September/October 2000 Alternative Health
Take Care of your Body
by Todd Pennington
As you played in childhood you rolled and tumbled with ease. Look
at how you move now; even well into the golden years you can retain
the flexibility and ease of motion of youth. Be honest with yourself
in your evaluation. Look at young athletes and feel how they move
and then look at your body. If some or even a lot of flexibility
has diminished it can be regained.
Society teaches no pain no gain. That is only partly correct. To
keep youth one must use their body. The difference is in allowing
every muscle to relax when no longer asked to be in work mode. Also,
every cell needs some time to repair damage. Life in the United
States rarely allows most of us the opportunity to learn how to
relax, let alone allowing time to repair the body on a regular basis.
Check to see if you take work thoughts home with you. Do you have
a relaxing home life? Do you want to get up in the morning? Is work
exciting for you?
Relaxing is different from what most people realize. Most of us
watch TV, read a book, go for a walk et cetera. Relaxing also means
to allow one's body to recharge and to repair all functions. This
means that the tight muscle can elongate back to its normal full
length. All the restriction on the blood flow releases so that every
cell gets its full supply of oxygen and all other nutrients. Digestion
is complete and the body easily absorbs everything it needs from
food and thus does not ask for extra food. It is easy to keep the
athletic ability of youth.
Most of us accumulate tightness in our muscles. Store anger and
frustration and work because we need to instead of wanting to. Some
of this can be changed easily and quickly by massage and learning
to relax. Massage frequently is just a gentle rubbing of the skin.
It is possible to do much more by knowing how to work different
levels of the skin. Also, when the muscles forcing a region relax
then the entire area feels better, moves easier and feels lighter.
This can be done easily and in a number of cases quickly.
Control Muscle Release Therapy looks at the muscles that control
bone and muscles at a distance. The goal is to release the structure
easily and gently. The easiest way to release the whole body is
to relax the key regions of the body.
This is a report that I have gotten from one of my clients, this
is only one example of many:
In 1991, I was informed that I was being diagnosed with fibromyalgia,
a chronic disorder that is noted by chronic diffuse pain and fatigue.
The next few years proved difficult. The pain left me tired all
of the time and depression was a chronic companion. About a year
ago, I had a series of falls that convinced me that I could no longer
walk without a cane. I was taking the maximum amount of pain medication
and muscle relaxants allowed. Still, I couldn't sleep at night due
to pain.
A friend introduced me to Todd Pennington, with the hopes that
his unique massage techniques might provide a little relief.
The first massage was tenuous. He could barely touch me around
my neck, shoulders and upper back. But somehow he managed to disarm
the intense spasms and move onto my lower back, legs and feet.
The next day, for the first time in months, I was walking without
a cane. That lasted for a couple of weeks. And with the next few
massages, I put the cane away for good!
I'm not the type to go out and give a testimonial about anything.
However, even my friends and acquaintances noticed differences over
the initial period of messages. I was no longer depressed. (A good
night's sleep was no longer a rarity.) The amount of pain medication
and muscle relaxants, which I consumed, dropped dramatically. And
whereas, previously, I could barely walk across a room without much
pain and loss of balance, I began to display an energy that many
people had never seen in me.
I now go for long walks with my husband (without a cane) and feel
like a new person.
Free testing: If you are experiencing any of these issues in your
body or just want to be tested call for a free 10-minute appointment.
I work on and, in many cases, take care of all the issues that I
have talked about. For more information on this and many other subjects
check out the web sites. If any of this interests you, call and
schedule either a 10 minute consultation or a regular one hour appointment.
Take care of your body now and it will take care of you later.
For more information or an appointment call
Todd Pennington, LMT (503) 244-4427
www.communityconnexion.com/pennington
www.penningtonmassage.com