Mia's Sponsored Review: MTM Therapy at Indulge Skin & Body Lab & Special Deal!

I've always been suffering from stiff shoulders due to long hours at the computer (plus bad sitting posture), and the stiffness will eventually 'move up' my neck and then eventually manifest itself as either my random migraine attack or my yearly cluster headache attack. 

So I was really glad when I was given at chance at trying out this TCM related Meridians Tissue Manipulation (MTM) therapy at Indulge Skin & Body Lab. 

MTM therapy is a form of remedial massage that uses buffalo horn tools which allow the therapist to go deeper into our muscle tissue to 'untie' the knots within, providing a much more effective relief for chronic pains, muscle stiffness and fibromyalgia. As this massage works directly on our meridians, which are the channels in our body through which our qi flows, this therapy will also help to relieve symptoms that arises from meridian blockage, such as water retention, weight gain and etc.

The areas upon which we can perform MTM therapy on includes:
1. Eye
2. Face
3. Back
4. Buttocks
5. Arms, Chest and Shoulders
6. Tummy
7. Legs

For more information on their individual benefits, visit Meditrina's website HERE

For my case, I was advised to try their back therapy, which helps to alleviate both upper and lower back pains and consequently improve complexion. The therapist, Chira, upon hearing that I suffer from frequent migraines, also went on to perform the treatment on my arms, shoulders, neck and head.

I was ushered into a small and clean treatment room and given disposable shower cap and undies to change into. Chira was also very polite to make sure that I was already lying face down on the bed before she entered the room.
And before I move on with my experience of the therapy, let's see how the buffalo horn tools look like.

A total of 5 different tools were used as shown, with 3 sizes of the horn-shaped tool, 1 small spatula-shaped (rounded plus flat tips, and 1 flat plate with 4 different edge detailing. The flat plate gave a sensation that's closest to 刮痧 (gua sha) while the other 4 tools produced a much deeper, specific pressure. Depending on the area and intensity of the 'knots' encountered, the therapist will switch between the 5 tools to give the best effect. 

My therapy started off with the application of this Soothing Moxa Pain Relief Essence on the major meridian points on my back, namely two sides of my neck, shoulder blades, mid/lower back and base of my spine.

If you understand Japanese Kanji or Chinese characters, you'll know that the product name can be loosely translated into palm's acupuncture. Indeed, as explained by Chira, this quick acting pain relief essence adopts nanotechnology to allow the essence of the ingredient to penetrate into the skin to give a 30 seconds DIY acupuncture session to alleviate the pain at targeted area.
Using her palm, Chira pressed the product on my skin until I felt this warming sensation before patting the area lightly to complete the application.
With difference in level of meridian blockages at different areas of my body, I experienced a significant difference in the time taken for the warming sensation to be felt.

After application of the Soothing Moxa Essence, Chira then started the massage with buffalo horns using the Ageless Herbal Cream with Chasteberry extract ($178), winner of the Cozycot Women's Choice Award 2012. Unlike other oil massages, which leaves your skin oily and in need of a shower, this cream gets fully absorbed into your skin in the course of the massage to give you many benefits, such as:
1. Smoothen skin texture and work on skin renewal
2. Promotes blood circulation and reduce appearance of wrinkles
3. Gives a firmer and more curvaceous bust line
4. Promote stronger immune system
5. Improves vitality, stamina and endurance
6. Strong anti-oxidant effects help to increase defence against free radicals
7. Alleviate PMS, menopausal symptoms
8. Supports bone health
9. Increase muscle strength and physical fitness
10. Restore physical and mental energy to optimal levels
11. Speed up recovery from illnesses

And for the buffalo horn massage, it goes with the usual TCM theory of 不通則痛,痛則不通, which means if you have blockages, it's going to hurt. And of course, it hurt a great deal for me, with the worst pain experienced at my left shoulder blade, which explains the usual migraine and cluster headaches on the left side of my head. The knot was so bad Chira could hardly get the horn to move and she had to switch to the flat plate to ease it out first before she could get the horn to work, calling it a 'big project'.
And just like what my usual TCM doctor has been telling me, Chira could easily deduce that I suffer from weak lungs (hence the usual colds and 100-days-coughs) and weak gastric with bloat from all the knots she located in my back muscle tissue. And by constantly easing out these knots to unblock my meridian blockages, it will help to alleviate all my current pesky health issues.

And as preempted by Chira right after the treatment, parts of my arms and back started to bruise up slightly the next day, together with a stinging pain on the skin. But compared to bruising from 刮痧 and cupping, these bruises are way lighter and could be easily overlooked at a glance and goes away on the 3rd day for my case.
But all these in exchange for better health, better complexion, and most importantly no more migraines and the dreaded cluster headaches, why not?

And that's Chira, their best therapist who is fluent in both Mandarin and English.

Are you suffering from chronic pains, sciatica, constipation, indigestion, bloatedness, or even facial issues like dark eye rings and saggy skin?
Give this MTM therapy a try and experience the benefits for yourself!

Indulge Skin & Body Lab is located at
1 Vista Exchange Green #B1-27, The Star Vista, S(138617)
Nearest MRT Station: Bouna Vista (5 minutes walk)
Tel: 66942072

For more information on Meditrina's products and treatments, visit their WEBSITE or FACEBOOK

And for all my friends and readers, you'll get a special discount! Just quote MiaMTM10% to enjoy a special 10% discount for the treatment, Ageless Herbal Cream not included.

Till then,
Mia Foo

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Mia's Update: Chinese Medical Centre (CMC Slimming)

Last year, I've decided to give TCM slimming a try after reading up so many raves and reviews on them via the now defunct Flowerpod forum. My company gives cash benefits for TCM slimming, so why not? :)

So out of convenience sake, instead of the handful highly recommended by podders, I decided to try out CMC at one of their branches around my neighbourhood. 

I first took up 10 sessions of half body tui na massage (with FOC body wrapping) and full body acupuncture at $1000, with each session lasting about 1.5 to 2 hrs. Yup, so it's about $100 per session, which I admit is pretty pricey and I'll probably not sign the package without my company's cash benefits. But with more sessions taken, it can get as cheap as $2900 for 40 sessions (which is what I'm on now, since my package lapse over two years I can claim twice and I only needa fork out less than $1000 from my own pocket eventually) and the consultant was really nice to state it as just $1000 for 10 sessions first, just in case TCM slimming doesn't work for me. Yes, TCM slimming doesn't work for everybody. Some may see really quick results, some slower, some none. I'll say mine is pretty 'slow and steady'? 

I started off weighing almost 65kg (BMI of 22.5) on the scale, with body fat of almost 31% and muscle content at roughly the same (yikes!) After completing my 12th session earlier today, I stepped onto my scale again and this is what I measured, just mere minutes ago.

Weight: 60.7kg

Body fat: 28% (not low enough to hit my target, but stated healthy)

Muscle content: 32.5% 

BMI: 21

Let's get on to their treatment procedure. :)

First up, I usually start off with the tui na massage on my legs (because that's my main problematic area). My therapist will use a combination of her hands to do acupoints massage, then a prickly toothed massage brush to add up the 'power'. Her usual routine also includes cupping (ba guan), and yi guan (which is to keep moving the cup around my main problematic areas (which happens to be the outer sides of my thighs, which according to her is 'blocked'). It started off really painful, especially yi guan and I always leave the centre with horrible dark purplish blue bruises on my legs. And there was once she did gua sha on this particular stubbornly blocked spot and I ended up looking like I was whipped. =.=" 

But now tui na is a breeze, almost an enjoyable body massage, even with cupping and yi guan. I guess that shows that my body toxin has indeed reduced greatly and there's hardly any visible bruises from the cupping as well. 

And after the tui na is done, my therapist will wrap me up with some cling wrap and put me under the 'air-squish' body slimming machine. It's like those old-school blood pressure meter, whereby they wrap a air-pac blanket around you and connect it to an air-pump machine and periodically pump and suck air out of it. This is usually the time when I doze off for that 20 minutes or so. 

And after that comes the part I've grown to dread. Acupuncture. T.T

I was never afraid of needles, and I've tried acupuncture for my frequent headaches and gastric since young. Never felt pain from them either, until I found CMC. 

Unlike my previous experience with other TCM doctors, who smack the needles in with lightning quick hands, this doctor at CMC slowly twist-push them in, and the point IS to let you feel that electric shock-like pain. Because if you feel nothing, it's not going to work.

FML.

It started off with just 7 needles into my tummy and 5 into each of my legs, which is 17 needles in. And as the sessions progressed, I've now lost count of the needles he put in. But there's now 3 on each of my arms, about 9 on my tummy, and 7 on each of my legs. And after enduring the pain of having the needles going in, he'll attach on mild electric current and let the needles 'jump' a few hundred times per minute for that 45 minutes straight. Urgh, pure torture but for the sake of beauty, what else but to tolerate? :(

For more information, visit CMC's website HERE

Till then,

Mia

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