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Stress Relief With Therapeutic Massage

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Our experiences in life are reflected in our bodies. Our pleasures and pains, the ups and downs of daily life affect the body profoundly, often in ways, we’re not aware of. Stress is more than a household word these days – it’s something everyone feels to one degree or another. Let’s take a look at the mechanics of stress and the role therapeutic massage can play in stress management.

Understanding The Stress Response

Stress is an unconscious and automatic reaction to anything we believe may be threatening to us. In the stress response, the body is primed for fight or flight by messages carried by the sympathetic branch of the nervous system. Whether we are confronted by a mugger in the street or find ourselves in a long line at the bank or a short lunch hour, the effects are the same, impacting all levels – physical, mental, and emotional.

We are at full readiness as our body tenses and our breathing gets shallower and more rapid. There is an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and adrenaline production, with a corresponding decrease in blood flow to the extremities, digestive function, and immune system activity.

Ideally, this defensive reaction will subside once the situation has resolved, allowing our body to return to its normal state of affairs. We often help this process with some rest, the right exercise, or massage therapy.

However, a person who is frequently under stressful influences will tend to remain locked into a pattern of the stress response, unable to relax or let go. This type of pattern is damaging to the body; as it escalates, it ultimately leads to discomfort or pain and is a contributing factor in most disease processes.

The longer one is in pain, the more likely one will try to block it out. It is at this point that alcohol and drugs often enter the picture. Unfortunately, as one uses substances that deaden the nervous system to reduce the perception of the pain, awareness of oneself and others are reduced in the process.

In Our Everyday Experience

Like driving a car with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake, we experience stress whenever we initiate action and hold it back at the same time. Our ever-obedient muscles try to obey both messages and work against each other.

In the same way, we have our own unique muscular responses to the expression of emotions such as anger, sadness, fear, and exhilaration. We use our muscles to block, control and restrain these strong feelings and our reaction to them. Even though we may be unaware of the amount of tension we store within, it puts extra wear and tear on both mind and body over time.

Maintaining these patterns of chronic tension is like leaving the lights on all night – it takes energy; but once it’s a habit, we no longer recognize it as such. What we do notice are aches, pains, fatigue, headaches, digestive problems, PMS, or a host of other stress-related symptoms. These symptoms are important signals to be heeded, rather than ignored or bypassed. Accumulated stress and tension always diminish the amount of energy and vitality we have to enjoy life, be creative and productive, and strive for better things.

The Relaxation Response

The antidote to stress is known as the relaxation response, which is triggered by the parasympathetic branch of the nervous system. This action sends messages to the body to relax, slow down and take a deep breath: saying in effect, it’s time for rest and healing.

There are a number of ways to promote this response, such as exercise, meditation, listening to calming music, guided visualization, biofeedback, and of course, therapeutic massage.

Massage takes place in a comfortable and safe environment, which is generally away from the source of most stressors. As massage stimulates the relaxation response, muscular tension is released, circulation is increased and sensory receptors are activated. Areas that have been “cut off” by accumulated stress can begin to feel once again. Massage teaches us to tune in to body signals and soothes us at the same time.

All of this results in greater body awareness which can help you to more carefully monitor your own body’s responses and needs. Then you can release tension before it becomes chronic and damaging. Living in a more relaxed and balanced body will enable you to better handle the stresses in your life, and nothing can take you back to that state of well-being more quickly than massage.

Benefits of TMJ Massage Therapy

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TMJ Disorder or Syndrome is a term used to describe temporomandibular disorders (TMD), which happen as a result of problems with the jaw, the joint, and the surrounding facial muscles that control moving the jaw and chewing. The temporomandibular joint is the hinge joint that connects the lower jaw to the temporal bone of the skull. This bone is located in front of the ear on each side of the head. When working correctly, the joints are flexible, which allows the jaw to move smoothly side to side and up and down, also enabling one to chew, talk and yawn. Muscles attached to and surround the jaw joint to control the position and movement of the jaw.

People with TMJ disorder experience severe discomfort and pain that can be temporary, or it may last for many years. More women than men experience TMJ and this disorder is seen most commonly in people between the ages of 20 and 40.

Massage therapy is a healing technique that has been around for thousands of years and is practiced all over the world. It has been proven to help alleviate a variety of medical conditions, including TMJ disorder.

What Causes TMJ Disorder?

Asymmetry of the muscles of mastication, which is also known as chewing, tightness of the back of the neck, forward head posture, and many myofascial trigger points can cause TMJ disorder problems. Injury to the jaw, the temporomandibular joint, or muscles of the head and neck can cause TMJ disorder. However, something as simple as grinding or clenching the teeth puts a lot of pressure on the TMJ and can cause TMJ disorder. Also, the jaw is a ball and socket joint, and dislocation of the cushion between the ball and socket can result in TMJ disorder. Finally, TMJ disorder can result from inflammation caused by another illness, stress, which can cause a person to tighten facial and jaw muscles or clench the teeth.

What Are the Symptoms of TMJ Disorder?

There are several symptoms that are indicators one is experiencing temporomandibular joint disorder, including:

Pain or tenderness in the face, jaw joint area, neck and shoulders, and in or around the ear when chewing, speaking, or opening the mouth wide
Difficulty chewing as if the upper and lower teeth are not fitting together properly
Jaws that get “locked” in the open- or closed-mouth position
Limited motion to open the mouth wide
Clicking, grating sounds or popping in the jaw joint when opening or closing the mouth

What Happens at a Precision Wellness Massage Therapy Session for TMJ Disorder?

While treating TMJ, our massage therapist will focus treatment on the reduction of tension in the masticatory (chewing) muscles, eliminating trigger points—the painful “knots” felt in the muscle that refer to pain elsewhere—and releasing tension in the fascia tissue around the jaw area. Fascia is the tough, dense connective tissue that surrounds every muscle, nerve, bone, blood vessel, and organ of the body. Some of the common massages that our massage therapist will use when treating TMJ include:

Swedish Massage – While this is the most common and well-known massage, it has a number of benefits; a primary one being that of relaxation. Our massage therapist are experts in providing relaxation through a full-body Swedish massage can have a huge impact in reducing jaw tension, as stress contributes greatly to TMJ disorders.
Neuromuscular Therapy – This technique involves our therapist applying pressure to trigger points in the jaw muscles to help relieve tension and return muscles to a relaxed state.

How Will Massage Help With TMJ Pain?

Massage is the manual or mechanical application to alleviate pain or induce relaxation in the muscles and other soft tissue of the body. The term massage therapy covers a group of techniques that we at Precision Wellness practice. In all of the techniques, our therapists press, rub, and otherwise manipulate the muscles and other soft tissues of the body, often varying in movement and pressure to satisfy each individual’s needs. Usually, the intent is to relax muscles, increase blood and oxygen to areas, and decrease pain.

Alleviate Chronic Pain With Massage

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Massage therapy can help clients manage a variety of health conditions, from arthritis to chronic pain.

Dealing with these conditions, however, requires you not only to understand the health condition and its symptoms but also what information you might need to tell your therapist to make the massage session more effective.

Massage and Chronic Pain

More and more research is confirming the benefits massage therapy offers people dealing with chronic pain, whether because of injury or as a symptom of another condition. Some people who are looking to use massage to help manage pain can only come in once they’ve been cleared for massage therapy by their physician. It’s best to openly communicate any chronic pain issues with your therapist including fibromyalgia, chronic myofascial pain syndrome, and arthritis, to name just a few.

Fibromyalgia and chronic myofascial pain syndrome (CMPS)

According to the National Fibromyalgia Research Association, more than six million Americans suffer from fibromyalgia—90 percent of whom are women. Fibromyalgia is often characterized by numbness in the upper and lower body, joint stiffness in several areas of the body, and widespread musculoskeletal pain. The condition is diagnosed when 11 out of 18 tender points are painful to the touch, and some clients might also experience other symptoms, including headaches, anxiety, depression, and sensitivity to environmental stimulation such as bright lights, loud noises, and strong odors. Massage can help. It reduces stress, helps relieve pain, decreases feelings of anxiety, and increases general overall well-being, all of which are great for people with fibromyalgia

CMPS (Chronic Myofascial Pain Syndrome) typically occurs when a muscle has been contracted repetitively, often due to repetitive motions (usually from a job or hobby) or stress-related muscle tension. Those with CMPS tend to have a persistent, deep aching pain in their muscles and may have difficulty sleeping. Unlike fibromyalgia, CMPS tends to affect both genders equally. Neuromuscular therapy and Myofascial release are just some of the massage techniques that have been proven to be effective in treating CMPS.

Arthritis

Arthritis is characterized by an inflammation of one or more joints. The most common symptoms of arthritis are joint pain and stiffness. There are more than 100 different types of arthritis, so understanding your client’s individual pain is essential. Massage can ease your arthritis symptoms. Recent studies on the effects of massage for arthritis symptoms have shown regular use of massage therapy led to improvements in pain, stiffness, range of motion, handgrip strength, and overall function of the joints.

Whatever your chronic pain issue may be massage can be a useful tool in helping manage and reduce the day-to-day symptoms that can stop you from doing the things you enjoy.

Massage and Summertime

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Many of us are now eagerly engaged in getting our gardens planted, our yards mowed, and our flower beds cleaned up from our long and very wet winter. We may also be experiencing new aches and pains from muscles and joints that haven’t been utilized in quite this way for many months. This is a good time to consider massage therapy to keep you going and to keep your muscles, bones, and connective tissue in good working condition. Here are some of the many benefits massage therapy provides.

Relieves stress, pain, pain induced anxiety, and muscle congestion
Improves range of motion increasing flexibility and muscle tone
Improves sleep patterns
Improves metabolic waste removal strengthening immune function
Improves alertness
Reduces swelling
Clears thinking
Encourages faster healing time
Relieves tension headaches
Provides a sense of well-being
Reduces fatigue
Supports white blood cell proliferation aiding our immune system
Reduces depression
Relives symptoms of nausea and vomiting for the cancer patient
Enhances body image

Equally important as the season changes is to maintain adequate hydration. Muscles and tissues require lots of fluids as well as good wholesome nutrition to function properly and to avoid spasms and sprains. When we work or exercise hard our muscles build up lactic acid. This is normal but often can become lodged within the tissues when spasms or strains occur. This creates those painful “knots” we often experience that can shorten our range of motion as well.

Massage therapy can release these pockets of lactic acid and return muscles to their optimal best functioning. If left unattended, lactic acid can become more toxic to the body. This causes an inflammatory response by the immune system and the pain cycle advances.

A professional massage therapist will apply the right kinds of techniques to muscles and joints to release tightness, cramping, spasms, and knots. Oftentimes you will only require what I call “regional massage” – working on shoulders, necks, arms, backs, or legs only rather than a whole-body massage. These shorter sessions are just as effective in providing the benefits of massage, feel great, and are affordable.

Keep yourself going great all summer, consider regional or full body massage to be your optimal best, and complete all your summertime tasks with ease and comfort.

Pregnancy Massage

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Therapeutic massage has been used for centuries to improve overall health, reduce stress, and relieve muscle tension. Massage and pregnancy have often received ambivalent responses from the health community regarding the safety and purpose of massage during pregnancy. Modern investigation and research are proving that prenatal massage therapy can be a very instrumental ingredient in women’s prenatal care and should be given careful consideration.

Benefits Of Prenatal Massage

Studies indicate that massage therapy performed during pregnancy can reduce anxiety, decrease symptoms of depression, relieve muscle aches and joint pains, and improve labor outcomes and newborn health. Massage therapy addresses different needs through varying techniques, one of which is called Swedish Massage, which aims to relax muscle tension and improve lymphatic and blood circulation through mild pressure applied to the muscle groups of the body.

Swedish Massage is the recommended prenatal massage method during pregnancy because it addresses many common discomforts associated with the skeletal and circulatory changes brought on by hormone shifts during pregnancy.

Hormone regulation

Studies done in the past 10 years have shown that hormone levels associated with relaxation and stress are significantly altered, leading to mood regulation and improved cardiovascular health, when massage therapy was introduced to women’s prenatal care. In women who received bi-weekly massages for only five weeks, hormones such as norepinephrine and cortisol (“stress hormones”) were reduced and dopamine and serotonin levels were increased (low levels of these hormones are associated with depression).

These changes in hormone levels also led to fewer complications during birth and fewer instances of newborn complications, such as low birth weight. The evidence points strongly to maternal and newborn health benefits when therapeutic massage is incorporated into regular prenatal care.

Reduction of swelling

Edema, or swelling of the joints during pregnancy, is often caused by reduced circulation and increased pressure on the major blood vessels by the heavy uterus. Massage helps to stimulate soft tissues to reduce the collection of fluids in swollen joints, which also improves the removal of tissue waste, carried by the body’s lymph system.

Improvement of nerve pain

Sciatic nerve pain is experienced by many women in late pregnancy as the uterus rests on muscles of the pelvic floor and lower back. The pressure of the uterus spreads tension to the muscles of the upper and lower leg, causing them to swell and put pressure on nearby nerves. Massage therapy addresses the inflamed nerves by helping to release the tension on nearby muscles. Many women have experienced a significant reduction in sciatic nerve pain during pregnancy through regular massage.

Other potential benefits of prenatal massage:

Reduced back pain
Reduced joint pain
Improved circulation
Reduced edema
Reduced muscle tension and headaches
Reduced stress and anxiety
Improved oxygenation of soft tissues and muscles
Better sleep

Precautions For Prenatal Massage?

As with any therapeutic approach to pregnancy wellness, women should discuss massage with their prenatal care provider. The best way to address the risks of prenatal massage is to be informed and to work together with knowledgeable professionals.

Body position during prenatal massage

Many professionals consider the best position for a pregnant woman during massage is side-lying. Tables that provide a hole in which the uterus can fit may not be reliable and can still apply pressure to the abdomen, or allow the abdomen to dangle, causing uncomfortable stretching of the uterine ligaments. Consult your massage therapist before your first appointment to verify what position they place their clients in during the massage.

Seek an appropriate massage therapist

It is important to seek care from a certified prenatal massage therapist. Certified therapists have received training beyond the national standards for massage therapists and know how to address specific pregnancy and massage needs and sensitive areas of the body.

Be aware of sensitive pressure points

Trained prenatal massage therapists are aware of pressure points on the ankles and wrists that can gently stimulate pelvic muscles, including the uterus. Certified prenatal massage therapists are trained to avoid very specific and intentional pressure to these areas during pregnancy. Any woman who has experienced pre-term contractions or consistent Braxton-Hicks contractions should alert her therapist to that fact so that pressure points can be avoided completely.

Women with the following conditions should speak with a health care provider prior to receiving a massage:

High risk pregnancy
Pregnancy Induced Hypertension
Preeclampsia
Previous pre-term labor
Experiencing severe swelling, high blood pressure, or sudden, severe headaches
Recently gave birth

Is Prenatal Massage Safe Throughout The Entire Pregnancy?

Women can begin massage therapy at any point in their pregnancy – during the first, second, or third trimester. Many facilities will refuse to offer massage to a woman who is still in her first trimester because of the increased statistics for miscarriage associated with the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.

Prenatal Massage As Part Of Prenatal Care

The benefits of massage can improve overall prenatal health for many pregnant women. Along with the guidance and advice of a prenatal care provider, massage therapy can be incorporated into routine prenatal care as an emotional and physical health supplement proven to improve pregnancy outcomes and maternal health. Consult with your midwife or obstetrician before beginning any new therapeutic practice.

What To Look For In A Facial

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Facials for problem skin: what to look for

The following are key components of a good problem skin facial or acne facial.

1. Skin analysis

Your esthetician should examine your skin closely under magnification and discuss with you what you’re using on your skin daily, in detail. Like a detective, your esthetician tries to piece together the culprits for your breakouts. They may not be the usual suspects, especially if you have Adult Onset Acne. You may have enjoyed clear skin all your life, even avoided teenage acne, and suddenly find yourself breaking out, for no apparent reason. Adult Onset Acne is harder to clear than teen acne, which is very straightforward.

Regardless of your age, acne is never the result of just one factor, such as excess oil or bacteria. It’s almost always a combination of issues, and each one must be addressed in order to get your skin clear.

Your esthetician will evaluate the type of eruptions and impactions you have. For example, you can have very clogged pores but no breakouts. Or you can have breakouts that seem unrelated to any pore impactions. Then again, you may have classic clogged-pores-with-breakouts. This is one of the easiest problems to treat; clearing your pores will usually end your breakouts.

2. Exfoliation

For someone with clogged pores, a deep exfoliation is the first step in loosening the debris that is blocking the follicle. Skin cells have an adhesive property that enables them to cling to the surface of the skin. The protective “horny layer” forms the outermost layer of the skin. Your pores are not holes in the skin; they’re tiny indentations on its surface. That’s why this layer of sticky surface cells is present inside the pores as well. And if you have clogged pores, you’re cursed with extra-sticky skin cells, which clump together inside the pores, forming impactions that block the natural flow of oil out of the pore. Acne bacteria show up to feast on this oil.

Sometimes “super sticky” skin cells are caused by your own skin’s adhesive properties, and sometimes it’s caused by the products you apply to the skin. If this is the cause of your acne, you have an easy-to-remedy condition called acne cosmedica. It’s simply a matter of figuring out which product in your routine is gumming up your pores. Usually, it’s your moisturizer or sunscreen.

Exfoliation can be accomplished with an enzyme that dissolves dead skin cells (fruit enzymes from papaya and pineapple do this.) A more intensive way to do this is with an alpha hydroxy or beta hydroxy acid peel. Scrubs are a crude way to exfoliate and tend to cause more inflammation and irritation for acne conditions. The use of AHA/BHA formulas at home will help the cells on the follicle wall continue to slough off. A serum with a combination of salicylic acid and glycolic acid produces an excellent synergistic effect.

Benzoyl Peroxide (BPO) also helps to keep the follicles free of debris, and it kills the anaerobic bacteria which cause acne by introducing oxygen. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need to use high concentrations of BPO to clear your skin.

3. Proper massage technique

For true acne conditions, the less friction the better, but there are massage techniques, including Manual Lymphatic Drainage and a manipulation called Jacquet (a gentle pinching/rolling) that are beneficial. They help to detoxify the skin. As an excretory organ, the skin is responsible for evacuating waste. Sluggish skin, sometimes referred to as “asphyxiated” skin, needs a bit of encouragement. If your skin texture is normal to thick, and your pore impactions resemble “waxy yellow buildup,” you’ll probably respond well to massage. When dealing with inflamed acne, most skincare experts omit facial massage altogether.

4. Proper extraction technique

Expert extraction is essential to clearing problem skin, but few estheticians employ the proper technique. It must be precise and targeted to the “offending” pore. For example, most estheticians wrap their fingers in gauze, cotton, or tissue and simply squeeze the area around a pore–hard. This is the exact wrong thing to do to the skin in which there are inflamed pustules. The walls of these inflamed pores are compromised and weak from the infection, and squeezing can cause them to rupture, spilling bacteria-laden debris into the deep, living layers of the skin. When this happens, your skin will form “tombstone scars,” trapped pockets of infection buried deep in the skin that periodically re-inflame as stubborn, painful bumps. They can never be extracted and they will haunt you for years (hence the name.)

Squeezing is also poor physics unless you’re dealing with large, open pores such as those on the nose. When you’ve had squeeze-style extractions, you’ll notice that the skin sloughs like mad around the extracted areas in a couple of days. That’s because the pressure of the squeezing literally pulls away from the upper layer of skin and causes it to peel off.

Good extraction technique is about precision, applying the right amount of pressure at exactly the right spot. At Precision Wellness we use a special surgical steel extractor that can address one pore at a time. This is not the big, crude comedone extracting “loop” or “dish with the hole in it”, but has a very tiny curve that is placed around the clogged pore. Then the debris is pushed, from the back of the pore to the front, guiding it toward the “exit.” This enables the complete evacuation of the comedone.

If you find that you break out after facials, the culprit is usually improperly performed, or incomplete, extractions. If the esthetician breaks up a comedone while extracting it, the remaining debris in the pore will run wild, creating a blemish.

If an esthetician ever tells you that you’re supposed to break out after a facial, run, don’t walk, in the opposite direction. The classic claim is that post-facial breakouts are “impurities coming to the surface.” Believe me, your skin excretes impurities and waste all day long–that’s what it’s designed to do. It does not have to erupt to cleanse itself. It is possible to overstimulate the skin during a marathon extraction session, and every esthetician has done this at one time or another, but that’s not the right outcome. If you’ve had a lot of extractions, we’ll often advise putting an ice cube in a plastic bag and massaging the skin during the hours after the treatment. You can also mask your skin again the following day to help sedate it further.

5. Calming and sedating

After extracting comedones, it’s good to give the skin a chance to calm down.

Many skins will also benefit from a quick pass with a high-frequency electrode. This elongated glass tube, which glows blue to violet and makes an unsettling buzzing sound, looks like something straight out of science fiction, but it works wonderfully. The esthetician can actually create a “spark gap” between a blemish and the electrode to zap it, destroying bacteria. And yes, that little zap feels not-so-relaxing–don’t worry, we’ll warn you. Not everyone prefers to “nuke” their blemishes with high frequency, but it really works.

6. Recommend the proper home care regimen

No matter how good the facial treatment is the key to clearing skin is using the right home care regimen. This is the product that touches your skin daily.

7. Recommend the right interval, right length facial treatment program

Any time you want to change the behavior of your body, you have to repeatedly challenge or treat it, over a period of time. Imagine trying to get in shape by working out once a month, and you’ll have an idea of how unrealistic it is to think that a periodic facial, without a proper home, can clear acne. Don’t be surprised if your esthetician asks you to come in once a week for four to six weeks when you kick off your skin clearing project. The good news is that once you’ve gotten control of your skin, you can drop back to a maintenance schedule that may be as little as once a month. But you have to do your part, and stick to your regimen at home.

It takes a comedone (blackhead) 90 days to form. That means you should allow at least 90 days to cycle through all the existing, built-up debris and get your skin cleared, but professional treatments really accelerate this process. The more you participate–masking at least twice a week, using your home care faithfully, and following our clear skin guidelines–the faster you’ll see results.

Book Your Massage ASAP!

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There’s no denying a massage is calming — until you start feeling guilty for indulging in a little special treatment.

A small new study excuses us all from the guilt: Massage therapy isn’t just a way to relax, it’s also a way to alleviate muscle soreness and improve blood flow, according to recent research.

Other benefits of massage have long been touted, but research is usually limited. Still, we think there are some pretty good reasons to book an appointment ASAP.

Massage can reduce pain.

A 2011 study found that massage helped people with lower back pain to feel and function better, compared to people who didn’t get a rubdown. That’s good news for the eight in ten Americans who experience debilitating back pain at least once in their lives, Time.com reported.

“We found the benefits of massage are about as strong as those reported for other effective treatments: medications, acupuncture, exercise, and yoga,” Dan Cherkin, Ph.D., lead author of the study, said in a press release.

Massage also seems to lessen pain among people with osteoarthritis.

It can help you sleep.

The calming treatment can also help you spend more time asleep, according to research from Miami University’s Touch Research Institute. In one study of people with fibromyalgia, 30-minute massages three times a week for five weeks resulted in nearly an hour more of sleep, plus deeper sleep, she said.

Massage may ward off colds.

There’s a small body of research that suggests massage boosts immune function. A 2010 study, believed to be the largest study on massage’s effects on the immune system, found that 45 minutes of Swedish massage resulted in significant changes in white blood cells and lymphocytes, which help protect the body from bugs and germs.

It could make you more alert.

At least one study has linked massage to better brainpower. In a 1996 study, a group of adults completed a series of math problems faster and with more accuracy after a 15-minute chair massage than a group of adults who were told to just sit in a chair and relax during those 15 minutes.

Massage may ease cancer treatment.

Among patients receiving care for cancer, studies have noted multiple benefits of massage, including improved relaxation, sleep, and immune system function as well as decreased fatigue, pain, anxiety, and nausea.

It may alleviate depression symptoms.

A 2010 review of the existing studies examining massage in people with depression found that all 17 pieces of research noted positive effects. However, the authors recommend additional research into standardizing massage as a treatment and the populations who would most benefit from it.

Massage could help with headaches.

The power of touch seems to help limit headache pain. A 2002 study found that massage therapy reduced the frequency of chronic tension headaches. And in a very small 2012 study, 10 male patients with migraine headaches noted significant pain reduction after neck and upper back massage and manipulation. You may even be able to reap the benefits without seeing a professional: Start by applying gentle pressure with your fingertips to your temples, then move them in a circular motion along the hairline until they meet in the middle of your forehead, WebMD reported.

Stress reduction is scientific.

Between the dim lights, soothing music, and healing touch, it certainly feels like stress melts away during a massage, but research suggests a very literal reduction of cortisol, a major stress hormone. Chronically high levels of cortisol can contribute to serious health issues, like high blood pressure and blood sugar, suppressed immune system function, and obesity.

Beating the Winter Blues

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Beating the winter blues can be as simple as booking an appointment with your massage therapist.

Massage is good medicine—capable of alleviating stress, easing lower back pain, and reducing tension headaches.

Three ways massage can raise spirits as the thermometer drops

1. Alleviate Holiday Stress—Don’t let your to-do list ruin the most wonderful time of the year. Massage therapy has been shown to help address stress and anxiety while simultaneously addressing some of their physical repercussions.

2. Relieve Lower Back Pain—Whether back pain stems from holiday travel or shoveling snow, research has shown that massage therapy provides superior functional outcomes and symptom improvement over those who do not utilize massage.

3. Ease a Headache—Tension headaches aren’t on anyone’s wish list. Research indicates that those who receive massage therapy experience a decrease in the physical pain as well as the emotional distress associated with the headache.

The Elderly and Massage

Massage for the elderly has various physical and mental benefits, which results in the improvement of health and general well-being. The techniques used for senior citizens differ greatly from those used with younger individuals so massage therapists strive to understand those differences in order to better treat their patients.

The National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork has been at the forefront of the promotion of massage for the elderly for many years. The board promotes massage as a treatment for the management and prevention of age-related diseases and views it as a good alternative to less natural pharmaceutical treatments. With regular massage, the quality of life is greatly increased, allowing the older patients to feel younger, healthier, and balanced.

Massage for the elderly involves gentle stroking, kneading, and the application of light pressure on specific points. Studies by the Touch Research Institute show that massage facilitates communication and relaxation, and is, therefore, effective therapy in the treatment of Alzheimer’s patients. The manipulation of specific points on the body has also been shown to promote the natural lubrication of joints, greatly assisting in the pain management of patients suffering from the stiffness of arthritis.

Therapists administering massage for senior citizens are also trained to incorporate stretching in the massage session. The specific stretching technique involves the application of just enough pressure on the joints, soft tissue, and muscles to make the massage safe for an older individual while still retaining its efficacy. Patients greatly benefit from massage by gaining an increased range of motion, strengthening of muscles while reducing tension, and a higher quality night’s sleep. Those who undergo regular massage have reported sleeping deeper and for longer, which allows the body time to regenerate and repair itself, resulting in an overall state of greater well-being. Massage also improves posture and reduces tension that accumulates in the muscles over many years. This not only assists seniors in obtaining higher quality rest but also helps them avoid and manage painful age-related conditions, such as degenerative disc disorder and spinal stenosis.

Studies have shown that the effects of aging take place faster in people lacking mental stimulation and who engage in little physical activity. Further studies have shown a link between a reduction in physical activity to an increase in depression, which leads to many age-related diseases and conditions. Due to the connection between the physical and mental, any treatment for the aged should aid in improving the balance between the two. By manipulating the body and stimulating the mind, massage provides the perfect balance needed for an individual’s health to thrive.

10 Secrets Your Massage Therapist Knows About Your Body

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Whether you’re an uninhibited veteran or a skittish first-timer, there are physical secrets you can’t hide from me, your massage therapist. The good news is they’re pretty much universal. It doesn’t matter whether you’re shaped like an apple, a pear, or a bottle of pomegranate juice. Leave your underwear on, if it makes you more comfortable. The truth will still come out.

1. No one’s face is symmetrical. I’d love to clamber onto the shoulders of Michelangelo’s David to see what he looks like from the angle I enjoy from the head of my massage table. From that vantage point, we’re all Picassos, our eyes and nostrils more chaotically placed than you might imagine. I guess morgue workers have similar access to these sorts of upside-down facial realities, but I’ll stick with live flesh.

2. Nothing is immune to gravity. Breasts fall, bellies lose their elasticity, and those of us lucky enough to survive our first three or four decades have more dewlaps than an iguana. Rather than attempting to outfox the natural progression of time with painful, expensive procedures and injections, revel in the elegance of biology.

3. Sight is not the only sense that matters. The softest, most wonderful-feeling flesh I ever touched belonged to an 80-year-old competitive swimmer…who finished last in every race he entered. He seemed happy enough, hopping onto the table for a complimentary sports massage after every heat. He took care of himself, and it showed…in a nonvisual way. Other favorite clients smell really good or laugh like delighted hyenas when we discover a muscle they’d forgotten they had.

4. Scars are badges of experience. This includes the stupid ones, like that circular exhaust pipe burn on your calf, a souvenir of an aborted day trip in Bali, when dressed in shorts and flip-flops you rented a scooter you didn’t know how to operate and took it for a spin. Every picture tells a story…every scar suggests there’s a story waiting to be told.

5. A deep breath is truly beautifying. Whether you’re releasing the countless pesky irritants of an average day or passing through a doorway to profound emotional release, you look great doing it.

6. Ditto good posture. Not everyone is capable of this. Working with a first-time client, I sometimes think, “Oh, you poor thing, I bet you played college football” or “I bet your job required you to stand in high heels eight hours a day for some twenty-odd years. These hands-on insights allow me to tell teenagers to stop slumping without fretting that I’ve become an old fusspot. (Did I just straighten your spine? Hooray! I’m magic!)

7. Your embarrassment is endearing. Farting is natural, especially when your abdomen’s being probed in a therapeutic way. And knowing that most boners are beyond their owner’s control, I refrain from taking them personally, unless you start agitating for a “complete release,” also known as a “happy ending.” (I hate to ruin your fairy tale, pal, but that’s not where our story’s going…today or ever.)

8. Silicone breasts and patchy hair plugs do not inspire tenderness, but the motivations and insecurities behind them do. Don’t be ashamed if you clicked on this article, secretly hoping for scientific proof of a miracle berry with the power to erase cellulite, acne, and all evidence of sun damage. Deep down, we’re all children, longing to believe.

9. Your brain is a much better liar than your body. We tell each other—and ourselves—all sorts of whoppers in our desire to save face, minimize our true feelings, or shirk responsibility. Our mouth may pay these untruths lip service, but there’s a puckered forehead, stiff buttocks, and bunched-up trapezius that would beg to differ.

10. Your body craves affection. Past experience, the difficulty of daily interactions, and suspected ulterior motives can convince us that others are best kept at arm’s length, but simple, compassionate touch is a gift your body will gladly receive. I know you’re only here because you screwed up your neck, but as long as you’re paying for it, there’s no shame in savoring every aspect of the experience.

By Ayun Halliday

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