweeping, working with the fluid systems in the body – the lymph and the blood circulation – to create a streaming process like gentle meandering streams. The result is a rhythmical, harmonising quality of touch, which penetrates deeply. Each patient comes to Park Attwood with pre–admission notes, an outline of their medical history [how their problem is affecting them bodily or psychologically] and some biographical detail [such as the social or emotional implications] so the therapist has some sense of the scale and nature of the problem prior to the appointment. At their initial meeting, the therapist is then able to take on board each patient’s physical appearance – their posture, mobility, coordination – to augment the medical notes.
Plant oils are used for massage. These provide a colourful variety of natural therapeutic properties – pressed from fruit, flowers and seeds. Sunlight is the process that forms these parts of the plant, and it is as if these warming properties can be transferred to the body through the oil. Creating warmth – a warmth that can really penetrate – is the key. Warmth can unlock muscle spasm, neck pain, back ache, tightness and stiffness. Warmth also significantly influences our emotional health. Temperature is linked to our emotions, for example, we warm in a moment of enthusiasm, blush when we are excited, go ice cold with fear, shiver with shock. One oil that is rarely used elsewhere other than at Park Attwood is viscum oil, from mistletoe [whole plant]. It has no real smell or aromatherapeutic benefit. It is used to address disjointed warmth, which is often seen in illness, such as cold extremities. Another unusual oil that is a favourite at the Clinic is Solum Uliginosum Comp, which is often used to treat the incapacitating depletion that patients experience following chemotherapy or degenerative spinal diseases. Massage with this precious oil, which is made from ancient peat bogs, has an ‘earthing’ effect and is used to help patients who are not coping well with their diagnosis or the shock of illness [or the shock of some drug treatment and trauma of radical surgery]. Massage with this oil provides a protective warmth mantle under which the patient can shelter, take stock, cope with pain and discomfort with an aim to recover.
Factfile Rhythmical massage therapy at The Park Attwood Clinic is for out–patients, but can also form part of a complete holistic healthcare programme for anyone requiring in–patient care [which may be funded by the NHS in some cases, depending on the policy of your local area health authority or PCT]. For more information and a brochure, contact the Park Attwood Clinic on: 01299 861444. Visit website: www.parkattwood.org. • Always seek advice from your GP or healthcare professional. From your browser | Email the page | Email the page link | Print the page | Add page to favourites Handy guide to wellbeing series | For you, family and friends
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