Interstitial Cystitis Advice

You know when you have those moments where your mind, body and soul just need a hug – they are so largely the desire for human touch and comfort. For as long as medicine (and those in a position to “heal”) has existed it has recognized the benefits of touch. The soothing, relaxing and often tranquil sensation of another person’s hand on your own body, a big hug, or contact with another’s body. For both purposes of healing and comfort, touch can be an amazing tool.

When we stop and look at touch we discover that there are both “formal” schools of thought on the subject, and the simple act of one person touching another, and both can be wonderful. A large part of IC is often the pain involved, at times it seems to radiate far beyond our bladders and permeate our whole bodies. We maybe come highly oversensitive to touch, or pressure, our skin itself can see to be affected (dry, sore, prone to bruise easier, etc) and we may experience other physical and mental affects from the pain. Aside from the traditional IC pain management techniques and medications there are a myriad of alternative treatment options such as biofeedback, TENS therapy and yoga. If you stop and think about it all three of those options involve some level of touch; biofeedback and TENS for the objects which are placed directly on or into the skin/body and yoga as it causes you to stretch into positions where different parts of your own body are coming in contact with one another.

There are many books and websites devoted to “healing touch”, and it is wise to approach most alternative (and to be fare mainstream) treatment options with a cautious and well-informed attitude. But this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t consider trying a healing touch type of therapy. There are many forms of healing touch and here we will look at a few of them.

Reiki

Probably the most well-known and widely accepted form of healing touch (aside from massage therapy) is a holistic approach called Reiki. An ancient art, Reiki (which means “universal life force”) originated in Tibet and moved westward to Japan. It focuses on the idea of harnessing the “life force” of the universe in order to help heal and sooth the mind, body and spirit. It is a very gentle, nurturing technique that involves a Reiki practitioner holding his or her hands slightly above or on the patient’s body and working with a person’s energy or “life flow” in order to bring about relaxation, stress relief/release, healing, and renewed energy. The practitioner transfers their energy to the patient and helps to realign the body’s natural ability to use and cope with positive energy.

A typical Reiki session (preformed by a trained Reiki teacher or “master” will last between twenty and sixty minutes. As well as touch Reiki involves the use of symbols, mental concentration and channelling into the “universal life force” or energy in order to promote positive results. Reiki also embraces other devices and methods used in healing like crystals, aromatherapy, homeopathy, meditation, aura and chakra balancing. Reiki calls upon the whole body and aims to help it as such.

It is thought (and many people swear by it) to help reduce pain and sickness, promote self-healing, relive tension, remove toxins from the body, reduce stress and worry, strengthen the immune system, and bring about healing after trauma or stress. It aims to help boost vivacity, ingenuity and productivity as well break negative habits, and help improve positive emotional responses such as love and harmony.

There are two primary branches of Reiki. The “Radiance Technique” is the official way of practising Reiki; it works by helping the patient to improve his or her own healing energy. The second method is called the “Usui System of Natural Healing” it looks to strength the body’s energy and wellbeing through the incorporation of the entire body’s (mind and spirit) energy and balance all aspects of the body in harmony.

Reiki is largely thought to work by rejuvenating and rebalancing our body’s energy that has gone amiss for any number of reasons, illness being a primary one. It is often used in conjunction with mainstream medicine and has a solid track record of positive results.

Qi gong (or Qigong)

Pronounced “chi kung” Qigong is a fascinating amalgamation of two key ideas that are used together through relaxation, meditation, mind-body integration, physical activity, stretching, movement and breathing techniques. These two elements are “gong” meaning the skill of working with personal achievement and self-discipline, and “Qi” meaning the vital energy of the body, breath of life or air. It is the disruption (imbalance) or corruption of this energy (also known as “chi”) that is thought by practitioners to lead to illness and other problems of the mind and body.

Those who follow Qigong aim to develop an astute awareness of the Qi energy within in their bodies and utilize their minds to help guide their Qi. Through study and practise some people reach a level of Qi mastery that allows them to apply these techniques as a healing tool on others.

Originating in ancient Chinese medicine Qigong ties into the strongly rooted Chinese belief that good health and wellbeing stem from a well balanced, free flowing (bodily) energy system. It is thought that by maintaining positive Qi it is possible to improve overall health and heal disease by restoring vital energy, cleansing the body of harmful toxins, boasting energy levels, easing stress, tension and worry and working to help maintain a healthy, vivacious lifestyle.

Millions upon millions of people have practised this ancient healing art for millennia, though it is somewhat new to the western world.
Though less touch is involved than with Reiki and other forms of hands on healing, Qigong does sometimes employ the skills of a Qigong master who uses light touch or floats their hands above a person’s body to help restore Qi. Many however practise Qigong by themselves and learn the techniques (such as breathing exercises, stretching, and meditation) either through self-teaching or a Qigong instructor/teacher.

Sa Nam Rasayan

Originating in ancient India Sa Nam Rasayan is a system of healing based on the idea of consciousness; the word Sa Nam Rasayan means “deep relaxation of/in the true identity”. Defined as a very simply system Sa Nam Rasayan uses the power (abilities) of consciousness to alter one’s environment and become transcendent within ourselves, or in other words through your own awareness you can create a specific result within an object, event or person.

Those who follow Sa Nam Rasayan believe that you create stable consciousness (referred to often as a “sacred space”) and balance five separate elements (air, earth, ether, fire, and water). Practitioners strive to reach high levels of meditative relaxation, and within in these states use consciousness to heal others.

Believing that one conscious creates another conscious and within this conscious you can (essentially) get to the root of many problems (physical, mental and spiritual). Those who follow this method believe that through the nervous system’s electromagnetic field, and with a clear mind with only good intentions, one person can affect the electromagnetic field of another.

It is a gentle, simple art that strives to aid humanity, through one on one contact “healers” try to bring about positive changes in their patient’s conscious and electromagnetic fields, changes that can spawn healing, serenity, and other positive results.

Healing Touch or Therapeutic Touch (though some believe the two to be slightly different)

More than just the generalized term for all forms of touch that is intended to heal, “healing touch” or “HT” is a system that incorporates energy based, hands-on methods to help align and balance our (human, as opposed to cosmic or universal) energy fields. It is a very kind, soft approach that is so gentle it is often utilized by patients who cannot bear direct physical contact (such as those in immense chronic pain). A HT practitioner gently moves their hands over the patient to help balance energy and rid the patient of energy blocks.
Though is it very modern this practise is so well received that the American Holistic Nurses Association approved it for use. It is also used by numerous hospitals and care facilities in addition to more traditional mainstream types of treatment. In fact HT even adheres to a specific Standards of Practise, a Scope of Practise Statement, and a Code of Ethics.

Message Therapy

There are probably hundreds of different variants of hands on message therapy practised through out the world. From the gentlest touch or caresses to the use of stones or other items to hard, deep tissue massage.

As well there are two well known Asian forms of massage which have gained considerable notoriety: Shiatsu and Acupressure, both of which aim to treat specific points on the body in order to rebalance energy and aid in pain relief (shiatsu also incorporates assisted stretching).

Key forms of modern massage include relaxation messages (a gentle flowing message that helps to improve circulation and relaxation as well as reducing muscle tension), remedial message which helps to restore function to damaged muscles, ligaments and tendons – it may overlap with other types of physical therapy, and reflexology which uses thumb and finger pressure on certain areas of the feet which are thought to correspond to other areas of the body. (A possible explanation for why so many people like to have their feet rubbed?)

Of all these forms of healing touch (and others, some of which largely incorporate spirituality into them) it is probably massage which is most widely thought to be beneficial and actually able to achieve lasting results. Yet each one has its merits and faults, its stanch supporters and harsh critics and as such you need to be both open to their possibilities and take them with a very realistic grain of salt. None are quick cures, or perfect answers but they may provide you with some relief from pain and/or other positive benefits.

Choose your “healers”/therapists well, as there are frauds out there or others who are not properly trained. Your doctor or local health unit (hospital, hospice, nurses centre, etc) may be able to provide you with a list of registered/trained healing touch practitioners in your area. Certain forms of massage can be preformed by trained/licensed physical therapists and message therapists, and are often your best bet for potentially affective treatment.

But let’s step aside from going to people you pay for human touch, and look at what you can do at home. For starters you can incorporate some of the aspects of both Reiki ad Qigong into your life and practise them alone on your own terms. Employee loved ones and friends who are willing to help you, ask them to gently massage or touch whatever areas you want. Direct massage around the bladder area is not recommended as it may intensify pain levels. Instead a lower back “rub” or leg message may prove far more relaxing and beneficial. If laying on your stomach or in other positions for you is not comfortable/possible, try sitting in a chair or on a pile of pillows while the message is being carried out. Feel free to kindly provide the massager with tips or ideas, and speak up if they are hurting you in any way. Remember you want to reduce pain/stress, not create new discomfort.

One of the allures of massages is that even if they don’t actually eliminate or relieve much of the pain they can do wonders for our mind and emotions. A calming message can reduce tension, and as some say help the world to melt away. Stress reduction in and of itself can be a very powerful tool, especially when dealing with IC, a condition, as many know that can be exasperated by increased levels of stress (as can many IC related conditions like IBS and vulvodynia).

Touch, when given caringly can feel like a treat from above. It can aid in muscle relaxation, promote natural sleepiness, reduce stress and anxiety and create a sense of calm, all things that can have far-reaching, positive affects. When we experience touch we often feel a sense of being loved or cared for, and this alone can provide us with happiness and comfort. Almost all humans (and many animals) not only crave touch, but also need it to feel whole and happy. Touch assures us that we are cared for, and this does wonders for self-esteem and wellbeing. So the next time you feel like your muscles are tense, or you are in a flare it may well be worth seeking out some type of healing touch, if only in a form as simple as that warm hug.