Heartland Massage

"Massage for the People of America's Heartland"

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Benefits of Massage:

The autonomic nervous system has two divisions, the sympathetic (fight or flight) and the parasympathetic (rest and digest). . . . Massage stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, thus beginning to reduce the stress hormones circulating in your body from the sympathetic nervous system. Therefore, regular massage helps you manage stress and may even be able to help avoid serious health conditions caused by long-term stress. . . Read more about this below.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Help With Insomnia (sleep difficulties): Relaxation/de-stress massage can often help you sleep because it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system (relaxation) and sleep hormones. See below.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Changes in the Nervous System: Massage increases special neurotransmitters in the nervous system called monamines, which include dopamine (sense of feeling good/improves fine motor movements), serotonin (leads to sleepiness/reduces hunger and cravings), norepinephrine (sense of feeling good - but levels too low can lead to depression), and enkephalin (reduces pain/inhibits substance P-pain).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Good Hormones: Massage has been proven to reduce norephinephrine and cortisol (stress hormones) by activation of the relaxation response. Individuals who have been massaged possess an increase in dopamine and serotonin levels (listed above). This suggests a decrease in stress levels and depression.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Stress Management and Prevention: As people age, they lose the ability to adapt to stress. Therefore, they start to develop stress-related diseases or conditions. Some of those are hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, neurological disorders, depression and/or anxiety, insomnia, breakdown of bone and connective tissue, thyroid problems (with fatigue, weight loss or gain, fluid retention, and hair loss), . . . and others.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Massage decreases pain: One of the ways this can occur is by the release of endorphins, enkephalins, and other pain-reducing neurochemicals. Therefore, general relaxation brought on by massage therapy has a diminishing effect on pain.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Help with Depression and Anxiety: Emotions can alter muscle tone. A gentle touch engages the limbic (emotional) system of the brain and the parasympathetic nervous system, thus inducing a relaxation response.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Help for Symptoms of ADHD: A short massage may relax your child by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Great for children diagnosed with ADHD, for stress relief, and to help with sleep.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Recovery from injury or surgery: Massage throughout the healing process can help reduce swelling, promote nutrition and cellular exchange, reduce hypertonicity, and increase pain-free motion. It can also help restore proper neurological function, promote normal parallel alignment of the healing fibers, and reduce or prevent scar tissue formation.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sports Massage: Massage can help get you ready for your athletic performance, help with recovery after your event, and help maintain your physical health between events, as well as help with your rehabilitation from sports injuries.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Workplace Stress: People are working harder and for longer hours in order to stay more competitive. Therefore, job stress has become a major health factor in the workplace. Workers on average miss 20 days because of stress, anxiety, or other related disorders. Click on some of the links below to read about stress in the workplace. As stated above, regular massage can help reduce stress hormones and prevent stress-related diseases.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Palliative Care for Cancer Patients: Click here for a definition of "palliative care." Massage can help by providing a soothing touch and human contact, and by helping patients relax from the stress of the psychological impact of the disease and undergoing treatments. Click here to see more articles about how and why massage can help as one part of your palliative care team.

__________________________________________________________________________________

Bone Pain/Osteoporosis in Women: There seems to be a correlation between bone pain and hormones, vitamins, diet, and even fat! Click the links below to read more. Massage can sometimes be helpful in this case.

http://stanford.wellsphere.com/complementary-alternative-medicine-article/the-truth-about-osteoporosis-by-dr-john-lee- md/900929

Article regarding fat and bone health, a good case for keeping some fat on:

http://www.inspire.com/groups/national-osteoporosis-foundation/discussion/do-fat-people-have-better-bone-health-than-thin-people/

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Regular Health Maintenance Massage: Many clients choose to come in regularly for the numerous health benefits of massage listed above. Depending on your stress level, you may choose to come in for regular weekly, biweekly, or monthly appointments.

Several clients come in regularly, including construction workers, farmers, nurses, and office workers. Some get massage once a week, while others come in once or twice a month. Massage helps to relieve the muscle tension that builds up from the intense physical and mental stress that bodies undergo in order to make a living and provide for families. Muscle tension contributes further to stress by setting up a pain cycle that affects every part of your life, from how you move and walk, to your mood, and even how you interact with other people.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Links to Other Web Sites About Massage and Health