Table of Contents About the Author .......................................................................................................... 5 Course Objectives ......................................................................................................... 7 Introduction .................................................................................................................. 9 Massage’s Role in Healthcare ................................................................................... 9 Massage and Mental Health ................................................................................... 10 Before You Get Started: Know Your Client’s Medical and Drug History............... 10 Unit One: Inflammation and Massage ....................................................................... 13 What is Inflammation? ........................................................................................... 13 Types of Inflammation ........................................................................................ 15 Antigens ................................................................................................................ 17 Cytokines, Inflammation, and Massage .................................................................. 17 Inflammation and Free Radicals ............................................................................ 18 Impact of Inflammation and Massage on the Body ............................................... 19 The Cardiovascular System ................................................................................. 20 The Lymphatic System ........................................................................................ 21 Lymph Drainage and Massage ............................................................................ 22 The Endocrine System ........................................................................................ 23 The Nervous System ............................................................................................ 24 The Integumentary System ................................................................................. 25 The Reproductive System ................................................................................... 26 The Respiratory System ...................................................................................... 26 The Muscular System .......................................................................................... 27 The Skeletal System ............................................................................................ 27 The Urinary System ............................................................................................. 28 The Digestive System .......................................................................................... 28 Peristalsis and Massage ...................................................................................... 29 Healing Inflammation ......................................................................................... 29 Disruption of Healing .......................................................................................... 29 Unit Two: Gut Microbiota .......................................................................................... 31 Origin and Composition ......................................................................................... 32 Function .................................................................................................................. 33 The Gut/Brain Connection.................................................................................. 35 How and Why Gut Microbiota Become Imbalanced .......................................... 36 Leaky gut syndrome ............................................................................................ 39 Gut Microbiota and Mental Health ........................................................................ 40 Appetite, Obesity, Gut Microbiota, and the Brain .................................................. 41 Massage and Gut Microbiota .................................................................................. 42 Unit Three: The Immune System ............................................................................... 43 The Innate Immune System ................................................................................... 44 The Adaptive Immune System ............................................................................... 45 Antibodies............................................................................................................ 46 The Five Immunoglobulin Isotopes ....................................................................... 47 Hypersensitivity Immune Reactions: The Four Types........................................... 48 Type One Hypersensitivity .................................................................................. 48 Type Two Hypersensitivity ................................................................................. 51 Type Three Hypersensitivity ............................................................................... 52 Type Four Hypersensitivity ................................................................................. 53 Autoimmunity ......................................................................................................... 53 Inflammation, Dysbiosis, and Autoimmune Disorders ......................................... 54 Stress & the Immune System .................................................................................. 56 Unit Four: Immunity, Gut Microbiota, and Diet ....................................................... 58 Yeast ........................................................................................................................ 59 Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners .......................................................................... 61 Vegetable Oil ....................................................................................................... 63 Fried and Fast Food ............................................................................................ 63 Gluten and Refined Flour.................................................................................... 64 Dairy .................................................................................................................... 64 Artificial Additives and Trans Fats ..................................................................... 65 Saturated Fats ..................................................................................................... 65 Conventional Grain-Fed and Processed Meats .................................................. 65 Soy ....................................................................................................................... 66 Unfiltered Tap Water. ......................................................................................... 66 Alcohol ................................................................................................................. 67 Healthy Alternatives ............................................................................................ 67 Probiotics ................................................................................................................ 68 Probiotics, Gut Microbiota, and Immunity ............................................................ 69 Probiotics and Inflammation .................................................................................. 69 Supplemental Video Notes .......................................................................................... 71 Oxygen Free Radicals ............................................................................................... 71 Type One Hypersensitivity ..................................................................................... 73 Type Two Hypersensitivity ..................................................................................... 75 Type Three Hypersensitivity ................................................................................... 77 Type Four Hypersensitivity .................................................................................... 80 Glossary of Terms ....................................................................................................... 82 About the Author Tiffany Diaz has the passion and drive that would have made her a success in any profession she undertook. In 1995, after serving her country in the United States Army, she attended the Utah College of Massage Therapy, in Salt Lake City, then returned to Fort Smith to launch her own massage therapy business. The venture thrived, expanding to three separate locations. However, after ten years, her business was threatened by her very success when the high volume of massages she was performing resulted in intense wrist and hand pain. Demonstrating her determination to succeed, she searched for a solution to overcome this obstacle and discovered an alternative method that would allow her to continue her massage career. Without hesitation, she hopped on a plane and headed to Las Vegas to dip her toe in the world of Ashiatsu Barefoot massage. She immediately fell in love with this westernized version of the Asian style of deep tissue effleurage massage that incorporated her feet and toes, thus saving her hands. She returned to Las Vegas twice to continue her education and received her certification in the technique, becoming only the fifth