Up
to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress
related complaints such as headaches, backaches, neck pain,
eyestrain, poor concentration, anxiety, depression, irritability,
anger, high blood pressure, heart disease, ulcers as well as,
physical and emotional exhaustion.
Massage therapy has an amazing effect on your nervous system.
When massage therapy activates your body's parasympathetic nervous
system, it counteracts your body's negative response to stress,
relaxing muscle tension and allowing your heart rate, blood
pressure and circulation to return to normal. Massage therapy
also helps you become more aware of your body and your unconsciously
held tensions. As you become more aware of your body, you will
begin to recognize tension as it builds during the day so that
you can consciously release it before it can have a negative
effect on your body.
Massage relaxes tense muscles
Muscles
can become tight and ineffective for many reasons. Stress, injury,
poor circulation, overuse and misuse, can all cause you pain
and discomfort as well as restrict your normal range of motion.
When left unattended, these conditions can become habitual and
hamper the quality of your everyday life.
Massage
therapy stretches and loosens tight muscles and connective tissue,
breaking down and preventing formation of adhesions, freeing
your range of motion and reducing the dangers of fibrosis.
Massage
increases blood circulation
Like
a sponge that is squeezed, a tight muscle cannot hold much fluid
nor can it allow much fluid to pass through it. This decreases
your circulation of blood and increases the strain placed on
your heart. Among the obvious problems this can cause, this
can leave you feeling fatigued and sore, reducing your precious
energy reserves.
Massage
therapy releases contracted muscles and pushes venous blood
towards the heart thus easing the strain on this vital organ.
This increase in circulation brings energy producing nutrients
and oxygen to your cells as well as carries away metabolic waste
products that can make you feel listless and drained.
In
addition, massage therapy increases your body's oxygen carrying
red blood cell count helping to bring even more oxygen to your
body's cells.
Massage
decreases chronic pain
Far
too many of us face our daily lives with chronic pain due to
injuries or illness.
Not
only does massage therapy help to correct the conditions that
cause chronic pain, but it also acts in two ways to decrease
the actual pain itself.
The
first is by the trained touch of a massage therapist activating
nerve receptor signals along myelinated nerve fibers to temporarily
block chronic pain signals from reaching the brain. The second
is by stimulated release of endorphins (the body's natural pain
killer) into the brain and nervous system to reduce your feelings
of pain and discomfort without the use of unnatural drugs.
Massage
strengthens the immune system
The
lymphatic system is a major factor in your body's battle to
ward off infection and heal injuries. The lymphatic flow is
usually very sluggish in most people and especially so in those
that have less active life styles.
Massage
therapy not only improves the circulation of the blood and its
vital nutrients, but also increases the circulation of lymph
thus helping your body fight off infection and speeding your
recovery from injuries and illness.
Health is our greatest wealth
Massage
can improve nerve function
Contracted
muscles can press on or pinch your nerves causing tingling,
numbness or pain.
Massage
therapy relaxes these contracted muscles to relieve the compression
on your nerves. Sensory receptors in the skin and muscles wake
up bringing new awareness to areas that have felt cut off by
chronic tension patterns.
Massage
helps you to sleep better
Tension
from everyday stress can disrupt your sleep leaving you tired,
irritable and emotionally drained. This can rob you of the patience
and stamina needed just to face day to day life.
Massage
therapy relaxes tense muscles and calms the nervous system,
causing your body's rhythm to slow down. When this happens,
your blood pressure lowers, your heart rate settles and your
breath becomes deeper and more rhythmic, priming you for a perfect
night's sleep.
Massage
improves skin tone
The
sun, smog, poor diet and the natural aging process all contribute
to the drying, wrinkling and general loss of the youthful characteristics
of your skin.
Massage
therapy dilates the blood capillaries of the skin increasing
the uptake of vital skin repairing nutrients and speeding the
removal of harmful toxins. This improved circulation helps to
moisturize your skin, improving skin texture while relieving
dryness and itching.
Massage
Methods
Acupressure
is similar to acupuncture except the hands are used instead
of needles to stimulate flow of energy. Touching specific points
along the meridians will activate nerves which send electrical
impulses to the spinal cord, the lower centers of the brain
and the areas of dysfunction.
Aura
and chakra therapy / therapeutic touch and energetic hands on
healing include techniques for working with and balancing
the electromagnetic energies of the physical and etheric bodies
as well as the endocrine glands.
Deep
tissue utilizes techniques to affect the sub-layer of musculature
and fascia which releases the chronic patterns of tension and
injury to the body through the use of deep pressure and body
positioning, working with the muscles, tendons, fascia and ligaments.
Helps with chronic muscular pain, injury rehabilitation, arthritis
and tendonitis.
Lymphatic
compression uses techniques which stimulate the movement
of lymphatic fluids in the body in order to assist in the cleansing
of toxins and waste products, acts as an aid to blood circulation
and strengthens the body's defense mechanism and general immunity
against disease.
Reflexology
or zone therapy focuses on the reflex points on the feet
and hands by applying firm pressure to specific nerve endings
which in turn create a reflex response which stimulates vital
body organs to return to optimal functioning.
Swedish
/ Esalen massage uses five main strokes to stimulate the
circulation of blood through the soft tissues of the body. Through
stroking and kneading, the body's metabolic processes and blood
circulation are stimulated, enhancing one's sense of vitality,
combined with active and passive movements of the joints to
improve range of motion and muscle tone.
Trigger
point therapy / myofascial soft tissue release is a non-invasive
therapeutic modality for the relief and control of myofascial
pain and dysfunction through the use of systematic compression,
passive stretching and corrective exercise.
Give
your body a tune-up - get a massage
