Our work habits are producing an increase in work-related injuries and stress. Computer use, poor ergonomics and extended sitting contribute to painful neck, shoulder and back tension, as well as repetitive stress conditions such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This leads to a loss of productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher healthcare costs.
Research from Microsoft shows that repetitive stress injuries are on the rise due to increasing use of laptops. “The research, which polled over 1,000 office workers, HR managers and office managers, reveals that 68% of office workers suffered from aches and pains, with the most common symptoms including back ache, shoulder pain and wrist/ hand pain as a result of working [while] in transit in cramped or awkward positions.”
Workplace massage reduces stress and improves performance. It is becoming mainstream as companies recognize its therapeutic benefits, logistical feasibility, and positive impact on their bottom line.
When employees feel less stressed, they take less sick days, are more productive, and show an increase in job satisfaction. As a result, business output increases, turnover decreases, morale improves, and healthcare expenditures are reduced. When massage becomes an important part of a comprehensive workplace wellness program, everyone benefits.
If you believe your company may be interested in offering workplace massage please let us know. Once service is established, we will thank you with a 1-hr massage gift card to use at any of our clinics.
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.
We have many new faces joining the Dreamclinic team. To make it easy to try these new team members we have an exclusive Featured Therapist offer for you.
Come experience massage with any of the therapists featured below and enjoy a FREE 30 minute massage upgrade on your 60 minute session. This exclusive offer applies only on your first visit with one of our featured therapists below.
To take advantage, please use Promo Code FELMP15 when scheduling a 90 minute massage. Offer is good through December 1, 2015. This coupon code can only be used once.
Michelle J – LMP Dreamclinic Redmond
Michelle loves helping people feel good – whether you’re managing a health concern, navigating one of life’s transitions, or just a little out of balance. Her clients often remark on the comfort that they feel during their massage and the quality of her neck and shoulder work. She is also a certified pre-natal massage therapist who enjoys supporting pregnant women on their path to motherhood. Michelle studied massage at Discoverypoint School of Massage and San Francisco School of Massage, re-certifying to practice in Washington in 2015. She is also a registered yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance in the viniyoga style.
Charylie A – LMP Dreamclinic Roosevelt
Since she was little, Charylie has been massaging aching feet, tired backs, and tight shoulders whenever she had the chance. It means so much to her to bring people relaxation and relief from chronic tension and injuries. She is skilled in Swedish, Deep Tissue and Sports massage, as well as Trigger Point Therapy, Neuromuscular Facilitation and other treatment modalities. Charylie’s intention is to continue expanding her knowledge of the body though classes and lifelong training. Integrating relaxation and therapeutic techniques to deliver a balanced and individualized massage is her goal with every client. Forming a cooperative, supportive relationship with clients who want to take an active role in their health and wellness is her ultimate goal. Sharing her knowledge to help others become more aware of how their bodies work is inspiring and fun. Turning people in sleepy puddles of Jell-o is also fun for her.
Peter S – LMP Dreamclinic Queen Anne
Peter is a client-centered therapist and believes the best massage is the one that focuses on you and your body’s unique needs. Peter attended Cortiva Institute after a car accident showed him firsthand just how powerful massage therapy can be at treating muscle injuries, chronic pain, and stress. He practices Swedish, myofascial, deep tissue, manual lymphatic facilitation, craniosacral, and Thai massage, and is active in massage therapy research. Peter’s style is smooth and deeply relaxing, and he loves it when clients relax so much they fall asleep on his table.
Daniel Cl – LMP Dreamclinic Roosevelt & Queen Anne
Daniel has a background in movement which helps him understand the client’s conditions and better assess treatment options. He is known to utilize a relaxation approach to offer relief from pain, decrease tension, and mobilize life’s road dust that settles into those corners and crevices that can’t be reached with a foam roller. Daniel is a strong proponent of client education, helping them to get involved with self-care. Daniel’s ability to treat and assess injuries is heavily rooted in his background; he has extensive training and treatment of movement activities such as dance, martial arts, circus, gym/weights/machines, calisthenics, running, yoga, Pilates, and gyrokinesis.
Alisa P – LMP Dreamclinic Roosevelt
Since graduating from Cortiva in 2014, Alisa has been thrilled to integrate her lifelong movement background into her massage practice. She enjoys geeking out on the amazingness of the human body, exploring it through dance, running, and yoga. Paired with her compassionate nature, massage therapy has become Alisa’s ideal career. Through her movement practices, and their respective injuries, Alisa has cultivated a keen awareness of the body and its healing process, enriching her ability to perceive each client’s unique needs. Alisa delivers superb relaxation, specific treatment, or deep tissue work. No matter what, she is glad to help you feel better!
Dijana N -EAMP Roosevelt
Dijana’s experience in helping people heal started almost twenty years ago when she found herself in devastating circumstances of war in her country. In this tragic environment, she learned that human love and compassion had the most healing power for the deepest wounds of the body and mind. Dijana’s calling to become a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine is deeply inspired by this medicine’s essential philosophy — healing through understanding and balancing the inner dynamic of the body and mind of a person, aligned with nature. Dijana graduated from Bastyr University with a Master’s degree in Acupuncture, Certification in Chinese Herbal Medicine, and a Bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Exercise Science. Dijana’s passion is helping women achieve and preserve vibrant health through all life stages including fertility support, menopause, healthy aging— as well as incorporating healthy diet and exercise in everyday life. Her treatment approach includes acupuncture, Chinese herbal medicine, diet analysis, and Qi Gong.
Meditation helps us ground, and it also reduces stress and boosts immunity. Meditation has been gradually moving into the mainstream, as a result of its association with yoga and its growing acceptance by celebrities and corporate leaders. The practice of meditation involves quieting the mind and focusing on the breath for the purposes of contemplation and reflection. The resulting state of deep relaxation has been shown to temper the body’s pain and stress responses, and scientific studies confirm its potential to improve health and prevent and manage disease.
In the scientific realm, meditation is now considered a “growing sub-field of neuro-biological research. John Denninger, a psychiatrist at Harvard Medical School, is leading a five-year study on how the ancient practices affect genes and brain activity in the chronically stressed. His latest work follows a study he and others published earlier this year showing how so-called mind-body techniques can switch on and off some genes linked to stress and immune function.
“There is a true biological effect,’ said Denninger…The kinds of things that happen when you meditate do have effects throughout the body, not just in the brain.’”
Mindfulness-based meditation is being utilized in a wide range of clinical and non-clinical environments, from modern medicine to the corporate world, in sports, education, prison populations, and more.
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.
A common phrase heard throughout childhood is, “Sit up straight!” This postural reminder makes regular appearances in the classroom, at the dinner table and is a ubiquitous presence through middle and high school. The continual postural encouragement is dispensed to encourage healthy growth and function of the body, as well as a projection of self-confidence from the individual.
What exactly is good posture?
Good posture supports the performance of one’s daily activities with a functional range of motion and a positive flow of circulation. The bones are arranged properly in reference to one another, and the muscles that support the skeleton move freely within a normal range of motion and receive proper levels of circulation to help them do their jobs.
The American Chiropractic Association says, human beings “do not consciously maintain normal posture. Instead, certain muscles do it for us, and we don’t even have to think about it. Several muscle groups, including the hamstrings and large back muscles, are critically important in maintaining good posture. While the ligaments help to hold the skeleton together, these postural muscles, when functioning properly, prevent the forces of gravity from pushing us over forward. Postural muscles also maintain our posture and balance during movement.”
What causes poor posture?
Poor posture can be a product of many variables – weak muscles, injury, stress, improper footwear, lengthy sitting and a growing use of technology such as laptops and tablets. In all of these instances, muscles in one or more areas of the body become shortened and less flexible than the opposing muscles that work together to keep the body upright. The tightness creates asymmetry, and posture becomes imbalanced.
For example, extended hours spent sitting in a car or at a desk, hunched forward over a steering wheel/ keyboard, shortens the muscles in the front of the shoulders. When these muscles tighten, circulation is limited and range of motion is restricted. The forward rounding of shoulders and associated muscle imbalance can lead to spinal misalignment, fatigue or pain.
As the body aims to protect itself and avoid pain, the imbalanced posture perpetuates itself. The neck is pulled forward and down, straining muscles in the upper back and shoulders, causing tension and often headaches. The rib cage is tilted forward, compressing the abdominal area, prompting digestive imbalance. Pain may emerge in the neck, shoulders or back.
How can bad posture be corrected?
Massage. Therapeutic massage lengthens muscles that have been shortened, improving circulation, reducing pain and allowing the body to resume a normal range of motion. Stress and tension are relieved, and internal organs are better able to perform their essential functions.
Exercise. Regular exercise helps lengthen and strengthen muscles and improve range of motion. It increases circulation and oxygenation, improving cognitive function and eliminating waste products from the body.
Stretch. Daily stretching helps lengthen shortened muscles and keep the muscles and joints supple. As we age, connective tissues become less flexible, so the old adage proves true: if you don’t move it, you lose it.
Yoga. Yoga stretches and strengthens the body, working muscles that counterbalance one another. It builds core strength and balance, encouraging and maintaining the habits of good posture.
Correcting poor posture requires undoing the hardening, or fibrosis, of the muscles that have been habitually contracted, allowing them to relax and the bones to move back into place. Perhaps a simple concept, but not an easy task. Swedish massage can help increase circulation and release chronically held areas. Deep tissue massage helps wake up the body and reverse some of the fibrosis in the tissue. And other bodywork techniques can further precipitate postural adjustments.
Acupuncture can help alleviate your allergies and sinus problems! The treatments achieve this by helping your body to regulate its response to allergens and therefore respond without the debilitating watery eyes, sniffles, sneezing, and more.
What if there were a solution to stress so simple that it onlyinvolved saying two words? There is, and you’re in luck because the turkey and pumpkin pie are right around the corner to remind us of it. Yes, that’s right – saying “thank you” can lead to feeling healthier and happier, all year long.
Giving thanks feels good, and not just in that fluffy, heartwarming way. One study found those who wrote down what they were grateful for each week exercised more, had fewer health complaints, and generally felt better about their lives. Grateful people also experience less stress, are more optimistic, and have a stronger immune system.
So, as we give thanks this week during our Thanksgiving feast, remember that gratitude shouldn’t be a one-day thing. It should be a daily habit, and one that will have a real, positive impact on your life.
Here are four easy ways to start developing a daily habit of giving thanks:
Write it down: Buy a small notebook and keep it in your purse or briefcase. Take a few minutes every day to write down one or two positive experiences, or what you’re grateful for.
Be present: If you want to thank someone, skip the email and text. Show your gratitude in-person. Verbally acknowledging someone, like a family member or coworker, can really make his or her day (and will boost your mood, too!).
Do something small: You don’t need to make a big show of your gratitude. In fact, sometimes the little, thoughtful things are the most powerful. Clean up after Thanksgiving dinner for your mom, for example.
Just say it: We’ve saved the easiest for last. Just start saying “thank you” more often. Make it a staple in your vocabulary – everyone likes to be thanked.
Now it’s our turn to practice gratitude: thank you for reading our post and for being part of the Dreamclinic community. We appreciate you and all our customers.
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Cold and flu season is upon us. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that this year’s flu vaccine is 60% effective; so even if you’ve had a flu shot, you are still susceptible. Add a heaping spoonful of stress on top, and you further increase your vulnerability to illness. But there is some good news. A growing body of research indicates that your chances of staying healthy year round are increased because of supporting your immune system with massage
Chronic stress releases hormones in the body that contribute to decreased immune function, inflammation, depression, anxiety and ultimately, illness. Massage counteracts many of the negative effects of stress while encouraging relaxation, improving circulation, and releasing tension.
Multiple scientific studies have confirmed massage’s effectiveness at boosting immunity. One such study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, focused on healthy adults. Multiple blood samples were taken from study participants before and after they received a massage. Results of the blood tests showed that “a single massage produced measurable changes in the immune system and endocrine system of healthy adults.”
Dr. Mark Rapaport, Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences and the study leader at Cedars-Sinai, said, “This research indicates that massage doesn’t only feel good, it also may be good for you. People often seek out massage as part of a healthy lifestyle but there hasn’t been much physiological proof of the body’s heightened immune response following massage until now.”
Participants in other controlled studies on this topic have ranged from pre-term infants to HIV+ men, medical students, and women with breast cancer. Each of these studies definitively showed that massage produced a positive improvement in immune system functioning.
Michael Ruff, Ph.D., a research associate professor with a specialty in virology and immunology at Georgetown University Medical School stated, “These are the first studies that show an effect of massage therapy on an immune function test, which can support the use of massage therapy to alleviate stress, relax muscles and now possibly serve as an alternative medical practice,” said “What we’re really looking at is creating a new paradigm for the practice of medicine, where massage therapy could be used in medication treatment versus just for relaxation.”
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.
In a study of labor pain, women who received massage therapy experienced significantly less pain, and their labors were on average 3 hours shorter with less need for medication.
Our work habits are producing an increase in work-related injuries and stress. Computer use, poor ergonomics and extended sitting contribute to painful neck, shoulder and back tension, as well as repetitive stress conditions such as Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. This leads to a loss of productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher healthcare costs.
