Endocrine Gland: The pancreas
Sense: Eyesight
Consciousness: Parts of the consciousness associated with this chakra include perceptions concerned with power, control, freedom, the ease with which one is able to be themselves - ease of being. Mental activity and the mental body is also associated with this chakra. The solar plexus chakra is also associated with the level of being we call the personality, or ego.
The relationship a person has with fire, or the sun, can be seen to have its parallels in the person*s relationship with the parts of their consciousness that this chakra represents. Someone sensitive about the sun can be seen to have particular sensitivities about power, or control, or freedom.
Element: Fire, the sun.

Chronic Pain

Pain creates a vicious cycle. Pain leads to muscle tension, reduced circulation, and restricted movement, which in turn lead to more pain. Massage therapy can play an important role in breaking this cycle. 

Muscle Tension
Muscles contract around any painful site to protect the area. If pain is resolved quickly, muscles relax. If pain persists, muscles can become habitually tight. Sometimes tight muscles press on nerves, causing tingling, numbness, or more pain. Massage helps by stretching tight muscles and by stimulating the nervous system to relax muscle tension. 

Reduced Circulation
Tight muscles reduce circulation, letting waste products accumulate, which can leave you feeling fatigued and sore. Plus waste products can irritate nerves, causing pain to spread. Massage releases contracted muscles and increases circulation. Also, as massage relaxes the nervous system, blood vessels dilate to increase blood flow. Waste products are flushed away and replaced with oxygen and nutrients. 

Areas with poor circulation often develop trigger points* highly irritable spots that refer pain, tingling, or other sensations to other places in the body. Trigger points respond well to specific massage techniques. 

Muscle Shortening and Restricted Movement

Eventually, the body lays down connective tissue in any contracted area with poor circulation. While helpful for healing injuries, this natural reaction can "glue" muscles and their connective tissue coverings into a shortened state. The stretching and kneading of massage softens and lengthens connective tissue. 

Irritating waste products, painful trigger points, and shortened muscles make even simple actions difficult and tiring. As your capacity for movement and exercise decreases, you lose the most important means for maintaining good circulation throughout your body, risking pain in new areas. 

Massage helps restore normal movement by releasing trigger points, removing waste products, and stretching shortened muscles. Also, because you feel better after a massage, you may have renewed energy and motivation for physical activity. 

For massage to be really effective, you need to set up a regular schedule--certainly once a week at first, and then possibly less often as you respond to the massage. Remember, it takes time. It's the consistency with which we do anything that creates lasting improvement!

Joe's Tips

Stretch to Improve Your Posture

Do you find yourself slouching when you*re sitting at a computer for a long period of time? Then try this simple stretch to improve your posture and prevent pain. First, get up off the chair, and move around a bit. Holding almost any position for too long can be a strain on the body, even when you are just sitting. 

While standing, do some shoulder shrugs. First, stand up straight and pull your shoulder blades closer together so your back is not rounded. Shrug your shoulders up toward your ears as high as you can, and hold them there while inhaling for five counts. When you slowly exhale (also five counts), slowly press those shoulders down as you let your breath out. Don't just drop the shoulders and let gravity do the work, but really press them down. Repeat several times. This activity involves your trapezius muscle, as well as a few others, and gives the trapezius a gentle stretch. It also encourages circulation to the muscle. 

When you sit down again, think about squeezing your shoulder blades together in the back and down into your back pockets. A properly aligned posture puts less strain on our bodies, so we can function without pain.

Structural System

Structural System Function Facts

Along with providing a strong foundation to support and protect other body parts, our 206 bones are living structures that manufacture new blood cells within the marrow. Minerals packed in protein sacks "glued" together make healthy bones strong. Bones provide a storehouse for minerals that can be withdrawn for emergencies. Physical activity stimulates the bones to maintain their strength.

MUSCLES. Attached to the bones are ligaments that hold bones together and tendons which connect bones to 620 muscles. In addition to moving the body, they produce heat, squeeze blood into isolated tissues, maintain posture, and, when exercised, increase endorphin hormones which results in a feeling of well-being. Muscle tissue also surrounds arteries so that blood pressure can be increased where tissue nutrients are most needed.

SKIN. The skin is the largest organ of the body and the most exposed. It is a supple, elastic tissue that conserves heat and moisture. It is the first organ to respond to pain or touch. Skin also functions as a cooling system and helps regulate internal body temperature. Skin helps to eliminate toxic matter through perspiration and reabsorbs its own surface oils irradiated by the sun in order to make vitamin D.

HAIR. Hair follicles can be found almost everywhere in the skin. These are oiled from imbedded sebaceous glands, which keep the skin supple and waterproof. Hair helps control body temperature and is made of keratin protein. The root is the only living part and appears to draw toxic metals out of the blood, encapsulating them in dead hair cells that are pushed out of the skin. While hair also protects the body, a nerve attached to each increases the body*s sensitivity to touch.

COMMON PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE STRUCTURAL SYSTEM

INTERESTING FACTS:

Start, Stop, Continue

Our Mission

The Center for Holistic Instruction, PLLC promotes holistic health as an approach to life by encouraging you to: 

Please help us better fulfill our desire to provide the most comprehensive holistic health care available by completing the simple form below. 
Start, Stop and Continue:

1. What should we Start doing that would help you on your journey?
2. What should we Stop doing?
3. What should we be sure to Continue doing? 
   
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   Other Comments:
   
   Please email us and let us know how you feel about how we're doing in our quest to provide you with the holistic health care relative to our mission.
   
   You can also ask Louisa for a "Stop-Start-Continue" form at the front desk.

Low Back Pain

Touch Research Institute, reported in International Journal of Neuroscience, 2001, Vol. 106, pp. 131-145. 

The results of this massage research study showed a decrease in stress and long-term pain plus less pain directly after the session, fewer depressive symptoms, better sleep, improved range of motion, and an increase in serotonin and catecholamine dopamine biochemical levels.

Researchers compared the effects of acupuncture, massage, and self-care education on chronic low back pain on 262 adults. Massage was found to be the most helpful therapy at the end of the 10-week treatment period. After one year, the massage group still reported the greatest benefit. 
Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound Center for Health Studies, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, 4/23/2001, Vol. 161, No.8. 

The results of this massage research study showed massage improves function and reduces pain and anxiety associated with subacute low back pain.

Aromatherapy Basics

Scent Quality - Sniffing Out Unhealthy Synthetics:

Made in a laboratory, synthetic essential oils are usually a combination of derived chemicals that are mostly manmade and often produced from petroleum. 

Chemists take a natural compound and form the building blocks and then add on a petroleum-derived substance. Smell wise, synthetics can sometimes (only sometimes) smell "better". Health wise, they are pretty bad. Nothing does it better than nature. Synthetics do not consist of the molecules that the natural substance has. Only Natural oils have therapeutic value, and cause fewer allergic reactions and sensitivities. We DO NOT sell any synthetic oils. All our Essential Oils are Natural and Pure Essential Oil and are Aromatherapy Grade.

Essential Oils

Essential oils are primarily obtained from distilling the flower, root, bark, fruit, needles, seed, leaf or wood of plants. The preferred method of distillation is through a process of low pressure and low heat.
Another method used is called Expression. Expression is primarily used for the peel of fruits like orange, lemon and grapefruit. Carbon Dioxide may be used to produce a high quality fragrance true to the plants natural aroma and properties. This method of using Carbon Dioxide is called Supercritical CO2.
Absolutes are not considered a true essential oil, which is created through solvent extraction. Absolutes are mainly used for perfumes.

Essential Oils have a common name and a Latin name. The Latin name is broken down into Genus and the species.
When you purchase essential oil, it is important to know the Latin name. There may be many species within one common name. For example, the common name Lavender has many various species. The therapeutic effects and properties of one Lavender Oil (Lavendula vera) are quite different from sweet lavender (Lavandula hybrida)

Essential Oils will vary extensively in their medical properties and will have a wide variety of effects. Some Essential Oils are relaxing like Lavender (Latin Lavandula vera) while others are stimulating such as Rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis). Some Essential oils are balancing (Frankincense - Boswellia carterii) and others provide a euphoric effect such as (Ylang Ylang - Cananga ordorata).

New at CHI

We are now proud to announce a new line of Aromatherapy Grade Essential Oils. We have chosen oils that are organic or wildcrafted whenever possible. 
Below is a list of essential oils available by February 1, 2006.

Feeling Out Of Control?  
Stressed out?

Inappropriate Stress is linked to the 3 top killers in the US.

Learn the easy to use methods of erasing stress that have stood the test of time. Combining the newly developed techniques with ancient natural healing methods from the orient will have you wondering why you ever allowed your life to be controlled by anyone or anything other than YOURSELF.               

Let Go and Live!

Life is a journey of learning how to let go and what to let go of. Join us in a relaxing journey of awareness that will change your life - mind, body and spirit.

Place: CHI
Date: January 26, 2006
Time: 9:30am to 11:00am
Cost: $65

Also offered on

Date: February 1, 2006
Time: 6:30pm to 8:00pm
Cost: $65

Please reserve your place today. Space is limited to six people for each session.
Call Louisa at 704 895-6788.

New hours for CHi

Monday, Wednesday, Thursday: 9:00 to 12:00 and 3:00 to 6:00
Tuesday and Friday: 9:00 to 1:00
Saturday and Sunday: Closed

C H I
Center for Holistic Instruction, PLLC
21316 Davidson Street
Cornelius, NC 28031
(704) 895-6788

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Health Solutions... Naturally!