A new alternative practitioner has recently settled in Kolymbari. Her name is Veerle Geets and she comes from Belgium. Originally trained as a physiotherapist, she now practices fasciatherapy and acupuncture.
Veerle graduated as a physiotherapist in 1991, and in 1996 started her own practice in Kessel, near Antwerp in Belgium. Finding that not every physical complaint responded equally well to physiotherapy, she decided to look further into the cause of muscle and joint complaints, and in 1997 she began a basic training in Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture at the OTCG (Training Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine) in Antwerp.
The fundamental principle of Eastern medicine is the existence of “Qi”, which is the active life force which flows freely through the body. Qi animates us and protects us against sickness and pain. Our health is determined by the quantity and quality of our Qi, but also by its availability and balance. It involves not just our physical body but also our mental-emotional body and thus the way we relate to the world.
Qi streams through the body via meridians, which are interconnected and can best be compared with rivers. When there is enough Qi and it flows harmoniously, like water, there are no problems and we feel well. But if there is too little or too much Qi, or a meridian is blocked, preventing the flow of Qi, then problems can arise. Acupuncturists use very thin, sterile needles which are inserted at very specific points on the course of the meridians which can rebalance the flow of Qi. When this is done, the body becomes free from pain and ailments and the patient feels healthy again.
Although this training gave her a far wider insight into the origins of pain and physical complaints, Veerle found that acupuncture did not give her the direct contact with the physical body which she was used to in physiotherapy. The body she says, has its own story to tell, which is not necessarily that given by the patient. Looking for a method which would enable her to better understand the information given out by the body, in 2006 she began a 4-year course in fasciatherapy at Drongen, near Ghent. Since then, she has continued to practice both acupunture and fasciatherapy, which she says have become not only her profession but her passion.
A fascia is a band or sheet of connective tissue, primarily collagen, beneath the skin that encloses and separates muscles and other internal organs. Fasciatherapy is derived from osteopathy. The characteristics of the method are the gentleness, slowness, depth and precision of the treatment, which avoids hard manipulations. It can treat ailments as diverse as acute lumbago and persistent tennis elbow, insomnia or persistent headaches, depression or burn-out.
Veerle calls her practice the Healing Touch. It is one in which treatment is tailored to the individual and manual therapy plays a very important role. Patients can visit her at her studio in Kolymbari or she will also make house calls.
She has a website at www.veerlegeets.be, currently available only in Flemish, and can be contacted on 697 285 6281, or by email at geets.veerle@telnet.be.