BEAUTY KLINIC

All kinds of medical conditions can be helped by massage therapy. By helping you to relax, massage is excellent for treating stress, and you end up with a great feeling of well being. Many physical systems are improved by massage therapy, muscles, nerves, circulation and the immune system to name but a few.

There are a great many physical benefits to having a massage, but there are psychological benefits as well. Some of this psychological benefit has to do with the feel-good factor we get from physical contact, and of course massage is very much a hands on therapy

A full body massage is one of the ultimate treatments for relieving stress, and for some it is the first time in their life that they have been totally relaxed. Just imagine laying back, listening to relaxing music, and having someone giving you a full body massage. Bliss!! I bet that after experiencing a full body massage the first thing you would do is to book another full body massage. The experience is so fantastic that you will want to tell everyone, friends, family and anyone else who will listen.

A full body massage is an excellent massage to start with, but it is not the only type of massage there is. Some of the different types that are popular are, Swedish massage, Indian Head massage, Neck and Shoulder massage, another one that is very very popular is Reflexology, this is a very specialized type of foot massage

Each year scientists show more and more conditions that are massage is effective in treating. No longer is massage just used in beauty spas, some estimates put a figure of 70% of hospitals now use massage as part of their treatment for patients. Massage therapy is no longer thought of as part of the alternative medicine field, but is now an established part of convential medicine.

There are quite a few hospitals that now use massage therapy as part of their treatment protocols. Massage is used for a wide range of conditions, and is often used for more chronic illnesses, especially if there is any pain.

Recent research has shown that massage can help lower blood pressure, probably due to reducing stress levels. Certain types of pain can be managed by massage, but to keep the pain under control the massages need to be on a regular basis. research has also shown that massage also helps to boost the immune system.

Some of those who have been going through drug and alcohol withdrawl have been helped by massage, although massage is not widely available as part of a withdrawl programme. A massage is often given as a stand alone therapy it is also sometimes useful to use other therapies alongside, herbal medicine, accupuncture and reiki all work well with massage.

As massage therapy has moved into mainstream medicine more and more people are able to benefit from this wonderful form of treatment.

The fair can be pretty much a good place to feel depressed too, if you want to.

See? There’s the reverse psychology on this. Everyone’s joyful. You’re not. Everyone’s enjoying. You’re probably hateful. And while the whole world moves when you don′t, you feel like the outside.

Before your senses scream “EMO!”; it’s a natural thing for us to feel depression when the world is happy. It means you’re human. It means that you have conformed too much, and it’s hurting you. When you hurt, it means you’re human (again). So there’s nothing to really worry about. And if you hurt more and more, that means you’re being more of the human who you are. It doesn′t mean you’re weak because you feel anything, it means you’re strong because you faced your emotions head on and are coming into a resolution with it.

The reason why fairs are a good place to be depressed is that it can slowly lift your spirits up without you knowing it. Sure, you might feel more contempted and would probably have despicable thoughts (woah, down boy!), but there would come a time when you would just shrug off all pretenses of having fun and just be yourself. Just be the kid you are once again.

Laughter is infectious. Once it spreads around, there’s no stopping it (unless the source of the laughter was some crazy dude, then that’s a whole different issue). Start with yourself, observe a kid laughing his heart out because his dad bought him the balloon he had his eyes on, or maybe that couple enjoying themselves.

You are your own enemy. The path of happiness is oftentimes blocked by our own hesitations and misgivings. When you learn to control and accept yourself, only then will you find happiness. And when happiness comes knocking in your door, do not hesitate to accept it.

When considering how does stress affect health, it is important to realize that a wide variety of health problems can be related to stress.

Studies suggest that somewhere between 60% and 90% of illnesses may be either caused or complicated by stress. This does not necessarily mean that stress is the sole cause of the disease, but that it is a factor or is making the disease worse than it would be otherwise. Corporations have taken notice, since stress related illness causes a lot of absenteeism and reduced productivity in the workplace. This has led to a number of companies offering training in stress management to their staff, with some firms going so far as to help fund stress management research.

The immune system cannot work at peak efficiency while you are experiencing stress. Suppose there are two people ? one is under a high degree of stress, the other relaxed. Now expose the two to a flu virus. The person who is under stress is much more likely to come down with influenza than is the person who is not under stress; when your immune system is weakened by stress, you are far more likely to get sick.

Each person may be disposed to developing certain problems as a result of stress. When there are preexisting medical conditions, it is unsurprising to see them get worse when going through a stressful time.

These disorders that tend to be caused or exacerbated by stress include the following:

- ulcers

- migraine headaches

- high blood pressure

- skin disorders (acne, psoriasis, eczema and the like)

- rheumatoid arthritis

- heart disease

- back and other muscle pain

- depression

- infertility

- erection problems in men

- menstrual problems in women

- asthma

- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

- eating disorders

- alcohol and drug abuse

- susceptibility to infections

Some of these conditions may happen for the first time while a person is experiencing stress, but there is often an underlying predisposition to these ailments. In people with a family history of a disease, it may be a stress related suppression of immune function which allows the disease to surface for the first time.

Some may develop heart problems due to stress, others have respiratory difficulties such as asthma and others may eat in response to stress, developing diabetes or becoming obese as the end product of stress. The exact nature of the stress related illness varies from individual to individual.

However, a person would not necessarily have the same reaction every time. Most people will suffer from two or more stress-related diseases or disorders. They may have several symptoms happening at the same time, or they might have an asthma attack one time and a migraine another time.

To answer the question of how does stress affect health as briefly as possible, the answer is in a lot of different ways, all of them negatively.

Stress and tension are part of most people lives and threaten your health in many ways. Stress can come in the form of accidents, financial difficulties, problems at work, family issues, and poor health. The way to manage stress has a lot to do with your mental, emotional, and physical health. The following are some ways that you can manage the stress in your life:

Try to find out what is causing your stress.

See if you can make changes in the areas of your life where you are feeling stress.

Relaxaton techniques such as massage, deep breathing, meditation, or yoga may help to relieve your stress.

Exercise or other physical activity will help you deal with stress

Practice time management. Put your tasks into a priority list. When you make your list take into account yourself, your family, and your job. Using a check list will give you satisfaction when you complete a task.

Eat a healthy and balanced diet. Avoid sugar, fats, tobacco, caffeine, and alcohol as all of these items will put a strain on the way your body copes with stress.

Make sure that you get enough sleep and rest.

Talk with someone if there are things that are bothering you. This can include friends, family, professional counselors, and support groups.

Get out there and volunteer! Helping others can give you a sense of purpose.

Take some personal time. This can include reading a book, watching a movie, listening to music, or any other personal time that you enjoy.

Recognise and deal with your anger.

A vacation from your regular life, even if only for a weekend, will help you deal with stress.

Try not to do too much. Take things one step at a time.

Dont try to be perfect in everything that you do.

Try not to be too critical of others.

Laugh whenever you can, even at yourself now and then.

Move your head from side to side and rotate you neck in a circle to reduce the tension in your neck and jaw.

Practice realistic goal setting using the SMART approach, set small and realistic goals to accomplish the tasks you have to do and reduce your stress. Try setting a goal using the SMART method:

SPECIFIC: Write down your first small goal.

MEASURABLE: How will you know when it is done?

ACHIEVABLE: Make sure it is not too big.

REWARDED: Reward yourself when you reach your goal.

TIME-LIMITED: In order to be a SMART goal it must have a realistic finish date and time.

Laugh at stress. Laughter is your body’s natural stress-release mechanism. Rent your favorite funny movie or record a TV show that you know makes you laugh. You can keep the recording on hand for those stress emergencies. Go to the library and borrow a book that you know will make you laugh. Or read the daily comics in the newspaper.

Exercise is the best way to cope with stress. Go for a walk, go to the gym and give yourself some distance from the problem. Take a walk at lunchtime or during your coffee break at work. This will increase your energy and make it possible for you to cope with the situation.

As early as 3000 BC massage was used as part of the health procedures in many ancient civilizations. and in the Middle and Far East possibly even longer. It is probably the oldest therapy known to man, instintively we will rub an area when it is hurting or sore.

An oiled massage every day was reccommended by Hippocrates who is often refered to as the ‘Father of Medicine’.

Oils are still used by masseurs regardless of the type of massage used. By using oils, hands are able to move over the body with ease. Sometimes essential oils are used but are always added to a base oil to dilute them.

Scientists have shown that essential oils can penetrate the skin, maybe through the sweat pores or the hair follicles. These oils when massaged into the skin are absorbed into the body’s bloodstream and other fluids to work internally.

Although used for centuries in the Middle and Far East, massage therapy did not reach the West for thousands of years. In the 19th century it became increasingly popular especially in Europe, but was limited to the health spas that were patronised only by wealthy people.

Swedish massage was develped by Per Henrik Ling a Swedish gymnast. Massage had become very popular, and he developed this type of massage due to his interest in sport. This type of massage deals mainly with the joints and muscles of the body.

By the 20th century massage had become very popular in the west, and had spread over to America. As it became more affordable to people its popularity spread quickly. In America a book was publish called The Massage Book, this was a book that covered not just massage but how to look at the body holistically.

By taking into account mind, body and spirit massage had come the whole circle back to Hippocrates who always spoke in terms of mind body and spirit. This is what we now term as the holistic approach to healing.

The massage process relaxes the body, mind and spirit. On the physical level, massage increases the circulation of blood around the body, which in turn help get rid of accumulated waste, so releasing harmful toxins from the body.

As massage relaxes the muscles and releases tension from the body, the person is able to relax and let go of all the stresses of everyday life. This in its self is a hugh benefit to the body, as endorphins are released creating the feel good factor, the persons spirit is lifted and they feel wonderful.

In traditional Chinese and Indian medicine it is believed that energy flows through the body along meridian lines. It is also thought that certain factors can block these meridian pathways and in the process cause illness. The restriction of energy by stress can be resolved by having a massage.

Although massage was on the edge of conventional medicine for a long time it has now been accepted by the majority of practitioners of conventional medicine. Massage therapy is also often offered as part of a patients treatment in American hospitals.

Why do hospitals use massage therapy? Massage is often used in the treatment of chronic pain, pregnancy, infant care, joint and muscle mobility, stress management and to help many other symptoms and disorders.

According to some research massage therapy used on a regular basis can help to boost the immune system, help to lower high blood pressure and give relief in the management of pain.

It is good to see massage therapy crossing over from the alternative medicine field to the mainstream as this means that many more people are able to experience the benefits of this very versatile form of treatment and therapy.