Dorota Lombardi

Gua Sha Massage Therapy, with an R.M.T., is a light treatment that uses gentle Swedish massage techniques with the therapists hands and with irregularly carved smooth flat stones (or stainless steel) to gently help relieve fascial restrictions, muscle tension, and gently push water (lymph) flow throughout the body to circulate more efficiently. Passive stretches are used after kneading to realign the muscle tissue. Using Gua Sha tools in a Swedish massage therapy treatment gives the client a much different experience when relieving soft tissue restrictions and adhesions and the technique is very ancient in nature however it is not to be confused with the Gua Sha treatments that is used by Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Practitioners (their approach can be more aggressive for a different treatment goal) or a Graston Technique provider. Even though the technique used by the R.M.T is very gentle and the goal is to relieve tension superficially only, redness on the skin (hyperaemia or petechia) and skin bruising can still occur. If bruising does appear, it will subside within 5-7 days, depending on how much bruising there is and how sensitive the body was and is. It is advised to be careful not to bump the affected areas, so the skin can recover properly. Combined with Hot Stone Massage, this treatment will give double benefits of a relaxation type treatment (with the heated stones) and a focused one (with Gua Sha tools) Cold Stones can also be used for cooling inflammation and scented or unscented oils are used based on client preferences and safety.

Manual Lymphatic Drainage is a gentle and relaxing treatment where gentle hands are used to push and encourage the water (lymph) to flow more efficiently throughout the body, drain at their appropriate lymph nodes for processing and then flush out; detoxing inflammation. This treatment modality is great to reduce swelling and inflammation, supporting the body to relax (relaxing the parasympathetic nervous system), metabolize the water flow and clean itself out however side effects may still occur. Even though this type of treatment massage modality can be very cleansing and relieving to the body, a flu-like symptom reaction called the Herxheimer (Herx) reaction can still occur. If this reaction occurs, it can range from being very mild to severe, depending on how prepared your body is in letting go of their toxins. If you feel any degree of this reaction, give yourself rest to recover. If you have any conditions and need to know if lymphatic drainage is the right treatment for you, always consult with your primary medical physician first before proceeding for treatment. Manual Lymphatic Drainage can be divided into three separate treatment types — a 30min. facial lymphatic drainage massage treatment which incorporates the face, scalp, neck and shoulders, a 15-30minute add-on treatment to any existing massage therapy modality provided at KIH Clinic or an independent 60-90minute full body manual lymphatic massage treatment. The effects of any massage can take time, especially when draining lymphatic vessels, so it is usually best and advised to utilize this treatment weekly — unless restricted by your doctor or primary healthcare professional.