How to Increase Energy & Reduce Fatigue with Kidney Massage

It’s morning time. Your eyes slowly open to the early light. You’re finally awake, but feel your body is still tired from the day before. All the tossing and turning you did throughout the night left you with mere moments of deep sleep at best. You begrudgingly turn over to the side of the bed and think, “How am I going to make it through the day? I have so much to do…I just need more sleep to feel fully rested.” As you step toward the bathroom, you cannot escape the heavy, lethargic movement of your walk. This is how it’s been for the last 4 months. No matter how much rest you give yourself, you are feeling tired every single day.

Does this sound familiar? Chances are you may have experienced adrenal exhaustion or chronic fatigue.

About a year ago I treated a 49 year-old woman who presented with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, fibromyalgia, hypothyroidism, and several other diagnoses. I will call her “Anita”. Anita’s health began to decline after enduring 2 hemorrhagic strokes in the year 2000. Over the years, Anita had consulted with a wide range of health specialists in search of answers to what was causing all her illnesses. She underwent food sensitivity, blood, and hormonal tests and began taking medications to manage her hypothyroidism. The widespread pain she felt began at her neck and traveled down her shoulders, arms, and back like an ongoing river pulsing downstream. If stress had a number, she was at a 7 out of 10 every day. Thankfully, Anita was proactive in her healing and determined to get well. She exercised 35 minutes 2-3 times per week to reduce her pain levels and changed her diet to adhere to the results of her food sensitivity tests. No matter what she did her biggest obstacle was an inescapable fatigue that limited her every day. To garden for two hours in the early morning, one of her favorite activities, required her to recuperate in bed for the following five days. None of the current treatments had success to significantly increase her energy. She was no longer able to engage with her family or church community and she was forced to retire early from her career in life insurance. Anita was desperate to increase her energy, and continued searching for new solutions. When Anita discovered Neurosomatic Therapy (NST), she had hope our treatments were the solutions she was waiting for.

One of the specialized treatments we offer within NST is visceral (organ) massage. Our organs, just like our muscles, can spasm due to physical injury, dietary, environmental and emotional factors. Each of these factors can act as an inhibitory stressor to make our organs work overtime! In a state of spasm, nourishing oxygen-rich blood flows poorly through the tissue, and the organ suffers to perform the functions it’s designed to do. For individuals that are chronically under stress – yes, that includes the coffee fiends out there! – our adrenals, hormones, and thyroid gland take a beating to regulate us back to a homeostatic state. Picture a small triangular hat sitting atop a kidney bean….That is what our adrenals look like!

Our adrenal glands sit on the superior aspect of either kidney lobe. They produce and release cortisol in events we perceive as stressful. We want this response. Our body spikes with a boost of energy and now we are better equipped to handle an emergency situation. Cortisol is needed by the body for normal functioning. However, chronic stress will cause a continuous stream to be released into the bloodstream. Soon enough our body becomes desensitized to our natural energy booster. So, what now? Enter the miraculous coffee! Most of us use this dark, luscious beverage to pep up our nervous system and get us going for the day. Unfortunately, caffeine will only exacerbate fatigue and will require more time for the body to regulate using its own natural resources.

In Anita’s case, I offered that we try a kidney massage because of the amount of physical and emotional stress she was exposed to. This would encourage more blood flow to the kidneys and adrenals, and in turn would restore the proper functioning of these tissues. The following week, Anita arrived overflowing with remarks on her progress. She had a significant boost in her energy levels, felt an increase in her mental alertness, and was able to do more work at home and with her church community!  She said she sustained her energy over the week and slept longer and deeper during the nights. At the end of our last treatment, she thanked me for our time together and said the work we accomplished helped her tremendously.

“Even though it was only 10 sessions, it helped tremendously. I get up in the morning and just look forward to living every day! I feel like a different person! My husband and family noticed a big difference as well, so they also benefited. I’ve never had organ work before, and I believe this was necessary for my healing. This may be future therapy for the rest of my family! Everyone is thrilled that I was able to get help!”
– Anita

It was the first time as a newly practicing therapist where I felt touched by the unique approach that NST offers for truly improving and impacting the lives of our patients.

To learn more about how NST massage can increase energy levels and reduce pain, read Anita’s full case report.

Stay tuned for next week’s blog where we reveal Wolff’s Law, one of the foundational principles used in NST to fully resolve pathologies!

References:

1. Chew S. Hypoadrenalism (underactivity of the adrenal glands). Netdoctor. https://www.netdoctor.co.uk/conditions/liver-kidney-and-urinary-system/a3030/hypoadrenalism-underactivity-of-the-adrenal-glands/. Published May 9, 2018. Accessed April 23, 2020.
2. Board PDQATE. [Figure, Anatomy of the adrenal gland…] – PDQ Cancer Information Summaries – NCBI Bookshelf. PDQ Cancer Information Summaries [Internet]. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK65782/figure/CDR0000269044__204/. Published July 6, 2007. Accessed April 23, 2020.