Could Your Posture Help You Relax?

Did you know that better posture can help you relax? According to two University of Wisconsin-Stout psychology students, they have found evidence that this is true. The students conducted a research project and found that "anxiety levels dropped 10-15 points after a massage." Well, duh, lol. But the cooler thing is the test subjects got taller. According to the survey, "the subjects stood from about four-tenths to half-inch taller after each treatment." Of course there has been a lot of studies that massage reduces anxiety, but none that connected posture with the reduced anxiety. For the full article, please read it at https://www2.uwstout.edu/news/index.asp?event=news.get&ID=2007
For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website . Learn something new daily, connect with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Reflexology Basics

Reflexology is a method of massaging specific areas of the feet, hands and even ears to relieve nervous tension, promote healing and relieve stress in other parts of the body.  The understanding is that certain areas in these appendages corresponds to every part in the body.  What this means is that areas of the feet, hands and ears reflect other known areas of the rest of your body.  For instance the ends of your toes and fingers are a reflection of your brain and head, the low back is towards your heel.  And each side of the foot, hands and ears corresponds to that side of the body, i.e. right hand, right side.  Reflexology is a form of bodywork that can be very specific in having only the hands/feet (and sometimes ears) worked on and/or included in other various types of massage.

One of the nice things about reflexology is this is something that you can do yourself to help you have an immediate relief in whatever might ail you until you can see either your massage therapist or reflexologist.  The basics are pretty easy.  To stimulate healing in your body through your feet, hands and/or ears find the points that are sore or painful and put pressure there by massaging it.  You can use your hands for the feet and ears or use other things for your feet such as a ball or wooden foot roller.  Use for a few minutes every day.  There is a great interactive reflexology chart for your feet and hands at Dorling Kindersley books website.  Of course for the ears, check out the chart above.


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Post-Op Massage Rx

According to the Archives of Surgery, they have concluded that "Massage is an effective and safe adjuvant therapy for the relief of acute and postoperative pain in patients undergoing major operations."   The controlled study showed that patients in the massage group experienced a faster rate of decrease in pain intensity.  They also found that massage therapy improves postoperative anxiety and pain management.  After surgery a patients muscles become very tight and sore for a variety of reasons.  The main reason, of course, being the surgery itself.  Rather graphically, the body is cut into and things are spread out and moved in ways most of us don't want to think about.  This puts a lot of pressure on the whole body, not just the area that is having the surgery.  There is also the recovery of laying around being dormant in a hospital bed that can play havoc on your body.  The muscles can start becoming atrophied, even in small ways that will make you sore.

So the next time you know someone getting ready, or who has had recent surgery, consider getting them a massage instead of the get-well cards, balloons and flowers.  

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.

Your First Time (At least for Massage)

Never had a massage before? Feel a little nervous? Should you do anything to prepare for a massage? What should you expect? These are a few of the common questions and/or fears for the first-time massage client. Most people are nervous the first time they get a massage. This is actually very normal even though it seems like a contradiction. There is the fear of the unknown as well as feeling vulnerable to putting your body and trust into someone you've never met before. Once you start getting massaged and feel comfortable with the massage therapist those fears usually subside and you will relax.

You will not really need to 'prepare' for a massage because your job will be to just lay there and let the therapist do all the work. Though you may want to drink a small bit of water and/or maybe take a shower prior. That's it. Simple. What you should expect is to get what you pay for. If you want a relaxing massage, you should be relaxed. If you need those knots and pains to be worked on or a sports massage then that's what you should expect. The main thing you will need to do is communicate prior to the massage of what you want as well as during the massage. If your therapist's pressure is too light or too deep for you, please speak up.

I hope this has helped you make the decision to get a massage and get passed those fears, questions and concerns. Now the big thing is....when will you make your first appointment?

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.

Myth of Cancer Massage

There is a myth out there that a person who has cancer should not be massage. And I said this is a myth. Many massage schools teach their students that massage promotes the spread of cancer by increasing circulation. This included the school that I attended just a few short seven years ago. This myth of course is carried over into the mainstream with doctors, patients and other health-care providers to believe this is true. If this were true then health-care providers would also discourage exercise and other activity for people with cancer as this increases circulation also.

Since my initial classes, I have found through medically funded research that this myth was based on old understandings of how cancer spreads. Thankfully, for cancer clients newer and new research has shown the benefits of massage. Per research done at the Sahlgrenska Academy at Goteborg University in Goteborg, Sweden, they showed that massage relieves nausea in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Many major hospitals have formed an Integrative or Alternative Medicine department such as Beaumont Hospital in Michigan.

Surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have strong effects on the body such as severe pain, nausea, fatigue and depression. Massage can help lessen those effects and give a client some much needed pain relief and anxiety relief. We all know how devastating chemotherapy is to the body as well as to the soul. If a client can gain benefits from massage such as pain relief, stress relief, lessened depression, as well as increase levels of dopamine, serotonin, natural killer cells and lymphocytes then that is an amazing thing. Plus massage is natural. And for many clients even just the simple act of touch is an uplifting thing.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.

Chair Massage for your Company's Bottom Line

As stated in the previous post, 40% of job turnover is due to stress. These high turn-overs can continually cost your company money and lost time as spend time to search for a new employee in addition to the cost and time it takes to train this new person. Companies all over are looking for answers to reduce costly stress-related absenteeism, low morale, reduced productivity as well as the stated employee turnover. Supporting, encouraging and being proactive in your staffs' individual health is a wise investment in your company's bottom line. Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage encourages you to consider an easy, efficient, natural and cost-effective on-site chair massage program for your organization. I work to relieve the tension and pressure accumulated in the back, shoulders, wrists, and neck of your most valuable asset - your staff. Plus the results of chair massage are immediate. Take this into account:

• Chair massage increases staff loyalty, employee retention and increased productivity
• Massage reduces anxiety, stress, tension and muscle aches leaving the mind and body rejuvenated
• Chair massage can be scheduled for the same amount of time as an employee break
• A chair massage program shows the employer's proactive commitment to the health and well-being of their employees

Little space is required for chair massage and can be set up in an office, break room, or conference room. Chair massage is worked through the clothing utilizing a mixture of massage and acupressure techniques. With a chair massage program not only will your employees promote your company telling people about what a great perk they receive at such a terrific company, in addition your company's productivity and bottom will be improved as well.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.

Does Stress Cost Your Company Money?

Yes, stress does cost your company money and time and the numbers are really staggering. Per the American Institute of stress website, consider these statistics:

• 40% of job turnover is due to stress
• Repetitive musculoskeletal injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome have become the nations leading workplace health cost and account for almost a third of all Worker's Compensation award
• In California, the number of Workers Comp claims for mental stress increased almost 700% over eight years and 90% were successful with an average award of $15,000 compared to a national average of $3,420

Companies all over are looking for answers to reduce costly stress related absenteeism, low morale, reduced productivity and employee turnover. Supporting and encouraging individual health is a wise investment in your companies bottom line.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website

Prescription for Stress Relief

We know how much stress affects our body and our health. Serious health issues including high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and even certain cancers, according to doctors, have been linked to chronic stress. It can also contribute to difficulty sleeping, headaches, digestive problems and back pain.

When you receive a massage, it activates the nervous system and sends the mind and body into a state of rest and recovery, as well as giving you the much needed stress relief. And relieving your stress can and will be beneficial for your long-term health without the unhealthful side effects that modern medicine treatments can have. Maybe your next prescription should be a massage.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website

Employee Overtime = Employee Overstressed

In the June 2008 'Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine' (a publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine), a study concluded that employees who worked overtime were at an increased risk of anxiety and depression. This study on anxiety and depression was concluded on 1,350 employees who worked 41-100 hours per week and approximately 9,000 people who worked 40 hours or less per week.

For both men and women, working overtime was associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression. The rate scores of these two types of mental distress for men was 9% who worked a normal work week compared to a 12.5% rate of depression for men working over 40 hours per week. For women this rate was 7% for a normal work week compared to 11% depression and anxiety rate for overtime hours. And men who worked more then 48 hours per week were at the highest risk, though even moderate overtime hours seem to increase the risk of mental distress for both men and women.

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website.

Does Stress Have a Consequence?

Stress. A part of everyones' lives, whether it be a large part of your life or small part, we all have it. Experts estimate that 80-90% of disease is stress-related, and 40-80% of doctor visits are stress-related. So you can see that stress can and will have a negative effect on your body. Stress can bring on anxiety and anxiety attacks, high blood pressure, headaches and migraines, heart disease, depression, chronic fatigue, insomnia, ulcers, colds and other serious problems such as eating disorders, drug addiction and alcoholism.

How can massage help avoid some of these issues? First off, it's a natural treatment. Massage helps us remember to relax and bring about positive changes mentally and physically. It can help decrease anxiety attacks, headaches, migraines and improve your immune system and circulation. It can help you sleep better and relieving insomnia which just that in itself can be stressful for many people. It reduces fatigue and gives you more energy to handle stressful situations.

Massage is medicine, it's a natural medicine. The 'father of medicine' Hippocrates, used massage techniques to treat many medical conditions. He stated that "anyone wishing to study medicine must master the art of massage." It's just too bad that his philosophy is not widely used. If we all received massage on a daily, weekly or even monthly basis our world would be a much happier place.

Massage is not just a Luxury!

Most people think massage is a luxury or pampering. They might think that it's something that only 'rich' people do or it's something to treat yourself to once a year or even less. Yet, most people are looking for ways to live a balanced life, to relax and reduce stress and that is exactly what a massage is about. Massage is a fantastic tool to include in your life to help you live in balance.

A massage is not about luxury... it's about re-charging your life, letting go, re-newing your body and mind into a peaceful place and learning how to take care of yourself. Massage is about your health: both your physical and your mental health. A massage doesn't just 'feel good' it helps your body recover from injuries, illnesses and of course stress. Massage has been proven by scientific research to be beneficial for many chronic conditions including:

• Low Back Pain
• Fatigue
• Headaches/Migraines
  
• High Blood Pressure
• Depression and Anxiety
  
• Strengthens the Immune System
• Relieve Stress

It also helps reduce recovery time for many medical conditions such as:

• Arthritis
  
• Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Fibromyalgia
• Asthma and Bronchitis
• Insomnia
• TMJ

When you think of massage in this way, it helps eliminate the thought that it's a luxury or a pampering moment. Now you can see that benefits of massage and the medical benefits that it can and will have for both your mind and body. Again, massage is a fantastic tool to include in your life to help you live in balance.