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Enhance Your Massage Experience, Neck Stretches, Back to Massage

Tom Saulnier — Fri, 10 Dec 2021 16:53:57 +0000

How to Enhance Your Massage Experience

Tips for Before, During, and After Your Session

By Kristin Coverly

In a lot of ways, a massage session is like a 5k run: a physical activity that can be done with little to no preparation, but that is a much more enjoyable experience with some thoughtful planning. Can a runner just show up to the starting line, zip through the race, and then head back to their regular life and to-do list? Sure. But do most runners set goals, carefully plan their food and hydration, and stretch before and after so that it’s a better experience for them and their bodies? Absolutely.

Let’s think about your massage or bodywork session like a 5k and explore the self-care aspects of your massage pre-, mid-, and post-session so that you, too, get the most out of your experience.

PRE-SESSION

What do runners do to prepare for their race? They set goals, choose appropriate clothing, hydrate, eat wisely, stretch, breathe, go to the bathroom, and get to the event before the start time. You can use these same strategies to prepare for your bodywork session.

SET GOALS

Your body’s needs change from day to day (sometimes hour to hour), so of course they’ll change from session to session. While last session you really needed some extra work on your legs that felt tight and sore from hiking, this time

you might want to focus more on your neck and upper shoulder muscles to help alleviate the headache that’s been lingering for a few days. Take a few minutes to determine what you need today, communicate those goals to your massage therapist, and you’ve actively participated in creating a session to meet your unique needs.

CHOOSE APPROPRIATE CLOTHING

Go into the session thinking about how you want to walk out of the session. No one wants
to put tight, constricting clothing on after a massage, so prepare to have a loose, comfortable outfit to wear. One of my clients comes to her sessions straight from work, so she brings a change of clothes to put on afterward.

DRINK

Plan to drink water throughout the day so you don’t (To read “The Rest of the Story” please click here BSAutumn2021)

Improving Life Quality, Stress Responses, Simple Calf Muscle Stretch

Tom Saulnier — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 21:40:51 +0000

Finding Relief

From Arthritis to Diabetes, Massage Therapy Improves Quality of Life

By Ruth Werner

For some, massage therapy is a short-term intervention to help with injury and rehabilitation. For others, massage is their salve to reduce the stresses of a hurried and chaotic life. For those living with chronic conditions, including arthritis, autoimmune diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and kidney failure, massage therapy is often integrated into conventional health care to provide relief. Here is just a sampling of research validating massage for these conditions:

A clinical trial found that blood pressure readings dropped after massage, and remained below baseline for 72 hours or more.

ARTHRITIS

Massage, by itself or in combination with aromatherapy, can be an effective strategy to help manage symptoms and improve function in people who have arthritis. Some studies looked at wholebody relaxation treatments, while others examined bodywork, including self-massage, targeted to the affected area. (See studies by Perlman, Nasiri, Tosun, Atkins, Peungsuwan, Zwoli´nska).

AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES

Autoimmune diseases, including lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and scleroderma, present challenges that massage therapy can address. Pain, fatigue, quality of life, mood, and self-efficacy (the belief that one can succeed and thrive in spite of obstacles) are all positively affected by massage for people who live with autoimmune diseases (Schroeder, Finch, Poole). In addition, these specific benefits have been found: (To Read “The Rest of the Story”, please click here… BS Summer 2019

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Back Health, Healthy Grilling Tips

Tom Saulnier — Sun, 30 Jun 2019 21:03:54 +0000

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome: Bodywork Treatment Proves Successful

Cathy Ulrich

It started as a vague feeling of numbness in her thumb and first two fingers, then progressed slowly to a definite tingling that woke her several nights a week. “It’s not so bad on weekends when I have a chance to rest my arms, but it’s now getting in the way of things I like to do at home,” says Marie, who spends long hours during the work week typing at her computer keyboard. “I love to knit and cook, and I’ve had to curb these activities, as well.”

Diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, Marie displayed the classic symptoms: soreness in her forearms, pain in her hands at the end of a long day at the computer, and a feeling of tightness that had spread from hands and wrists all the way to her elbows. And recently, she’d been getting headaches.

Marie has a couple of different options for treating the problem. “My doctor tells me he can operate, but the surgery isn’t always successful,” she says. “He recommends I try bodywork first.”

Because Marie does the same motion in the same way many times a day over a long period of time, she has literally worn out the tissues involved in that motion. This type of injury — called a repetitive strain injury, or RSI — creates tiny tears in the fibers of the soft tissues of the body. While they don’t immediately cause loss of function, these micro-tears set up conditions for chronic inflammation that will eventually manifest as pain, soreness, tightness, tingling, and burning.

CTS

The hand and wrist combination work together as an amazing, mechanical anatomical wonder. Imagine a set of ropes and pulleys that travel from the…(To read the “rest of the Story”, please click here…) Summer 2019

Workplace Burnout: W.H.O. Identifies New Health Syndrome

Tom Saulnier — Sat, 15 Jun 2019 19:43:47 +0000

The World Health Organization now recognizes work “burnout” as an occupational phenomenon. The syndrome is included in the agency’s handbook of medical diagnoses, which guides health professionals around the world.
Symptoms of burnout includes feelings of exhaustion, cynicism about one’s job, and difficulty doing the job successfully. The WHO stressed that “burnout” is not classified as a medical condition.

Working too hard is now a recognized as an occupational phenomenon, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The agency, which guides many health providers and organizations, now includes “burnout” in its International Classification of Diseases Handbook.

The agency described “burnout” as a syndrome resulting from “chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.”

According to the WHO, doctors can issue a diagnosis of burnout if a patient exhibits three symptoms: feeling depleted of energy or exhausted; feeling mentally distanced from or cynical about one’s job; and problems getting one’s job done successfully. The WHO notes that burnout is to be used specifically “in the occupational context” and that it “should not be applied to describe experiences in other areas of life.”

The agency said it plans to develop “evidence-based guidelines on mental well-being in the workplace.”

Burnout as a psychological term was first described in the mid-1970s, BuzzFeed reported, when psychologist Herbert Freudenberger used it to describe cases of “physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.” Freudenberger ascribed the condition to “helping” professions such as nurses and doctors.

But today, many types of people can suffer from burnout, “from stressed-out careerists and celebrities to overworked employees and homemakers,” according to the National Institutes of Health. Last year, a Gallup survey found nearly 1 in 4 employees feels burned out always or often, with another 44 percent saying they feel burned out “sometimes.”

To Watch Video, please click on link or copy and paste link into your browser…https://www.cbsnews.com/video/how-to-know-when-youre-suffering-from-workplace-burnout/

Chair Massage, Prevent Afternoon Slump

Tom Saulnier — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 22:53:01 +0000

IN THIS ISSUE: *Check Out Chair Massage * Prevent the Afternoon Slump * Massage for Old Injuries

Check out Chair Massage: You Deserve a Break in Your Busy Day – Cathy Ulrich

Ever been curious about the chair massage area at the mall? Or wondered why your company offers massages in the conference room on certain days? Does it seem strange people want to get massages in an odd-looking chair during a busy workday? Well, maybe they’re on to something. In fact, a small investment in a chair massage session can lead to a significant pay-off.

Chair massage–also called seated or on-site massage–provides a host of benefits, including reducing stress, improving mental clarity, and enhancing work performance. And the time investment is minimal: short five-, ten- or fifteen-minute sessions can often do the trick.

In a study done at the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami, researchers found that when participants got a fifteen-minute chair massage just twice a week, their anxiety levels were lower, their brain waves proved they were more relaxed and alert, and their stress levels were measurably reduced. The study also showed improved speed and accuracy on math computations.

During the Work Day

In short, this study shows what chair massage enthusiasts have known for some time: even a short massage can help relax tight muscles and remind the body to breathe. Although full-body massages are optimal, taking time out for one in the middle of the workday can lull you to sleep, and it can be difficult to schedule it into your day. On the other hand, a chair massage during an afternoon break may be a better alternative, particularly when you need to be energized, so you can better focus for late-day meetings or evening responsibilities. Besides, the short massage session time–often the same as your coffee break–keeps you from …Click here for complete newsletter: Fall 2008-3%