Massage Therapy?

[advocatemom]

I'm wondering if any of you have had your PANDAS kids take massage therapy? I'm considering Reikki for my dd11. I know she would not let anyone touch her body and I'd like to try this "no-touch" version of massage as she's recovering from PANDAS. A friend's mom is master level 4 in Reikki and she would come to our house to do it. I'm just wondering if anyone has had positive experience with massage and PANDAS kids?

[MomWithOCDSon]

We had a great deal of success at a very young age with professional chiropractic, and, up until puberty at least, I used both massage and chiropractic techniques to soothe my DS and try to fight allergies, colds and ear infections. Especially with the chiropractic, the results were palpable; if I got him to the doctor for an adjustment at the first sign of a cold or congestion, we could head it off pretty well without any major descent into illness (ear infection, etc.). Now that he's older, though, he's not comfortable with touch, either; puberty has set in!

 

We tried a no-touch/light-touch technique recently which, I'll have to admit, I think was not legitimate. I don't want to call it out by name (it wasn't reiki), but the whole experience rang as very insincere. I think a lot of the benefits of the "energy arts" is to be found in the patient allowing, participating and even "buying into" the potential for benefits, so you might try discussing it with your DD, or suggest one session as a trial and see how she responds to it. I grew up with reiki, meditation, yoga, and a whole host of fairly "new age" lifestyle practices, and I've seen them provide benefits to many. I just think there's an element of faith and "belief in" that needs to accompany the experience in order to enjoy those benefits. For my scientifically-minded, skeptical DS, it just wasn't going to fit the bill, at least not at this point.

 

Good luck! It's certainly worth a try!

[smartyjones]

for a while, my ds was going to a cranial sacral therapist. it is a touch type of therapy. he did like it and "allowed" it, which surprised me at first. the first time, he sat on my lap. at a mid-point, he let off an unbelievable amount of heat. it was as if someone put a huge pot of boiling water in my lap -- very bizarre. there were times when i thought it made a difference for him. one time, the next day, i was picking him up from school and saw him from afar and just felt his general 'aura' and face looked lighter and brighter.

 

i do plan on picking it up again in the future. we stopped when we went to our current integrative MD and started treating multiple infections -- had previously just been treating strep. would be good to do all but have to juggle $.

 

i'd have to say i think multiple therapies can be very helpful in managing symptoms but my real belief in healing come from treating the infections.

 

keep us posted on results if you do it.

Edited January 20, 2011 by smartyjones

[smartyjones]

I grew up with reiki, meditation, yoga, and a whole host of fairly "new age" lifestyle practices, and I've seen them provide benefits to many.

 

 

i have to say mom, that surprises me! have i been ascribing your ds's scientific mind to you?

[PhillyPA]

I have done Reiki for my son. It seems to help. So much so that I got trained to do it. They do it in hospitals quite often, especially in cancer units. Why it works - I am not sure. I don't know about energy and healing. But I do know that touch helps people. The feeling of someone giving you a hug. Touch helps. Especially the elderly who very rarely get to experience the hands of someone touching them. Reiki is very calming for my son. He jumps up on the table and directs her as to where he wants to be touched. I do it myself to him now. I would never do it as a profession because quite honestly I don't like touching strangers. But I do it for my son. Most Reiki practitioners do hands on touch so you have to be specific that you do not want hands on. I would be very skeptical of someone who says that their Reiki is very powerful or strong. You want the humble practioner. I would recommend it. It is worth a shot.

[MomWithOCDSon]

i have to say mom, that surprises me! have i been ascribing your ds's scientific mind to you?

 

I wish! I have to give DH credit for that particular set of genes! I'm practical and analytical, but I'm generally not bound by what's "proven, scientifically studied or documented" like my boys tend to be. My dad is a 40-year "terminal" cancer survivor, and my entire childhood revolved around yoga and meditation, the power of positive thinking, and all ilks of energy work and healing arts. He credits much of it with saving his life, and who am I to argue?

 

So, as you've suggested, I feel like there's room in this world for all sorts of avenues toward healing, and maybe many (or most) of them work best in combinations. Maybe sometimes unexpected combinations!

 

Open mind, open heart!