Springs is Here..Time to get the body in order

Imagine this: You lie down under crisp, fresh sheets and on a heated table, the hushed music you hear around you draws you into the moment. Aromatherapy fills the air and you hear the gentle sound of massage oil being warmed in your therapist’s hands. The pains of age, the throbbing from your overstressed muscles, the sheer need to be touched — all cry out for therapeutic hands to start their work. Once the session gets underway, the problems of the world fade into oblivion. You experience a blissful 60 minutes of relief and all you can comprehend is not wanting it to end.

GO…GO…GO
As you get outside and begin enjoying our Southern sunshine: gardening, golfing, biking, kayaking, rollerblading, swimming, boating, etc. are an example of activities available to us during the Spring and Summer, but these new activities can cause muscle fatigue, aches and pains.  In our day-to-day lives we may feel stressed and pressured to take advantage of what these warmer seasons have to offer. Now more than ever you should be maintaining a regular massage therapy schedule.

An hour of massage does more for you than just take the pressures of the day away.  Evidence is showing that the more massage you can allow yourself, the better you’ll feel. Here’s why:

Massage has been around for thousands of years and in many cultures. Touching is a natural human reaction to pain and stress, and for conveying compassion and support. Think of the last time you bumped your head or had a sore calf. What did you do? Rubbed it, right?

We now have proof of the benefits of massage – benefits ranging from treating chronic diseases and injuries to alleviating the growing tensions of our modern lifestyles. Having a massage does more than just relax your body and mind – there are specific physiological and psychological changes which occur, even more so when massage is utilized as a preventative, frequent therapy and not simply mere luxury. Massage not only feels good, but it can cure what ails you.

The Consequences of Stress:
Experts estimate that 80 percent to 90 percent of disease is stress-related. Massage and bodywork is there to combat that frightening number by helping us remember what it means to relax.

What You Already Know: The Benefits of Massage:
In an age of technical and, at times, impersonal medicine, massage offers a drug-free, non-invasive and humanistic approach based on the body’s natural ability to heal itself. So what exactly are the benefits to receiving regular massage and/or bodywork treatments? Here are just a few:

•  Increases circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs.
•  Stimulates the flow of lymph, the body’s natural defense system, against toxic invaders. For example, in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer.
•  Increased circulation of blood and lymph systems improves the condition of the body’s largest organ – the skin.
•  Relaxes and softens injured and overused muscles
•  Reduces spasms and cramping
•  Increases joint flexibility.
•  Reduces recovery time, helps prepare for strenuous workouts and eliminates subsequent pains of the athlete at any level.
•  Releases endorphins – the body’s natural painkiller – and is being used in chronic illness, injury and recovery from surgery to control and relieve pain.
•  Reduces post-surgery adhesions and edema and can be used to reduce and realign scar tissue after healing has occurred.
•  Improves range-of-motion and decreases discomfort for patients with low back pain.
•  Relieves pain for migraine sufferers and decreases the need for medication.
• Provides exercise and stretching for atrophied muscles and reduces shortening of the muscles for those with restricted range of motion.
•  Assists with shorter labor for expectant mothers, as well as less need for medication, less depression and anxiety, and shorter hospital stays.