Simple Reasons Massages Help Reduce Stress

Today’s average person is stressed beyond compare. Throw in a marriage, a couple of kids, a family pet, and you have the makings for some serious problems overall. Dealing with stress is tough, and many people find themselves dealing with it in their own way. One option that you should look into is massage, as it is a sustainable and easy way to get stress reduced and alleviate tension that can manifest on the body. You will find that there are some simple reasons why this helps, especially at the biological level. 

Hormone Shifts

Cortisol has been linked to stress, anxiety, depression and other issues, and when it’s present in the body

you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. Massage therapists focus on relieving this by introducing other hormones through their hand movements. When your body is being taken care of by a trained masseuse, you’ll find that the levels will drop and you’ll find relieve through the release of serotonin as well as dopamine in the system. These help literally lift you up, and cause you to have a fresh step moving forward.

Improving Circulation

Circulation in the body is crucial for sleep, fitness, and nearly all aspects of life. If you want to ensure that

you’re receiving the benefits of improved circulation, you should look at massage therapy. A good masseuse can help alleviate tension in the muscles, joints, and circulatory system through pressure points. When these are paid attention to, you’ll find that the body responds by circulating blood flow, energy, and changing breathing patterns to align with natural homeostasis.

Relieving Pain

Pain relief is one of the main reasons you should look into massage. It helps reduce the stress that is induced

by having to deal with inflammation in joints, muscle tissue, and even headaches. If you’re in constant pain due to arthritis, your stress levels may sky rocket. However, if you seek out the right therapy, the massage elements can help you shift the inflammation and relieve the pain, in turn giving you peace of mind. 

Relieving Chronic Pain Through Chiropractic Therapy

The human body is comprised of a lot of pieces. When you start to look at the skeleton, the joints, the muscle system, and all the components that make up a healthy individual, you will see that there are a lot of intricacies. For many people the components that make up their body can be broken, stressed, or misaligned. When these issues manifest, many have pain. Chronic pain is one thing that millions of people deal with, and while there are some severe issues that require surgery, most can be helped through chiropractic therapy. If you’re not sure how this works or if it would work for you, consider a few reasons to consider going to a chiropractor.

Aligning The Spinal Column

The spinal column is a center for millions of functions, and you may not think about them. Damage to this

arena can manifest a great deal of pain to the body. Whether you get lower back pain, or you have neck pain, or even arthritic issues, you’ll find that the spin can cause serious problems if it’s not aligned correctly. Alignment is something that can help with a wealth of issues, and more importantly, it brings symmetry to the body so that the elements can work at 100% homeostasis.

The Connected Body Elements

There are several pressure points in the human body. You may feel pain in your hands, for instance, but there may be a connection in your arm, or even chest that is the root issue. The same can be said for a number of issues that the body can face. For instance, there are individuals that deal with chronic knee pain, but the root issue is their feet. They step wrong or they are hitting a pressure point in the foot too hard and causing strain on the knee joint. Chiropractic therapy focuses on finding that issue and the other issues that could seem unrelated to where pain is coming through at, and fixes that issue. When you fix the root cause, the chronic pain dissipates for a lifetime.

Finding The Root Cause

As mentioned above, the main concern for a chiropractor is not just to fix the pain, it’s to find the root cause

and alleviate that. Most doctors will look at chronic pain through surgical lenses. They’ll try to fix the pain itself, and often times that means drastic solutions like surgery. You may not need surgery for certain issues, and that’s what chiropractic therapy tries to look at. When you visit a trained, certified chiropractic office, your pain will be alleviated through various means, focusing on the root issue and fixing that on the way to curing the bigger problem.



Dr. Nailah Smith
Full Body Rejuvenation Center

WELLNESS THERAPIES

What is chiropractic?

Chiropractic, that is, treatment that uses the hands to manipulate the body, remains one of the most widely used forms of manual medicine. (The word "chiropractic" comes from Greek roots meaning "done by hand.") Although it was formally introduced in 1895, chiropractic, along with osteopathy, follows the tradition of hands-on manipulation that dates back to ancient systems of treatment in China, India, and Egypt. Originally, chiropractic therapy focused entirely on the spine and on the notion that minor slippages (called subluxations) of vertebrae would pinch spinal nerves and lead to a variety of diseases. Although this concept is now considered incomplete and somewhat obsolete, today's chiropractors still concentrate on spinal manipulation as a means of relieving pain, including chronic low back pain, neck pain, tension headaches and, sometimes, pain in the knees, shoulders and elbows....

For more information, visit Andrew Well M.D.'s article by clicking here.

Losing Weight and Getting Healthy Is Not Complicated – 3 Positively Easy Ways To Start

Millions of people hear the terms weight loss or healthy living and immediately scoff. They think about eating only celery sticks and carrots. Or they think that they cannot have a hamburger here and there. Too often, people take the idea of health and wellness to extremes. There’s nothing wrong with certain extremes, however, that isn’t the course of action every single person has to take. If you’re overweight, and you feel the need to lose weight in a positive manner, do not be scared by healthy living, instead, focus on how to invigorate your life with a little bit of a push. There is no need to over complicate this, or to assume you’ll be miserable, because that’s not true at all.

Start Slowly (Assessment)

First and foremost, take a moment to assess your goals. You don’t want to start day one of your new

life with thinking that you want to drop 100 or 200 pounds. Set aside extreme goals in favor of smaller steps. If you start to climb a mountain and have no background in climbing, you will fail. It’s with that in mind, that you should start slowly by assessing realistic goals. Set yourself up for success by looking at trying to lose 5 or 10 pounds over the course of a couple of months. Once you’ve hit that goal, set up a secondary goal and continue to move forward slowly with a plan of action. Don’t go extreme here, because you’ll end up miserable.

Cut Out Processed Foods

Look at your grocery list and slowly start removing processed sugars, refined carbohydrates, and other elements. Look at ingredients, and see what you can have that is made of whole grains, natural ingredients, and make sure that you can pronounce them and identify them in your mind. If you find that you cannot pronounce something or you aren’t sure what the root element is, don’t buy it. Try to look at moving away from processed box foods, microwaveable meals, and other elements that are high in salt, sugar, and fats. Again, you don’t need to go extreme, just make a better effort, you’ll get moving forward in time.

Find Something Fun To Do

For those that aren’t big on exercise, don’t worry, there are ways to do it that aren’t so tedious. In order to gain leverage here, look into finding something that is fun for you. One easy option is to buy

a jump rope. Childish as this may seem, you’ll find that jumping rope for at least 10 minutes straight, will wind even the most fit of people. Jumping rope is just an example, find another option if you must, and look for “fun” exercise to do. If you find fun, you will not think of exercise as something that is boring.

The above 3 tips are easy to implement. They do not call on superman to show up and go through the motions. Everyday life can be altered slowly and effectively if you just take simple steps towards a better future. 

Is It Better For A Chiropractor To Have An MD on Staff?

This is a tough question that many chiropractors have to ask themselves at one point or another. Is it truly better to have an MD on staff? The short answer is yes, but it’s really a matter of the goal of the practice as a whole. Exploring some of the benefits could in fact be a good thing here, which is why it’s imperative to look through several pieces of this solution before moving forward with a simple, cut and dry answer.

Without An MD

Chiropractors are able to move forward without having a doctor in

their offices. The goal remains the same, however, helping people heal through a natural manner. Doctors can stifle this from time to time, as they may not be quick to go forward with a natural component, in favor of pharmaceutical recommendations. While there’s nothing wrong with certain drugs, they should not be the focus of care up front. Some people will rely heavily on the drugs to mask the issue, rather than fix the root problem and that’s where things can become a bit difficult to manage for individuals in this medical world.

With An MD

There is something to be said about partnering up with a medical doctor, especially one that is Seeing Eye to eye with a chiropractor. By being on the same page, patient care can become streamlined. Finding the root issue and taking care of issues can become a lot easier, especially when the problems can be diagnosed within both worlds of natural and pharmaceutical solutions. This is where the emphatic yes, becomes the answer. Yes, it can be better for a chiropractor to have an MD on staff because they can diagnose further issues that may be outside of the realm of natural remedies.

The Bottom Line

At the end of the day, the answer can be somewhat difficult to answer in a black and white manner. Some will argue that it is better and others will argue in the opposite end of the spectrum. As a result, it’s important to look at elements of both sides of the proverbial coin. Some will benefit from this, but only if the doctor on staff is on the same page with the chiropractor and vice versa. When there’s arguments, or differences of opinions in regards to patient care, things can become a bit blurred.

How Teachers Would Benefit From Massage Therapy

Teachers are under appreciated. Talk to any teacher today, and you’ll hear stories from the front lines of education, and you’ll hear fatigue in their voice, and struggles. While many do a great job, there’s a lot that are tired, weary, and just need a little support. It’s not just a mental stress, it’s a physical one, as you’ll find many teachers have to stand, walk, and be at their position far more than just your standard 9 to 5 work load that most people get. As such, many are injured on the job, deal with problems in their feet, joints, and other cardiovascular issues that can surmount. It’s for that reason that many could in fact use a bit of relaxation, and that can come through massage therapy.

The Body Tenses Up

When the body is continually abused, even if it’s not on purpose, certain muscle groups and even joints lock up. This is manifested with pain, structural damage, and even detriment to the tissue themselves. When the connections start to lose mobility, it can be hard to reverse. Left without any sort of routine care, the body will eventually break down to a point where surgery will be needed. Avoiding surgery is something that should be paramount of teachers, as many cannot afford to be sidelined with an injury for too long. That’s where massage steps into help.

Reconnecting The Tissue

At the molecular level, you’ll find that a good massage therapist doesn’t just promote relaxation, they connect tissue back into the right place. The body can tie itself up in knots, injuries can manifest on the muscle tissue, and connections can be stifled, broken, or completely battered. A good therapist will knead the tissue, and look at the connecting points to elongate muscle and pay attention to these problem areas for teachers. At the end of one session alone, a teacher could feel dynamic, responsive, and ready to get back into the classroom.

The Long Term

Teachers should look at this in a long term manner. As more and more get specialized attention to their body’s, the response will be jovial, and an increased in energy and joy will manifest as a result. Left without any routine care, the body’s muscular systems will cause a number of issues. Massage is not only about stress relief, which is a good component, it’s about providing the body a push forward to proper homeostasis. 

Rehabilitation After An Accident Through Massage Therapy

Accidents occur all the time, and most people aren’t sure what to do when they occur. Whether

you’re at work and you fall, or you’re involved in a car accident, you will sustain injuries that are not always life threatening, or you may “walk them off”. However, after the initial adrenalin rush wears off, and you’ve had time to reflect, you will realize that there is an issue with your body that needs help. Some people will go to the doctor and they’ll receive one of two diagnosis. They will either be told to get surgery to repair chronic issues, or they will be told that there is nothing physically wrong or that they are just having a traumatic episode and nothing more. The truth of the matter is that accidents leave their mark, whether it’s visible or not.

Dealing With An Accident

A lot of the times, these things go unreported. Whether you’re at work and slip, but you catch yourself, or you are in a fender bender and no one is seriously hurt and the cars are fine, you’ll find

that not everything gets reported. If you or someone you know has dealt with the accident in this matter, but is experience any kind of discomfort, it’s time to look for help from a massage therapist, or a chiropractor that can help align the back and alleviate the pressure that can occur in the body.

The Healing Touch of Massage

Massage therapy that is used with rehabilitation after an accident takes on a whole new role of the body. A trained chiropractor will consider the issue that is being felt and will utilize natural reflexology to heal the troubled areas and massage the muscle tissue. The muscle tissue and nerve endings across the body can be cajoled into alleviating any pressure, and this can cause a major sense of relief. Whether the issue is visible through bruising, or it’s invisible, there are a lot of reflexes that can be focused on to gain a natural healing methodology.

A Natural Rehabilitation Process

The key thing to remember about massage therapy is that it focuses on the body’s natural systems. Aligning the spine correctly, focusing on the muscle tissue, the reflexes, and the overall systems in place, a trained practitioner of this healing art can change the way you feel after any sort of accident and in many cases can help with the avoidance of surgical procedures. Not every answer is one that involves going under the knife, and that’s something that most people don’t really understand, until they experience the healing touch of a massage. 

3 Major Issues That Sugar Can Cause In Weight Loss Plans

When it comes to losing weight, you are going to want to look into a variety of details to ensure that you are not causing any sort of harm to the body. Often times, people overdo it in one area and cause their body to either go into starvation mode, or cause issues of other times to manifest. You don’t want to have a detrimental reaction to your weight loss plan. If you have found a good plan, and you’re going to work on healthy living, then you’re on the right track. Amidst your plans, you will want to take note about one thing, and that’s the sugar problem that can manifest. Often times dieters will substitute, or replace sugars with artificial sweeteners, or other natural options that still cause problems for the metabolic rate and can actually cause you to gain weight instead of lose it.  With that in mind, consider the following issues that you will definitely want to keep tabs on.

The Artificial Sweetener

When you are looking at losing weight, you may find yourself gravitating towards no calorie sweeteners. Some of them are even “natural” in their variations. The problem with these is that it tricks the brain into

thinking that it hasn’t received any sort of sugar intake. As a result, you will find that you may overeat, because the body doesn’t process the sweetener the same way that it does real sugar. Not only that, many artificial sweeteners have been known to cause cancer in heavy doses, and could lead to other issues overall.

Reduced Fat Items

Look at boxes that say reduced fat, you will notice that the reduction in fat calories may have been replaced marginally, but the sugar is still there and the other ingredients may be bad for you as well. You need to look out for these, because if something has a reduction in fat that is marginal, you may want to eat more of it, and not even think twice. Be careful when you see reduced fat, reduced sugar, and other implements of marketing. You will find that they aren’t going to help you out.

All Natural Juices, Soda and More

Juice, soda, waters, and much more are being labeled with “all natural” labels. This is not a good thing if the sugar is still in the can, or bottle. You will find that the sugar content is still there, even if it comes from a natural source. The body processes sugar normally, but when you drink your calories, the body ends up converting a great deal of the sugary substance into fat cells. Storing those causes weight gain, and will be detrimental over time.

At the end of the day, you will find that sugar is not a helpful ingredient in your weight loss plans. It can sneak up on you too, even if you tried to “reduce” certain foods, drinks, and more, you will find that it is lurking in a variety of different places. 

Holistic Healing Can Trump Pharmaceuticals

For millions of years, natural cures were the go to things for many of life’s little problems. Today, many people run to the doctor or ignore the issues that plague the body in favor of items that they can purchase in

the pharmacy. There is nothing wrong with reaching for those things from time to time, but it’s not always a drastic measure that is needed to heal the body. Often times, the manifestation of pain, or irritants in the body is a matter that is best left to nature to heal and less invasive than having to get prodded, touched, and put through a rigorous amount of tests within the framework of modern medicine. When you’re in the doctor’s office, you’ll have to go through a checklist of tests before you get diagnosed, and often times, you can seek a natural resolution if you just seek out the right kind of help.

Healing The Body Through Natural Means

Things such as a headache, upset stomach, skin irritation, dandruff, and even pain in the joints, back and feet can all be treated with a holistic touch. You’ll find that chiropractic services can assist with these with a focus

on the entire body. Often times signals manifest in the body from pressure points that doctors may not look for, as they are looking for a pharmaceutical reason to assist. For instance, many doctors will prescribe a heavy pain killer for knee injuries.

When the knee joint hurts, and it’s not related to a serious trauma, often times a cortisone shot and some pain medication is given to help. This can help for a short time, but if you don’t fix the root cause, the issue will lead to a surgical option down the road. Instead of going that route, you could focus on rehabilitating and strengthening the muscle systems around it, as well as aligning the spinal column to further support a balance associated with the body.

Everything Needs Balance

The body is most efficient when it has balance. This balancing act is crucial to having all systems working at proper homeostasis. You’ll find that when your back is not aligned, your feet can end up hurting, your joints will hurt, and lower back pain will manifest. The body needs to be in unison to work properly, and if it is not at all in line with the balance needed, you will feel a lot of pain manifesting in odd places. Alignment is part of the natural healing process that is given through chiropractic services, and it’s just one of the many tools that are utilized for assistance in rehabilitation, and focus on holistic healing.

Often time’s nature is the best medicine, and when you focus on the alternatives to heavy pharmaceuticals, you restore a certain balancing act that can deliver far greater results than your average medical facility. Do not misunderstand, this is not a replacement for doctors, as they are needed. But when the issue is not due to serious trauma, or due to injury where ligaments are torn, bones are broken, or anything along those lines, natural elements can be trusted.

Avoiding Back Surgery With Chiropractic Care

Millions of people go under the knife annually for routine back surgery. After all is said and done, the procedure may offer momentary relief, but it’s going to cause more pain over time. Even after one or two surgeries, some people get no semblance of relief, or marginal returns. This is due in large part to the fact that modern medicine doesn’t always treat the root cause of the issue, and looks for drastic measurements to attempt at healing the issue. There are times when surgery is unavoidable, but before things get to that drastic conclusion, treatment can be administered to help those in need today.

The Balancing Act

The body needs balance, and it’s something that chiropractic services can offer in a great and mighty way. You’ll find that when your body has perfect alignment, weight is distributed across several muscle systems. These systems act in such a way that it will help to create homeostasis. However, if your spinal column is not aligned, and your body is putting more weight on one side than other, a slip, a fall or even bending over could put pressure on nerve endings that are exposed or shifted and that’s where chronic pain sets in.

Things Get Worse

Things start to hurt more and more as people take on injuries with medication. There are a lot of over the counter medications that you can take to help the back, but it will only numb the issue. If you remain out of alignment, the spin can fuse, cause further nerve damage, or even break. In the worst case scenario, surgery is absolutely necessary, but that can come far after the initial issue starts to manifest. Before that first signal is sent, you could fix things by simply looking into routine chiropractic care.

The Difference Between Pain and Homeostasis

The goal of a chiropractor is not to numb pain. It’s to align the body into harmony. When the body is harmonious, a plan of action can be put into place to heal the issue. For those that have pain in the joints, back, and are dealing with a variety of issues, balance is the key. Focusing on a plan of action that combines holistic healing, diet, and exercise, the body can use the natural systems in place to align with the correct systems. When the alignment is at proper points, back pain, and other manifestations of injury can go away completely.

If you feel any issue in the back, joints, muscles, headaches, or pain of any kind it’s imperative that you not ignore the signals. The body sends these synapses to tell you that there’s something awry, and the more you ignore them or numb them, the higher the chances are that problems will get worse. Before long, you’ll be in the operating room instead of back in action with your daily life. It’s for that reason that you should contact a chiropractor and discuss the issue early, so that a course of rehabilitation is taken to prevent further injuries and keep you from going under the knife that comes with back surgery. 

Pain Relief with Chiropractic Help – Reasons to See A Chiropractor

Millions of people today are suffering from a wide variety of ailments, most of them with pain involved. When pain manifests in the body, it is not always because of trauma. Medical professionals are often times quick to ease the pain, but not treat the root cause. This is especially true for ailments that may not have other physical symptoms, besides pain. Those that are dealing with neurological, back, wrist, ankle, or other injuries are hard to treat. When doctors are baffled, or they feel the best course is surgery they open up the patient and remove tissue, cut ligaments, or any number of things to help aid the pain. Then the recovery time comes in, and it can lead to even more chronic pain. There is hope for those suffering from pain, and that’s to seek out the help of a chiropractor. There are several reasons to go with this type of physiotherapy first, before heading into a surgical ward.

Treating the Root Cause

Many signals that the body gives are related to secondary pain issues. For instance, if the back hurts, many assume that there is trauma in the back. However, some may not see that there is a knee injury, or someone’s foot is stepping the wrong way in the shoe, or a number of other factors. A chiropractor looks for these signals and then corrects them through massage, corrective posturing, and more. The goal is to find a holistic healing method and apply it straightway. Instead of giving the patient pain relievers, adjustments are performed to find and heal the root issue.

Back Pain and Beyond

Those that are dealing with chronic back pain are often times rushed into the operating room to fix discs and more. However, there are a lot of elements that can push against the back and cause pain. You don’t always have to go under the knife. Adjustments to the spinal column, and massage can alleviate pressure around the muscles that could be causing the main issue. Furthermore, a chiropractor can look to see if weight, injury, or any other types of ailments may be causing the issue and then prescribe a regimen of physical therapy to get the patient back on track.

Holistic First, Then Other Measures

The main reason you want to go with a chiropractor first is simple, they seek out holistic options. They look at the body and use their expertise in the medical world to understand the root issues. Once a root problem is identified, they apply a solution that is not going to wear off in 2 or 3 hours. They look to find a holistic, natural solution that will alleviate the problem once and for all. That is not to say that some people don’t need serious medical attention, because some people do need more than adjustments, massage and therapy. However, these can be discussed and considered after a consultation.

The body is a wondrous thing, and professional chiropractic services can help alleviate a great deal of pain in the body, through physiotherapy, rather than pharmaceuticals. Remember, pharmaceuticals may only relieve the pain, but if that’s a signal that something greater is wrong, you will not be treating the source of the problem.