MASSAGE AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Posted on by April 14, 2013
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MASSAGE AND HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a serious condition affecting one in four American adults. Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries. Blood pressure is at its maximum at this time; this is known as the systolic blood pressure. When the heart is at rest between beats, blood pressure falls; this is known as the diastolic pressure. Hypertension is defined as an average systolic blood pressure above 140 mm Hg, a diastolic blood pressure above 90 mm Hg, or both. Although there aren’t many noticeable signs of hypertension, it increases the risk of both heart disease and stroke

  • As early as 1999, researchers from the Touch Research Institute, the University of Miami School of Medicine and Nova Southeastern University in Florida conducted the study “High blood pressure and associated symptoms were reduced by massage therapy”. In this study, participants with controlled hypertension were randomly assigned to either a massage therapy group or a progressive relaxation group. Results showed that while both groups had lower anxiety levels and lower levels of depression, only the massage therapy group showed decreases in sitting diastolic and systolic blood pressure as well as cortisol stress-hormone levels.
  • Published in 2005, researchers at the University of South Florida tested the effects of a regularly applied back massage on the blood pressure of patients with clinically diagnosed hypertension. Based on significant point reductions in both systolic and diastolic pressure readings, researchers concluded that regular massage lowers blood pressure in people with hypertension.
  • As a result of the general understanding that massage lowers blood pressure, a 2006 National University of Health Sciences study sought to determine blood pressure changes following different types of therapeutic massage modalities. Researchers determined that Swedish massage had the greatest effect in reducing blood pressure readings, while potentially painful techniques, such as trigger point therapy, might have the opposite effect.

According to medical massage expert, Boris Prilutsky, massage’s mobilization of skin, connective tissue, muscle tissue and the periosteum, stimulates receptors that send messages of relaxation to the central nervous system. These reflexes cause vasodilation, resulting in decreased blood pressure and heart rate.

Essential oils that can be beneficial in massage for people suffering from hypertension

  • Clary sage
  • Lavender
  • Marjoram
  • Melissa
  • Ylang-ylang

These essential oils should be applied topically to the soles of your feet. If you have sensitive skin, use a carrier oil or lotion with the application.  As always, be sure your essential oils are 100 percent organic and certified therapeutic grade and should carry those certifications on the label.

 

Wishing you Peace, Harmony and Balance

THERE’S AN OIL FOR THAT

Posted on by March 17, 2013
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THERE’S AN OIL FOR THAT

An essential oil, that is

Essential oils have been used throughout recorded history for a wide variety of wellness  applications. The Egyptians were some of the first people to use aromatic essential oils extensively in medical practice, beauty treatment, food preparation, and in religious ceremony. Frankincense, sandalwood, myrrh and cinnamon were considered very valuable cargo along caravan trade routes and were  sometimes exchanged for gold.

Borrowing from the  Egyptians, the Greeks used essential oils in their practices of therapeutic massage and aromatherapy.  The Romans also used aromatic oils to promote health and personal hygiene.   Influenced by the Greeks and Romans, as well as Chinese and Indian Ayurvedic use of aromatic herbs, the Persians began to refine distillation methods for extracting essential oils from aromatic plants.   Essential oil extracts were used throughout the dark ages in Europe for their anti-bacterial and fragrant properties.

In modern times, the powerful healing properties of essential oils were rediscovered in 1937 by a French chemist, Rene-Maurice Gattefosse, who healed a badly burnt hand with pure lavender oil.  A French contemporary, Dr. Jean Valnet, used therapeutic-grade essential oils to successfully treat injured soldiers during World War II. Dr. Valnet went on to become a world leader in the development of aromatherapy practices. The modern use of essential oils has continued to grow rapidly as health scientists and medical practitioners continue to research and validate the numerous health and wellness benefits of therapeutic-grade essential oils.

Essential oils are used for a  wide range of emotional and physical wellness applications. They can be used a single oil at a time or in complex blends depending on user experience and desired benefit.   Essential oils are usually administered by one of three methods: diffused aromatically, applied topically, or taken internally as dietary supplements.

Here are some simple suggestions:

Leave your laundry in the washer too long, run the rinse cycle with a couple drops of lemon essential oil;

Kids went wild with stickers everywhere, or gum in their hair, lemon oil again, it is a natural degreaser;

Upset stomach, one drop of peppermint oil rubbed on the tummy or taken internally will help calm indigestion;

Have a headache, a few drops of peppermint oil rubbed in your temples, sinus areas and the back of your neck, will help that headache disappear;

A little sun-burnt, a few drops of lavender oil applied to the burnt areas will help prevent the skin from peeling.  It also helps the burns to heal without scarring;

Are your muscles tight, a few drops of lavender oil in a nice warm bath, will soothe and release all of that tension.

There are truly countless uses for all the essentials oils, these are just a few.

Be sure to use only 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oils and follow all label warnings and instructions.  Essential oils should not be used in the eyes, inside the ear canal, or in open wounds. If redness or irritation occurs when using essential oils topically, simply apply any vegetable oils such as fractionated coconut oil or olive oil to the affected area. Consult your physician before using essential oils if you are pregnant or under a doctor’s care.)

Wishing you Peace, Harmony and Balance.

 

 

MASSAGE AFTER CARE

Posted on by March 9, 2013
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MASSAGE AFTER CARE

So you just got a massage.  You’re leaving the treatment room.  You’ve been told all sorts of things to do after you leave to keep yourself in tip top condition after your massage, but most of it just went in one ear and out the other.  You step into your car, relaxed and sleepy, and decide you are going to take a nap and ignore most of what you have just been told, or what you could hear, at least.  “How bad can it be?”, you wonder, starting the ignition and pulling out of the parking lot.

Stop!  Whatever I just told you, I  told you for a good reason.  Having a massage, especially a deep tissue massage, is a form of passive exercise, as hard as that may be to believe, and you need to take care of yourself as if you have just exercised.  You don’t want to ruin that relaxed high you’re on right now, do you?  Since you were too relaxed to hear or listen, let me give you some information and rules to follow.

  1. Drink Lots Of Water, Especially For The Next 24 Hours – this is perhaps the most important rule of all.  Rehydration is key to a healthy body, especially after a massage.  Since massage promotes lymphatic movement, drinking water and hydrating yourself is key to moving toxins through the kidneys and out of the body.  Drinking water is the best way to do this – and no, water in tea, coffee and soft drinks doesn’t count!  Don’t be surprised if you seem to have an increased urine output.  This is also normal.
  2. Take A Bath – A nice warm bath is very soothing after a massage, particularly with Epsom Salts.  Epsom Salts are simply Magnesium Sulfate, which is a natural muscle relaxer.  They are also wonderful at drawing out toxins in the body, as is massage, so you may get a sort of detoxifying effect which is very beneficial to the body.  You can get Epsom Salts at most grocery stores or pharmacies.  If you don’t have Epsom Salts, don’t worry – a nice warm bath will do just fine.  Please note that I said warm and not scalding hot!  This is important because if you have any inflammation in the muscles the excessive heat can serve to exacerbate the injury.  If you have a very sore muscle or injury, try icing the area.
  3. Pay Attention To Your Body’s Reaction To The Massage – You may be sore after the massage.  This is normal with Deep Tissue massage, but it can happen with the more gentle Swedish Massage as well.  Sometimes you may not feel the soreness until the next day.  Why?  Well, as mentioned before, massage is a sort of passive exercise.  If you are not one to get massages often, or do not exercise and are not used to using the muscles, then they may respond with soreness.  This should only last for a day or perhaps two; anything more indicates that perhaps your therapist worked on you a little too hard.  This should be adjusted in the next segment.  You can help your therapist by stretching before you arrive for your segment.  Remember anything that was particularly painful and report this to your therapist at your next visit.  The therapist should be open to what you are saying and should tailor your visit from the information they receive from you.
  4. Rest – You may feel tired, as if you want to lie down and take a nap.  This is completely normal, and you should listen to your body.  If you can, make sure you have nowhere to go and nothing to do after your massage.  Massage is not just work on the body; it is work on the mind too.  It helps to destress and relax you; this in turn may make you feel tired.  This is your time to recover your mind and body and it is your body’s time to rebalance itself and retune.  Don’t feel like you SHOULD be doing something.  There is nothing worse than hearing a client say, “Oh, that felt great.  I think I’ll go work out now”.  Make time for yourself and your body will thank you.
  5. Welcome Different Emotions – Sometimes, if you have been experiencing lots of stress, you may feel the need to cry after the massage.  Alternatively, you may feel elated, on cloud nine, full of energy.  Either response is normal.  The key is not to try to keep these emotions out.  The massage may channel these feelings and multiply them; whichever way, this is what the body needs.  I have had people break down on the table before; this is all perfectly natural.  Let it come and you will feel that much better afterwards.

As you can see, there aren’t that many guidelines to follow, but it’s important that you do!  Adhering to them will enable you to derive  maximum  benefit from your therapy .  Your  mind will be more peaceful and invigorated.  Always remember, if you have any questions whatsoever, be sure to call your therapist.  We are here for you to help you heal and get the most out of your session.  They don’t call us therapists for nothing!

Wishing you Peace, Balance and Harmony!

 

WATER, EH, WHO NEEDS IT?

Posted on by February 17, 2013
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WATER, EH, WHO NEEDS IT?

YOU DO!!!

When a person comes to my office for a massage and complains how tight and sore their muscles are, one of the first questions I ask is “do you drink water?” Usually the reply is “not enough” or “I drink a lot of tea” or “does coffee count?” The answer is “NO”. You should be drinking plain water on a daily basis. Coffee is a diuretic:  therefore, more water is eliminated from your body.

So how much water should you drink? A person whose body is healthy with no severe illness should drink about half their body weight in ounces. The old myth, 8 glasses of water a day,  is not true for everyone. The larger you are, the more water you need. For example: a woman weighing 100 lbs. should drink approximately 50 ounces of water a day. A man weighing 200 lbs. should be drinking 100 ounces of water a day.  Always drink more if you’re active with sports, in a very warm or dry climate, or sweating profusely .

Some people will  contend that water is bland and boring, and insist they can’t possibly drink 8 or more glasses per day.  Others may contend  that they are too busy to drink water or that running to the bathroom is a waste of time or inconvenient. However you view water, once you realize how essential it is to losing weight, building muscle, and keeping healthy you will glady increase your daily water intake.

Drinking water after a massage is often recommended by massage therapists and other health care practitioners for a variety of reasons. In fact, drinking water in general is a good idea, as the body benefits from proper hydration, and consuming water will help the kidneys and other organs process the various substances which move through the human body on a regular basis. Drinking water before a massage is also highly recommended, as it will make it easier for the massage therapist to perform deep work by hydrating the muscles so that they are easier to manipulate.

There are two  primary reasons for people to drink water after a massage. The first has to do with substances released by the muscles as the massage therapist manipulates them, and the second has to do with ensuring that the muscles of the body are properly hydrated.

In the first case, water after a massage helps the body flush out any accumulated materials in the muscles which were released during the massage. Especially in the case of deep tissue work, massage stimulates circulation in the body while expressing water, salt, and other minerals from the muscles.  Circulation is designed to carry away waste materials generated by cells. By providing the body with plenty of water, massage clients can help sweep away these waste materials; otherwise, they might build up, causing muscle aches and soreness after a massage

So bottoms up, cheers to your health.

Wishing you, Peace, Harmony and Balance.

 

 

 

MUSCLE KNOTS OR MUSCLE “POOP”, PART II

Posted on by February 10, 2013
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Here is Part II of the Muscle Knots or Muscle “Poop”, Part II Blog.  We will discuss how to reduce if not eliminate these from your life.

Muscle Knots are such a common problem. We all have them from time to time, so how do we get them?  Muscle knots develop mostly because of three different categories:

1. Injury 2. Overuse 3. Sedentary Lifestyle

Many knots are caused because we use our bodies enough to injure ourselves or overuse the muscles we have. Unfortunately the most common source is a sedentary lifestyle. Professional experience has taught me that sitting at my computer right now typing away is building up knots.  Regardless of the cause, a persistent knot will remain until it is broken up… in more than one way.

The first way to break up a knot is to understand a very basic principle about knots: They need intervention. Something called the “Pain-Spasm-Pain” cycle causes a knot to stay a knot. One of the three categories from above causes the pain, and a spasm follows suit, which causes more pain and more spasm. This cycle continues unless you interrupt it. The following will help to intervene: 1. Massage is well known for “Getting the knots out, ” and really helps with persistent knots. 2. Stretching is one of the very best things to do to reduce and avoid knots. 3. If a knot is causing a movement pattern which in turn causes swelling, then using ice for no more than 10-15 minutes can help.

Reduce knots by doing the following: 1. Avoid sitting while hunched over. Stretch! 2. Get plenty of exercise, and consult your physician if you don’t know how much you should get. 3. After you exercise, Stretch! 4. Hydrate (Coffee and Beer don’t count) 5. Get your B Vitamins, and plenty of Potassium and Calcium.  You can also invest in a foam roller to help  eliminate and prevent muscle knots between your massage treatments. The foam roller is a firm foam log that is six inches in diameter. Use the roller against the muscle knots with your own body weight to generate the direct pressure. Imagine using a rolling pin to roll out lumps in bread dough.  The foam roller is an inexpensive, yet highly effective way to treat and prevent  most muscle knots. Foam rollers can be purchased at sporting goods stores or ordered online for less than $20. A few minutes a day can help decrease the amount of knots and adhesions in your muscles

Why does massage help? Besides breaking up the pain-spasm-pain cycle, massage brings new blood supply, and with it oxygen, so muscles can function properly. Some muscles become rock hard and the supply of blood is less fluid. Breaking up the physical knot and bringing oxygen in will gradually restore normal function. Massage will not always vanquish an unwavering knot in one session though. Often enough knots need frequent sessions to be completely terminated. Even once the pain from a knot is reduced to a memory the trigger point can become latent and come back later on.

Why do I get the same knots over and over again?
We tend to develop patterns in life. Our job, posture, activity, inactivity and so on. These patterns cause the same muscles to be used or ignored. When they are painful and persistent they are considered active trigger points. A latent trigger point won’t have as much feeling unless someone or something touches it, pinches it, or puts pressure on it. Knots can affect the way we move, stand, sit, our overall strength, and how we carry ourselves among other things. The most shocking part is that we may not even know we are being affected until it is has become a serious pattern modification in our lives.

 

Wishing you Peace, Harmony and Balance

 

 

 

 

 

MUSCLE KNOTS OR MUSCLE “POOP”, Part I

Posted on by January 19, 2013
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This will be a two part blog. The first blog will address what and how muscle knots or, as I like to call them “muscle poop” occur.  The second part will address how you can reduce if not eliminate them from your life.

What is a muscle knot?  We’ve all had the experience of tension in our shoulders or back only to find the tension radiating from a knot in a particular muscle. These muscle knots are painful to the touch and can feel like someone actually tied our muscles up. But what are they?

What Causes Muscle Knots?   The medical term for muscle knots is myofascial trigger points, which is quite a mouthful for such a common problem. There is some debate among doctors about what causes muscle knots but it seems to be connected to an abnormal build up of protein after a release of lactic acid.  (muscle poop)

The most common causes of muscle knots are:

1) Accidents – Acute trauma, such as bad falls & sports injuries that strain you joints and muscles

2) Postural Stress – Sitting too long with poor posture, sitting with no support, & lifting improperly

3) Overstimulation – Strenuous exercise and sport activities, especially lifting weights.

While many people tend to believe that a muscle knot is most likely due to a “pulled muscle” or an overuse injury, the most common cause of these muscle knots is a sedentary lifestyle containing short bursts of activity. If you sit hunched over at a computer all day, you train your muscles to behave abnormally, which will make it more difficult to prevent injury when you exercise.

If you are developing muscle knots frequently from lifting weights in your shoulders, neck, or upper, or middle back, the likely cause is a postural issue.  For example, if you have rounded shoulders from sitting in an office, your back muscles are already overstretched because your shoulders are rounded forwards.  When you complete some pull-ups, or rows, your muscle will be stretched even further when lowering the weight, then will forcibly contract when lifting the weight.   This over-stretching combined with intense contractions can overstimulate your muscles causing those nasty muscle knots to form.

Knots are possibly the most common thing a massage therapist hears as a primary complaint. These little nodules in our muscles cause unnecessary stress for us at various points in our lives. With a little education, a lot of peace can happen.

 

Wishing you Peace, Harmony and Balance.

 

 

 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Posted on by January 5, 2013
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Thai Herbal Compression BallsHappy New Year.  And with the arrival of a new year and the changes it will bring, we have added a new service to our menu that is totally unique. It combines, warmth, aromatherapy, herbal therapy, Swedish, and some gentle stretches.  In order to fit all of these therapeutic elements in one treatment, it is being offered as a 90 minute session only.   The treatment is called Thai Herbal Compression Ball Therapy and is totally amazing.  To learn more just click on the “Services” tab and open Thai Herbal Compression Ball Therapy.  Enjoy!

 

Wishing you Peace, Harmony and Balance.

Got Stress?

Posted on by December 15, 2012
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Stress can be a hard thing to control much less reduce, but there are different ways to at least handle it. You can take deep breaths, you can exercise, you can meditate, take an epson salt bath, or even get a massage.  You knew I was going to say that!  But you can even take a Bach Flower Remedy. 

The flower remedies can take the edge of an emotion making it easier for you to deal with it.  They are very easy to take, either under your tongue or in anything you drink during the day, say your water.  They do not interfere with any medications you may be taking and the best part is that they cannot harm you. 

The most famous remedy is Bach Flower Rescue Remedy,  a combination of five flowers which can really help with stress, anxiety, or fear.  Rescue Remedy is a really effective emotional remedy.  My clients have used it for help dealing the death of a loved one, pretest anxiety, divorce and even labor.  We have in stock the liquid drops or chewable Rescue Remedy.

We have all 38 flowers and can make a custom remedy based on a consultation and written assessment, which you complete on the phone, email or in person, it is really that simple and very confidential.

“Health depends on being in harmony with our souls” Dr. Edward Bach

Wishing you peace, harmony and balance.

 

 

 

Give The Gift of Massage

Posted on by December 8, 2012
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Gift certificates can be given for any season or reason. Christmas is a great time for the gift of massage, either as a stocking stuffer, or a  gift for your mailperson, your co-workers, friends or family members.  There are other reasons to give the gift of massage as well.  How about, thank you, happy birthday, happy anniversary, hope you are feeling better, or how about I am sorry, or just simply because you care!

For whatever the reason, our gift certificates are available online, in person or over the phone.  You can print and give them or have them emailed to that special someone in your life.  You can even choose the gift certificate by dollar amount or by the service modality.  Our gifit certificates do not expire until twelve months from the date you purchase them.

So gift the wonderful gift of massage to someone you love!

Wishing you peace, harmony and balance.

Welcome

Posted on by December 4, 2012
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If you have found this post, then you have found the new website, and I welcome you.

I would like to point out that we are offering a money back guarantee, if you do not feel less pain, less tension or less stress, all you need to do is ask for your money back at the end of your treatment.  We believe so strongly in the benefits of our massage, that we will refund the cost of your treatment.

I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that Neal has joined our practise as a Reflexologist, so now you have an opportunity to make an appointment with Neal or myself for any reflexology treatments.  This month’s special is the Foot Treatment with Reflexology for $27.00.  The treatment is a 45 minute treatment and is so soothing, your feet will be ready to dance, holiday shop, or run a marathon, or just keep up with your busy holiday schedule.

We hope you enjoy all of the new features of this website, any recommendations or modifications that would make your visit easier, are important to us.  Let us know.

Wishing you peace, harmony and balance.