Articles-Videos:
Muscle Building Tips To Take You From Scrawny To Brawny added 1-24-2012
No matter if you are a man or a woman, muscle building is a fun and beneficial way to get in top form. It is not just a matter of a few bench presses and squats, however, you must do it right! Take note of the following tips to learn how to do muscle building right and get yourself in great shape!
When working out to build your muscles, it is important to know what your limits are. If you are someone who is highly motivated, it is sometimes really easy to push yourself too far. Understand your body and know what it could take. Do not try to compete with someone else especially if they are training at a much higher intensity than you are. You do not want to injure your muscles in the process.
Make sure that you consume enough protein rich foods. Your muscles need protein in order to repair and grow after an intensive workout. If your body does not get sufficient protein, you will find it impossible to build large, strong muscles and develop the lean, toned physique that you want.
Make sure your deltoids are fully engaged. By having middle deltoids that are developed, your shoulders are wider and thicker. Make sure lateral raises are above the parallel point in order to get the most out of your deltoid exercises. Begin laterals several inches from the hips in order to decrease the involvement of supporting muscles, such as the supraspinatus.
Hopefully you have found the tips contained in this article to be highly beneficial to your muscle building efforts. Incorporate them into your fitness program to build and condition your muscles smartly and effectively. With time and dedication you will have the amazing body you want and are striving for, so get started soon!
Stay Lean By Following This Great Guide!-added 12-12-11
Fitness means proper physical health and mental health. When people get physically fit, they are healthy and happy. Read these tips to learn about getting healthy if you are having a hard time getting in shape.
Box squats are a great way to develop your quads. Do box squats and you will greatly improve your normal squats. You'll need a box or a chair to position behind you. Do the squat regularly, but as you reach the box and sit down, you need to pause.
Consider breaking your run into a few different parts. Start slowly, and work up to a pace that is normal. Finally, push yourself to sprint faster than usual. Breaking your run into three parts will help to up your endurance and increase the distance that you will cover in each run.
Here is a great piece of advice from tennis and sports enthusiasts that will help you to ramp up the power of your forearms. Start by placing a large sheet of newspaper on a table or some other flat surface. With your dominant hand, the paper should be crumpled up for 30 seconds. Repeat the exercise two times with one hand, then switch to your other ahnd and do the exercise once, Switch back to your dominant hand and repeat two more times.
Many people find workouts with dumbbells and barbells to be highly effective for getting in shape. You will need to be sure you choose the right type of bench to make these work. When looking at a bench, you will want to stay away from those where you can feel the wood when you lay down on it. Benches of this type will debilitate your spine.
Maintaining strong leg muscles will protect your knees from injury. One of the most common sports injuries is a torn ligament behind the kneecap. Exercising both the hamstrings and quads will ensure knee safety. You can do this by doing leg curls and extensions.
Your contact skills can make or break your volleyball game. You can get this by playing the game of foosball. In order to beat your foosball opponent, you need to have fierce skills and well-developed hand-eye coordination. These skills can be convenient if you are playing volleyball, as well as Foosball.
As the aforementioned article discussed, you can achieve a good level of fitness that can fill you with pride. You no longer need to feel bad about your body and your fitness level. Follow these pieces of advice and you will be on your way to achieving your fitness goals.
Styles of Massage Therapy to Relax and Rejuvenate You-added 11-22-11
Massage therapy has many benefits. Many conditions, both physical and mental, can be slowed down or stopped completely with a good massage. The technique helps reduce tension and pain in your body. It helps with circulation of oxygen and nutrients to your tissues.
Massage helps to clear lactic acid from your muscles. Lactic acid is the chemical your body produces naturally which can house itself in your muscles and when you exercise it is this chemical being pushed out that causes you to be sore afterward. It is also believed to reduce cortisol levels which accumulate in your mid-section and make it difficult to maintain a slim belly. You should eat light or not at all before any style of massage therapy as it can create different reactions in your body.
There are many styles of massage therapy. Swedish massage is a gentle type of massage. It uses long strokes intermingled with kneading. The smooth stroking patterns focus on superficial layers of muscle tissue for the desired result.
Hot stone massage gained notoriety in the United States when a therapist began using it in Arizona. It uses hot stones, often river rocks that are smoothed by the continuous flow of water across them. They are heated to a comfortable temperature and placed at specific points on your skin. This calms the nervous system, rebalances the body and mind and gives an overall comforting effect.
Shiatsu is another popular and well known style. The word itself means "finger pressure" and is used to improve the flow of your qi (chee). The Japanese culture has used this technique for millenia.
Thai massage was developed over 2500 years ago by Jivaka Kumar Bhaccha who was Buddha's physician in India. This style uses not only the hands but also feet, legs and knees to move your body into different positions. Some refer to it as "Yoga massage" because it places you into many positions used in Yoga. It helps improve circulation and muscle tension but also leaves you more energized. This is different from most massages that leave you relaxed and sometimes sleepy.
There is another style of massage therapy that has become popular. It is pregnancy massage. There are lots of stresses that go along with pregnancy and a good and proper massage can help alleviate many of them. Back pain is one that is most prominent for pregnant women. A certified pregnancy therapist will know how to reduce this discomfort. It is also claimed that this type of massage can assist in reducing the depression that often accompanies pregnancy.
It is recommended by those who frequent massage therapists that everyone get a massage as often as possible. It will help all manner of conditions you may be susceptible to as well as reduce stress and tension.
If you're looking for a fantastic massage complete with therapeutic oils, you will want to experience the Raindrop Technique. Be sure to visit Massage Buderim to find out more and book your next massage.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzanna_Hardaway
Benefits of Regular Massage added 9-27-11
One of the most common forms of physical therapy in recent times has been massage. Massage has many benefits which have led to many variations of therapy to be commonplace. In this article, you are going to learn of the benefits that have been associated with this age-old practice.
One of the main ailments that massage therapy has been recommended for is the relief of stress. When you are stressed, your body builds up a lot of toxins. Mental stress can lead to physical tension, which reduces blood flow to those specific regions of the body. Consequently, this produces various reactions that bring about the reduction of the body defense mechanism and causing you to be more susceptible to disease.
Through the procedure of kneading the body muscles in massage, you provide a mechanical flow of blood to these areas. The fresh blood takes nutrients and oxygen to the various tissues and forces out the toxins that have built up in the muscle tissue. This leads to you feeling revitalized and stress free.
Another common use of massage is for the alleviation of pain in people with soft tissue injuries. If you were to closely observe what you do when you get a knock on a part of your body, you will immediately start rubbing the part affected immediately. By doing this, you are in fact massaging the area to avoid a swelling. When you are knocked, the body releases a lot of tissue fluid to the affected area and this causes an inflammation to the area. Through massage, the tissue fluid that causes the inflammation is drained. This will consequently ease the pain that is associated with such a knock and hence the healing time is drastically reduced. This is mainly practiced in sports where such incidences are common.
Massage can also be used for aching muscles and general well being especially if you have a busy schedule and lack the time to exercise regularly. Massage has been shown to cause an increase of blood and lymph circulation, causing you to feel invigorated and rejuvenated after the procedure. All these are as a result of the movement of lymph fluid which is responsible for the removal of waste products in the body.
With these benefits outlined, it is of importance that you should always aim to go for regular massage so as to experience the beauty and benefits that come with this age-old practice. This will lead you to feeling physically strong with a lot of life-force energy.
Nigel Coates is a remedial massage therapist treating clients from both the Townsville Massage and Massage Scarborough clinics in Australia.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nigel_Coates
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6540588
Author, instructor, and massage expert Susan Salvo shares massage therapy techniques and strategies to address muscular tension headaches and sinus facial pain. Use these after a through back, neck, and shoulder massage once your client is supine. Gr...
Different Types of Massage-added 1-20-2011
18.01.2011 | Author: articlenetsoft | Posted in Health & Wellness
Although massage has in common the manipulation of tissues, muscles, tendons,
joints, skin, lymph systems and organs, the methods used vary considerably.
The purposes are usually to induce relaxation or relieve pain and stiffness.
Most frequently oils and lotions are used to lubricate the skin, and the recipient
of the massage lies on a table or on a mat on the floor, partially covered
by cloths or towels. The hands, fingers and arms of the massage therapist are
used, but sometimes also elbows, knees and feet as well as vibrating devices
and even heated stones.
Some of the more common ones are the following:
* Acupressure is similar to acupuncture where the pressure points are identified
and pins are applied, except that pressure is applied with the elbows or hands
instead of pins.
* Balinese massage involves very gentle stroking, folding of the skin or application
of hot stones. The object of this massage is to induce comfort and relaxation
as well as improved circulation and energy levels. Aromatherapy is also used.
* Barefoot deep pressure massage is the use of the massage therapist’s
feet to produce deep pressure without the sharp pinpoint pressure effect of
the fingers. This is believed to work well on the large flat muscles of athletes.
* Deep tissue massage is a very highly skilled massage that reaches down below
the surfaces of the muscles. It is used to treat muscular skeletal disorders.
Qualification in physiology and some medical knowledge is necessary to use
this method effectively and to avoid further harm or damage to the recipient
of the massage treatment.
* The Bowen massage method avoids deep pressures and involves a lighter rolling
movement that is believed to relieve muscle strain and restore the flow of
the lymphatic system.
* In the Breema system, the recipient remains fully clothed on the floor. It
is more an exercise of rythmical stretches than the more usual massage.
* Hilot is a Philippino system of massage that is very gentle and involves
manipulation of the joints, especially after strains, sprains and dislocation.
It is sometimes used to help women after giving birth to help them to a quick
recovery. Banana leaves and herbs are sometime used as well.
* Japanese shaihatsu is similar to acupressure, in that the meridians of energy
in the body are identified and pressed with the fingers and hands, sometimes
the feet and hot stones too, but in addition stretches are used.
* Reflexology massage involves massage of certain reflexes in the hands and
feet in order to treat dysfunction in the related organs, glands or other parts
of the body. It is believed that every part of the body relates to a particular
reflex in the hands or feet.
* Thai massage is related to yoga and the ayurveda religious belief from India.
It involves massage while the recipient is in various yoga positions. Stretching
and acupressure may also be applied.
What is hypnotherapy?
The term "hypnosis" comes from the Greek word hypnos, meaning "sleep." Hypnotherapists use exercises that bring about deep relaxation and an altered state of consciousness, also known as a trance. A person in a deeply focused state is unusually responsive to an idea or image, but this does not mean that a hypnotist can control the person's mind and free will. On the contrary, hypnosis can actually teach people how to master their own states of awareness. By doing so they can affect their own bodily functions and psychological responses.
What is the history of hypnosis?
Throughout history, trance states have been used by shamans and ancient peoples in rituals and religious ceremonies. But hypnosis as we know it today was first associated with the work of an Austrian physician named Franz Anton Mesmer. In the 1700s, Mesmer believed that illnesses were caused by magnetic fluids in the body getting out of balance. He used magnets and other hypnotic techniques (the word “mesmerized” comes from his name) to treat people. But the medical community was not convinced. Mesmer was accused of fraud, and his techniques were called unscientific.
Hypnotherapy regained popularity in the mid-1900s due to Milton H. Erickson (1901 - 1980), a successful psychiatrist who used hypnosis in his practice. In 1958, both the American Medical Association and the American Psychological Association recognized hypnotherapy as a valid medical procedure. Since 1995, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has recommended hypnotherapy as a treatment for chronic pain.
Other conditions for which hypnotherapy is frequently used include anxiety and addiction. (See "What illnesses or conditions respond well to hypnotherapy?")
How does hypnosis work?
When something happens to us, we remember it and learn a particular behavior in response to what happened. Each time something similar happens, our physical and emotional reactions attached to the memory are repeated. In some cases these reactions are unhealthy. In some forms of hypnotherapy, a trained therapist guides you to remember the event that led to the first reaction, separate the memory from the learned behavior, and replace unhealthy behaviors with new, healthier ones.
During hypnosis, your body relaxes and your thoughts become more focused. Like other relaxation techniques, hypnosis lowers blood pressure and heart rate, and changes certain types of brain wave activity. In this relaxed state, you will feel at ease physically yet fully awake mentally and may be highly responsive to suggestion. If you are trying to quit smoking, for example, a therapist's suggestion may help convince you that you will not like the taste of cigarettes in the future. Some people respond better to hypnotic suggestion than others.
There are several stages of hypnosis:
Reframing the problem
Becoming relaxed, then absorbed (deeply engaged in the words or images presented
by a hypnotherapist)
Dissociating (letting go of critical thoughts)
Responding (complying with a hypnotherapist's suggestions)
Returning to usual awareness
Reflecting on the experience
What happens during a visit to the hypnotherapist?
During your first visit, you will be asked about your medical history and what brought you in -- what condition you would like to address. The hypnotherapist may explain to you what hypnosis is and how it works. You will then be directed through relaxation techniques, using a series of mental images and suggestions intended to change behaviors and relieve symptoms. For example, people who have panic attacks may be given the suggestion that, in the future, they will be able to relax whenever they want. The hypnotherapist will also teach you the basics of self-hypnosis and give you an audiotape to use at home so you can reinforce what you learn during the session.
How many treatments will I need?
Each session lasts about an hour, and most people start to see results within 4 - 10 sessions. You and your hypnotherapist will monitor and evaluate your progress over time. Children (aged 9 - 12) are easily hypnotized and may respond after only one or two visits.
What illnesses or conditions respond well to hypnosis?
Hypnosis is used in a variety of settings -- from emergency rooms to dental offices to outpatient clinics. Clinical studies suggest that hypnosis may improve immune function, increase relaxation, decrease stress, and ease pain and feelings of anxiety.
Hypnotherapy can reduce the fear and anxiety that some people feel before medical or dental procedures. For example, hypnosis may improve recovery time and reduce anxiety as well as pain following surgery. Clinical trials on burn patients suggest that hypnosis decreases pain (enough to replace pain medication) and speeds healing. Generally, clinical studies show that using hypnosis may reduce your need for medication, improve your mental and physical condition before an operation, and reduce the time it takes to recover. Dentists also use hypnotherapy to control gagging and bleeding.
A hypnotherapist can teach you self-regulation skills. For instance, someone with arthritis may learn to turn down pain like the volume on a radio. Hypnotherapy can also be used to help manage chronic illness. Self-hypnosis can enhance a sense of control, which is often lacking when someone has a chronic illness.
Clinical studies on children in emergency treatment centers show that hypnotherapy reduces fear, anxiety, and discomfort.
Are there any risks associated with hypnotherapy?
Before considering hypnotherapy, you need a diagnosis from your doctor to know what needs to be treated. This is especially true if your condition is psychological (for example, a phobia or anxiety), and you should be evaluated by a psychiatrist. Without an accurate diagnosis, hypnotherapy could make your symptoms worse. Very rarely, hypnotherapy leads to the development of "false memories" made up by the unconscious mind; these are called confabulations.
How can I find a hypnotherapist?
Most hypnotherapists are licensed medical doctors, registered nurses, social workers, or family counselors who have received additional training in hypnotherapy. For example, members of the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis (ASCH) must hold a doctorate in medicine, dentistry, podiatry or psychology, or a master's level degree in nursing, social work, psychology or marital/family therapy with at least 20 hours of ASCH-approved training in hypnotherapy. The American Psychotherapy and Medical Hypnosis Association provide certificates for licensed medical and mental health professionals who complete a 6 - 8 week course.
Chelation Therapy & Heart Health
If your blood vessels were laid end-to-end, they would extend approximately 60,000 miles! This is a long way to travel without coming across “bumps” in the road. These “bumps” are plaque build-up, clots that form in the arteries, and chronic damage from smoldering inflammation of the blood vessel wall. Inflammation can result from high insulin (type II Diabetes and pre-Diabetes), dental infections, smoking, stress, and other chronic infections.
Traditional medicine offers solutions such as bypass surgery and angioplasty after your blood vessels become blocked. These procedures are usually temporary and have not conclusively been shown to prevent heart problems, or extend life, and may be associated with serious side effects. A landmark study shows that angioplasty, at an average cost of $40,000 per patient, was no better than medical management!* Medical management consists of drugs, diet, and exercise. At Preventive Medicine I take a wholistic approach to medical management. Taking a wholistic approach to your heart means preventing those “bumps” in the road from forming as well as opening existing blockages. I use EDTA Chelation Therapy in conjunction with supplements, diet, stress reduction, and exercise.
EDTA Chelation is a non-surgical, intravenous method to restoring normal vascular and cellular function. Chelation removes toxic metals and calcium from soft tissues, inhibits free radical damage, promotes circulation in existing arteries, and encourages “new” blood flow. The whole body benefits from these results, not just blocked arteries. There are many hypotheses on how EDTA works. EDTA can stabilize enzymes that can break down plaque. It can also decrease free radicals which damage artery walls. Free radical damage can lead to plaque formation.
I evaluate each patient based on his/her condition to determine if Chelation could be beneficial. Chelation therapy is administered intravenously (IV) in our office. The American College for the Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) estimates that more than 500,000 people have undergone Chelation therapy safely using the ACAM protocol. Side effects are mild and can include low blood sugar, fatigue, and headache.
Chelation treatments can also be used for preventive measures. This may be beneficial especially for those who have a family history of heart disease, stroke, circulatory problems, suffer from diabetes, or other chronic illness. Remember, disease manifests after you notice symptoms of disease. Recognizing and addressing those symptoms makes all the difference when taking a pro-active approach to your health. Varsha Rathod, M.D.
Reference: Study Performed By: Heart Institute of the University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Circulation. 2007 Mar 6;115(9):1082-9
Additional Readings: Bypassing Bypass Surgery, Questions from the Heart
Wholistic Heart Health
Did you know that according to the American Heart Association heart disease is the largest killer of men and women in the United States? Someone dies every minute from a coronary event. Researchers continue to search for the best means to predict, prevent, and treat this killer. Emphasis is often placed on the common risk factors most people are familiar with such as cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes. However, you can’t always rely on these factors as sole predictors. For instance, high cholesterol is a risk factor in heart disease, but not all heart attack patients have high cholesterol levels.
Some physicians have started to recognize that valuable diagnostic information may be gleaned from measuring levels of homocysteine and C-reactive protein in the blood. Elevated levels of these two markers indicate inflammation in the cardiovascular system. Inflammation is believed to cause significant damage and plaque formation in the arteries.
Homocysteine is an amino acid found naturally in the body. High levels of homocysteine damage the arterial walls and cause inflammation. Levels of homocysteine will rise when there are nutritional deficiencies of vitamins B12, B6 and folic acid. Supplementation with these vitamins is known to lower homocysteine levels.
The other marker, C-reactive protein, indicates the presence of excessive inflammation in the circulatory system. Various research studies have noted a correlation between high levels of C-reactive protein and an increased risk of stroke and heart attack. Inflammation can be reduced by eating a heart-healthy diet consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, walnuts, flaxseeds and fish, while avoiding hydrogenated oils (margarine, shortening) as well as saturated fats from meat and dairy products. This diet is the same one recommended for patients struggling with insulin resistance and diabetes.
Maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system and managing heart disease has multiple components. Dr. Varsha Rathod at Preventive Medicine uses tools provided by conventional and alternative medicine to treat her patients. Our patients feel empowered to embark on lifestyle changes by undergoing nutritional counseling and identifying stress reduction approaches that work for them. Many patients also come to Preventive Medicine for IV chelation treatments. Chelation is FDA approved for the treatment of heavy metal toxicity and is currently being studied as a means to prevent the progression of heart disease. It is believed that Chelation Therapy stabilizes multiple enzymes involved in the formation of plaque.
If you are interested in a wholistic approach to heart health please call Preventive Medicine at 314-997-5403, our staff would be happy to assist you.
Published At: Isnare.com Free Articles Directory - http://www.isnare.com/
Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=609960&ca=Wellness%2C+Fitness+and+Diet
Massage Works Wonders
Today, more people are turning to alternative forms of medicine for chronic neck pain, back pain, and joint pain. Massage can works wonders for those in distress. It increases flexibility and can decrease aches and pains.
- Hand massage can reduce stress significantly. It releases tension and calms the heart, lowering blood pressure.
- Scalp massage helps stimulate nerve endings. This allows more oxygen to get to the brain, thus stimulating clearer thinking.
- Back massage can cut pain in half and reduce headaches significantly.
- A shoulder massage before bedtime can help ward off insomnia. Rubbing the shoulders helps release melatonin, which help promote deep sleep.
An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound Of Cure
By Lotus Heart Holistic Center
No one can argue that preventative health care is important, especially in today’s environment and economy. With healthcare costs continuing to skyrocket and access to affordable heath care extremely limited we are faced with the reality that we have to take a much more proactive role in staying healthy.
Currently we are facing an upcoming flu season that promises to be challenging at best. The World Health Organization is estimating that worldwide infections of H1N1 (Swine flu could exceed one billion people, possibly affected up to 60% of the American population. Given the risks associated with this particular strain, it behooves all of us to begin the process of, proactively, brining our bodies back into balance.
We all know that maintaining a healthy diet and exercise is key to staying healthy—but it’s only a piece of the pie. A critical component in staying healthy is the Immune System. The Immune system is our first line of defense in protecting the body from bacteria, viruses, fungi and other harmful organisms. If your immune system is compromised, your body is subject to fatigue and illness and cannot fight off infections.
Our Immune system is impacted daily by toxins in the environment, toxins in our food supply, poor diet, bad habits (smoking, etc.), stress, lack of exercise and; last but not least, the toxins that are currently resident in our body systems.
So, what can we do immediately to start cleaning up our acts? To start your own “good health” practices, here are five things you can do immediately without any medical knowledge:
First: Listen to Your Body.
What it is telling you. Did you know that sugar craving could be a sign of
protein deficiency? Or, that bloating could be indicative of a congested
colon that limits the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients it needs.
Muscle fatigue could be a sign of a lack of nutrients or amino acids. Do
you fatigue easily? We live in such a fast paced world we often do not take
time to listen to what our body is telling us until it is too late.
Second: Eliminate Habits That Weaken The Immune System
There are 4 major habits that interfere with the body’s ability to function
properly: smoking, overdosing on sugar, excessive alcohol, and too much fat
in your diet. Eliminating these will go along way to strengthen the body.
Third: Detox Your System
Detox sounds scarier than what it really is. People equate the word more so
with sobriety however; there are others ways of being toxic other than alcohol
and drugs. Everything we put into our bodies determines our state of toxicity.
When toxic metals and chemical food additives get inside your body, it takes a strong cleanser to scrub your body clean from the inside out. The combination of ionic foot detox, vitamins, and minerals through detoxification work in this fashion to remove toxins from your body tissues and organs, from your water stores, fat deposits, and within your bloodstream. Natural cleansing is critical to remove body toxins, and protects from re-depositing them somewhere else in the body.
Toxins such as lead, mercury, arsenic, and the effects of aspartame's by-product of formaldehyde, block nutrients from getting into normal body cells in the same fashion a lead shield blocks radiation during an x-ray.
When toxins are present within your body, oxygen and the your body's "food supply" cannot get inside your cells to supply needed nutrients, nor can the waste products in the cells get out. This produces an environment for diseases to form.
Critical to any detox program is to first identify what toxins are present in the body and which nutrients the body is lacking. Have a Hair Analysis test done to identify what toxins are present and which essential minerals and nutrients are out of balance. Once you’ve identified what’s going on you can work to remove the toxins. Ionic Foot Detox Baths (supported by detox teas) is a viable and gentle way to detox your system.
Fourth: Restore Your System:
Restoring lost nutrients is supported through good nutrition and specific nutritional
supplements specific to your body that are recommended in your Hair Analysis
report.
Fifth: Get Moving
Moderate, regular exercise helps the immune system by moderating the effects
of stress. Lowered stress has a beneficial effect on your health. High, constant
stress is detrimental to your health.
Sixth: Make Healthy Living a Habit
Newsbrief Below Printed in the Magazine Mynaturalawakenings.com June 2009 Issue
The Benefits Of Massage
What exactly are the benefits of receiving massage or bodywork treatments?
Useful for all of the conditions listed below and more, massage can:
• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten
maternity hospital stays.
• Ease medication dependence.
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural
defense system.
• Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous
workouts.
• Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ—the skin.
• Increase joint flexibility.
• Lessen depression and anxiety.
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
• Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
• Reduce spasms and cramping.
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural
painkiller.
• Relieve migraine pain.
A Powerful Ally
There’s no denying the power of bodywork. Regardless of the adjectives
we assign to it (pampering, rejuvenating, therapeutic) or the reasons we seek
it out (a luxurious treat, stress relief, pain management), massage therapy
can be a powerful ally in your healthcare regimen.
Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress related.
And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress.
While eliminating anxiety and pressure altogether in this fast-paced world
may be idealistic, massage can, without a doubt, help manage stress. This translates
into:
• Decreased anxiety.
• Enhanced sleep quality.
• Greater energy.
• Improved concentration.
• Increased circulation.
• Reduced fatigue.
Furthermore, clients often report a sense of perspective and clarity after
receiving a massage. The emotional balance bodywork provides can often be just
as vital and valuable as the more tangible physical benefits.
Profound Effects
In response to massage, specific physiological and chemical changes cascade
throughout the body, with profound effects. Research shows that with massage:
• Arthritis sufferers note fewer aches and less stiffness and pain.
• Asthmatic children show better pulmonary function and increased peak
air flow.
• Burn injury patients report reduced pain, itching, and anxiety.
• High blood pressure patients demonstrate lower diastolic blood pressure,
anxiety, and stress hormones.
• Premenstrual syndrome sufferers have decreased water retention and cramping.
• Preterm infants have improved weight gain.
Research continues to show the enormous benefits of touch—which range
from treating chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and injuries, to alleviating
the tensions of modern lifestyles. Consequently, the medical community is actively
embracing bodywork, and massage is becoming an integral part of hospice care
and neonatal intensive care units. Many hospitals are also incorporating on-site
massage practitioners and even spas to treat postsurgery or pain patients as
part of the recovery process.
Increase the Benefits with Frequent Visits
Getting a massage can do you a world of good. And getting massage frequently
can do even more. This is the beauty of bodywork. Taking part in this form
of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll
be and how youthful you’ll remain with each passing year. Budgeting
time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment
in your health. And remember: just because massage feels like a pampering
treat doesn’t mean it is any less therapeutic. Consider massage appointments
a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with your practitioner
to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.
Review the clinical research studies examining the benefits of massage.
Review massage information from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health.
To set an appointment, please visit our Melbourne center, or contact us by telephone. We look forward to meeting you soon.
