Stress Management

As the previous blog post stated, stress can and will have some serious side-effects to your life. Nobody ever wants to be sick, so you need to find ways to avoid these stress-related illnesses. Of course, there will be times that a sickness such as maybe a cold will happen, the more you do to prevent it, the more time you'll have for your life.

There is not one single solution to reducing stress, yet a multitude of ways. Of course, you know I'm a huge proponent of massage and I will do whatever I can to promote it. Massage will decrease stress and increase your immune system and the more often you have a massage the better it will be for your health. Even if you can just do once a month, that is better then none! Think about it this way, you take your car to get it's oil changed every 3,000 miles or so, you need to do the same with your body... get your monthly tune-up.

There are other stress management things you can do. As another previous post stated, Take a Cigarette Break. Taking breaks during your workday can decrease stress and increase productivity. Another thing is to find something that you enjoy and do it! Find the time for you. More de-stressing tips are:

• Walk
• Laugh
• Yoga
• Have more fun
• Increase physical activity
• Talk things out with family, friends or even a therapist
• Get plenty of rest, relaxation and sleep
• Make time for hobbies
• Take a bath and relax
• Read a book 

I hope you take the time for you and find out what you can do on a daily basis to help reduce your stress.  Part of it really is making yourself a priority and not everyone else.

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.

The Ill Effects of Stress

Experts estimate that 80-90% of disease is stress related. Though stress starts as emotional, such as pressures from work or family and instant stresses such as car accidents, it often can turn into physical issues. Stress can affect the body by raising your heartbeat, headaches, upset stomach, diarrhea, and lower your immune system. According to webmd.com, stress is linked to high blood pressure, abnormal heartbeat (arrhythmia), blood clots, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, heart attack and heart failure, neck, shoulder, low back pain, pain menstrual periods, low fertility, erection problems, feeling cranky, frustrated and tired to name many of the physical issues. As you can see, ignoring stress, not dealing with it and finding ways to release your stress will make you sick! Maybe you might not notice it right away, yet eventually stress will get your attention when you are in the doctors office finding out what is wrong.


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.

Take A Cigarette Break

Take a cigarette break? What the heck am I talking about? You thought I was all about health and goodness, etc. Well I don't mean to actually take a break and go smoke a cigarette, what I do mean is to take a break. Before doing massage, I worked in a variety of manufacturing offices and the people who smoked where constantly taking breaks. So now that I do massage and promote taking time to re-charge, the people who took those cigarette breaks mostly had the right idea.

Though obviously I am NOT going to promote smoking, I do promote taking breaks during the workday. So many of us sit at our computer hour after hour after hour and before we realize it we haven't gotten off our butts for four, five maybe six hours or more. Sitting for such long periods is both not good for our bodies as well as our minds. You hear about when you travel that you should get up and walk around every hour or so. The same thing applies to the workday. Get up! Walk around! Even just getting up and walking away from your desk for as little as 3-5 minutes will circulate your blood through your body and give you those few minutes to re-charge your brain. This especially good when you are facing a problem that you just don't know what to do about. Taking those few minutes to not think about it, can give your subconscious mind the time to circulate the problem and hopefully give you an answer when you come back to it.

Though this might seem to be a contradiction to you, you can be more productive when you take more breaks. So again, though I am not promoting cigarette use, I am promoting taking as many breaks (or more) as the people in your office who smoke. I will end with this quote from Dr. Joyce Brothers, Psychologist and advice columnist: "No matter how much pressure you feel at work, if you could find ways to relax for at least 5 minutes every hour, you'd be more productive."

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.

Massage, Aura's, Spirits and Natural Health, It's What I Do

Most of my blogs talk about pain relief and ways to help your body.  I realized I've never really blogged about  the variety of things I've done besides just massage.  I started out doing massage going on 9 years ago this year.  It's been lots of fun and I love what I do!  I've been able to help people heal, help people get rid of headaches, migraines, various body pain and help people lower their stress.  Such a blessing and joy!

Besides massage, I've also done quiet a few other things.  Some of it is a bit out there and what I jokingly call the woo woo stuff as many people have that scientific/non-belief mind to where they won't believe me of the things I've done and seen.  With massage, I've been fortunate to massage many, many types of bodies.  Anything from the personal trainers, fit fireman, stroke victims with half body paralysis to largely overweight clients and everything in between.  Honestly, I don't care what you're body looks like when I massage you, I just want to do my best and make you feel fantastic and amazing!  I have also massaged animals.  I've worked on dogs, cats and even a horse.  It's amazing how receptive and in tune animals are to massage!

Some of the other things that I have done and worked with are flower essences, energy work, auras, homeopathic and natural medicine.  This is where the woo woo stuff comes in.  I have seen peoples auras, I have seen spirits or ghosts and I have worked with peoples unseen body energy and helping them heal a physical issue.  Ya, I know some of you are thinking you can't see ghosts or auras.  Yet, I don't really care whether you believe me or not, I know what I have seen and I can give you detailed descriptions of them.  I can tell you about the plaid shirt one spirit wore, or the orange and bright purple aura's I've seen. I've used and have helped people find the right remedies for flower essences.  These are (literally) the essences of flowers and plants that you take to help you deal with all kinds of emotional issues that we all go through.  Though I am nowhere near a homeopathic doctor or natural homeopath, I have studied a lot about about natural medicine and try to help clients with conditions and what I think might help them, or refer them to the right people.  So now you know a little bit more about me and the other that I work with and maybe could help you with.

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.

Natural Relief for Headaches

Many structures in and around the head are capable of producing headaches.  Headaches are a very common problem and are experienced by nine out of ten people.  Headaches are categorized into many different types such as migraines, stress, tension and cluster, which are based primarily on the symptoms they produce.  Because many headaches are caused by tension and dysfunction of the muscles and joints around the head, massage is an effective source of relief for many headache sufferers. They are also one of the many reasons people seek out regular massage.  Massage treatment of headaches uses gentle and natural methods as opposed to medication. 

A few ways to prevent headaches are:
   -   Drink water regularly as dehydration can cause headaches.
   -   Avoid foods that may trigger headaches such as caffeine, alcohol or chocolate and/or your own food allergies that you know can cause your headaches.
   -   Maintain good posture while sitting, standing and even sleeping.
   -   Avoid prolonged postures by taking a break or stretching.
   -   Exercise regularly to reduce stress and maintain overall wellness.

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.

Can Asthma Be Caused By Stress During Pregnancy?

Recently the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases conducted research on whether stress levels might have an impact on their children having asthma. Quite an interesting concept. Could stress lower the immune system so much to cause possible life-long issues in their children? Hmmm, maybe. I do know that stress causes so many health issues that can range from a simple cold to high blood pressure to life-threatening heart attacks. Could the possibility be that a stressed and pregnant woman bring that stress and health issues to their unborn baby. Time will tell as they follow the children and get more and more information.  For the complete article on this http://www.massagemag.com/News/massage-news.php?id=8845

For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website . Learn something new daily. Become a fan on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.

Chiropractic Care: Hand in Hand with Massage

I've been asked many times by clients my opinion on whether they should see a Chiropractor and what the benefits.  My opinion is that Chiropractic care goes hand in hand with massage.  Chiropractic and massage therapy used in combination, form a powerful healing approach that addresses your pain on many different levels. Whether your pain is the result of traumatic injury, overuse or stress, these two therapies can speed your return to a pain-free and productive life.

Back pain, neck pain and headaches are just a few of the painful and most commonly seen conditions that send most people to a chiropractor.  Misalignment's in your body, called subluxations, can pull on your muscles and disrupt the nerve transmissions, especially in the spine which houses nerves affecting the entire body.  The resulting pain can be at the site of the subluxations as well as places elsewhere in your body, which can also include numbness and tingling in various areas.  Many clients who I see at the chiropractic office I work in will complain of one area of pain and when I massage another area of their body are surprised to feel tension and soreness in other areas.  What they don't realize is when the body is out of alignment this pulls on many of the surrounding muscles as well as causing havoc in the nervous system creating the pain in the body.  Over time these tight, inflamed muscles and fascia (band of fibrous connective tissue enveloping, separating, or binding together muscles, organs, and other soft structures of the body) suffer poor circulation which prevent muscles from lengthening completely.  Sometimes these tight muscles can compress the nerves and cause severe pain.  Plus your tight muscles and shortened fascia can pull your joints right back out of alignment again and this puts you right back to where your started.  In pain!

In general, massage increases circulation to the whole body as well as to the areas of pain. This reduces painful swelling and inflammation and promotes healing by removing waste products and bringing nutrients to your tissues. Like a sponge absorbing water, both fascia and muscles begin to soften and lengthen.  Which in turn helps hold your adjustments in place, decreasing your pain and putting your body back towards a state of health.

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

Protect Yourself from the H1N1 Flu

Can you protect yourself from the H1N1 flu with massage?  Possibly.  Massage therapy has been proven to enhance your immune system.  Lymphocytes and natural killer cells (NK cells) are part of our innate immune system and reduce the amount of the stress hormones cortisol.  Cortisol has been shown to interfere with the production of NK cells which keep our immune system in check.  A healthy body produces the NK cells to respond and kill cells that are infected when we have a virus and boost your body to ward off illnesses.  Massage also increase the circulatory and lymphatic systems.  Both systems removes toxins.  The circulatory system is also responsible for bringing nutrients to the billions of cells in your body and the lymphatic system captures and destroys invading bacteria and viruses.

While massage therapy has not been specifically proven to fight the H1N1 flu, massage has been proven to decrease your stress levels as well as (again) increase your immune system.  I think we all know when our stress levels go up our immune system goes down.  So while massage may not directly protect you from the H1N1 flu, it will increase your immune system as well as increase your healthy killer cells and help protect you from sicknesses.  However, on the other end of the spectrum if you think you are sick with any type of flu, do not receive a massage.

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

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.

Posture for your Health

Most of the time we go through our days not thinking about our posture in how we stand, walk or sit. I know I don't usually think about it and of all people I should be aware of my posture at all times. However, when I massage people I am fully aware of how my posture is and making sure I stand and lean in the ways that is best for my body and to make sure I can massage for a long time to come. Keeping good posture can make a considerable difference to the long term health of your spine, muscles and overall body health. Once degenerative changes have taken place it is very difficult and often impossible to restore the spine back to full health. Think about your posture on a daily basis and try to always make an effort to maintain good posture. After all it's for your health.

Some posture tips to keep in mind:

Keep the ears directly above your shoulders. When your ears are aligned over the shoulders your head is balanced above your body and causes minimal stress on your spine. If your head is forward it can put excessive stress on the joints in the lower neck which can lead to long term degenerative changes.

Keep shoulders back. Slouching draws the head forward and again can lead to increased stress on the lower neck.

The hips should be over the top of the ankles. The lower back is naturally the area of highest stress in the spine and most prone to problems. Poor posture increases the stress on this already vulnerable area.

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The Sound of Music

Music is played by most massage therapists during a session as it can help evoke relaxation. I personally bring my Ipod with over 150 massage 'style' songs. However, I have had clients that will turn on their own music and it has been anything from classic rock to country (though country is not a favorite of mine, it is a nice change of pace for me). We all know that music evokes emotions. Whether it's heavy metal that brings out our inner tyrant, the love songs that may evoke tears as the memories of loves gone bad flood our mind, or even the 70's, 80's, or 90's music that brings us back to our teen years of high school and the quick escape into that time period in our lives.

Listening to healing music can lower blood pressure, boost the immune system, relieve depression, enhance creativity as well as help manage pain. Studies have been done on the effects of music and your body and one study has shown that listening to music strongly effects healing, releases dopamine and simply put makes us happy. Funny how an official study gave us something I think most of us already knew. Researchers have also found emotions aroused by joyful music have a healthy effect on our cardiovascular system, causing blood vessels to dilate and increase blood flow. What a great effect on the physical body as the emotional body feels happy and relaxed. The right music can help create deep relaxation and induce peaceful sleep. Which makes it perfect to go hand in hand with massage.

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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.