Understanding Integrative Manual Therapy

03/02/2009

    When trying to understand something new like Integrative Manual Therapy (IMT), it is important to learn the subject's terminology, but more importantly you need to address its frame of reference and the scope of application.

    IMT is best described as a health care process. It is a unique set of techniques, approaches and methodologies used to address pain, dysfunction, disease and disability. It achieves health and recovery by taking into account the diverse systems of the human body and addressing dysfunction at the cellular level. IMT practitioners use their hands (among other tools) to assess and treat clients giving the body an opportunity to heal itself.

    The fundamental premise of IMT is locating the root cause of dysfunction and reopening the body’s natural lines of communication. Once this inherent flow is restored the body’s innate healing abilities return to optimum.

    That the body operates as a whole and that all the systems of the body seek to protect the body in as normal a state of operating condition as possible is a basic frame of reference for IMT practitioners. Working from this perspective as a foundation for application of evaluation and treatment has led to the development of a system of techniques aimed at locating the root causes of any situations challenging the normal functioning and health of the body and addressing those causes directly. Only when the causes are treated can the body's potential for healthy functioning return.
    This approach is a breakthrough medical therapy leading to whole body health and recovery.

    Each patient receives one-on-one attention from a highly skilled practitioner. The approach utilizes a number of different techniques and approaches and therefore is Integrative. The techniques are manually administered and the therapy leads to actual health and gives the body the opportunity to fully recover.

    Many currently followed models of medical treatment seek to address symptoms with surgical or invasive procedures and often accompany those procedures with powerful drugs. Integrative Manual Therapy seeks to restore health so a patient can recover fully with non-invasive techniques and without drugs.

Tips for Rehabilitation: How to help rehabilitate your body and make IMT more effective
•    Eat the right foods to help make it easier for the body to heal. Consider eating a multicolored salad daily to improve the fiber and vitamin intake and to help your body rid itself of toxins while improving your digestive organ health.
•    Consider drinking more water, including mineral water, to rid the body of toxins and to get the cells functioning optimally with better hydration while improving overall fluid volume.
•    Increase the right type of fat in your diet to help with cell membrane structure for better cell defenses and functioning. Good fats include olive oil, nuts, avocados and Omega 3 oil supplements.

    Typically the first thing a patient wants to know is if we can cure them of a particular malady. When Einstein revolutionized the field of physics, he did so with a blank blackboard containing no assumptions from the past. We approach each patient the same way. For example, a conventional label of “fibromyalgia” is often related to a weakened immune system and the impact of toxicity in the body. The nature of that immune deficiency and toxicity varies from person to person. We treat each client as a unique individual without labels.

Yonemoto Physical Therapy
55 S. Raymond Ave., Suite 100
Alhambra, CA 91801
PHONE: 626 576 0591
FAX: 626 576 5890

Links:
http://www.yonemoto.com/ - Yonemoto Physical Therapy home page
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/IMT.htm - Integrative Manual Therapy, a Hands-On Approach
http://www.yonemoto.com/programs/qigong.htm - Qigong to boost the immune system