popularity of massages therapy, and its healing effects on the
body. No longer considered something tawdry, the people of
America are embracing massages therapy and its various forms, to
help them live their day to day lives without pain. Fifty
percent of all people who visit registered massage therapists
are men, and the most common reason for anyone to visit a
massage therapist is for relief from stress.
Our lives in the 21st century are deemed to be the most
stressful in all of history. We work longer hours than ever
before, endure long commutes to and from work, and then sit in
often cramped offices for most of the day. Coupled with this are
the effects of our western extravagant lifestyles, it is no
wonder that so many of us in the United States live in permanent
fight or flight mode. This is why various massages therapy
techniques can be beneficial to people's health to get relief
from all the stresses.
The United States Department of Health studies on stress and
the effects it has on the human body are startling. Unless we
learn to relax, stress can and will kill us, and is certainly
the biggest factor in heart attacks and strokes. When we spend
too long in fight or flight mode, our bodies trigger a release
of endorphins that help us fight a stressful situation. When
that situation is concluded, our bodies show signs of
exhaustion, and then we become stressed again due to our lack of
energy.
When we are stressed we begin to breathe small shallow breaths.
The result of shallow breathing is not enough air getting to our
tissues and muscles. When this occurs we begin to feel tension
in our necks, calve muscles, our backs may seem to seize up, and
our stomachs begin to ache. While making continued efforts to
reduce the stress in our day to day lives by changing our
circumstances is terribly important, having a massages therapy
can be an immediate way to improve circulation while healing
sore muscles.
The most common and widely practiced form of massage given by a
registered massage therapist is Swedish massage. This gentle
massage is most commonly used for stress related ailments such
as a stiff neck, aching back, and to relieve physical pain from
emotional problems. Health related studies have proved that when
we are traumatized our hearts really do hurt and we can
experience genuine heart ache characterized by pains in the
chest.
Swedish massage performed by a Massage Therapist is
characterized by five deep strokes across our chests. A
therapist begins by placing their hands just under our first
ribs and applying gentle pressure with the fingertips, they
sweep the skin from our ribs in a downwards movement to our
waist. This technique is done five times on the chest, before
turning to the neck and doing five smaller strokes from the nape
to the top of the spinal column, and is then repeated on the
back.
If any knots are found in the muscles while Swedish massage is
being performed a massage therapist will apply hard pressure
with their fingertips to release the knots. This sometimes
painful practice is referred to as deep tissue massage and is
often used in conjunction with Swedish massage, to help the flow
of blood properly circulate through the tissues and muscles to
reduce stress and promote relaxation.
About The Author: Zach Thompson is a Glyconutrients
Representative. His clients range from actresses to pro
athletes. You can get a free Glyconutrients consultation by
visiting http://www.nutritio
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