Lotions, Potions, and Gadgets

for Orthopedic and Body Work Practices

Course Instructor:  Mary J. Rogel, Ph.D., L.Ac.

When:      Sunday, December 6, 2009

Time:       10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (with an hour for lunch)

Where:    Hyde Park Bank Building

                 1525 East 53^rd Street, 4^th Floor Conference Rm

Cost:       $80

Credits:  4 Illinois Acupuncture CEUs

Working with ligaments and tendons requires a different set of skills from working with muscles and energetics.  Ligaments and tendons are stiff, deep structures.  When we release the tension in stiff tissue, we are able to affect how bones articulate with one another inside a joint.  If we then strengthen the stiff tissue, it will hold the bones in their new positions.  If a lot of wear and tear has occurred in the bones (hard tissue) and muscles (soft tissue), the stiff tissue, now like worn-out elastic, is going to have a difficult job holding the bones in place until the opposing muscle groups can recover their strength and learn a new and better-balanced way of working together.  It is our job as body workers and orthopedic practitioners to help these tissues do their job.

In this class we will work with various lotions, potions, and gadgets that help us release the stiff tissue, move the bones, and aid the soft and stiff tissues in the recovery process:

·       Liniments, salves, and oils that work on soft, stiff, and hard tissues.

·       Methods and techniques for using heat and cold.

·       Ways of using gua sha to affect different tissues. (Bring your gua sha tools.)

·       Techniques for using vibration to assist in moving bones and in healing tissues.

It will be a day to get your hands dirty, so wear clothing that you don’t mind getting greasy or stained.

Course Objectives

This course is open to all body workers, including acupuncturists, massage therapists, chiropractors, naprapaths, physicians, physical therapists, and other practitioners who rely on their hands to treat the body.

The objectives of this course are to explore:

·       Various Eastern and Western liniments, salves, lotions, and oils and how to use them to treat skin, muscle, tendon, ligament, and bone.

·       Different methods and tools for doing gua sha to affect different tissues.

·       The use of vibration for healing tissue and adjusting joints.

·       Methods and techniques for using heat and cold.

·       How and when to use low-tech methods, such as golf balls, vs. high-tech methods, such as ultrasound.

·       Which methods work best on which joints.

·       How to begin treatment on patients in so much pain that you cannot touch them, and how to end treatment in ways to minimize rebound.

If we are lucky enough to have a supply of massage needles, we will learn how to use them, too.

Course Instructor

Mary J. Rogel, Ph.D., L.Ac., opened her practice, East Point Associates, Ltd., in Hyde Park after graduating from the Midwest Center for the Study of Oriental Medicine in 1986.  Her practice has a strong focus on orthopedics, body mechanics, and manual manipulation; and she has been teaching orthopedics for acupuncturists and body workers since 1999.