Studies conducted by The Touch Research Institute on the effects of massage therapy demonstrate: decrease in depressed moods, anxiety levels and stress hormones
Massage to Reduce Stress
Massage to Reduce Stress
by Laura G., LMP
We all know what causes stress and we all know that stress is bad for you. What is less well-known is exactly how stress affects your body and how massage reverses the physiological effects of stress.
Our bodies have a complex reaction to stress. A “fight or flight” reaction of the sympathetic nervous system gears the body for heavy physical exertion. Blood pressure increases and cholesterol is released into the bloodstream. Breathing becomes rapid and shallow and heart rate increases. Muscles tense and blood rushes to the extremities to prepare them for action.
In our modern lifestyle, however, the stress response is also triggered by daily activities like sitting at the computer for long hours or simply waiting in traffic. These sedentary activities don’t release stress. Stress remains in our bodies causing muscle tightness, high blood pressure, and a sense of fatigue. Over the long-term muscles and blood vessels become less elastic, arteries develop cholesterol plaques, digestion becomes sluggish, and sleep doesn’t feel refreshing. We find it difficult to ever fully relax even after exercise.
Calming strokes send a message to the nervous system that the body is safe. Blood pressure and heart rate return to normal. Breathing slows and deepens and digestion increases. Deep muscle strokes relax constricted muscle fibers and open blood vessels. As a full body treatment returns muscles to a healthy tonus, the chest and abdomen soften and relax and the shoulders lower. The internal organs have more room to operate and receive better blood supply. As the energy held in tense muscles is released, one feels more energetic and exercise is more enjoyable. The deep relaxation achieved with a full body massage allows one to rest comfortably and sleep becomes more rejuvenating.
Massage acts as a natural bio-feedback mechanism. With regular massage, our bodies learn how to return to the “rest and digest” state with more ease. We are less likely to get stuck in the “flight or flight” stress reaction. Hence, we actually learn to deal better with stress on a physiological level. Regular massage to reduce stress is an excellent method for combating the effects of stress and enhancing one’s health. Reducing one’s stress response feels good at the time and feels even better the next day. Not only does massage feel fantastic, it is also fantastic for your health!
This article has been brought to you by Dreamclinic – offering quality therapeutic massage and acupuncture in the greater Seattle area as well as corporate massage nationwide. Contact us today to schedule an appointment and experience the Dreamclinic difference.
FUN FACTS
Massaging and gently pulling on your ears – top, middle, and bottom of outer earlobes once per day improves your immune system.
Dreamclinic Massage Named to 2015 Puget Sound Business Journal’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies
Dreamclinic Named to 2015 Puget Sound Business Journal’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies
Seattle-Based Massage Industry Leader, Dreamclinic, Ranked as One of Puget Sound’s 2015 Fastest-Growing Private Companies
Seattle, WA – September 16, 2015
Seattle-based leader in highly skilled therapeutic massage and acupuncture services, recently earned a place on Puget Sound Business Journal’s 100 Fastest Growing Companies. Their specific ranking within the top 100 will be unveiled at the Puget Sound Business Journal Awards Ceremony on October 8th, 2015.
The list ranks the region’s fastest growing private companies and represents the most comprehensive look at Puget Sound area independent entrepreneurs. The 2015 ranking includes the most competitive crop in the list’s history. Companies were evaluated based on three-year growth, 2014 revenue and the number of jobs added.
Dreamclinic, which posted an impressive 56% growth rate from 2012 through 2014 and reached $2.2 million in revenue in 2014, made the PSBJ 100 Fastest Growing Companies List for the first time in 2015. Founded in 2003 out of a single location in the Greenlake area of Seattle, Dreamclinic now offers massage and acupuncture sessions at three Seattle area locations – Roosevelt, Queen Anne and Redmond. In addition, Dreamclinic is a leader in corporate massage, offering workplace seated massage for companies like the Polyclinic, Raytheon and Twitter.
Dreamclinic, which also made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the U.S, has been undergoing rapid growth due to its growing reputation for their consistently excellent quality of massage therapy, as well as increasing demand for affordable wellness options in the workplace, Dreamclinic therapists provide massage sessions tailored to the specific needs of each individual. The therapists at Dreamclinic are the cream of the crop in their chosen fields, be it massage or acupuncture, and they thrive on getting to know their clients and making a genuine difference in the quality of their client’s lives.
“We are both honored and humbled to receive this new recognition from the Puget Sound Business Journal. We have grown year after year because our staff continue to provide caring, personalized, excellent quality of service and because our loyal clients continue to appreciate the Dreamclinic difference. We are truly grateful for the tremendous word of mouth we receive from staff and clients!” says CEO, Larisa Goldin.
About Dreamclinic
Dreamclinic is a trusted brand for Wellness, providing quality therapeutic massage and acupuncture in the greater Seattle area and at workplaces in Washington, Oregon, California, Utah, and South Carolina. Dreamclinic Workplace Massage division has earned the trust of top employers that make health care options for their staff a priority. Dreamclinic’s list of Workplace clients include companies such as Boeing, Twitter Seattle, Raytheon, Seattle University, and Essentia Water. Dreamclinic’s approach is to truly understand the goals of each client, then tailor each session to meet the individual client’s needs. To ensure the highest level of care, Dreamclinic hires only medically informed, highly-skilled therapeutic professionals that are also genuinely passionate about helping others take control of their health.
Founded in 2003, Dreamclinic has garnered multiple industry awards for excellence in bodywork, including “Allure Magazine, Best of Yelp, Best of Citysearch, Seattle Magazine, and King 5 Best of Western Washington.” In 2015, Dreamclinc made the nationwide Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies List. For more information, visit dreamclinic.com.
About Business Journals
The Business Journals are the premier media solutions platform for companies strategically targeting business decision makers. They deliver a total business audience of over 10 million people via our 42 websites, 64 publications and over 700 annual industry leading events. Their media products provide comprehensive coverage of business news from a local, regional and national perspective.
Contact:
Nolie Durham
916 NE 65th St, Seattle, WA 98115
206-267-0863 x 303
Understanding Different Types of Massage
There are various types of massage and understanding the differences will assist you in choosing the most effective technique to alleviate your discomfort. In traditional massage, various levels of pressure and movement are applied to the body’s soft tissue — skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, and fascia (the membrane which surrounds the muscles). Though there are many specialized massage techniques being used today, the most widely practiced is Swedish massage, built around five basic strokes – effleurage (gliding stroke), petrissage (kneading stroke), friction (steady pressure), tapotement (drumming), and vibration or jostling.
Some types of bodywork, such as Reiki or craniosacral therapy are much more subtle and work on an energetic level. They are an alternative to the more physical Swedish massage. But many other specialized techniques are easily incorporated into a Swedish massage. Dreamclinic practitioners are cross-trained in several techniques and will use them together with Swedish during a typical treatment session to tailor make a session that maximizes your massage experience.
To assist you in choosing the type of bodywork best suited for you, the most widely practiced massage modalities are described below. (There are even more modalities such as Hellerwork, Polarity or the Feldenkrais not described here). It is not necessary, although it may be helpful, for you to intimately understand the difference between all the massage modalities. What is most important is to be aware of your own goals in getting massage. You can then interview several practitioners, asking them what approach they would use to address your specific goals. If you have a condition such as whiplash or tendonitis, ask directly if the practitioner is skilled working on this condition and how they would go about it. This is the best way to ensure you will get the right type of bodywork for you.
Swedish massage – best known and most widely practiced approach to massage. It focuses on improving blood flow to the skin and muscle and removing muscle tension. Swedish provides generalized relaxation, improves circulation, lowers blood pressure, reduces stress and enhances one’s overall state of health.
Deep Tissue and Trigger Point Therapy – uses slow friction and deep finger pressure on body areas suffering from chronic muscle tension or areas that ache or feel contracted. This type of massage is useful for areas of hypertension, such as a stiff neck or sore shoulders. Deep tissue work works well in combination with traditional Swedish therapy.
Myofascial Release – All muscle is covered by a thin layer of tissue (called”fascia”) that helps maintain body posture and provides support and strength for the muscles. Fascia can tighten or become stuck in places, constricting muscle and not allowing it to fully relax. With Myofascial Release, the practitioner gently stretched fascia along the direction of the muscle until
the tissue releases and is fully elongated. The result of myofascial work is postural improvements and noticeable relaxation of cramped muscle groups.
Sports massage – Sports massage, geared toward athletes and fitness enthusiasts, is more vigorous than other forms of massage. Sports massage is used to warm up muscle tissue, assist in training, prevent injury, and aid healing in case of soreness or injury. It is used both before and after exercise, as well as in the treatment of sports injuries such as sprains, strains, or tendonitis.
Reiki – Reiki is a form of energy work. It uses a series of hands-on holding positions that correspond to vital organs and nerve plexes to assist the body’s own recuperative processes and restore mental calm. Reiki is excellent for those with anxiety or mood disorders. It is also gaining favor with cancer patients. Reiki works at the deepest levels of the body and is extremely relaxing.
Reflexology – Reflexology is based on the concept that all the organs of the body are mapped to our feet (and hands). Reflexology applies finger pressure, some stretching and movement to pressure points on the feet with the goal of promoting healthy functioning of the body’s various organs.
Shiatsu – This is a Japanese form of bodywork that is rooted in the same principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine as acupuncture. Both see the body as an interconnected web of energy pathways called meridians. Blockages to flow of energy results in imbalances: some areas have an excess of energy and others a deficiency. These blockages lead to tension, pain, and diminished health. The Shiatsu practitioner uses a combination of pressure, stretching, and holding key points to treat these blockages and restore a smooth flow of energy and balance in the body.
Lymphatic Massage – A very light, gentle, repetitive stroke is used to stimulate the activity of the lymphatic system where there is edema. Lymphatic massage is used to reduce swelling resulting from injury or post-surgery.
Heated Stone Massage – For these treatments, the therapist uses heated basalt mineral stones and/or semi-precious stones that represent the chakras. Muscle tension is released as the smooth stones move over the muscle. Heated Stone Massage is also thought to align subtle energies within the body for greater attunement and harmony.
Craniosacral Therapy (CST) – Craniosacral therapy monitors the rhythm fluid that is continuously draining and refilling around our brain and spinal cord. By monitoring the craniosacral rhythm, the therapist discovers where healing is needed and corrects the sources of pain using extremely subtle manipulative techniques. CST is an extremely gentle hands-on technique that causes deep relaxation for the client.
Rolfing – Rolfing is a system of body restructuring and movement education. It works with the deep myofascial structures of the body in order to release fascial adhesions and allowing the muscles and bones to return to balanced relationships. The focus is on alignment throughout they body – legs, torso, arms, etc… You may want to research more into Rolfing if you have serious postural deviations.
Pregnancy – Pregnancy massage is designed to decrease tension and swelling and increase circulation for both pregnant women and those who have just given birth.
Receiving Regular Massage Has Long-Term Benefits
Getting an occasional massage works well for giving yourself a treat, to relieve stress, or if you have a minor area of discomfort that can be addressed in one session. That’s the beauty of bodywork. It is important to realize, though, that scheduling regular massage can dramatically improve long-term results both for
those who want to be proactive about their well-being and those who have ongoing muscle-related aches or tension.
This type of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be and how youthful you’ll remain with each passing year. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your overall health, which includes flexibility, full range of motion, and pain-free movement. So remember: just because massage feels like an indulgence at times doesn’t mean it is any less therapeutic!
When you come in regularly, therapists have the chance to continue to tailor their massage technique to your needs as they get to know you and what works best for your body. What’s more, over a series of regular visits, habitual patterns of pain and tension can be shifted or resolved as each subsequent treatment further relieves them. Even those for whom relaxation is a primary goal can find proactive stress relief in regular visits by coming in before the tensions of life have built back up.
Those with a strong focus on fitness, who work out regularly, may find that regular massage in conjunction with their exercise regimen greatly enhances their well-being. Massage increases blood and lymph circulation. Granted, an active person has better lymph flow than an inactive person. However, stimulation from vigorous physical activity can lead to increased waste buildup in the lymphatic system, which can negate the benefit of that increased flow and lead to soreness. This is where massage has a huge advantage. Massage can dramatically aid lymph movement which rids the body of wastes and toxins. It can also reduce, or even eliminate, what may appear to be regular exercise-induced pain by loosening contracted, shortened muscles and stimulating weak ones.
Regard massage appointments as a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with your massage therapist to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.
Many Dreamclinic clients do opt for regular massage and are already aware of the high quality of services we provide. If you are among them, we want to support you in providing this care for yourself. As part of annual tradition, we are offering a Celebration of Health massage package that allows you to receive regular massage for our lowest price. With this package, we give you 6 hours of free massage when you purchase 24 hours of massage. Purchased hours never expire and are fully transferrable to friends and family, if you want to share the Celebration of Health with them, too. Here’s to health!
Finding Ways To Stay Active This Fall
Finding Ways To Stay Active This Fall
As the temperatures drop, we tend to have more and more movie nights, all warm and cuddled up at home. It can feel almost impossible to bundle up and drive to the gym to get a workout in. The house is just so cozy!
While it is extremely tempting to stay snuggled up on the couch, fall and winter shouldn’t be a time when you let your fitness plans slip away. We won’t deny it – it is harder to motivate yourself to exercise when it’s dark and cold. In the summer, it was so easy to go on an impromptu run or bike outside. But, with the right attitude and mix of exercises, fall can actually be the perfect opportunity to mix up your workouts, get innovative, and try new things. There is hope to stay active in the cold weather.
Here are four fun, easy ways to stay active this fall:
Revamp your home: Get creative and turn your home into a mini gym. From free YouTube fitness videos to fun workout DVDs, you can easily exercise from the comfort of your warm home. Invest in some fitness equipment, like hand weights and a stability ball, and you will be sweating in no time!
Set a goal for the spring or summer: Keep yourself motivated by setting a big goal for yourself. Choose a goal that will get your out of your comfort zone (and maybe one that even scares you a little). Sign-up for a 5K, 10K, half marathon, a long bike ride, or hiking that mountain that always intimidated you. Then, set small, achievable action steps for the winter to reach the end goal. Instead of forcing yourself to exercise during the winter, you’ll be challenging yourself and getting closer to your big goal.
Go Hiking: The best kind of workout is one where you don’t even realize you’re exercising. Take advantage of the cool temperature, and get outside and play!
Get sneaky: You don’t need to go to the gym or have a full 60-minute aerobic workout to stay active in the fall. The goal is to keep moving, so incorporate activity in your daily workday. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away, walk around the mall before you shop, or do lunges and squats while you watch TV.
Staying active this fall and winter months will help you sleep better, boost your immunity, and fight off the winter blues. And, your hot chocolate will taste even better after a full day of activity.
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