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. 

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 After The Holidays Should Start Sooner Than Later

When the holiday season hits, many people just throw the proverbial belt away. It’s a season full of treats, feasting, celebration and not dieting. If you find yourself tempted to go for it all during the holidays, take a step back and consider the effects that could result. Gaining weight during these months is common, and as they come to an end, resolutions come out and start to define a path towards fitness once again. Instead of waiting for the New Year, you could jump start your fitness regimen through simple steps during the seasons, and ensure that you are losing after these tremendous days.

Scaling Back

First and foremost, scale back a little on the feasting. This may seem like a big deal, but if you’re honest with

yourself, you’ll realize that you may not need to eat quite as much as you’d like. Instead of going all out, take into consideration the options and limit yourself here and there. There’s nothing wrong with scaling back a bit, so don’t feel that you’re going to derail the holiday season by not indulging in anything and everything.

Avoiding Temptation

There’s going to be a lot of temptation afoot during these days, and you may want to indulge in some of the decadent sweets, lattes, and more. Instead of getting into these often, try to make it a “treat” at the end of your work week, or as a small morsel here and there. Instead of going for larger sizes, try to go with a small, entry level option. This may help you not only get your taste buds enthralled with the flavors, but it will help you avoid binging.

Simple Exercise

Perhaps the best thing that you can remember is to simply do some

exercise during these holidays. Losing weight after it’s all said and done is fine, but if you never really stop the flow of your routine, you may find yourself having less to lose than others. It’s hard to do this when it seems like the whole world is engaging in all sorts of fun food activities, but you’ll thank yourself in the New Year to come when you didn’t gain a tremendous amount of weight. 

Connecting The Dots of Pain

No matter what your age is, occupation, nationality, or how active you may be, you’ll find that pain can send you a variety of signals. For some people it’s to indicate that they’re growing older, for others, it’s a matter of dealing with an old injury, but regardless of the reason you may be feeling this signal the body is trying to communicate something. If you are like millions of others today, you may reach for a pain killer that is over the counter. Today, the answer to anything from a light sprain to a headache is to reach for pain medication, and that can send you down a slippery slope.

The Problem With Pain

The problem associated with pain is often discomfort, and nuisance. You may not be able to concentrate, walk, or do anything that you’d like to do as a result. However, the signals that the body are sending shouldn’t be ignored or drowned out. When you reach for the medications that are supposed to heal you, you’re actually just drowning out the body’s signals to you. This is only masking the problem and could end up causing more damage than good. If you have chronic pain, and you are taking pain relievers on a daily basis, it’s time to seek medical help.

Chiropractic Care

A holistic option that you can consider in regards to pain management is that of chiropractic care. The goal of a chiropractor is not to give you medications, or anything that is going to numb your body’s signals, but rather listen to the signals and connect the dots. You may feel pain in your knee, but the reality may be that you have injured your heel or a muscle in the lower back is not correctly in line. Something is awry, and the body is manifesting a signal in the appropriate area, but it’s really connected to something else. That’s where a chiropractor will be able to treat and help you regain balance and holistic healing.

Fixing The Root Cause

Many people ignore the root cause in favor of finding a way to numb pain. That’s a big issue that is plaguing the world today. You’ll find that more people go for a numbing effect, than to fix the real issue. If you don’t fix the root cause today, you could end up in the operation room tomorrow. Not everything needs surgery on day one, but day 300 of chronic pain and use of pain killers could result in those courses. Those are last resorts, and should not be seen as places to go unless you’ve ignored the body’s pain signals for too long and you’re in dire need of surgical help.

Visit a chiropractor when pain manifests, and see what alternatives are to just numbing the issue. You’ll be surprised how connected the body’s pressure points are. It’s something that will completely change the way you look at medicine, forever.

Holistic Medicine versus Traditional Medicine

Holistic Medicine versus Traditional Medicine

The main difference between holistic medicine and Western or traditional medicine is the approach. Simply defined, holistic health focuses on the body as a whole, rather than individual parts and symptoms, recognizing the importance of body, mind, spirituality, and emotions, as opposed to traditional medicine, which focuses on symptoms and cures.Emphasis is placed on individual symptoms and pain management. Diagnosis in western medicine is made through general classifications (textbook cases), rather than recognizing patients as individuals. Chemicals and surgery are the primary methods of treatment in this form of medicine, leading to unpleasant side effects (often worse than the original symptoms). Some side effects often prove fatal. Traditional medicine is best used to treat infectious diseases, trauma, and acute conditions.

Holistic medicine recognizes the individual, focusing on causes and patterns, using natural, organic, and ecological treatments directed towards healing, rather than masking symptoms. This form of medicine views each unit of the body as a whole, with every area affecting the other. When one area is deficient, the whole is deficient. Prevention and correction is then implemented alongside patient pro-activity. Changes in lifestyle, eating habits, and wellness practices are determined by the individual patient’s needs. Holistic medicine is best for chronic disorders (often the cause of stress and lifestyle), toxemia, immune problems, body system imbalances, and glandular deficiencies. 

I've Been In An Accident, Now What?

Chiropractic Therapy and Massage Therapy

After seeking medical attention, accident victims should seek chiropractic care, whether suffering from pain or not. Stiff and sore muscles, herniation of discs, and other musculoskeletal injuries are often the cause of future chronic pain (and possible scarring of tissue) when left untreated. A chiropractic evaluation after a car accident can determine possible injuries, even though these injuries may not produce immediate or painful symptoms. Undetected injuries can potentially lead to serious complications over an extended period of time. Spinal misalignments and whiplash are often a result of accidents, making chiropractic treatment (often combined with massage therapy) essential to wellness and recovery. These adjustments are non-invasive and are a safe alternative to drug treatment.

Massage therapy after an accident has many benefits, while working in tandem with chiropractic care to restore balance to the whole body. Massage therapists are trained to work with injuries resulting from car accidents, especially muscle sprains, whiplash, headaches, nerve compression, and lower back pain. Massage restores proper circulation to muscles, allowing for faster recovery to traumatized areas of the body, while relieving stress and pain that often result from car accidents.