Foot Massage: Whats the Big Deal?

 

Not only is a foot massage pleasurable, it can also promote health and well-being. According to Chinese medicine, most of the sensory nerves of your internal organs are in your feet. During a reflexology session, the practitioner will use your foot as a detailed body map, and treat any health ailments by using massage and pressure on the meridian points that correspond to specific organs, purportedly sending energy to them. Both reflexology and traditional foot massage have been shown to promote psychological and physical health.

Relaxation and Improved Well-Being

Receiving a foot massage can improve feelings of well-being and be deeply relaxing, according to Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer center. In a study conducted by Brighton University, those patients who received foot massages after receiving coronary artery bypass graft surgery experienced higher levels of calm and feelings of psychological well-being than those who didn’t receive massages. Foot massage can be an effective tool to not only decrease post-operative stress and anxiety, but to promote relaxation in your daily life.

Nausea and Pain Relief

If you experience nausea or general pain, a foot massage may provide you with some relief. A study was conducted by the University of Canberra in Australia to learn if foot massage can be used as a healing tool for patients hospitalized with cancer. Eighty-seven patients were given foot massages of four-minute increments per foot, which were found to have an instant beneficial effect on their feelings of nausea, pain and relaxation The study discovered that foot massage can be an effective complementary treatment for cancer patients to decrease symptoms of pain and nausea during their illness.

Healthier Feet

A foot massage stimulates your muscles, improves circulation, lessens stiffness and tension, and can eliminate pain, according to Harvard Medical School. To give yourself a massage, purchase a foot roller from your local pharmacy or health food store. Remove your shoes and roll the foot roller back and forth for a quick and invigorating massage. Make sure to roll it over the top of your feet, not just the soles. If you have a serious foot injury or serious pain, see your doctor before obtaining a foot massage to prevent aggravating the injury.

Multiple Sclerosis Relief

Reflexology can improve symptoms in patients with multiple sclerosis. In a study conducted by the Department of Orthopedic Rehabilitation of Sheba Medical Center, 53 multiple sclerosis patients completed an 11-week series of reflexology treatments. The reflexology treatments included manual pressure and massage of specific points on the feet and calf areas. The reflexology treatments proved beneficial in lessening sensory, motor and urinary symptoms in the multiple sclerosis patients.

Fatigue and Stress Improvement

If you’re middle-aged and female, receiving a food massage may relieve symptoms of stress and fatigue, and increase your circulation. A study conducted by the Department of Nursing of Songwon College found that foot reflexology was effective in reducing stress and fatigue in middle-aged premenopausal women, along with helping their blood circulation.

6 Benefits of Massage Therapy to Improve Your Everyday Life

 

6 Benefits of Massage Therapy to Improve Your Everyday Life: Sure, massage can help you relax, but massage therapy can also be beneficial to improving your quality of life everyday. Here are 6 reasons why you should book your appointment now.

1. Helps muscle pain

Massage increases and improves blood circulation allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs. Increases joint flexibility and range of motion. Reduces recovery time, helps prepare for strenuous workouts and eliminates subsequent pains for the athlete at any level.

2. Soothes anxiety and depression

Massage helps to ease medication dependency. The power of touch is a remarkable feeling. In this fast paced world of our jobs, technology and life in general, taking time out for an hour to just relax and be calm allows you to be a better version of yourself.

3. Improves your sleep

Not only can massage encourage a restful sleep—it also helps those who can’t otherwise comfortably rest. It can help to enhance your sleep quality and reduce fatigue. Massage has been shown to decrease cortisol in the body. This allows the body to enter a relaxing rest-and-recovery mode­: an effect that lingers long after the massage is over. In fact, massage triggers a host of brain chemistry responses that can result in lasting feelings of relaxation, lowered stress and improved mood.

4. Boosts your immunity system

People who experience high levels of stress tend to get sick more than others. Combine stress with lack of sleep and poor nutrition, and our immune system’s ability to naturally protect itself against bacteria and infection is greatly reduced. Massage boosts patients’ white blood cell count (which plays a large role in defending the body from disease). It stimulates the flow of lymph, the body’s natural defense system, against toxic invaders. For example, in cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer.

5. Reduce headaches and stress

Relieves pain for migraine sufferers and decreases the need for medication. Massage releases endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller. Regular massage can help to reduce the chances of migraine attacks and tension headaches significantly by relaxing muscle spasms and trigger points. By focusing on the neck, shoulders, and head, massage can decrease the pain and discomfort brought on by migraine or tension headaches.

6. Lowers your blood pressure

High blood pressure patients demonstrate lower diastolic blood pressure, anxiety, and stress hormones. Benefits of having lower blood pressure are lower daily depression, anxiety, and hostility by keeping your stress hormone levels under control. Low blood pressure can contribute to lowering the odds of having a heart attack, kidney failure, or a stroke.

Stress Strain Syndrome and How it Affects the Body

 

Stress can be placed in 11 categories — these categories should not be placed in any special order. Their effect on the individual is dependent upon factors such as age, gender and innate energy of that individual.

The Categories Are:

• Infections
• Surgery
• Injury
• Immunological reactions to drugs
• Inoculations
• Allergies
• Overexertion
• Strong emotions – death, divorce, loss of a job, etc.
• Malnutrition — poor diet &/or poor digestion
• Pregnancy
• Exposure to extremes – hot or cold
• Gravity

When stress goes beyond the elastic limits of the body it causes many problems. If a muscle or group of muscles is overworked, they become tense and too exhausted to relax and rest. This state we refer to as strain. Strain or tense muscles cause problems in the body because they squeeze down on capillaries and impede blood flow. These tense muscles also interfere with normal lymphatic function and trap lactic acids, or metabolic wastes, in cell spaces. This tension on nerves can cause pain as well as trapped body toxins.
Strain also interferes with normal muscle function, thus making the muscle weaker. As we try to perform our usual tasks with muscle strain, the muscles fatigue more quickly. As fatigue sets in, it causes more muscle strain. As the process continues, muscle groups become strained and fatigued. The body then becomes distorted and more strain and compensating distortion is manifest.

This process, if allowed to continue, soon results in exhaustion of these muscle groups. This state also affects organs and glands. Exhaustion is synonymous with pain and disease. We refer to disease as dis-ease — the body against itself.

Stress, when it goes beyond our limits, causes fatigue. If we continue pushing past fatigue by refusing to take the time to rest, we cause permanent tension — or strain. This strain is a permanent shortening of important postural muscles. Of course, a permanent shortening of a postural muscle always causes a pulling of the skeletal structure from its normal position — distortion.

Distortion is the body twisted from a normal postural position. If the body is pulled from its normal postural position it becomes twisted out of its center of gravity. When this occurs, the body would fall to the ground unless opposing muscles tightened and twisted the body back over its center of gravity. Thus, the body will remain balanced over its center of gravity and has overcome the distortion that would make it fall. Now however, we have another distortion process – compensating distortion. This means that in order to remain erect, the body must compensate for the original distortion. Both of these distortion processes increase the fatigue syndrome. This then, increases until exhaustion sets in. Exhaustion means exactly what the word implies – the energies of the muscle groups involved have become exhausted to the point that there is no energy left for them to function properly. Exhaustion is synonymous with pain and dis-ease. Disease means that the body is against itself. Processes have been set in place within the body that allow disease and illness to begin, that cause chronic pain and dramatically impede normal function of the body. In fact, research is showing more and more evidence that virtually all disease syndromes can be traced to a causative factor — that factor is stress that has gone far beyond the body’s elastic limit for a prolonged period of time.

It is when muscle strain occurs that the body can get into trouble. Muscle tension keeps blood from circulating normally into the tissues and won’t allow normal lymphatic function. Thus, metabolic wastes remain trapped in the muscle. These wastes are toxic to the tissue and cause pain. In the strained condition, the muscle is left tense, filled with trapped waste and unable to accept a fresh supply of oxygenated blood. The lack of oxygen causes pain and the lack of proper nutrients in the tissue causes the cells of the muscle to degenerate. Degeneration simply implies that, instead of continuing to regenerate and remain strong, the tissues are degenerating and becoming weaker. Thus the disease process is begun.
That’s the reason that the massage therapist/body worker is so effective when working on clients with any type of overwork or injury. Our specialty is working on muscle tissue, carefully bringing about relaxation. With relaxation come the true qualities of healing. When the muscle tissue is relaxed, blood is allowed to flow unimpeded to those tissues. If our diet has been carefully planned, that blood will be filled with all of the nutrients necessary for healing and regeneration of body tissues. And, of course, the blood stream will also be carrying with it oxygen. Oxygen is necessary for utilization of nutrients at the cellular level.

 

Sunburns and Massage Therapy

 

The first few months of Spring and Summer are the best time to get outdoors, especially when you can find some cool water to help beat the heat. Unfortunately, even with sunscreen many people manage to get painful sunburns from too much time outside. The myth is that if you have a sunburn, you should forego your routine massage appointment to allow your skin to heal. But, did you know that in some cases a massage may actually be beneficial to helping your skin repair and replenish after a sunburn?

Massage Therapy for Sunburns

Before you cancel your appointment for a healthy massage due to a sunburn, consider the possible benefits. In most cases, if the sunburn is a few days old and not painful to the touch, there are forms of massage that can help soothe and repair your skin. Also, if your sunburn is localized to only certain areas of your body, we can avoid those areas if they are still tender. At Renaissance College, we teach our students techniques for all kinds of situations. After all, a massage may be just what you need to help soothe that red, dry skin. Here are a few benefits of having a massage when you have a sunburn.

• Aromatherapy and plant oils. Aromatherapy with massages can be beneficial to help heal a sunburn. Many plant oils can be healing to the skin, such as lavender or jojoba oil and aloe vera gel. Moisturizing the skin with natural oils can help it repair and minimize the damage to the skin.
• Increased circulation. Massage helps improve circulation, which can help your body naturally heal the burned areas of skin.
• Healthy healing. Massage therapy relaxes your body, relieves stress and promotes healthy well-being, making it the perfect remedy when your body is trying to heal from a sunburn. Like any injury, your body will recover faster when it is feeling its best.

Talk to Your Massage Therapist

Of course, there are severe sunburns that are too sensitive to be touched and need time to heal. If you are not sure whether you are ready to have a massage, talk to your Massage Therapists before you cancel your appointment. There may be options to work around the affected areas or variations that could still be beneficial. Even for mild sunburns, let your Therapist know about your skin condition and whether the sunburn is still tender.

Summer Massage Therapy Benefits

 

Summer means longer days and longer days normally mean more outside activity. From yard work to outdoor sports and just plain splashing around in the swimming pool, most of us are considerably more active when the temperatures begin to rise.

And while it’s no secret Massage Therapy is excellent for relieving stress and soothing sore muscles, it also provides a wide array of additional health benefits designed to help you feel your best during the dog days of summer.

Massage Therapy to Relieve and Reduce Swelling

In many parts of the United States and Canada, summer means heat and humidity, and heat and humidity can cause swelling and edema, as well as make you feel lethargic and less energized. Massage Therapy is an excellent method to relieve and reduce this swelling by increasing the flow through your lymph nodes, making you feel more energized, eliminating toxins and dead cells, and even increasing your body’s ability to fight infections.

Massage Therapy for Outdoor Summer Sports and Activities

Summer is always a great time to go outside and get moving. And after a long, chilly winter, this marks for many individuals the first time they’ve been active in several months, leading to tired, sore muscles. Whether it’s your regular evening walk in the park, bike ride, Saturday golf game or morning run, Massage Therapy is not only a perfect way to reduce muscle inflammation and relieve pain, but also keeps you flexible and ready to take on your summer activities with gusto.

Massage Therapy for Yard Work

Nothing says summer like a well-manicured yard and pool, but anyone who maintains their own lawn and swimming pool knows it’s not exactly a summer breeze – it’s a workout on its own. Mowing the lawn, pulling those dreaded weeds and cleaning the pool become a regular chore in the summer months, and can lead to neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Massage Therapy can help alleviate this pain, promoting cell recovery and reducing inflammation. Be the king or queen of your castle and reign the pain with a Massage Therapy session specifically designed to reign your yard work pain.