Shiatsu Massage For Pregnant Women.
Pregnancy and childbirth has become a "medical
technology" event in today's society despite
the fact that it is a naturally occurring
physical and emotional part of a woman's
being.
Women today experience one scan, after
another during pregnancy, encounter higher
rates of Caesarean section births and a host of
other mechanical interventions. It has become
anything but a natural process for most women
giving birth today.
Women are starting to demand that
practitioners listen to their need for a more
natural, body-directed pregnancy experience and
birthing.
Pregnancy brings with the joys, quite a few
physical symptoms that women need to address,
including: backaches, headaches, and leg and
hip pains.
Shiatsu offers them natural
pain relief from these and other pregnancy
aches and pains by targeting acupressure points
to bring about tension relief and a feeling of
deep relaxation. Other issues that can be dealt
with using shiatsu are puffiness and swelling
caused by water retention.
This often occurs in the feet and lower legs
of the pregnant woman, but can also occur
elsewhere on the body as well. Shiatsu can
stimulate the body to restore it's natural
balance. Another common ailment of pregnancy is
morning sickness.
This is caused by over-acidity during the
first trimester of pregnancy. Over-acidity also
causes the woman to experience reduced
flexibility, food and other cravings, and an
increased bodily tension. When women combine
healthy dietary habits with shiatsu as well as
stretching exercises like those in yoga they
find improved flexibility and ability to manage
stress better.
Shiatsu can help keep a woman's body in
alignment while it stretches to accommodate the
growing baby. During labor shiatsu can help the
woman to focus her breathing on the painful
parts of her body and increase her natural
birth experience.
Shiatsu allows one to have a unique
relationship with one's own body in that you
are aware of and can enjoy your own energy
sources that are a part of who you are. Part of
what relieves women most can be the "negative
release" they feel when undergoing the
massage.
They become one with their bodies instead of
being unsure or even fighting what their bodies
are trying to do. There was a study done in
England where the effects of Shiatsu
were evaluated as 66 women progressed through
their labors and deliveries at the St.
Michael's Hospital in Bristol, England from
March through July of the year 2000.
Those participating in the study attended a
hospital consultant clinic appointment where a
midwife taught them the massage
techniques.
This midwife had been instructed on the art of
Shiatsu during a six-week course. There was a
control group of 76 women who attended similar
clinics but were not taught the shiatsu
techniques.
The group of women who were taught shiatsu
was shown how to use thumb pressure at three
different body points (gall bladder, large
intestine and spleen).
They were taught to hold the thumb pressure
on these points until they experienced a
"reaction", at which point they were instructed
to "work the point" deeper and firmer for as
long as she felt comfortable.
These women were encouraged to use these
shiatsu techniques at home. The study
included information gathered and audited
regarding the women as they underwent
labor, deliver and analgesia.
It was noted whether or not they were
induced, what type of delivery they had,
and what analgesia was used. The study
revealed that of the group of women who
used shiatsu 17% of them went into
spontaneous labor.
Theraputic Massage Terms and
Facts.
A head massage
can build on a facial massage,
combining it with massage of
the scalp.
This can
relieve some of the symptoms of
a headache. It can also be very
soothing and relaxing,
especially when you are
tired.
The scalp can
be massaged somewhat more
vigorously than the face
itself, but again effleurage
should be the main technique
used.
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Those women who completed the audit
questionnaire, 80% found the shiatsu
techniques to be helpful to them during
labor and delivery.
The study did not say how many of the women
of the total participating actually
answered the audit questionnaire.
The authors of the study concluded, "This
preliminary study raises the hypothesis
that the use of specific shiatsu techniques
on post-term women by midwives reduces the
number of labors that need to be induced
pharmacologically" (Complementary Therapies
in Medicine, Volume 13, Issue 1, March 2005
pg 11-15).
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