Benefits of Massage

Many of the therapeutic effects of massage recognized by personal and clinical experience over the years have been supported by scientific research.  In addition to the commonly known benefits of relaxation, improved circulation, and relief for muscle tension, new applications for therapeutic massage are surfacing in areas related to mental and emotional well-being, infant care, aging, and other special situations. 

Massage Therapy By Experienced, Certified Theriapist.

Exciting new discoveries link touch in general, and therapeutic massage in particular, to improved immune system functioning.

Especially Beneficial For…

Caregivers – those who care for others

Physical Workers – for those who stress their bodies in their work or trade

Desk Workers – for those whose work involves long hours of sitting at a desk using a computer, or talking on the telephone, or at a bench assembling parts, fixing things, or creating works of art.

Travelers – for those spending long hours sitting in an automobile, train or airplane.

Antidote to Stress
A stressor is a situation, event or demand that disrupts a person’s equilibrium, and triggers a bodily reaction called the stress response.  Life is full of challenges that may be considered stressors.

Signs that your level of stress has been exceeded include chronic muscle tension (especially in the neck and back), short temper, anxiety, excessive worry, insomnia, chronic fatigue, general nervousness, feeling ‘burnt-out’ or ‘stressed out’.  People experiencing too much stress are frequently more clumsy and forgetful than usual, and may be involved in more accidents.  These are the signs of ‘stress gone bad’ or ‘distress’.

Chronic health problems associated with a prolonged stress response include tension headache, backache, ulcers, colitis, blood sugar irregularities, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Chronic stress has proven to impair the immune system – our first defense against many diseases ranging from the common cold to cancer.  Thus too much stress has a general negative effect, leaving us vulnerable to many diseases, and inhibiting recovery as well.

Therapeutic massage helps to restore balance, and brings the body back to normal by triggering the relaxation response.  Massage also relieves many of the mental and physical problems caused by prolonged stress.

Your massage therapist cannot force you to relax, but can create an environment conductive to relaxation.  Here are some tips to help you create a relaxing massage experience: leave beepers  and cell phone outside and express your intent to relax to your therapist who will then choose techniques for relaxation. 

The Pain Cycle
The pain cycle is a complex chain of events that reinforce each other.  It often begins with injury or illness, but each element, especially stress, can add to or even start the cycle.

Few things are as distressing as chronic pain.  It saps your energy and takes an emotional toll.  Over time, pain can become a vicious cycle with a life of its own, sometimes persisting even after the original cause is resolved.

Massage is one of the most overlooked, yet accessible supportive measures you can seek for chronic pain.