2010 is the year to Enjoy and Celebrate Life!The healing benefits of massage
By Becca Morgan, RN LMP
As women we nourish life so that it grows and flourishes, but part of that nourishing involves taking care of ourselves so that we can provide and keep that energy strong for the world around us.
Diving into the Joy of You means you need to jump, leap, and submerge yourself into the pleasure, the wonder and the delight of yourself. So many of us are under constant pressure or stress and forget that we need to take the time to experience this joy.
In today's society it appears that our hectic high-tech lifestyles have out-paced our basic need for human touch. "The more technology around us, the more need for human touch." -Megatrends
Imagine the stress you experience in a single day with telephones, traffic, work, financial concerns, family and personal conflicts.
You have probably heard the term "fight or flight." When you feel stressed or threatened, the nervous system readies for attack. The breathing gets shallow, more rapid, the heart rate increases releasing adrenalin and the blood flow decreases to the extremities and other systems.
After the threat is over the body goes into a "Relaxation Response" and returns to normal. This response can be helped by massage, rest or exercise.
When you are under constant pressure or stress, whether perceived or real, you tend to remain locked into a pattern of "Stress Response" and unable to relax or let go. You are constantly using energy, like if you left the lights in your house on all night. This pattern can damage the body.
Massage can help the body attain the "Relaxation Response" it needs by helping to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system. It can send messages to the body to relax, slow down, take a deep breath. It's time for rest and healing. Massage not only stretches and loosens muscle and connective tissue, it helps improve the blood flow to the heart, improves the movement of lymph and helps speed up the removal of waste products, which then allows more oxygen and nutrients to the cells and tissues of the body. Massage can stimulate the release of endorphins (the body's natural pain relievers) into the brain and nervous system, thus reducing pain and body aches.
European countries have long recognized the health benefits of massage. Massage therapists work with doctors as an important part of the health care system. It is not uncommon to have a doctor write a prescription for massage before readily writing one for prescription tranquilizers or pain medication. The USA is a little slower in this area, but we are starting to wake up and realize there are better ways to take care of our bodies.
As a massage therapist, one of my greatest pleasures is seeing people come out of a massage with the look of bliss on their face.
So, to All You Mermaids out there, it's time to focus on "You." Take that Dive into the Joy!
Improve yourselves! Get a massage and exercise regularly, eat more healthfully, learn more, stimulate your mind through books and creative activities, be more active in your life, your community, with children and the environment. Laugh and Love! Make a positive difference in everything you do. Nourish yourself to keep that Joyful energy strong!
Blessings to you all!
Rebecca (Becca) Morgan's philosophy is "Humor, Never Leave Home Without It." She has been a registered nurse since 1983 and a licensed massage therapist since 1990. She has a massage therapy practice in Spokane Valley and also works part time at Sacred Heart Medical Center as a nurse. Becca's has experience in many massage modalities and she often blends them to help the body balance. Her massages are geared to the individual needs of her clients. Contact information: please call (509) 994-1289
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