A Polarity Session

About Polarity Therapy	Life energy is in constant pulsation from positive to negative poles creating fields and energetic lines of force within and around the body. Health is experienced when energy flows smoothly without significant blockage or fixation. When energy is unbalanced, blocked or fixed due to stress or other factors, pain and dis-ease arise. From the subtle to the dense levels, each element - Ether, Air, Fire, Water, and Earth - may become out of balance resulting in specific body/mind effects.. Polarity Therapy, developed by Randolph Stone, D.C., D.O., is a system of gentle hands on energy balancing supported by exercises, diet, and counseling to find the blockages and release energy to normal flow patterns, and to maintain the Energy Field in an open, flexible condition.

During a Session	During a polarity session, you remain fully clothed and lay on a comfortable surface. The practitioner will touch and press and find! tender points on your body, particularly the head, neck, shoulders, back, feet and hands. Gentle pressure is applied to each tender spot and its corresponding reflex area until the tension releases and the tissues relax. By gentle hand contacts, the practitioner releases energy flows in specific areas, similar to unblocking a water pipe filled with leaves. Once the flow is restored, the body’s own healing properties become more effective. The results of releasing tension in this comprehensive way are feelings of profound relaxation and well being at the conclusion of treatment. These feelings have been known to last for weeks or months even after just one session. You may also be given a gentle polarity exercise home program. Exercises often include self-massage and gentle positioning to relieve stress and tension. On occasion, nutrition is discussed and a diet is recommended.

Indications	Polarity Therapy is especially helpful to people with chronic conditions that have not responded to conventional treatments. Chronic neck, shoulder, back pain Fibromyalgia Headaches and sinus problems Chronic fatigue syndrome Anxiety Disorders and Panic Attacks Frail elderly who "have no energy" General complaints of "not feeling well" for a long time (though no medical diagnosis can be made) Health oriented persons who want to remain healthy People with chronic colds, flu, and other indications of immune system depression People with chronic gas, constipation, bloating Sometimes helpful in arthritis pain relief Any condition in which stress appears a relevant factor

Contraindications	Acute conditions requiring medical attention Acute inflammations or infections Conditions which prohibit patient from lying supine Not to be used as a substitute for medical care

Side Effects	Because Polarity Therapy is non-invasive, few side effects occur. The most common are a feeling of increased circulation and energy flow and a resulting need to eliminate. No vigorous manipulation of body tissue is involved, though there may be some soreness when muscle tension that has been held for a long time is released. Occasionally there is a "cleansing response" in which long held symptoms become worse for 24-48 hours before resolving.

About your Practitioner	Jill N. Henry, Ed.D.,PT, APP is certified as an Associate Polarity Practitioner by the American Polarity Therapy Association and practices at Mountain Valley Center in Otto, NC. Prior to beginning her Polarity practice, Dr. Henry worked as a physical therapist in nursing homes, home health, and acute hospitals in Northeast Georgia and Western North Carolina. Before moving to the mountains in 1994, Dr. Henry was Associate Professor of Physical Therapy at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA, and remains a consultant to the Dean’s office. She, like Dr. Stone, has moved from a mechanistic medical view to a more holistic approach. Though there is an overlap between physical therapy techniques and polarity therapy, the foundation of treatment is very different. It is the difference between seeing the body as a rigid, mechanical structure vs. seeing the body as a living energy system, capable of self-regulation when provided the correct stimulus. Because of this difference, she does not practice as a physical therapist doing polarity therapy. Instead, she brings over 25 years of medical background into her Polarity Practice. This provides further safety for clients, who are immediately referred to the medical community when by their history or physical assessment they show signs of requiring medical attention.

Further Information	1 to 1½ hour sessions are $50 by appointment and consist of body work and information on diet, exercise and life management skills. Call Jill at Mountain Valley Center, 10248 Georgia Rd. ( US 441), Otto, NC 28763, Toll Free: 888-773-2491 or Franklin area 369-5698 to sign up for a session that will give your Life Balance and Flow!