Wellness

Benefits of Using Coconut Oil for Massages

When you get a professional massage, the therapist typically applies some sort of oil or cream that lubricates the skin, making it easier for the therapist to manipulate the area and more comfortable for the patient. It may come as a surprise to learn that coconut oil is a popular choice by massage therapists for several reasons. Here are a few of the benefits: continue reading »

4 Ways to Massage Away A Headache

In the United States, 45 million Americans suffer from chronic headaches. Headaches can be debilitating and career ending. Chronic headaches create added stress at work, at home and in everyday life. Massage can be a very important tool for relieving chronic headaches. It can be used proactively to prevent headaches and also retroactively to help relieve a headache that is already in full swing. Let’s look at some ways that massage can help with headaches. continue reading »

5 Reasons to Get a Massage This Summer

While many people think of massage as a treat for special occasions, the truth is that regular massage can be extremely beneficial, especially during the summer months. Here are five reasons why you should consider getting a massage this summer: continue reading »

Want to tackle your bad posture? Massage can help.

Driving, working on the computer, staring at your cell phone screen. It feels like now more than ever, so many common daily activities all have our bodies hunching over in the same position.

This kind of bad posture can cause back and neck pain, it can negatively affect your digestion and circulation, as well as affect your self esteem. A study from researchers at Columbia and Harvard Universities showed when people stand in so-called “power positions,” basically standing up straight, they felt more powerful and in control. continue reading »

Lymphatic Drainage Massage

There are many different types of massage, and each type has a specific purpose and unique benefits. While every massage can be relaxing and relieve pain and tension in the body, some forms of massage go even deeper than that. One such form of massage is lymphatic drainage massage. continue reading »

All About Reflexology

Most people associate the word reflexology with a form of foot massage, but it is so much more than that. Reflexology is defined as the application of appropriate pressure to specific points and areas on the feet, hands and ears. The theory behind this technique is that these areas correspond to organs and systems in the body. When pressure is applied to these areas, it is thought to affect the organs and benefit a person’s health. continue reading »

More about Fascia & Your Health

Fascia is the connective tissue that forms a matrix of support around the body and within every layer of the body from our muscles and bones to our muscle cells.

“Fascia surrounds every muscle, every bundle within muscles, groups of muscles, it surrounds every nerve, every artery, every vein, all the lymph vessels. These are all embedded in envelopes of fascial tissue. Fascia also forms large envelopes around the whole body,” says Til Luchau, author of Advanced Myofascial Techniques.

Magnified under a microscope, fascia looks like spider webs. It has six times more sensory nerve endings than muscle. Like many other systems of the body, fascia is adaptive and responds to stress both externally (environment) and internally (within the body).

Years ago, fascia was regarded as packing material within the body and thrown out by anatomists during cadaver dissections. The more accepted belief today is fascia is its own system. Medical research and tests are lagging behind, evident in that fascia does not show up on MRI scans, CT scans or X-Rays. Many experts believe that fascia is the missing piece of the puzzle to chronic pain and illness. Source: Aiyana Fraley at www.massagemag.com

 

FASCIA: Here, There, & Everywhere!

By Rachel Damiani and Ted Spiker

Americans, who spend about $8 billion a year in massage and chiropractic treatments to relieve pain, may have no idea that they’re all probably experiencing the same thing—a manipulation of their fascia, a three-tiered layer of tissue that encases tissues and organs. Although some people may have a vague notion that fascia exists, they probably don’t know much about their fascia—or understand why it even matters.

Fascia is the only tissue that modifies its consistency when under stress. It’s everywhere in the body, so it could affect just about everything. That leaves researchers wrestling with an intriguing dilemma: If fascia is everywhere, then how do you isolate its impact on the body? Early research suggests it may have relevance in areas one wouldn’t normally think of fascia playing a role, such as digestive conditions and cancer.

“Fascia is what holds us together. There are very few diseases that don’t have a fascia component,” said Frederick Grinnell, a professor of cell biology at the UT Southwestern Medical School.

In an article in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies, researchers make the point that this web throughout our body has the potential to influence everything.

“Fascia is involved almost everywhere in the body,” said Andreas Haas, who has been a manual therapist for 30 years and has researched fascia for two decades, and is also the founder of the Manus Training Center and the Manus Fascia Center in Austria. “Each organ, each muscle, each artery, each vein, each nerve—there is not one single structure in the whole body that is not connected with fascia or not enveloped by fascia.”

What is fascia?

Fascia appears all over and acts like a casing—a biological Spanx of sorts. This fascia throughout the body holds muscles and organs in place to make sure they don’t jostle around.

The characteristic of fascia that is at the forefront of discussion in terms of health implications is its elasticity – that is, the capacity of the fascia to stretch and elongate which allows organs and tissues to function better. Lack of movement and other forms of dysfunction can cause fascia to stiffen up, thereby decreasing performance.

Long thought of as just the support structure, fascia may have more influence on health than as a passive container.

Why does it matter?

The main functions fascia include helping to coordinate the body’s movements, it’s position in space, and the fluid flow throughout the body.

Beyond movement conditions, fascia may also be involved in a variety of unexpected health conditions and diseases, including cancer, lymphedema, and gastrointestinal distress.

Specialized massage and bodywork techniques encourage fascia to become more pliable, lymphatic fluid flow to improve, and decrease swelling. Similarly, releasing fascia could help reduce gastrointestinal distress, including constipation, bloating and acid reflux.  Source: www.washingtonpost.com

 

5 Pain Relief Trigger Points You Can Use at Your Desk

The number of desk chairs advertised to support low-back health and reduce neck and shoulder pain should be an indication of the strain sitting for so many hours a day can put on your body. Sitting at a desk for eight hours a day places between 20 and 30 extra pounds of pressure on your neck and shoulders each day. Poor posture can also contribute to neck low-back pain and tightness in your hips. As our society shifts to predominately seated, desk jobs, it’s important to have strategies to support your physical well-being while you work. continue reading »

7 Ways to Improve Energy Using Massage

Massage therapy has been around for centuries. The ancient texts of many languages, including Chinese, Indian, Greek and Egyptian mention it. While the exact roots of massage therapy are unknown, it is known that getting regular massages is beneficial for the recipients. Massage can treat everything from aches and pains, digestive issues, insomnia and more. continue reading »