O2
Derm™ Relief Healing Gel – How I Use it
in My Practice
I was sitting in my office minding my own
business when a good friend walked in.
Ron is a guy that when he speaks – I listen. We had been meeting for years at breakfast to
discuss business stuff and how to market.
Now he was marketing a new product and I listened.
He described a new oxygenated gel that he said was good for skin. He told me later that I looked at him like he was just plain nuts. I’m sure that I did.
He described a new oxygenated gel that he said was good for skin. He told me later that I looked at him like he was just plain nuts. I’m sure that I did.
I care about pain – not skin!
I agreed to try the product – after all – it was Ron and he had asked (Ron doesn’t make mistakes!). I still was not ready for what came next.
I approached a friend who had become a patient and asked her if I could but this along her upper back over the thoracic spine. She was willing. I rubbed only over the spinous processes. Her eyes got really big. She looked at me and said, “I’m breathing better!”
I agreed to try the product – after all – it was Ron and he had asked (Ron doesn’t make mistakes!). I still was not ready for what came next.
I approached a friend who had become a patient and asked her if I could but this along her upper back over the thoracic spine. She was willing. I rubbed only over the spinous processes. Her eyes got really big. She looked at me and said, “I’m breathing better!”
I
certainly did not expect a reaction like that from a person with a pretty nasty
spinal stenosis in the area. I tried
really hard to control the expression on my face. I explained, in a very professional manner,
that I wanted her husband to apply it daily over just that area for a month and
to return and let me know how it went.
She did return and gave a much fuller report that I had asked for. Her body temperature went from 95 up to 97 degrees. Her fibromyalgia pain was gone. Her breathing had improved and if she had to cough it didn’t make her cry anymore! I certainly was not expecting that. I started to experiment.
I started with muscles. I’m a Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist – it’s what I do. I tested muscle length. I then applied the gel. Then I retested. Almost without fail the application of the gel was followed by an increase in muscle length. That was pretty impressive since I didn’t even press a trigger point.
She did return and gave a much fuller report that I had asked for. Her body temperature went from 95 up to 97 degrees. Her fibromyalgia pain was gone. Her breathing had improved and if she had to cough it didn’t make her cry anymore! I certainly was not expecting that. I started to experiment.
I started with muscles. I’m a Myofascial Trigger Point Therapist – it’s what I do. I tested muscle length. I then applied the gel. Then I retested. Almost without fail the application of the gel was followed by an increase in muscle length. That was pretty impressive since I didn’t even press a trigger point.
What
would happen if I applied it systematically? I found out that when I used it instead of
compression in my pelvic stabilization protocol that it did the same thing that
I usually did with my hands. That was
impressive.
I then wondered if it might possibly have an
effect neurologically. That was easy to
do. I asked a student if I could do an
experiment. She complied. I tested the ROM of all of the muscles in the
upper extremity. Then I applied the gel
to the lower cervical area from C5 – T1.
I retested. Every motion improved
as if I had applied it to each muscle!
At this point I decided that I really needed
to make a video for the company so that others could see what I was doing and
how to apply the gel. As I drove to the
shoot I remembered that I had not yet tried it on acupuncture points. A friend of mine has a massage studio; as it
was on the way I pulled in. Once inside I asked if I could conduct a therapy experiment.
A patient with some back pain volunteered. I tested her ROM for the QL and the
Psoas. I then applied the gel to the
points on the toes that corresponded to the low back. Her pain was gone and both muscles had
improved ROM with less than a minute!
I
now had something else to include in my photo shoot.
I
was interviewed by Corrina Rachel, holistic
health coach associated with popular wellness channel PsycheTruth. She is also
known for her ASMR videos on the secondary channel ASMR Massage Psychetruth.
The video is in the link below.
My experience is that the muscles seem to
relax faster and become more flexible.
My clients often tell me that they have more pain relief. The primary effect of the gel is to put
oxygen into the skin.
I believe the oxygen has a positive effect on
the nerves in the skin. I have rubbed
gel into the back and into painful muscles and the clients have reported these
results.
To see my two videos on how to apply
the gel you can click the following links:
1.
A combined step by step demo of the
toes, QL, and lumbar spine application –
2. A
combined step by step demo of my treatment of a man with cervical stenosis. I start with spinal application and then move
on to acupuncture points on the finger tips, and finally to the muscle –
Other Effects of the Gel
The inventor of the gel loaned me a
thermography camera. I wanted to see if
the gel had an effect on inflammation.
Here is what I found in the first shoulder that I used the camera on:
In the photos below, the white area is inflamed. In the first picture the temperature is 92.9. It is taken at 10:51. The second picture was take about a minute later after the application of the gel.
In the photos below, the white area is inflamed. In the first picture the temperature is 92.9. It is taken at 10:51. The second picture was take about a minute later after the application of the gel.
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The temperature dropped to
89.5 in less than a minute. This is
without any intervening bodywork. This
may be a part of the explanation for why the changes in pain and ROM are so
immediate.
In the second set we have a
person with chest pain. The beginning
temperature is 94.5 and we can see the
inflammation. The second picture was
taken about 9 minutes later. There was
no intervening treatment.
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It was observed that inflammation
decreased and temperature was reduced by 7.7 degrees, demonstrating that the inflammation is gone
for a period of time. This allows the
performance of
self-care stretches and
routines that may have been less effective without the application of the gel.
How
to Apply the Gel
People are always asking me how to get the
best results using the O2 Derm™ Topical Gel.
The first thing to do is to apply the gel liberally and allow it to sit
for about 5 minutes for optimal effect. I have rubbed it in as well and saw
results also but the sitting time really seems to add to the effect. There are 3 distinct methods that I have
found to be useful in relieving pain.
1)
Trigger Point Application
Just like your
instinct tells you – rub it where you know that the trigger points are located. That is the first thing all of us
do. Your patients get one of the great
self-treatment books that are available and apply gel in addition to using
pressure.
2)
Spinal Treatment of the Associated Dermatome
The second thing that I have found useful is to rub it into the area of the spine that controls the
nerves in the skin where the pain is felt. Refer to the image shown on the right. The numbered side shows where the nerves come
out from on the spine. On the other side of the
picture you can see where the nerves come to the
skin.
Rub the gel at the level of the spine where
the pain is felt in the body. I usually see an increase in
flexibility when I use the
gel. The increase in flexibility provides the opportunity
to move. That is what I tell people to
do. Movement is the key to keeping the blood moving and the body
in less pain.
3)
Acupuncture Points
The third area I have seen work is to use the
gel on finger and toe acupuncture points. I think this works because the nerves
from those areas terminate in the extremities.
I have also seen this work in the back by rubbing the gel over the area
where the ribs attach to the breast bone.
Hand Points Toe Points
Really Important Concluding Thoughts
I really love the gel. It does a lot as a supportive treatment. It is not a replacement for good hands on
work. It generally does not “fix” the
problem. What it does is provide an
opportunity for the patient to actually move.
The brain gets to learn that movement is actually possible and that it
feels good. Application of the gel at home
and in the office should always be followed by movement.
Movement is the really big part of the
treatment. Many patients have complained
that the gel does not work as well when they get it home. That may be due to them not moving and
expecting the gel to do the work.
Another thing that you can ask is for the patient to apply the gel in your office so that you can see what they are doing. They often get it wrong. This is just like asking them to do their stretches in your presence so that you can see what they are actually doing. Dr. Travell taught us to do that with stretches and it should apply equally to other self-care activities. This is the coaching part of our work.
I recommend trying this and seeing how it works for you!
Another thing that you can ask is for the patient to apply the gel in your office so that you can see what they are doing. They often get it wrong. This is just like asking them to do their stretches in your presence so that you can see what they are actually doing. Dr. Travell taught us to do that with stretches and it should apply equally to other self-care activities. This is the coaching part of our work.
I recommend trying this and seeing how it works for you!
