Jamie Gates Wellness

10/30/2026

Research Alert: Visceral manual therapy as an intervention for musculoskeletal disorders: A scoping review

A published scoping review in the Journal of Bodywork & Movement Therapies evaluated the effectiveness of Visceral Manual Therapy (VMT) for chronic low back, shoulder, and cervical pain.

Read here:https://www.iahe.com/storage/docs/articles/6Yi5vfpl5p3DCscnxu1NttFEyxUe6UtjduXDyr8B.pdf or Barralinstitute.com Resources Tab

This research is particularly relevant to Barral Visceral Manipulation because it acknowledges Jean-Pierre Barral’s work as foundational to modern Visceral Manipulation and distinguishes the organ-specific, precision-based approach from more generalized abdominal techniques.

This growing body of research continues to highlight the powerful relationship between visceral mobility and musculoskeletal function.

10/29/2026

Tonight, my husband and I showed up at Stonewall Farm to celebrate Keene’s Best, with me bringing along every ounce of my social awkwardness! 😂

All joking aside, I am incredibly grateful to my clients, friends, and family who took the time to vote and felt that I was worthy of this recognition. ❤️

I truly love what I do, and knowing that the work I put my heart into has made a difference means more to me than I can express.

A big thank you to Monadnock Media Group for putting together such a beautiful magazine showcasing some of the very best our community has to offer!

Feeling grateful, honored, and just a little relieved that the socializing portion of the evening is over! 🤣❤️

10/26/2026

👊 YOUR STOMACH IS FIST SHAPED OR FIST SIZED!

Oh, REALLY? 🤨

Because I just spent three days in a human dissection lab, and apparently, nobody told the stomachs. 😂

For YEARS, we’ve heard that our stomach is about the size of our fist. Usually from someone explaining why we shouldn’t eat that second helping of mashed potatoes.

Well, I’d like a word with whoever started that rumor.

Because when I saw an actual human stomach, I had QUESTIONS.

First, whose fist are we talking about? Mine? Mike Tyson’s? The Incredible Hulk’s?

Because what I saw wasn’t remotely fist shaped.

Technically, your stomach looks more like a small, curved eggplant. 🍆 And depending on what you’ve eaten, it can go from cozy studio apartment to full service banquet hall. 😂

Your stomach isn’t a rigid lunchbox that hits capacity after six bites of chicken and one broccoli floret.

It’s BUILT to expand!

A typical adult stomach can accommodate around a liter or more.

That’s considerably more than my fist. And at 4’11”, I can confirm we’re not working with particularly large fists over here. 😂

Now, before anyone uses this as permission to demolish Thanksgiving dinner AND half a cheesecake, that’s not what I’m saying.

I’m saying someone took a convenient portion control analogy, promoted it to anatomical fact, and we’ve been repeating it ever since.

To be fair, a cadaver’s stomach doesn’t look or behave exactly like a living one. Postmortem changes and the absence of normal muscular activity affect what we observe.

But the anatomy is FAR more interesting than the fist comparison suggests.

And THIS is why I love continuing my education!

Sometimes you hear something for years, accept it, and repeat it…

Until you’re standing in a dissection lab, looking at the real thing, thinking:

“WELL, SOMEBODY’S BEEN FEEDING US A LOAD OF CRAP!” 😂

Pun absolutely intended.

THE TAKEAWAY?

Your fist might be a handy portion size guide, but it’s a lousy anatomical model.

Your stomach is flexible, expandable, and has been accommodating our questionable dietary decisions for decades without once asking to be compared to a knuckle sandwich.

Jamie Gates Wellness

10/26/2026

10/21/2026

Knead-less to say (see what I did there?)… I'm obsessed with you all!

I was voted Best Massage Therapist in Keene, and I'm celebrating big time!

To my clients: Thank you for putting your backs, necks, and stress into my hands. Winning this award means the world to me, and getting to work with each of you is the real win.

To my amazing support system off the table: thank you for keeping me supported, sane, and fueled up when I'm the one who needs a bit of TLC. 🫶🏼

From the bottom of my heart, you all are the absolute best. Thank you for the love!

10/20/2026

Introducing Aligned Health: Monthly Wellness Workshops

How can we better support the health of our community?

Four local health and wellness businesses came together around that question to create more opportunities for education, conversation, and hands-on learning.

Join us for a welcoming, small-group workshop exploring chiropractic care, physical therapy, massage, and acupuncture. Whether you're curious about these approaches or simply interested in learning more about your health, we'd love to have you.

📅 Monday, October 26 | 5–6 p.m.
📍 Elevate Chiropractic, Keene, NH
🌿 Free to attend; suggested donation of $10

Space is limited to eight participants. Register at elevatekeene.com or call 603-357-4488.

We're looking forward to bringing our community together!

10/19/2026

🍂 Fall Reflections: Supporting the Body’s Natural Wisdom 🍁

Jean-Pierre Barral's words reflect a guiding principle of Visceral Manipulation (VM)—working gently with the body's natural mobility and interconnected systems.

🌿 This fall, take a moment to reflect on the body's incredible potential.

✨ Explore the principles and possibilities of Visceral Manipulation at BarralInstitute.com.

10/18/2026

DISSECTION CLASS UPDATE: SOME SERIOUSLY CRAZY S**T!

Where do I even begin?! Here’s just a glimpse of the incredible things I’ve seen, touched, and learned over the past couple of days!

I’ve held a stomach, spleen, gallbladder, and sections of the intestines. I’ve explored the heart, lungs, airways, and trachea from the inside, dissected fatty tissue surrounding an adrenal gland, and tugged on ligaments and tendons to observe their movement and function.

And finding nerves and arteries? MUCH harder than those perfectly illustrated anatomy books suggest!

I’ve seen an artificial tricuspid heart valve, a surgically reconstructed aorta (with a metal sleeve resembling a Chinese finger trap!), aortic and femoral aneurysms, cancerous tissue, and lungs showing evidence of environmental toxin exposure.

One of the coolest experiences was seeing the spinal cord and cauda equina, a bundle of nerve roots resembling a horse’s tail. If you’ve seen Avatar, think of the Na’vi’s neural braid!

Oh, and I can personally confirm that the prostate really does feel like a walnut! Yes, I palpated it from inside the pelvis!

What has surprised me most is how different actual human anatomy looks compared to textbooks. Structures aren’t neatly separated, color-coded, or conveniently labeled! Identifying them takes patience and a whole new appreciation for how interconnected everything really is.

We’ve also observed evidence of previous surgeries and medical conditions, revealing how disease and surgical interventions can dramatically alter anatomy.

And we’re not finished yet!

Next up: the brain, cranium, more spinal structures, and additional abdominal and pelvic anatomy!

I feel like a kid in a candy store, except my candy store is an anatomy lab!

None of this would be possible without the generosity of those who donated their bodies to science. What an extraordinary gift to education. ❤️

I came here hoping to deepen my anatomical knowledge. I’m leaving with an entirely new appreciation for just how incredibly complex the human body truly is!

10/15/2026

✈️ SACRAMENTO, HERE I COME!

Tomorrow morning, bright and ridiculously early, I’m heading to Sacramento for the Barral Institute’s Visceral Manipulation Dissection Class!

Am I excited? Absolutely! Nervous? You bet! Traveling across the country and stepping outside my comfort zone isn’t my favorite thing, but some opportunities are worth the anxiety!

Over the past couple years, I’ve invested heavily in studying Lymphatic Drainage, Visceral Manipulation, and Neural Manipulation. I’ve even taken Lymphatic Drainage through two different schools and Visceral Manipulation 1 twice, not because I had to, but because I wanted to truly understand the material.

And now, after years of textbooks, illustrations, and PowerPoint presentations, I’ll finally get to study human anatomy firsthand through cadaver dissection!

No more trying to turn two-dimensional pictures into three-dimensional anatomy in my head! 😂

After a couple of decades as a massage therapist, one thing has become abundantly clear:
Experience has taught me a tremendous amount. Continuing education has taught me how much I still don’t know.

This isn’t about collecting another certificate. It’s about deepening my anatomical knowledge, strengthening my clinical reasoning, and bringing that understanding back to better serve my clients and educate fellow therapists.

I’m incredibly grateful to the individuals who donated their bodies to science, making this extraordinary opportunity possible.

Over the next couple of days, I’ll be trading my treatment room for an anatomy lab, my comfort zone for an adventure, and a decent night’s sleep for an absurdly early flight!

The learning never stops. And I wouldn’t have it any other way!

10/07/2026

The Body Shows Us Where to Begin. Effective treatment begins with manual listening.

In Barral Visceral Manipulation (VM), the therapist learns to feel for areas of altered motion, tension, and restriction—and to let the body guide where the work begins.

Rather than chasing symptoms, Visceral Manipulation invites us to explore the relationships between the organs, fascia, musculoskeletal system, nervous system, and the rest of the body.

The more precisely we listen to what we feel, the more we can work with specificity.

That is part of the art and power of Visceral Manipulation: following the body’s priorities and supporting its natural ability to adapt, organize, and move toward greater balance.

Learn more about the Therapeutic Value of VM: https://www.barralinstitute.com/courses/vm