Element 7 Wellness

07/15/2025

07/14/2025

Greg Zadow, is a physical therapist and certified Counterstrain provider. In this conversation, Greg shares how his early introduction to Counterstrain therapy in 1991 transformed his approach to patient care, leading him to embrace a more holistic, philosophy rooted in osteopathy. He discusses the evolution of his career, his insatiable pursuit of continuous learning over the decades, and the profound ripple effects that effective manual therapy, like Counterstrain, can have on eery aspect of a patient’s quality of life.

[Episode comes out August 7th. Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your listening device!]

Through moving patient stories and practical insights, Greg explores the intersection of athletics and therapy, the joys of mentorship, and the deep empathy born from personal experiences with injury. Whether you're a healthcare provider, a patient, or simply curious about the body's capacity to heal, this episode offers wisdom, encouragement, and a call to look beyond traditional models of care.

Key Takeaways:
- Approaching symptoms from an osteopathic lens can help the provider focus on finding the root cause of dysfunction, unlike traditional physical therapy, which may focus primarily on treating the secondary symptoms.
- For providers like Greg, the excitement of learning new techniques keeps him engaged and motivated in his career and clinic practice.
- The ripple effects pain can have on a patient's life can be significant, affecting sleep, relationships, and overall well-being. So getting to help a patient alleviate that pain, offers rewards beyond just solving a physical complaint.
- Counterstrain is effective for both acute and chronic issues.
- Injury prevention is becoming a more prominent conversation in the manual therapy sector, and amongst Counterstrain providers in particular.

To listen to our conversation, check out the link in our bio/page, or find The Counterstrain Movement on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and Buzzsprout.

07/11/2025

Sofi Paco-Williams is a licensed massage therapist and marriage & family therapist. She specializes in treating at the intersection of physical, emotional, and psychological health. Drawing from her own healing journey and her work with clients, Sophie shares how trauma can manifest as chronic pain in the body and how therapies like Fascial Counterstrain can play a transformative role in recovery.

[Episode coming out July 31st. Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your listening device!]

She discusses the long-term effects of concussions, the return of laughter in her own life after Fascial Counterstrain treatment, and how treating the body’s fascia and nervous system can unlock healing on multiple levels. Sophie focuses on the body’s capacity to store trauma, the importance of circulation and inflammation and how it affects mental health, and the value of trauma-informed care. Listeners will come away with a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of the body and mind—and the importance of patience, trust, and holistic approaches when healing chronic and complex cases that involve the body, mind, and heart.

Key Themes Discussed:
- How experiential trauma is stored and manifests physically in the body.
- The importance of restoring circulation and inflammation by re-regulating the nervous system, and how this can support improved in mental health.
- Sophie’s personal journey healing with healing from concussions as well as the childhood trauma she experienced when her family fled a violent war zone and she was temporarily separated from one of her parents.
- Why trauma-informed care and building trust with patients is so integral to the work she does with her patients.
- Her unique approach to addressing the linked emotional and physical symptoms her patients are experiencing by integrating Fascial Counterstrain with Internal Family Systems to create deeper, more transformative outcomes.

To listen, check out the link in our bio/page, or find The Counterstrain Movement on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and Buzzsprout.

07/07/2025

Physical therapist and acupuncturist, Lory Yeh, joins us to explore the powerful, gentle impact of Counterstrain therapy—especially when applied to pediatric care. Lory shares her personal journey into integrative healing and offers compelling case studies that illustrate how early intervention can resolve deep-rooted dysfunction before it becomes chronic.

[Episode coming out July 24th. Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your preferred podcast streaming platform!]

Together, they delve into the nervous system’s incredible plasticity in children, the emotional-physical health connection, and how Counterstrain can harmonize the body’s “orchestra” of systems. Subtle, holistic approaches can lead to profound outcomes for young patients—and that it’s never too early to support a child’s health.

Key Takeaways:
- Counterstrain is a gentle, non-invasive, and highly effective therapy.
- Early treatment in children can mitigate long-term dysfunction.
- The body operates like an orchestra—health depends on systemic harmony.
- Children’s nervous systems respond quickly to therapeutic input, which is rewarding for patient, parents, and provider.
- Counterstrain can address both physical symptoms and support emotional regulation.
- Case studies highlight dramatic improvements in response to Counterstrain treatment with kids.
- Small shifts in the body can yield big changes in longterm development and well-being.
- Holistic care in pediatrics supports better long-term health outcomes.

To listen to this story, check out the link in our bio/page, or find The Counterstrain Movement on your preferred podcast streaming platform. Available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and Buzzsprout: https://thecounterstrainmovement.buzzsprout.com

06/28/2025

Dr. Miho Urisaka is a physical therapist living in New York who has been practicing Counterstrain since 2014, with a special focus on dancers. In this conversation, she shares how she employs Fascial Counterstrain not only to resolve injuries but also to enhance performance and prevent future issues for professional dancers. Drawing on her clinical experience, Dr. Urisaka highlights case studies of dancers recovering from knee injuries and concussions, emphasizing how the body self-protects—often through restriction and pain—and explains why addressing root causes, rather than just downstream symptoms, is essential, especially for highly trained movers.

[Episode coming out July 10th. Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your preferred podcast streaming platform!]

She discusses how treating the bones and periosteum is a unique aspect of Counterstrain that benefits professional athletes, particularly dancers. People whose careers require precise attunement to and mastery of their bodies—like dancers—often arrive with fewer compensatory patterns and heightened self-awareness, making them especially responsive to this form of treatment. Dr. Urisaka also underscores the limitations of conventional imaging in detecting interstitial inflammation and the importance of working directly with the body’s mechanics to uncover hidden, yet very real, dysfunctions.

She explains how Counterstrain can improve not only range of motion but, more importantly, quality of motion, and how optimizing tissue mobility can lead to noticeable strength gains and flexibility within just a few weeks—once tissues are given the reset they need to drain inflammation, release guarding, and restore function.

Whether you're a dancer, athlete, or someone living with chronic pain or reduced mobility, this episode offers a compelling look at how Fascial Counterstrain can be a game-changing tool for recovery, prevention, and performance enhancement.

06/20/2025

In this episode, Amy Griffin—former U.S. National Team player, veteran coach, and current head of the U.S. Deaf Women’s National Team—shares how her personal experiences with injury and recovery led her to Counterstrain therapy, a modality that ultimately reshaped her approach to healing, coaching, and health advocacy.

[Episode coming out June 26th. Subscribe to have it delivered directly to your preferred podcast streaming platform!]

She delves into the complexity of the body’s ability to compensate for injury and the often-overlooked role of sleep, memory, and mental health in the recovery process. Amy reflects on her initial skepticism toward Fascial Counterstrain, and how her first-hand experience changed her perspective. She emphasizes the importance of listening—to patients, to athletes, and to the signals our bodies send us—and describes how quality of life, not just symptom management, should be the goal of any recovery approach.

Together, Theora and Amy explore how modern stressors differ from those of the past, and why a holistic view of health is necessary in today’s high-pressure athletic environments. They discuss the lasting impact of concussions, the value of preventive care in sports, and the need to reimagine athlete support systems with long-term health in mind. Amy also offers insight into her advocacy for natural playing fields, and her deep concern for the health risks posed by artificial turf, especially for kids.

Throughout the episode, Amy’s passion for player safety, healing, and whole-person care shines through. Her story is a testament to the body’s capacity to heal, the power of Counterstrain, and the vital role of community support in navigating life after injury.

To listen to this story, check out the link in our bio/page, or find The Counterstrain Movement on your preferred podcast streaming platform. Available on Apple, Spotify, Amazon, and Buzzsprout: https://thecounterstrainmovement.buzzsprout.com

06/16/2025

06/15/2025

This gorgeous picture of your brain shows the inner network of fascia within yout brain, which we can treat with fascial counterstrain.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1CAxmshgT4/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Intracranial & Extracranial Blood Vessels: Unveiling the Intricate Pathways of Life with a 3D CT Angiogram

Analysis by Science Photo Library

“Feast your eyes upon this coloured 3D computed tomography (CT) angiogram, revealing the astonishing arteries and veins that supply and drain blood from the head.

In this frontal view, both the intracranial (within the skull) and extracranial (outside of the skull) blood vessels are showcased in exquisite detail.”

Credit: K H Fung / Science Photo Library
https://sciencephoto.com/media/1112016

06/02/2025

🥳 Repost from Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine:

Naturopathic medicine is now formally recognized as part of Canada’s evolving primary care landscape.

We’re pleased to share that naturopathic doctors are featured in the newly released Compendium of Roles in Team-Based Primary Care, officially launched in April 2025 by the Canadian Health Workforce Network.

This national publication profiles the wide range of professionals contributing to modern primary care — now including naturopathic doctors and their role in collaborative, patient-centered care.

This achievement reflects the leadership of CCNM faculty and alumni, and the continued collaboration between CCNM, the Canadian Association of Naturopathic Doctors (CAND), and other integrative health partners.

Read the Compendium here: https://pulse.ly/ql8acmk7rh