Your Abdominal Massage (YAM) is a technique of abdominal self-massage that can help to move your body towards optimal health. The techniques are simple, effective, and can improve the flow of blood, lymph, nerve, and energy. These self-massage techniques were developed by Dr. Rosita Arvigo as a self-care massage for her patients to continue their healing at home.
We teach Your Abdominal Massage (YAM) as part of an Abdominal Therapy session – whether as a stand-alone appointment or as an add-on service to your acupuncture treatment. Performing self-massage, such as Your Abdominal Massage (YAM), can reduce the frequency of your abdominal therapy sessions with us. It can also become part of your regular self-care practices.
Table of contents
The Benefits of Regular Abdominal Massage
Abdominal Massage supports the body’s natural healing by looking to address the root cause of disease. Your Abdominal Massage helps to improve hemodynamics and promote balance within the body. It also has the added benefits of improving the body’s self-healing, self-regenerating, and self-regulating aspects by removing obstructions to the flow of vital fluids and energy.
This improvement in flow of energy and fluids can help to resolve congestion in the abdomen and reposition the organs for optimal health. Abdominal Therapy and Your Abdominal Massage can be used to treat a variety of digestive, eliminatory (bowel and urinary), prostate, sexual function, obstetric, and gynecological conditions.
Digestive
- Bad breath
- Belching
- Bloating, or feeling of fullness, after eating
- Constipation and/or flatulence
- Diarrhea
- Headaches
- Strong pulse in the abdomen
- Stools that float or sink with varying color, consistency, and odor
- Constipation
Uterine and Ovarian
- Menstrual cycle
- Length
- Painful menstrual cycles
- Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
- Late, early or irregular menses
- Dark, thick blood at the onset and end of menses
- Headache or migraine with menses
- Dizziness with menses
- Painful ovulation/failure to ovulate
- Pregnancy
- Chronic miscarriages
- Premature deliveries
- False pregnancies
- Difficult pregnancies
- Incompetent cervix/spotting
- Fertility Challenges
- Difficult Menopause
- Reproductive and Urinary Pathologies and Discomforts
- Endometritis
- Uterine Polyps
- Uterine Fibroids
- Uterine infections
- Frequent urination
- Bladder infections
- Vaginal yeast/vaginitis
- Painful intercourse
- Backs, Legs and Feet
- Varicose veins of the legs
- Tired, weak legs
- Sore heels when walking
- Low backache
- Emotional and Spiritual: Depression
Prostate and Testis
- Musculoskeletal Tightness
- Painful Erections
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Testicular Pain
- Pelvic Floor Pain
- Perineum Pain
- Fertility Challenges
- Spunky Sperm or Funky Spunk
- Varicocele
- Damaged Sperm Ducts
- Hormonal Deficiency
- Testicular Failure
- Sperm Antibodies
- Urinary
- Pain and Urgency
- Dribbles, Drops, and Drabs
- Diminished urine stream
- Weak urine stream
- Urinary hesitance
- Urinary retention
- Pollakiuria
- Bladder
- Bladder distention
- Detrusor hypertrophy
- Vesicouretic reflex Kidney
- Nephritis
- Hydronephrosis
- Prostate
- Prostatitis
- Acute Prostatitis:
- Chronic Prostatitis
- Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
- Venous Stasis
- Pain in the Backside/Lumbago/Low Back Pain
The Treatment Experience
If you are new to our clinic, your abdominal therapist will conduct a comprehensive personal health story as a telehealth visit, and then you will be able to schedule your in-person Abdominal Therapy appointment. Returning patients can expect an abbreviated version of this health history based on the information we already have in your medical file. We will instruct you in the techniques of Your Abdominal Massage as part of your Abdominal Therapy appointment.
We provide Abdominal Therapy in two forms: as a stand-alone appointment and as an add-on service to your acupuncture treatments.
- Stand-alone appointments are 60 minutes which include massage of the back, hips, sacrum, and abdomen and teaching of Your Abdominal Massage (YAM).
- Abdominal Therapy as an add-on service is provided over two appointments which includes only massage of the abdomen and teaching of Your Abdominal Massage (YAM). The techniques are provided for 15 minutes at the beginning of your acupuncture appointment.Â
Patient Education Materials
About the Author
As a practitioner and healer in Washington, DC for more than a decade, I take a patient-centered approach to care through acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicines, and mind-body coaching, with a specialty in full-spectrum reproductive health care.