Benefits of Massage Therapy
and other
techniques
Please note: Lee-Ann's massage and related techniques are
selected based on your individual situation and health
after an interview and assessment.
Pain Control/Reduction/Elimination
Pain can come from various sources:
- trauma,
- post-surgery,
- headaches,
- fibromyalgia,
- arthritis,
- terminal illness, and
- poor posture
just to name a few.
Massage Therapy can reduce and/or manage the pain by
addressing the source, breaking the pain cycle, and altering how
pain is processed in the nervous system.
Psychological Well-Being
Would you like to enjoy the sensation of well-being
and increased mental alertness? The Touch Research
Institute has shown with numerous studies that the effects of
regular massage on the clinically depressed have improved the
following:
- improved sleep patterns,
- lowered depression and anxiety, and
- lowered stress hormone levels.
If you're stressed out, talk to Lee-Ann about massage and
other ways to manage tension and anxiety. She has developed
relationships with a wealth of alternative health care
practitioners that may also be able to help.
Muscle and Joint Repair and
Maintenance
As a massage therapist, Lee-Ann is trained to utilize various
methods to address muscle and joint pain by:
- relaxing and nourishing muscles,
- reducing spasms,
- stretching muscles for optimal joint range,
- reducing knots, and
- separating adhered tissues.
Improved Blood Circulation
By reducing the "fight or flight" response in the body,
massage has a reflexive and positive effect on vascular
circulation and blood pressure.
Hydrotherapy is a powerful modality which affects
circulation dramatically and should be used with caution
in people who have circulatory or heart problems.
Improved Lymphatic
Circulation
Do you have swelling?
Swelling can be caused by injuries (such as a sprained
ankle), repetitive strains, or by remaining sedentary for long
periods of time, for example, you are recovering from illness
and are confined to bed or you've been traveling for hours in a
car, bus or plane.
Swelling is also common in pregnant women, making day-to-day
chores uncomfortable and pregnant women moody! A direct
massage technique called
Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD) decreases
swelling and associated pain by removing metabolic wastes
and excess fluid from the body tissues. This also helps
reduce the formation of scar tissue.
Lee-Ann is trained in Vodder Basic (40 hours), and Vodder
Therapy One (40 hours). (You
can read more about Lymphatic Drainage in our June Newsletter)
Improved Breathing!
Do you have asthma, chronic bronchitis or are trying to
get over a deep chest cold? With specific techniques,
facial steams and positioning, Lee-Ann can help loosen
mucus in the lungs and improve clearance, which will help
with increasing chest expansion and breathing (aaahhhhh!)
In addition, main breathing muscles that are tight and short
from overuse (coughing, wheezing, etc) make it difficult to
breathe, and massage therapy helps to address these issues as
well.
Stronger & Healthier Immune System
Do you have an illness or do you get sick a lot?
Studies have consistently shown that immediately and over a
period of time, massage reduces stress hormones (cortisol),
which benefits the whole body and mind, but especially the
immune system. Lymphatic fluid, which is full of cellular waste
and pathogens, gets filtered and cleaned by special cells in the
lymph nodes before it gets recycled back into the venous system.
Another study showed that white blood cells were increased in
HIV positive people after receiving a month of daily massage,
helping them to fight against secondary infections.
If you're stressed out, talk to Lee-Ann about massage and
other ways to manage tension and anxiety. She has developed
relationships with a wealth of alternative health care
practitioners that may also be able to help.
top Read about the
Massage
Therapy Scope of Practice or take a look at the
Massage
Therapy Definitions. |
