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Natural Health and Wellness

massage therapy

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The Massage Bible

When you are first looking into massage, you may not know exactly what techniques are available, what you can do for yourself, and how to do everything properly. If you are unable to take a class, or if you are not sure if you even want to for your massage needs, then there may be another way. The Massage Bible, by Susan Mumford, is an ideal starting point and guidebook that may be exactly what you are looking for.

What is the Massage Bible by Susan Mumford?

The Massage Bible is a key guidebook to anyone who is contemplating massage for pain relief, becoming a massage therapist, or who is curious about different massage techniques and how they can help with different ailments and illnesses in the body. It not only shows the massages in image rich detail, but it also tells you tips and tricks for using the techniques. It is, in essence, a go to reference guide for anything and everything massage related.

What Makes the Massage Bible by Susan Mumford Stand Out?

One of the key aspects of this book, that sets it apart from others, is the full color illustrated layout design of the book. Each technique is detailed in step by step instructions. Another aspect of the book that makes it stand out from others in the genre is the overview of all basic massage techniques from different cultures and areas of the world. This gives you basic skills in more than just one niche or genre of massage therapy. It also gives you more to choose from if you end up going into massage therapy. It will let you know what niche interests you the most and which ones you may feel more comfortable with learning and using in your career path.

How Easy is the Massage Bible by Susan Mumford to Use?

This guidebook is very easy to use even for the barebones beginner. The illustrations make it easy to follow and the techniques are basic that build on each other. For someone wanting to try out massage therapy before choosing it as a career, this book is a good start. For someone wanting to use massage techniques on themselves or others, it can also be very valuable and easy to use and follow. As a reference guide, it can be a bit tricky to use, but it will still be a good resource. This book is ideal if you are looking for a way to incorporate massage techniques with essential oils as a natural remedy to pain and discomfort as well.

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The 5 Massage Pressure Points to Know About

Stress can manifest itself in a lot of unpleasant ways. When you are stressed out, it can trigger unpleasant effects in your muscles that cause painful knots, and stress hormones that can cause weight gain and other health issues. If there was a way to reduce stress to the system quickly and effectively, would you try it? Pressure points are a fast way to do this, and it only takes a small amount of study to learn. This article will get you started by teaching you the 5 pressure points you should know about.

Jian Jing

This pressure point is great for stress relief, and also for a few different areas of the head, neck, upper back and face. To perform Jian Jing pressure stimulation, you squeeze or pinch the muscle of the shoulder in between your thumb and middle finger. To perform it properly it must be done in 4 – 5 second intervals.

Feng Chi

Feng Chi is a technique that has been associated with migraine relief, fatigue, certain types of blurry vision, neck pain, and stress. Some have even used this technique to aid with cold and flu symptoms. To perform Feng Chi, lock your hands behind your head with your thumbs pointed downward. Place both of your thumbs onto the base of your neck muscles and run your thumbs upward to the bone behind your ears. You should be able to simply follow the groove that is created by the muscle.

Tai Chong

Anxiety, menstrual cramps, limb pain, and other general upsets. To perform this pressure point, use your thumb or a strong finger to place pressure in between the tendons that extend to your big toe and the second largest toe. Hold pressure for 4 – 5 seconds.

He Gu

This is one of the best pressure points for stress and facial pain. If you wish to locate this area, you will find it on the side of your hand in between your thumb and index finger. Press into the muscle and massage for 4 – 5 seconds.

Zu San Li

Eastern medicine has long believed that various areas of the body are connected. This particular spot is thought to help with important organs like intestines, stomach, and liver. It is found on the outside of your lower leg, next to the top of your shin. Press and hold this spot for 5 – 6 seconds.

 

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Lifetop Basalt Massage Stones

One of the rising massage therapy options and techniques for muscle pain is the use of heated massage stones. These stones are generally river rock style and can be placed on your back or other areas for therapy reasons. The trick to this type of massage is that, with proper thought and placement, you can place the stones and use them yourself. This may lead you to wonder what stones are best. That is where Lifetop Basalt Massage Stones come in.

What are Lifetop Basalt Massage Stones?

The Lifetop Basalt Massage Stones are a set of massage stones made up of six stones. These stones are used in various ways depending on the area of the body you are focusing the attention on. There is also a box included with the stones and a small booklet describing the methods you can use the stones. If you want a full kit for the stones you will need to purchase a rock stone heater and possibly massage oil depending on how you will be using the stones. You will also need a cleaning cloth and a bag to store the stones if you will be using them often.

What Makes Lifetop Basalt Massage Stones Different?

The key aspect that makes the Lifetop Basalt Massage Stones different is the shape of them. Most massage stones tend to be oval in shape and resemble strongly the rocks you would normally call river rocks. The Lifetop Basalt Massage Stones are smooth but they have a naturally flat design on both sides which allows them to sit on the skin a bit more evenly and distribute the heat evenly for pain relief. They also contain magnesium naturally. This means that you can get natural relaxation and pain relief to the area with heat and magnesium unlike most stones that only offer heat therapy.

How Easy are Lifetop Basalt Massage Stones to Use?

The stones are fairly easy to use if you have the right equipment. These stones do not come with a stone warmer, so you will need that in order to make use of the stones. They can’t be used without heating and heating in microwave or oven will not work. With that in mind, you can place the stones easily enough yourself. If you are trying to use them for back therapy, you can lay them out on the floor, using a yoga mat or something similar, and lay on them. These stones are also ideal if you need more stones for your massage therapy and stone therapy.

 

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Benefits Of Massage

Physical Benefits of Massage

For a lot of people, the world of massage is seen simply as a luxury, or a lavish treat for their senses. While this could be seen as true, many people also know that it is quite a bit more than that. Massage offers a wide range of positive effects that can stimulate not only the body but also the mind. This article will be sharing just a few of the most important benefits of massage.

Improves Circulatory Health

Massage is an excellent way to contribute to your health by improving circulation. This is especially true of the lymph system which is located near the surface of the skin. Massage helps manipulate the lymph, making it easier to carry poisons to node to be removed. These helps you to cleanse your entire system of toxins and dead cells that can build up and cause a multitude of ailments that can appear to be difficult to treat.

Can Help Alleviate Muscle Pain

A buildup of toxins can lead to pain in your extremities and muscles.  Massage can help aid your body in the removal of the toxins by aiding in carrying them to disposal sites in lymph. It also helps alleviate pain by stimulating the body to release endorphins. These endorphins increase the boosts that body’s ability to deal with pain and allow you to relax.

Alleviates Stress

Massage is well known as a trigger for relaxation and reduced stress. When your body is able to more efficiently get rid of poisons that build up in your system due to pollution, food, and medications, you are far more equipped to heal your body during rest periods. It also comes from a reduced production of the stress hormone cortisol.

Promotes Flexibility and Fights Inflammation

One of the most important functions of massage is its ability to promote flexibility in the body and the limbs. Ease of movement can help to protect you from all sorts of sprains and stress related injuries. It also helps to greatly reduce inflammation in joints and muscles. This means that it is good at treating ailments like arthritis, and tendinitis without using expensive medications to mask symptoms.

You Will Sleep Better

When all of these different factors come together, your body will be able to reach its natural resting state in a much more natural way. When your body is more balanced, it’s easier to get restful sleep, breath more properly, and maintain a healthy heart rhythm.

 

Mental Benefits of Massage

When most people think of massage, they think about nice calm relaxing times getting their muscles worked on, but they might not be considering another amazing perk to this very old art of care for the body. Massage also offers a variety of mental health benefits, which improve your general well-being. This article will be discussing just a few of the awesome mental health benefits of massage.

Stress Relief

A great massage is an amazing and effective way to reduce stress in your body. The hormone cortisol is produced when you experience stressful situations. Getting a massage helps combat this stress hormone and helps the body to heal itself more efficiently. As your body relaxes, proper breathing helps to sustain a healthy heart rhythm which increases health of the entire body. This leads to a better ability to fight anxiety and other emotional disturbances that can stem from physical disrepair.

Anxiety

This aspect of emotional health is manifested when stress becomes too common to the body. The longer your body experiences stress increases the likelihood of your system becoming overwhelmed by negative emotions and stress chemicals. It will also sometimes escalate into what is known as a panic attack. A massage that targets all areas of the body can help to combat the cortisol, making it much easier to dissipate the feelings of anxiety.

Improves Concentration

A mind that is more at ease, will function on a more efficient level. This fosters a mental environment where a person is likely to be more creative and expressive. Relaxation promotes focus. Partially, this also due to the mind far less clouding by negative feelings that breed self-doubt, insecurity, and other states of mind that lead to procrastination, stagnation, and lack of progress. Lack of stress and anxiety lead to a more productive mind.

Better Sleep

Sleep is the time for the body to rest. This could not be as easily achieved without relaxation. Stress inhibits many of the system that must remain in harmony and balance to reach a truly restful state of being. Sleep is also essential to mental well-being so lack of it could trap you into a vicious cycle where lack of sleep makes it more difficult to sleep and so forth. Be sure to relax the mind and body so that you can attain a restful state the promotes a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

 

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Massage Techniques For Chronic Pain

Massage Chronic Pain

Massage Therapy For Chronic Pain

Massage therapy is not only an excellent option if you want to de-stress and relax, but it can actually be very useful if you struggle with chronic pain. When you have chronic pain, it occurs over a long period of time, and even if you have moments where you are pain-free, it always comes back.

The best part about these types of massages is that it affects the nervous system via nerve endings. This helps to stimulate the release of endorphins (our body’s natural “feel good” chemicals). Endorphins help increase the sense of relaxation and well-being. It also helps relieve pain and reduces levels of stress chemicals (such as cortisol).

If you live with chronic pain for whatever reason or you have some acute pain from an injury look into a getting a massage from a trained and licensed massage therapist, it may help your pain and also help you to feel better emotionally and mentally.

There are certain types of massages that are better for pain, including those listed here.

Swedish Massage

This first type of massage is a Swedish massage. If you have ever gotten a massage before for relaxation, you are probably familiar with it. What you might have not realized is that it can be a healing massage helping with your chronic pain. Swedish massage not only leaves you feeling relaxed, but it helps to reduce stress, which does wonders for your pain. It also helps with muscle tension leading to a lot of chronic pain in the neck, shoulders and back, along with helping blood flow to your skin and improving circulation.

Deep Tissue Massage

If you can handle it, a good deep tissue massage will go a long way. This is good when your chronic pain is from muscle tension, such as from sitting in a desk chair all day at work, driving a truck for your job, or if you have had an accident recently from a motor vehicle collision. One thing to note is that while it works wonders for this type of pain, it can also be a little uncomfortable when you are getting the massage. You should pay attention to your body and let the massage therapist know if something hurts. With a deep tissue massage, they find trigger points and use deep finger pressure on those areas to release the tension.

Lymphatic Massage

If you have chronic pain from surgery or an injury you had in the past, then you might want to get a lymphatic massage. This is a special type of massage used on releasing muscle tension and reducing swelling in different areas of your body. It is very gentle, so even if you currently have pain, it can help without first hurting those areas more. Very gentle strokes will be used on your lymphatic system to help relieve the pain.

Shiatsu Massage

The Shiatsu massage is a traditional massage that has been done for centuries. The same practitioners who do acupuncture often provide this type of massage. It channels your energy and helps relieve pain, while providing many other health benefits.