Verified!
-
Archive for August, 2010
Massage therapy is one of the oldest forms of medical treatment and is especially helpful when dealing with stress. It is often combined with spa treatments like sauna baths. However it can also be used effectively as a stand-alone treatment. There are several techniques that can be used for this purpose.
Here are some common techniques used to relieve tension:
Acupressure massage: This method uses key points on the body, much like acupuncture. Instead of needles the fingers apply pressure. This results in relief of tension and improvement of blood circulation. This in turn releases energy to the body and restores the body’s natural balance of energy. When balance is restored tension and stress are reduced.
Swedish massage: is a popular way to relieve tension and stress. Blood circulation is improved with this method and aids the body to relax. First the body is massaged with massage oil, and then flowing strokes are applied, which helps to relax muscles and relieve tension. There are 6 different techniques used in this massage therapy:
Deep Tissue massage: This technique is used for many purposes in massage therapy. It helps muscles to move better. Kneading the muscle, which stimulates lymph drainage, alleviates muscle tension, and will help you relive your stress.
Shiatsu massage: This method makes use of fingertips, elbows, palms, knees and thumbs and even walking on the subject’s body. This technique is based on putting pressure on the different points, like acupressure. It will improve lymphatic flow and blood circulation, which will relieve tension and stress.
Foot and hand massage: These are some of the most used parts of the body and are often the most stressed. Stress and tension will build up in these muscles as they get tired and in turn will build tension throughout your body. Gentle massage of the hands and feet can alleviate tiredness and help to relive stress through your entire body. There are also special pressure points that can be utilized to improve this massage therapy.
The massage therapist will also try to encourage a relaxed atmosphere so that the patient can benefit more from the therapy. To achieve this, relaxing music and soft lights may be used. Warmth can also be utilized.
There is a lot of tension and stress brought on by our busy lifestyles. It sometimes seems that our lives are indeed spinning out of control. So next time you are feeling worried and stressed out why not try some massage therapy and feel all your anxieties melt away with the soothing effect of this old but effective treatment?
Sports of any type can put extra physical stress on your body and can result in sore muscles. Massage can be very beneficial in helping to prepare you before an event and relax your muscles after strenuous exercise. It can also be used for recovering from injury and to maintain your muscles for peak performance. There are several ways that this can be achieved.
Techniques that can be used: There are quite a few different techniques that can be used; pettrisage, friction, effleurage, compression, shaking, vibration, cross-fiber friction, direct pressure, broadening strokes, stretching and range of motion.
Different reasons for using massage: there are different reasons for massage in sports. It can be used for:
A warm up
To increase blood flow
Stimulate neurological pathways
To help you recover from exertion
Increase flexibility
Improve strength
Improve posture
When massage can be used:
Before an event: The reason for this will be to warm up the muscles in preparation for the event and increase blood flow. This in turn will lead to increased flexibility and cut down on the discomfort that can be experienced with overexertion of muscles when they are used in strenuous exercises. Techniques that can be applied may include; friction, compression, shaking and stretching.
After an event: This will help the body recover from exhaustion brought on by heavy usage of certain muscles. This will be important to avoid stiffness and discomfort that can occur with intense usage of certain muscles. Techniques for this might include; effleurage, pettrisage, compression, broadening strokes and range of motion.
Healing an injury: to promote healing and strengthen the muscles. An injury can be quite mild or a major problem. Effleurage, compression and cross-fiber friction can be used with these patients.
Maintaining good muscle tone: massage therapy can be used for maintenance when an athlete is not in full training. This can be done in an off-season. It is usually tailored to a particular athlete on an individual basis. This can be a valuable time to work on strengthening and healing muscles after an injury, while the athlete does not need to actively play their sport.
Massage therapy can be very helpful for athletes. Whether it is for a warm up and preparing for an event or preventing stiffness and the after effects of strenuous exercises, massage is very beneficial for those involved in sports. Even if you just want to stay fit and are taking minor exercises massage therapy can still be useful.
Zach Thompson
http://www.articlesbase.com/fitness-articles/get-relief-with-a-massage-91112.html
Introduction
There has been much importance placed upon the fitness quotient of a person in modern times. With individuals leading sedentary and stressed lives, our fit-as-a-fiddle forefathers have given way to obese descendants, who could not care less for their couch potato image. Body weight has been on an exponential rise inflicting adults and kids alike.
Weight reduction on everybody’s mind
Earlier considered to be the Americans’ forte, obesity has now afflicted a tremendous number of people – continents and countries no bar. Surveys reveal shocking figures of people fighting obesity to gain more control on their lives. But, the icing on the cake is that, people have become aware of their bodies and plan to take action to have more control on it. This has seen the weights tilting towards fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Suddenly every Tom, Dick and Harry is concerned about weight management. Little wonder then, that weight reduction has gained the top most priority in hoi polloi’s to-do lists worldwide. Generic populace is frenziedly trying out any method that remotely promises to speed up weight loss. Myriad diets, astonishing exercise routines and the like have all become a part of our daily parlance. Moreover, people are now willing to experiment in order to lose weight and are jumping at any alternative, even if it is not tried and tested.
Weight management and spas
Spas have been known to people as healing centers where alternative therapies cure myriad ailments. Taking a holistic approach, spas can cure in a gentle way, targeting the root cause of the ailment, instead of merely suppressing the symptoms. Though weight reduction through spa treatments seemed to be far fetched a few years ago, people have now started realizing their importance off late. And who can deny a treatment that along with targeting the extra flab, also equally relaxes and comforts you. With spa therapies converging the best of therapies from all ancient cultures, there is no dearth of therapies that target obesity. But here, we will discuss in detail the effect of two therapies on body weight – body wrap therapy and acupuncture therapy. These are known to have both a physical and holistic effect on the patient.
Body wrap
We are what we eat. And now-a-days, with the advent of junk foods, we are unconsciously torturing our systems no end. Excess consumption of alcohol, caffeine, sugar or salt infests the body with toxins that accumulate over a period. These are harmful in that they are the root of acne, skin disorders, and fat depositions under the tissue. A body wrap detoxifies the body of these deadly toxins, within a few sittings, to accelerate metabolism and lose weight real fast. The therapy comprises of wrapping the body in bandages that are soaked in essential oils or solutions.
It starts with the therapist measuring various parts of your body, after which, the body is tightly wrapped in bandages to squeeze it to the maximum possible extent. These cloth bandages are soaked in essential oils or solutions. Light exercises of the bandaged body are then performed, which speeds up the release of toxins form the body. The therapist encourages you to drink large amounts of water before, during, and after exercising, since it is believed that water rids the body of unwanted toxins. After the procedure is over, the therapist will again measure body parts to check the amount of inches lost during the procedure. Repeatedly subjecting the body to this therapy will help you lose weight. Many claim to have lost more than 6 inches within a single session of body wrap. While many day spas offer this procedure with costs ranging between $110 and $150, there are also home versions available at a cheaper rate. Also, most spas offer discounts if you choose a multiple wrap offer. Maximum benefit can be extracted from a body wrap in one or two sessions per week, though it can also be performed twice in a single day.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture, a five thousand year old healing therapy developed in China has lately become the toast of the spa industry, particularly after its benefits in weight management and weight control were discovered. The west had not even heard of acupuncture, leave alone acupuncture weight loss, till recently. And when it did, it looked askance at acupuncture, a procedure wherein the skin of the patient is punctured using extremely thin needles. The west did not understand this eastern concept of healing, and was initially also a bit apprehensive to embrace this treatment. But, now that it has brought home this concept, there is no looking back, and weight loss through acupuncture is fast gaining acceptance. The treatment focuses on activating endorphins, the happiness hormones of the body. These endorphins curtail your desire to overeat, by getting released in the body. Thus the therapy targets the cravings instead of directly targeting weight.
The therapy essentially starts with the pressure points, the most important one situated just behind the ear. Though our body consists of about a thousand pressure points all to cure various ailments, the weight loss point lies behind the ears. The therapist first inserts five needles at specific points behind your ears. Four of these points are directly connected to the lungs, liver, kidneys and the nervous system, while the fifth one is for relaxation. The stimulation of specific organs releases endorphins to begin the weight loss process, which in turn, target the binges that are experienced by a compulsive eater. The procedure either decreases or completely does away with the craving for carbohydrates, thus decreasing your appetite. Acupuncture improves the function of two nuroendocrine pathways that regulate metabolism, to aid weight reduction. It mainly performs the functions of lowering weight, insulin levels, body fat, and lipid levels. Hence it is effective not only in losing body fat, but also keeping it off.
Conclusion
With the whole world going gaga over these alternative procedures to successfully control body fat, there sure is no harm in trying it out for the first time.
Ashish Bhattacharya
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/weight-management-through-spa-therapies-125241.html
Follow Us!