How a massage can boost your health

There is no doubt that a good massage can relieve your stress and make you feel good.

Now, new research suggests that it can also help you maintain good health.

Researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center reported last week that a single massage produced measurable changes in the immune system and endocrine system of healthy adults.

They studied 29 healthy adults who received a 45-minute vigorous Swedish massage and 24 healthy adults who had a 45-minute session of light touch massage.

The researchers, led by Dr. Mark Rapaport, took blood samples before the massage began and at regular intervals up to one hour after the massage was completed.

The study found several changes in the blood tests of the Swedish Massage group that indicated a benefit to the immune system.

The vigorous massage caused sizeable decreases in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that contributes to aggressive behaviour and Small decreases in the stress hormone cortisol.

The participants in this group also had an increase in lymphocytes, cells that help the immune system defend the body from harmful substances.

Log Angeles Times

Excepts from The Straits Times Mind Your Body Pg 30 Health Bite dated September 16, 2010

Treatment

• Take medicine that reduces muscle and point inflammation
• Wearing back braces and corsets to relieve strain on your back and support it temporarily
• Lying down in a comfortable position if you feel pain
• Apply hot and cold packs to relieve sore and inflamed back muscles alternatively. Immediately after back pain starts, apply ice compresses several times a day, for up to 20 minutes each application. After the spasms and acute pain subside, apply heat packs, again for 20 minutes each application. The hot pack helps loosen tight muscles.

When it lessens:

• Try to get moving again and increase your activity level gradually
• Try not to stay in a single position or do any activity for more than 30 minutes each time
• Avoid lifting heavy items, bending or twisting until you have been pain-free for some time
• Of course avoid activities which causes the pain

Corticosteroid injections for more sever back pain. Injected into the facet joints, the joints between the vertebrae

Sleep is very important for recovery

Sleep lying on your back with a pillow under your knees and/or a squeeze ball at the point of pain to give it a form of acupressure point massage.

Or lying in a foetal position with a bolster between your knees

Physiotherapy including:

• Massage
• Exercising in a swimming pool or hydrotherapy
• Exercise to improve muscle strength, posture and flexibility.
• Relaxing to ease pain and loosen tense muscles

Common causes of back pain :

• Osteoarthritis and facet joint problems.
• Prolapsed discs or herniated discs.
• Strains, sprains and minor injuries such as tears to the muscles, tendons or ligaments, after lifting heavy items or making an abrupt movement while lifting.
• Spondylosis.
• Spondylolithesis.

Other causes:

• Abscesses.
• Tumors.
• Problems in other organs, eg. stomach ulcers, kidney stones, inflamed pancreas, inflammatory bowel disease.
• In older people, low back pain may be a sign of Paget's disease, Parkinson's disease, alteration of the bone tissue, disease of the nervous system.

You can prevent back problems by:

Doing regular exercises e.g. swimming. Exercise increases the flexibility and strength of the abdominal muscles and the back, which help align and support the spine. Back injury will be minimised, flexibility in the thighs and hips keep the pelvic bone correctly aligned.

Choose exercise suited to your fitness level and do gentle warm-up stretches before and after exercising.

Sitting - Use a seat with good lower back support if not add a cushion as support. Keep your hips and knees level when seated.

Standing - Maintain a neutral pelvic position and avoid rounding your back. That is avoid hunching your shoulders and tensing your back. Wear comfortable and low-heeled shoes.

Lifting - Hold the heavy load as close to your body as possible, keep your back straight and bend at the knees. Let your legs take most of the strain of lifting a heavy object. And avoid lifting and twisting your body simultaneously.

Loose Weight - If your weight is 10 per cents more than your ideal body weight, reduce your weight through a proper diet and exercise.

Back Pain

Back pain is felt in the lumbar region or lower back. This area of the back carries the biggest load - the upper body weight plus any weight eg. groceries. It also bends and twists more than the upper back.

Some factors that cost the back problem:

• Ageing - from about age of 30, the discs between the vertebrae in a person's spine begins to deteriorate gradually
• Genetic factors
• Obesity
• Poor posture
• Psychological factors
• Sedentary lifestyle - lack of exercise leads to muscles becoming inflexible, weak stomach muscles, back and obesity
• Work that stress the back etc.

Managing Physical Stress with Therapeutic Massage

By Jeffrey W. Forman, M.Ed., Ph.D

This book addresses how health professionals can utilize massage therapy to identify and manage client's physical stress.

It provides specific technique, assessment and trouble shooting tools to identify, track and reduce physical stress.

It lists step-by-step procedures covering everything from developing an anti-stress plan, with breathing techniques for stress reduction, to performing self massage.

It is an indispensable resource for massage and allied health professionals in a variety of practice settings.

It features a section on therapeutic exercises for both clients and massage therapists.

It contains photographs to illustrate specific massage techniques.

Also has forms which can be used in clinical practice to evaluate and track client's progress.

And also cover on improving posture to reduce stress, and help client sleep.

A very good book also available at the library 615.822

Happy reading.

What is Quantum Touch ?

Quantum Touch is a hands-on healing method that works on resonance and entrainment.

Resonance is vibration at a certain energy level, we use certain breathing techniques to raise our energy levels and keep it on a higher vibration stage.

When we do a hands on healing, the body entrains.
Just like the pendulums of the clocks, if at first they swing in different directions, but after a while they become synchronized and swing in the same direction.
This is quantum physics and it is about energy working on a cellular level.

Quantum Touch involves breathing techniques working with sound and some times even colours may be added if necessary.

We all heal ourselves naturally, with Quantum Touch we are given a system of breathing techniques to raise our energy field.

Quantum healing knows no limits. When the cells have a positive energy, then everything heals themselves.