Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/149404
Autism, Body work, and Children Lastly, on the Stomach (St) Meridian—heat ran from St 1 to St 4, which run from below the eye down the front of the face. The Stomach Meridian also runs through the thyroid, which showed inflammation in Yin Lo's study subjects all the way to St 12 on either side of the chest below the clavicle. Treatment Strategy A strategy for working with autistic clients is to treat all three suspect meridians together. The massage therapist will use a combination of tui na and manual lymphatic massage. Acupressure should generally be applied with pressure equaling the weight of a nickel. Again, the three meridians represent a treatment of the neurological, gastrointestinal, and immunological systems. [2[ In addition, the Lower He-Sea points of the Large and Small Intestines, St 37 and St 39, can be addressed as part of treating vital organs of digestion. To finish the stomach treatment, a connection can be made by holding two contact areas and points. The extra point between the eyebrows, Yin Tang (popularly known as the Third Eye), functions also to calm the mind and Conception Vessel 12 (CV 12) on the mid-sagittal line between the navel and xiphoid process. CV 12 is the master point of the stomach (Image 3). Contact can be static for 15–20 seconds, followed by counterclockwise rotation of the Yin Tang point. [3[ Bi-polar contact on Yin Tang and CV 12 for balance. Counterclockwise rotation on St 36 on the tibialis. In addition, for balance, some of the yin organs and meridians that partner with the yang organs—according to the FiveElement Theory—shall also be addressed. Start with the Stomach meridian and its FiveElement partner, the Spleen, by doing a Chinese tui na stomach massage (Image 1, page 86). The goal is to balance and harmonize Stomach qi. This treatment involves a mixture of rotations, kneading, and squeezing with both hands, combined with acupressure using fingers and thumbs. From a Western viewpoint, this facilitates better food breakdown and assimilation. In addition, certain acupressure points like St 36 (Image 2), the master point of digestion, should be addressed on each leg. If it's tender, which is likely to happen in conditions of excess, the therapist should rotate his or her thumb counterclockwise with the pressure of one nickel until the sensitivity stops. This can take a minute or two; exercise patience. After treating the stomach and its corresponding meridian, the Kidney meridian can be addressed for more sedation and grounding. In TCM, the excess energy of the organs and meridians along the head can be likened to a fire going out of control. The nature of heat energy is to rise, so it tends to rise to the head and stay there. Also, the brain is controlled by the Heart organ, which, from a bioenergetic viewpoint, belongs to the element Fire. So, by using the Kidney organ and meridian points belonging to the Water element, we douse that fire, in a manner of speaking. Two good points to treat with acupressure are Kidney 1 and 3 on the foot. After holding each point for approximately a minute, the therapist can rotate each thumb counterclockwise for another minute or so with light pressure. So far, we have not started locally on the inflamed points on the head, face, and thorax. The idea is to first work distally to these areas to pull the excess energy away from the brain, which results in grounding and sedation. The last step is to do acupressure on the head itself by focusing on the three yang meridians in sequence. The objective is to channel the excess energy in the meridians of the head downward. www.abmp.com. See what benefits await you. 89