5 Best Ways to Use Massage Therapy

Getting a massage here and there when we’re stressed out or sore is great, however getting a massage on a regular basis has some huge benefits worth looking at.

Depending on our health goals and the resources we commit to our self-care, regular massage can be once a week, once every other week, or once a month.

1.  Detox with massage
In today’s world filled with pollution, environmental chemicals, and industrialized food, it’s difficult if not impossible to not be affected by all of this.  Detoxing our body becomes a priority to consider.  There are many great ways to do this, like cleansing fasts, juicing, bathing with essential oils, and more – and getting a regular massage complements all of them because of the way it releases substances held in our tissues.  Once released, these waste products go back into circulation to get flushed out.  That’s one reason massage therapists always remind us to “Drink More Water” afterwards.

2.  Supercharge your immune system
There is tons of research on this topic.  When our immune system is healthy and vibrant we have a much better chance at warding off colds, the flu, and even things like cancer that show up when our immune system is highly compromised. Gotta care for our little T-Cells!

3.  Reduce injury intensity (pain sensation) and duration with massage
Hopefully we won’t get injured, but if we do, people who get regular massage experience less pain and heal noticeably faster.  This is great for outdoorsy athletes, and especially everyone over 40 because of the way our healing response slows with age.  Even if we don’t get regular massage, when massage puts our body into the relaxation response, it reduces the sensation of pain everywhere in our whole body.

4.  Avoid common effects of stress and muscle constriction
It’s estimated that up to 85% of Dr. visits are related to the effects of stress in some form.  For example, digestive issues and ulcers, high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and more.  When we’re stressed out and our muscles constrict this causes decreased circulation and holding toxins in our tissues which greatly contributes to headaches, migraines, chronic pain, and skin issues. Get a massage and get those muscles relaxed and flowing.

5.  Build a more intuitive relationship with yourself
Studies have shown that people who do yoga and get regular massage tend to eat better and generally take more control over their own health.  A huge benefit of experiencing our natural state of relaxation and flow is that we can become very aware of things that take us out of that.  We notice when our breathing shifts, when our intestines rebel, when our emotions constrict our neck and shoulders, and we can actually do something about it right in the moment.  #SelfLove, one of the most important things in life.

Stress, Diabetes, and Massage Therapy

By Rosie B.

Stress causes the release of stress hormones and those hormones can affect the diabetic’s blood sugar control negatively. It’s hard to think of stress as being or causing a series of chemical reactions in the body, but it does. Stress is a normal part of life, but how we deal with that stress can keep it from spiraling into a health problem.

Stress and diabetes sometimes results in high blood sugars. Massage has been shown repeatedly to have a beneficial effect on anxiety. Diabetics experiencing anxiety are at risk for poor blood sugar control. Massage therapy for diabetics helps reduce that stress.

Massage calms the nervous system, bringing stress hormones down to normal levels; in turn blood sugars are easier to control.

Diabetes can have a dangerous effect on the circulatory system. Diabetics tend to have problems with circulation because high blood sugars can cause hardening of the arteries. This poor flow of blood tends to occur first in the feet, since they are so far from the heart.

Massage improves circulation of blood in general, including to the extremities, decreasing this blocking effect of diabetes. When poor circulation occurs, poor healing of wounds and infections also occurs. That is why diabetics sometimes develop sores on the foot. Massage therapy for diabetics improves feeling (sensation) and circulation, so it can help prevent this common problem. With improved blood (and lymph) flow from therapeutic massage, the body is more able to fight infections in the body. Circulation is critical for good health. It is impaired in the diabetic. Massage improves circulation dramatically.

Elevated blood sugars, because of stress hormones and poor circulation, cause the tissues around the muscles and tendons to become thicker. Diabetes can cause stiffness and decreased mobility in the diabetic’s muscles and other soft tissues. Massage therapy for diabetics treats this problem directly by manipulating these tissues in a way that causes them to be less stiff. Range of motion improves, so does general mobility of the whole body. Improved bodily movement enables the diabetic to do more exercise which has a beneficial effect on diabetes. 

Anxiety & Massage Therapy

By Adam Butler, LMT

We live in a world of instant communications, express shipping, and drive- through everything. We can board a plane at dawn and be virtually anywhere in the world by the time the sun sets. Yet in this world of ever increasing speed, it seems that one thing we cannot escape is stress. Work, school, family, the economy; sometimes it seems that we are under a constant bombardment from all sides. All these constant pressures translate into stress which builds up in the body until the stress overloads the system.

Most people are aware of the physical manifestations of too much stress, knotted muscles and physical fatigue, but many people are unaware that too much stress also manifests mentally and emotionally. One of the most common psycho-emotional manifestations of stress is anxiety. Anxiety is an internal response to stress and includes symptoms of fear, apprehension, and worry as well as physical sensations such as palpitations, chest pain, sweating, and/or shortness of breath.

While it is normal for everyone to experience some degree of anxiety in their lives, more and more people are developing anxiety disorders and experience intense and prolonged periods of distress and uneasiness, often for no apparent reason. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people, including 40 million adult Americans, are affected by anxiety disorders and the World Health Organization predicts that by 2020 major depression, which includes anxiety disorders, will be second only to heart disease as the leading cause of disability worldwide.

It’s pretty clear that this is significant problem that is greatly affecting the lives of many people. So, what can massage do to help? One of the major ways massage helps to relieve anxiety is by relieving the stress that is often an underlying cause for the anxiety. Massage has been used for this purpose since ancient times by every culture on Earth. While this is significant in and of itself, research has shown that the benefits of massage extend beyond just stress relief. Numerous studies have demonstrated that massage decreases depressed moods, anxiety levels, and stress hormones and a study comparing massage to other relaxation techniques showed that while all the techniques studied resulted in lower anxiety levels, the group receiving massage additionally showed changes in behavior and stress hormone levels.

So for anyone suffering under the burden of an anxiety disorder, or for anyone who feels the pace of life is leaving them behind, remember there is something safe and natural to be done. The gentle, comforting, nurturing touch of a massage therapist can help you shed your unease. A caring touch is just a phone call away.

Adam Butler is available by appointment for Massage Therapy at 907-279-0135.