Archive for December, 2010

Why Use Self Massage For Pain?

If you have lingering pain after an injury, and it should be gone, or if you have chronic or recurring pain from headaches, sinuses, hips, etc., you know how frustrating it can be to get lasting relief. Many people are taking matters into their own hands, literally by working on their own bodies. Why use self massage for pain? Here are some reasons.

Price

It is much cheaper to get a tool, or a whole arsenal of them, in fact, than to make regular visits to a massage therapist, bodyworker, or chiropractor for help. While I wholeheartedly endorse their services, realistically speaking, most people cannot afford them very often. (How I wish I could!)

Massaging yourself costs very little, yet the benefits are many. You can start with a simple rubber racquetball, which costs about one dollar at any sports equipment store. You cannot argue with that!

Convenience

You do not need to make an appointment, drive in traffic, find a parking space, or wait for an appointment to get help. You can do self massage at any time, and almost any place. (Sometimes this depends on your level of modesty!)

Control

You are the one in control of the experience when you massage your own body. You can pinpoint the area of pain, apply the exact amount of pressure you want, and determine when enough is enough. Even if your therapist or bodyworker has excellent communication with you, they cannot read your mind or feel what you are feeling. Only you can.

Knowledge

When you do self massage, you learn about your body and get in touch with yourself. You find out where you hold tension, what sorts of techniques work best for you, and what feels good.

When you focus on your body, you learn to trust your inner voice, that higher power or intuition. That is always connected to our natural, inborn desire for balance and good health. By working on your own body, you learn to tune into that and follow it.

Effectiveness

Self massaging works, period. It is effective and simple. You figure out where it hurts, find out where on your body to massage and how, and do it. You can repeat it several times throughout the day, if necessary, or use it when pain awakens you in the middle of the night.

Those are some of the reasons to use self massage for pain. If you have suffered with discomfort or muscle tension and are frustrated with your treatment results so far, consider taking charge of your body and working on yourself.

Foot Massage

Do I need a foot massage? That depends, do you like having good balance, comfortable feet, strong back, lack of tension? I sure do. The great thing to do at the end of the day is kick off our shoes, free our poor feet! All that running, walking, lifting, socks and shoes, no air. How can anyone not need the human touch. This not the situation where we insert a quarter for our feet to be shaken around, but someone genuinely qualified in making us feel better. I highly recommend giving the gift of foot massage, either to yourself or a loved one!

Chinese records dating back 5,000 years document the use of foot massage. The ancient Hindus, Persians and Egyptians, as well as the Japanese, Romans and Egyptians applied forms of massage for many ailments; and even Hippocrates wrote papers recommending the use of rubbing and friction for joint and circulatory problems.

In the 21st century modern United States we have learned how to apply and use kinds of traditional massage therapies. We have even developed new forms. One of these forms is foot massage. Your feet do not need to be bare in order to receive a massage, but it is better if they are. If not, your masseuse will probably clean them with a wipe or wet cloth. He/she will then most likely use some sort of oil, and make the room clean and comfortable with dim atmosphere, candles and scents. If you are ticklish, be sure to let them know, as you don’t want to spend the whole foot massage laughing. There are certain feathery touches that they will avoid. You will be seated with your feet up, or on a massage table.

As with all forms of massage, there are a variety of foot massage techniques. Thai Foot Massage or reflexology is one form.

Reflexology originates from an ancient Chinese system and is based on the notion that there are nerve endings in the soles of the feet that correspond to all of the organs of the body such as the liver, kidney or spleen. The gentle and repeated massage of these pressure points stimulates and detoxifies the internal organs and improves circulation to the problem area.

Stress relief is the major benefit experienced by everyone who has a foot massage. There are even some studies that prove that stress levels can be decreased, and the overall health of the body and mind can increase. Numerous medical studies show that decreased stress levels improve the overall health of the body and mind, mentally and physically as well. It is always better to have a massage therapist do it, but if this is impossible, it possible to purchase a foot massage unit designed for use in the home! Why not try it?

Cellulite Massage Technique Options To Consider

If you’re having a problem with cellulite, you may want to explore cellulite massage technique options. Cellulite is nothing more than a collection of fat cells below the surface of the skin. Massage has been shown to smooth out the bumpiness created by those collections.

Hand Massages

One cellulite reduction massage technique is a hand massage. It has to be done a particular way to be optimized for cellulite removal, though. So, it’s best to have it done by a licensed massage therapist. Typically, it will involve gentle pinching or lifting of the skin and circular hand motions. The idea is to stretch and smooth out the skin.

Of course, there is a down side to having a professional give you a cellulite smoothing massage by hand. It can take a lot of time and money. That’s especially true when you think about the fact that cellulite reduction massages are really only temporary. You need to get repeated massage therapy, if you want ongoing results.

Cellulite Massage Machines

Another good cellulite massaging option is to use cellulite massage machines. These mechanisms lift and massage the skin. They also sometimes use vibrations or heat to intensify the effects. Some of these machines are even designed for home use. So, you can use them to control your own cellulite management.

Cellulite machines for home use are usually very affordable. They’re also extremely convenient to use. You can easily find plenty of them on the Internet. Just be sure to familiarize yourself with the different types, before you choose one to buy. Product reviews can really help you to make a good decision.

More Powerful Machines

Of course, there are more powerful machines that can be used to smooth out your cellulite dimples. Typically, though, you can only find them in professional massage parlors. They can be used to give you a deep tissue massage that really hits the cellulite at its source.

Lasers

Laser treatments are another option. The light of the laser can target the fat deposits that are under the surface of the skin. It’s a procedure that needs to be done by professionals, though. One reason I that lasers can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Another is that the laser machine is just plain too big and expensive to get for your own home.

In general, you have to remember that cellulite massages are not quick fixes. They also aren’t one-time events. You need to get or give yourself treatments on a regular basis, if you want to see some real changes for the better. That’s why patience is key, no matter what cellulite massage technique you choose.

Benefits of Getting a Good Massage

In present times, each and every person is very much in tension because of the workload and job pressure. There is an instant need to lower this pressure otherwise everybody will be bored of the work they do. Consequently the quality of the work is going to be ruined. The best way to lower this pressure is either plan for a vacation, dance, or get a soothing massage. Getting a massage is the best way to look and the best thing about it that people don’t have to spend anything and get relaxed and refreshed at their home itself.

To attain wellness we need to do away with stress and tension. But doing away with it with some medicines is still a risk. Medicines have side effects that may trigger more problems in the future. A safe way to do away with the stress and tension is through massage. There are many benefits of massage such as you heart starts working more efficiently. In a survey conducted in United States of America it was found that people who have massage every month twice they live two years more than the normal person. The best thing that massage does to a person’s body is that blood circulation is very frequent and nice.

Nowadays, a wide variety of different massage chairs are very common in the market. A consumer looking for a chiropractic chair is offered dozens of brands to choose from, all of them promising better features and that too at a very low cost. There are various devices such as g5 professional massager, etc, which can be used to have a good massage. More importantly patients with musculo-skeletal problems are benefited from this a lot.

G5 massage therapy is very common among people living in urban areas, and there are various companies which offer such services at very minimal rate. Shoulder pain and tension affect many different people, regardless of how they live or how old they might be. Many times, this pain can be a result of old trauma to the neck, shoulders or back as well as other parts of the body. However, it may also be due to being out of shape, bad posture, over-extension, sitting or lying in the same or odd position for extended amounts of time, these problems are curbed by a good massage. These are very common problem among people who are into office job, so if in a month these people have massage, they can save themselves from such problems.

5 Reasons to Massage Your Partner

When we bump our body on something, we naturally put our hand on that body part. Rubbing a loved one’s back or shoulders when they are experiencing pain or stress is another thing we do without thinking. Touch, or massage, is one of the most natural expressions we have as human beings. There are some very compelling reasons to use massage as a tool to connect with those around you. This list includes what we feel are some of the most important reasons to massage your partner…specifically OUR Top 5 Reasons to Massage Your Partner. We’ve been teaching couples massage as a means for partners to reconnect to each other for over a decade, and have had a tremendous amount of feedback from participants in our classes. Some of the reasons below were reinforced by people who learned to massage their partner with us, and others are basic massage benefits.

1) Massage boosts your immune system. There have been medical studies that prove that massage increases the efficiency of the immune system, through stimulating the production of the cells that are the first line of defense for the immune system, as well as stimulation of the lymphatic system. Massage increases circulation and decreases blood pressure temporarily. This benefits your organs and the overall health of tissues in your body. Doing something healthy for your partner is a great way to show them you care for their health!

2) Massage gives you a chance to reconnect with your partner in the craziness of the everyday. Frequently the wear and tear of everyday keeps us from connecting to our partners in meaningful, thoughtful ways. When you give yourselves time to come back together, in a slower pace, it allows you to open up to your partner again. Taking time to breathe, and enjoy some calm physical touch, can bring you to a deeper level of emotional intimacy with your partner.

3) Massage helps you to de-stress. Massage has been shown to increase endorphins, while reducing cortisol and adrenaline secretion. In other words, massaging your partner allows you both to escape stress for a little while. The inevitable deeper breaths you take during giving or receiving a massage allows you to use another tool that is helpful in reducing the stress response in the body. Deep abdominal breathing helps to further the relaxation response in the body.

4) Massage gives you a chance to practice receiving. When we are constantly running around taking care of everything that needs to be done, many of us don’t take the time to receive. We suggest that couples exchange massage on different nights, so that each partner can truly relax into receiving, or focus on giving. This will allow each partner to focus on receiving the loving touch and attention, which will offer an enhanced experience to both.

5) Massage is a tool to increase awareness. When you receive a massage, you become more aware of tension and pain in your body. This allows us a greater tool for health, and a way to notice injuries before they get out of hand. It also allows you to recognize what feels good in your body, or what is supporting your overall level of well-being. In using massage in this way with your partner, it allows you to work together for better health for both of you. For instance, when your partner notices over and over that one leg or arm is tighter than the other, you can evaluate how you are sitting or sleeping, which can increase your level of comfort from day-to-day.

Day Spa Services Are Stress Busters That You Should Try

Stress is a silent killer that many people don’t realize lurk around. Most people just brush off the feeling of fatigue and weakness which are the primary symptoms of this medical condition, instead they take pills and try to rest a bit. But experts say the problem is more complicated than it presents itself to be. For one, it is quite impossible to get the right amount of rest in this modern age because distractions are everywhere. This is why we recommend going to day spa expert for the right venue to relax.

Why cant you just go home and sleep to feel better?

Medical experts say this should be the ideal way to rest but modern lifestyles are making it hard for most people to get the proper rest your body needs. Unlike decades ago when the home was considered a quiet place to relax and destress, the homes today are fastly becoming extensions of the work place and at times even school.

It is tough to get the right amount of sleep when you are surrounded by devices that can disturb you at anytime. Mobile phones are great for communications but oftentimes the hours you should spend resting are eaten up by messages and phone calls. This is the reason why most day spa services request patrons to turn off cell phones or leave them in safe lockers when coming in to relax.

How can you really relax in a day spa?

There are many therapeutic treatments available to induce your body to relax and get rid of stress. Body massage is a favorite among those who have tried it and it comes in many forms. You can choose whether you like the traditional massage, the Asian methods like Thai or Japanese, or other western forms like Swedish or French. Whatever it is you desire, you will never run out of choices cause there are hundreds of day spa services all over the world.

Another way to relax is to pamper your skin. Women just love to get these skin treatments in day spas because they can come in anytime they feel like getting a facial. Facials are very popular choices as well as full body scrubs. Cleansing is a very good way to relax your body and releive stress. According to experts, stress can also be caused by toxins from the environment that people are exposed to all the time and getting rid of them from time to time helps refresh the body. This is why day spa services are located in busy and highly populated areas and they offer treatment to those who need them the most.

Life is tough and making a living is even tougher. But regardless of the amount of work you do every day, you must never allow your body to become stressed. Try to relax and take a breather every now and then. Visit one of the nearest day spa services and let them help you bust stress from your life.

Tips on Finding Massage Courses

Let’s begin with some advocacy on massage. What is massage? Or what is a massage therapy? Humbleness is always respected in massage therapy. The existence of massage is one of the oldest as well as the simplest stems of therapy that not only earmarks equanimity to ones mind. It is additionally a method of pressing, kneading as well as stroking various areas of the body to alleviate pain, and it also helps in relaxing as well as stimulating, along with toning the body. More than creating a pleasant sensation on ones body, this therapy additionally behaves on the delicate tissues (the muscles, tendons, as well as ligaments) which furthermore benefits in improving the muscle tone.


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However massage therapy copiously affects those muscles that are just under the skin, it also benefits by reaching those deep layers of muscles as well, and mostly it benefits the organ themselves. It also helps in increasing ones blood circulation along with assisting the lymphatic system (that liquefies parallel to the circulatory system), which further helps in improving the abolishment of lay waste throughout the body. Let us now talk about some benefits of it. Benefits of therapy could be relaxing, soothing, healing, reassuring, eases tension, stiffness, and pain. It also benefits us by improving ones breathing system, circulation system and enhances ones well being.

A Brief explanation on the effects of massage therapy:

Single massage is really enjoyable, but later the effects of massage are cumulative and unbeatable, and a course of massage treatments will experience the best benefits, it’s like a boon. proper massage can allocate the effect of strengthening and further toning ones entire body mechanism, and at the same duration it benefits to dissuade unnecessary strains as well as injuries that might otherwise abide due to excess antagonism and any resulting syntactical weaknesses.Massage therapy helps one body to stimulate or calm the entire nervous system-that depends on am individual body type and requirements -and further helps in reducing fatigue, with a feeling of positive and fresh energy.

In today’s world we have many career fields of massage therapy available nowadays and therefore training for being a massage therapist is very much possible, which therefore is a great step towards creating a stimulating as well as rewarding job. for getting admission in any of the massage courses, you have to look appealing to the schools who at the same time need to operate as a business; they got to search and give admission to the best candidates to help safeguard their name as well as increase their income through the fees they earn from their various massage courses available for the students. Hence forth they set a massage institutes entrance requirements to help them get the “wheat from the chaff”.

Massage Therapy – Hands On Relief

Once seen as a luxury for serious athletes and the rich and famous, massage therapy is now widely accepted as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle.

There are many benefits to getting a massage. It can relax your muscles, relieve pain and stress, and improve circulation. Physically, this hands-on relief therapy stretches and loosens muscles; facilitates blood flow and removal of metabolic wastes throughout the body; increases the flow of oxygen; and stimulates the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, reducing anxiety. And emotionally, it satisfies the basic human need for that nurturing touch.

Three popular types of massage are Shiatsu, Swedish, and Sports. The Shiatsu/Acupressure type is an Asian-based finger-pressure massage to treat special pints along acupuncture “meridians”, channels of energy flow in the body. It aims to open blocked channels, which can cause discomfort. It is best for those who suffer from tension in specific areas–shoulders, back or neck.

The Swedish technique was developed by a Swedish athlete in the 19th century. It incorporates long strokes and a kneading and friction technique to target superficial layers of muscles. This technique is good for everyone, especially if it’s your first time. It promotes better circulation, reduces muscle tension, and alleviates stress.

The Sports technique is deeper and more vigorous than the other techniques. This is a pressure massage to prepare you for a workout, competition, or performance, or to help recover after. It is designed to move lactic acid out of the muscles to prevent soreness and cramps, and is best for fitness buffs who constantly suffer from sore muscles.

Before undergoing any of the above techniques, here are some inquiries to make:

1 If you’re pregnant or have any kind of cancer, the therapist will most likely recommend that you first get permission from your doctor.

2. Discuss any known allergies to scents or oils (paba and almond oil are common allergens). Migraine and sinusitis sufferers should identify themselves, as certain essential oils will be chosen to help with these ailments.

3. Bring up any kind of back problem, sore muscle, especially recent injury or surgery.

4. If you’re a sports enthusiast, tell the therapist what you participate in so he can concentrate on the muscles commonly used in that sport.

5. Skin conditions such as acne, eczema, psoriasis, or even bruises should be pointed out, because the therapist can avoid direct contact, but work around the affected areas to enhance circulation.

The more often you receive massage therapy, the more sensitive you become to your own body. As a result, you become more aware of the stress signals your body sends out, and you can respond more quickly and effectively to those signals.

Deep Tissue Massage Therapy Perfectly Compliments Strength Training

Have you ever started a new workout routine and felt sore in the same place all the time? How did this hold you back from advancing and making the most of your weight training? The cause of the chronically sore muscles is a combination of lactic acid build up and muscular imbalance. Deep Tissue Massage Therapy is a great solution.

Whenever I go to the gym to work out I see a lot of people that need a good massage. There are many body types presenting many different conditions. I see the huge guys that need massage because their muscles are so hyper-tonic (chronically contracted), and at the opposite extreme, women over 40 that never worked out habitually throughout life and so their large back muscles and core muscles are weak, which causes low back or thoracic pain. I notice many people working with personal trainers that need Deep Tissue Massage Therapy to help them balance certain muscle groups, which would help them get more out of their training.

Lactic acid build up is the muscle soreness you feel when you start a new weight training routine or do something strenuous you don’t usually do, like kayaking or sprinting. This is the kind of sore feeling that we have all experienced, and it actually makes you feel like you did something. This lactic acid build up is common, harmless, and goes away quickly. It is easily treated with Tiger Balm, ice, and stretching. Deep Tissue Massage Therapy will help the lactic acid soreness go away more quickly too.

In relation to strength training, though, I want to talk about the other part of the soreness combination — muscular imbalance. This is not what makes you feel like you did something, but the feeling that you did something wrong. This is the painful, constrictive feeling you get between your shoulder blades when you do rows, for example. Most people experience this feeling of muscle spasm at some point in their strength training routine, and it holds them back from advancing because it is not common lactic acid soreness, but a serious muscular imbalance that can lead to injury. Balancing muscle groups increases strength and flexibility; for example, the pecs are commonly short and hyper-tonic which protracts the scapulae causing neck and upper back pain.

Deep Tissue Massage helps to balance the musculature so that the body can perform optimally. No one is perfectly symmetrical. We all have our areas in which one muscle group is elongated, and another one is shortened. For example, look in the mirror and see if one shoulder hangs lower than the other or look at yourself sideways and see if your shoulders sit in front of the body’s coronal plane. Imbalances are very common in the lower body too. Lay on your back and see if one foot naturally splays out more than the other. In addition, one leg usually is slightly shorter than the other.

There is nothing wrong with this and it is perfectly normal, but when left alone it is not optimal for the advancement of one’s strength training routine. Deep Tissue Massage Therapy will help balance the muscle groups by releasing chronically tight and constricted muscles and getting to the root of the disequilibrium. Many common factors cause muscular imbalances; for example, repetitive motions at work, incorrect postural habits, scoliosis, old injuries, and emotional holding patterns. A good massage therapist will be able to identify the areas of imbalance, release hypertonic muscles, and balance the whole group (both agonist and antagonist).

A good way to get strong is by lifting weights to work both the agonist and antagonist muscle groups for a given area. Let’s use the pectorals (chest) group and the latissimus dorsi (back) group as our example. While doing pull-downs, some people might feel a spasm as if one side of the lats were shorter than the other, like the left side goes down before the right side and is tighter. This could cause a shortening of the left side of the latissimus dorsi, and might even cause the trunk to twist slightly left, with the right pec and anterior deltoid being shortened. This can cause pain that prevents a person from doing this exercise, even though it is good under normal circumstances.

One effective treatment is to have this client lay on his right side, and for the massage therapist to lengthen the left lat and serratus anterior. The therapist also has to release tight muscle bands in the deltoid and the rotator cuff, as well as under the shoulder blade. Then, with the client supine, the massage therapist works to release tight pectorals and the anterior deltoid of the right side. In this example, the SCM and trapezium would also need attention because the entire shoulder girdle and neck area will be affected and in need of relief.

Deep Tissue Massage Therapy also hydrates the tissues, increases blood flow, and makes the fascia more open and supple, increasing the muscles’ potential for growth. All of this makes people stronger faster, makes you feel more energetic, and look fantastic. It can help you become more flexible and aware of how your body balances. It is important to get a good Deep Tissue Massage on off days so you can feel the benefits and realize that deep tissue massage is vital to your strength training routine, health and wellness.

Unfortunately, it is very difficult to fix muscular imbalances yourself. If you work out regularly and have hit a plateau, are sore too often, or get muscle spasms frequently, please call a licensed massage therapist that specializes in Deep Tissue Massage Therapy to help you.