The best way to approach Bassist Shoulder is holistically. This means getting a sense of the big picture in terms of 1) how the bassist interacts with his instrument posturally, 2) what the existing state of the musculature is, and 3) how the body compensates for the weight of the bass.
Chinese medicine, comprised of acupuncture, herbs, and cupping, is a holistic medical system equipped to address problems like Bassist Shoulder. Central to the concept of Chinese medicine is flow, primarily the flow of blood and oxygen throughout the body. "When flow is impaired pain arises," is a truism from the Chinese medical classics. This is evident in the instance of Bassist Shoulder: the weight of the bass along with narrow strap width combine to impair the flow of blood and oxygen through the tissues and fascia that connect the neck and shoulder. Hip, lower back and even knee pain arise from the stress of compensation.
There are many ways that an acupuncturist may approach Bassist Shoulder, but they boil down to local and distal applications. Some acupuncturists favour strictly one approach over the other, but mainly it depends upon the patient's response. Local applications are not restricted to just needles. Finger acupuncture (needle-less acupuncture) , Chinese massage, and cupping are commonly used to increase the flow of blood and oxygen in the local tissue to speed tissue repair and relieve pain. Cupping is very effective for releasing the stress held by the big muscles of the neck and shoulder.
In a previous article, String Musicians Fret Over Carpal Tunnel, I discuss some common postural issues related to the playing of neck instruments. Some attention is drawn toward a personal preference for distal needling in dealing with pain, particularly regarding pain in nerve rich areas like the wrists. Distal techniques can be equally effective in releasing large muscle groups like the sternocleidomastoid and trapezius muscles of the neck. Possibly, this is in part due to the neuro-muscular retraining that occurs as the affected area is free to clear pain and relearn postural awareness, while another neural impulse from the needles is being initiated from a distal site.
There is a holism that is also contained within certain distal approaches. This is because these approaches place the body within a matrix, where imbalance anywhere produces corresponding imbalances. Often working on something that appears unrelated is precisely the linchpin for correcting a slew of imbalances. It is not unusual for needle impulses from the knee to release the shoulder and the hip, because this is the place within the matrix that balances the whole.
By addressing Bassist Shoulder with cupping and acupuncture, chronic neck and should problems can be greatly ameliorated and in many instances complete function and mobility can be restored. A proper holistic approach must include more than just treating the symptoms. This means learning movements and postural awareness that will prevent relapse and make playing the bass more enjoyable than it already its.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
What Are You Lookin' At: Tongue Diagnosis in Chinese Medicine
Patients, when asked to stick out their tongue, often wonder what on earth their Chinese doctors are looking at. In short, we're looking for certain signs, texture, moisture, coat quality, shape, and color, to confirm our diagnosis.
An irregular tongue texture, for instance, can indicate signs of heat. We might translate "heat" into biomedical terms like inflammation and fever. By contrast, excess moisture is suggestive of metabolic deficiencies, perhaps an under active thyroid. A glassy tongue coat reflects a very deeply seated infection that has damaged the body's overall strength.
The tongue is a chief diagnostic tool much like a thermometer only much richer in the quality of information. For example, a thermometer will definitely be able to tell you that you're running a temperature, but it won't be able to tell you where the heat is located. The tongue, however, in many circumstances can offer a good clue as to where the an infection is hanging out in the body. This is because different places on the tongue, say the tip, the edges, its root, all correspond to particular parts of the body. Thus the tongue is a kind of map of the body, a micro-system not altogether different from the micro-systems of the foot and hand, popularized by reflexology. Each micro-system does have it's particularities. The tongue seems to be a particularly good diagnostic tool for apprehending the condition of the body's digestive system.
The tongue presentation is helpful for prescribing herbal formulas. Two individuals may present with the same problem, say respiratory infection, but show differing tongue pictures, due to the difference in each individual to fight pathogenic invasion in light of preexisting conditions. A person who has lung weakness, for example, will respond differently to the same bug as someone with digestive weakness. Evaluating the tongue is a reliable guide for making such determinations.
A 23 y.o. female came to me for relief from a respiratory infection that had been lingering for the better part of three months. A month prior she had taken a round of antibiotics with no improvement. Chief symptoms were malaise and congestion. Her tongue was sticky, white, and frothy. From the tongue, I deduced that her problem originated from a stagnant digestive mechanism. I prescribed for her a formula used commonly for food poisoning and hangovers. Her case resolved in 10 days.
Tongue picture is much more valuable in diagnosing chronic conditions than it is for trauma. In other words, tongue diagnosis is useful in cases of osteoporosis, but not really for an ankle sprain. Still, acute conditions often have a chronic component that until the trauma occurred was subclinical. In other words, a fracture due to trauma may be due to underlying osteoporosis. Thus, the tongue along with other factors can allow us to make such a determination.
Chinese medicine differentiates between the branch and root of a condition. The branch is generally the symptoms that send a person in search of relief. The root is the what the doctor of Chinese medicine diagnoses to get at the source of the problem. The tongue gives a picture of what is happening at the source.
An irregular tongue texture, for instance, can indicate signs of heat. We might translate "heat" into biomedical terms like inflammation and fever. By contrast, excess moisture is suggestive of metabolic deficiencies, perhaps an under active thyroid. A glassy tongue coat reflects a very deeply seated infection that has damaged the body's overall strength.
The tongue is a chief diagnostic tool much like a thermometer only much richer in the quality of information. For example, a thermometer will definitely be able to tell you that you're running a temperature, but it won't be able to tell you where the heat is located. The tongue, however, in many circumstances can offer a good clue as to where the an infection is hanging out in the body. This is because different places on the tongue, say the tip, the edges, its root, all correspond to particular parts of the body. Thus the tongue is a kind of map of the body, a micro-system not altogether different from the micro-systems of the foot and hand, popularized by reflexology. Each micro-system does have it's particularities. The tongue seems to be a particularly good diagnostic tool for apprehending the condition of the body's digestive system.
The tongue presentation is helpful for prescribing herbal formulas. Two individuals may present with the same problem, say respiratory infection, but show differing tongue pictures, due to the difference in each individual to fight pathogenic invasion in light of preexisting conditions. A person who has lung weakness, for example, will respond differently to the same bug as someone with digestive weakness. Evaluating the tongue is a reliable guide for making such determinations.
A 23 y.o. female came to me for relief from a respiratory infection that had been lingering for the better part of three months. A month prior she had taken a round of antibiotics with no improvement. Chief symptoms were malaise and congestion. Her tongue was sticky, white, and frothy. From the tongue, I deduced that her problem originated from a stagnant digestive mechanism. I prescribed for her a formula used commonly for food poisoning and hangovers. Her case resolved in 10 days.
Tongue picture is much more valuable in diagnosing chronic conditions than it is for trauma. In other words, tongue diagnosis is useful in cases of osteoporosis, but not really for an ankle sprain. Still, acute conditions often have a chronic component that until the trauma occurred was subclinical. In other words, a fracture due to trauma may be due to underlying osteoporosis. Thus, the tongue along with other factors can allow us to make such a determination.
Chinese medicine differentiates between the branch and root of a condition. The branch is generally the symptoms that send a person in search of relief. The root is the what the doctor of Chinese medicine diagnoses to get at the source of the problem. The tongue gives a picture of what is happening at the source.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
