Thread: UPDATE: Mayan Abdominal Massage

Anyone have any experience with this? I desperately want a hysterectomy & oophectomy to treat my viscious & painful endometriosis & adenomeiosis but my doctor wants me to try Mayan massage first. I have a visit Monday but am curious if folks have any wisdom to share.

I never heard of it before, just googled and it sounds very interesting. I'm eager to hear about your experience, will you post afterward?

Yes. The practitioner I will be going to treats in 3 visits--one for intake & a massage, one to teach you the massage technique, one to follow up and see that you are doing the technique properly. maybe some herbal remedies included. I'll definitely post after I meet her Monday.

I hope this works for you!

I've been thinking about getting some sessions too. Would love to hear your feedback afterwards!

My fertility clinic offers this, but haven't tried it yet... Now, I think I just may (already tried fertility massage & accupuncture:))...
I'm very curious to hear your review/expierence.

Hmmm....I have mixed feelings about my experience.
Pros:
I LOVE bodywork. Let's face it, massage feels good. Healing touch feels good. Soothing music and a warmed bed feels good.
I had a great poop later that day.

Cons:
There is a philosophy & belief system attached to Mayan Massage that I cannot get on board with.
The practitioner did know a lot about the technique but did not have accurate information on the medical & physiological facts on endometriosis.

Summary of my experience
I was in the office for almost 3.5 hours. 2 hours of that was spent listening to the practitioner talk about the technique, history, and philosophy. There was also a lengthy discussion of the Mayan Massage belief in the causes of endometriosis. The belief is that the womb has wandered out of place because the ligaments that support the uterus have loosened up. The uterus flops around and menstrual blood/endometrial tissue get clogged in the uterus & make you sick. Ummmm....nooooooo. The body grows endo tissue in the wrong places & while the cause of endo still has not been determined, the commonly held belief in the medical community now is that endo is an autoimmune disease. I was told that activities like horse back riding, dancing, being emotionally upset, or having hard stools can cause this wandering womb. The idea is that the massage technique will strengthen the ligaments, pull the uterus back into proper position, and the endometriosis will go away.
I just can't support these ideas. I want body work to help me feel better & I believe that body work can be an essential element to comprehensive health care, but I can't support a treatment that is just plain ignorant of the current medical & scientific knowledge. I respect that others may find great comfort & healing in alternative medicine, shamans, and the like. Its just not part of my belief & value system.

Anyways, the massage itself was nice. At some point if I were to continue, the treatment involves being taught the technique for the purpose of self-care. I do think this is a great philosophy. I could not tell what was so special about the times she was actually touching my abdomen. It felt nice. It feels nice when my husband absentmindedly rubs my tummy while he watches the Red Sox.

My insurance doesn't cover this. I think that in order for any treatment to work--western medicine or alternative healing, you have to believe it will work. I believe the massage could help relieve some of my pain. I do not believe it will cure my condition or relieve my pain & symptoms entirely. I have not decided whether I will return to learn the self-care technique.

I would not recommend that anyone let my experience discourage them from trying mayan massage. If you are able to open your heart & mind to this, it could very well be healing for you. Endometriosis is very painful & the majority of medical treatments involve extensive hormonal therapy or invasive surgical procedures.

I have a friend who's a massage thereapist - learning to do viseral manipulation (sp?) - or manipulating the guts as she puts it. It's pretty interesting stuff. Would this be something similar?

Once again, I strongly recommend directly contacting Dr. Kanayama at the NY Endometriosis Center, or Dr. Redwine's clinic. Consider going to an expert at excision laparoscopy before you go the extreme route. You may be surprised at how healthy you can be afterwards.

Have you tried Endovan supplements, and castor oil packs?

Good luck! Endo sucks, and my god, of course it isn't caused by horseback riding and bellydancing! Jeez!

- Leela

Oh, Naya, that's so disappointing. On top of all that, how is massage supposed to strengthen ligaments? What a mess. I had high hopes, but I'd feel the same way you're feeling right now. I had sort of assumed that goal of the massage would be breaking up that endo tissue in some way.

C'mon, folks, if you're charging money for treatment of a common ailment, at least stay up to date on the latest research. Just so you're not insulting us -- the PATIENTS can google for crap's sake.

I hope you'll be sharing your honest assessment with the doc who referred you.

That is rather disappointing. I heard that it was beneficial for prolapses and cystoceles and such, with a focus on restoring any displaced organs...but strengthening ligaments though massage sounds like a bit of a stretch (uh...no pun intended). It sure sounded like more fun then a pessary or surgery. I'm sorry it didn't help with your endo. :/

Surgery is often considered the last resort but just wanted to mention that my hysterectomy in my early 40s was for endo, PCO, and fibroids. It was a miracle! I can't tell you what a difference it made in my life to no longer be plagued by pain, periods, mood swings, migraines. It made life worth living again.

Just because it wasn't right for me, doesn't mean it wouldn't be right for someone else. To be fair, if I don't continue with the treatment, we'll have no way of knowing if the massage would have helped with the pain or not...I just...i don't know...hmmmmm. I think I'm just too grounded in western medicine.