Stating that our body is stressed each day of our life is an understatement. We have been vehemently abusing our body’s capacity because of work and other matters we think we should resolve. There are so many things that can affect our body’s overall health that we are likely ignoring because we feel well and okay, for now. The number one would be the total disregard for sleep.
Sleeping is one of the most important activities
Essential our body needs. By sleeping, it means sleeping for full 8 hours every day. Some of us are even considering lucky if they have 5 to 6 hours of sleep. If a person lacks the proper time of sleeping, it does not only hamper the body’s cognitive and physical performance, in the long term, this will eventually lead to the weakening of the body. Soon, the body will become vulnerable to sickness and even to diseases and illnesses. Second, poor diet is going to cost most people than they can think of. The lack of sleep is connected to poor diet. According to studies, those who lack sleep tend to have poor choices of food.
They choose those full of carbohydrates, junk foods, and alcoholic or soda drinks and they are also prone to binge-eating which makes everything worse. And smoking is another thing. So you see, the lack of sleep can birth a wide array of other bad habits that can harm the human body. These will eventually make up the poor lifestyle and a much poorer wellness. Of course, the list does not end there. There are also habits that we humans do that harm the body without us knowing. Prolonged exposure to sunlight leads this list. Oh yes, sun bathing is so good.
It makes us alive. It awakens our body and in some ways it relaxes it also. On the way to work, we can’t also help but had the sunshine in. This habit might be good, years ago that is…when the sun does not give harmful ultraviolet rays. With the thinning of the ozone layer because of the pollution and the drastic climate change (which is the human’s doing by the way), the sun rays are becoming more harmful to the human body.
This can cause skin cancer among other worst scenarios. If an individual cannot totally avoid sunlight because of the place where she or he lives in, then wearing sunscreen would be the best way to combat this and protect the body. Also, eating and drinking in plastic containers are going to be causing so many diseases in the body. Plastics are known to be carcinogenic.
That plastic straw and that plastic mugs you are carrying, these are harming your body so much without you knowing it. These are just some of the worst things that we tend to ignore most of the times. Often than not, we do not know that slowly we are the ones causing these pesky diseases in our body because of our ignorance.
If you are still not experiencing a rapid decline in your overall health, then it is high time to ditch the old and abusive lifestyle and start a new healthy one. In having a new lifestyle and in ditching those habits, the first step will be the starting point: the decision. Making a firm decision and supplementing it with the appropriate goals and plan are going to make the decision survive in facing difficulties along the way.
After this, one can choose among those proven and effective ways in taking care of one’s own body. Nowadays, in the current work setting, most people find themselves with a tired body. And there is no better way to treat this than going to a massage clinic and give your body the pampering it badly needs. Massage is one of those wellness techniques and practices that aim to help the body relax and heal at the same time.
Since time in memoriam, massage has been one of the staples in medical treatment and a favorite among those distinctive individuals such as the pharaohs, sultans, British and European aristocrats, and many more. Massage was started in the 1950s, a fateful year when two American physicians developed a technique that will be now called a “massage.” Since then, massage has been studied and the results are truly astounding. According to research, massage has beneficial effects to the human body.
What is more, aside from relaxing and pampering the body, massage can also be included in the palliative care or even part of a treatment of a specific illness or injury. It can help in curing various diseases and illnesses from minor and major body pains to mental issues such as depression, anxiety, and many more. In the years that passed, massage has not only become a familiar technique in the Western countries, but unbeknownst to them massage was also a revered practice in Asian countries.
If the European countries have the most common and favorite massage which is the Swedish massage, Japan has its own revered Shiatsu massage. Shiatsu massage is so holy and revered that Japanese people practice this with utmost respect and admiration. In fact, the Japanese are preserving the practice through passing the knowledge in massage schools in Japan. By comparison, Swedish massage is the typical massage which involves the tapping, rubbing, and pushing of the body parts but on Shiatsu massage the massage therapist has to follow the body’s chakra flow.
There are integral points that the therapist will have to deal with and then follow a particular pattern. Long before the advancement of science in human anatomy, the Japanese have already this vast knowledge about the human body as evidenced in the Shiatsu massage. Either way, the most important thing is that massage can give what our bodies need in these troubled times.
As being said, every day we face so many hurdles and sometimes we suffer the consequences of our own vulnerabilities. Sometimes, we got injured but there is no need to fret so much about it because unsurprisingly massage has its another variation that specifically caters to this kind of body issue: myofascial release massage.
Myofascial Release Massage – An Alternative Medicine Therapy
This type of massage is considered part of an alternative medicine therapy in the treatment of the immobility of some skeletal muscles and body pains. The term fascia refers to the tough, thin, and elastic type of a connective tissue which serves as the wrapping of most of the structures in the human which also includes the muscles. The primary functions of the fascia are not only to wrap these structures but also to support and protect them.
However, because of constant abuses people do in their own bodies and injuries and illnesses such as trauma, infectious elements, and psychogenic disease, the soft tissues become restricted and affected so much that will eventually lead to body pains and muscle tensions, and can even hamper the normal flow of the blood. The usage of myofascial release massage as treatment is still being studied but so far the results are promising enough and medical professionals are slowly adhering to the benefits of this type of massage.
So, if you have a stiff muscle or if they are sore, then some would recommend to have a myofascial release massage. Although most types of massage have so many similarities, myofascial release massage is an entirely different technique. In myofascial release massage, the main focus is the musculature of the human body, covering all the body parts with muscles and all the soft tissues.
This time, massage therapists will be alleviating tensions and stress in these body parts by pure pressure manipulating the affected tissues and even do spinal touch. Aside from the usual tapping of rubbing, massage therapists will be doing more of kneading and stroking in the affected muscles and tissues. Massage therapists in myofascial release massage or myotherapy are opting to use lubricants like oils or lotions to ensure soothing, relaxing, and smooth movements in the body.
Depending on the severity of the condition of the affected muscles and tissues, a certain amount of sustained pressure is going to be exerted. In this way, the massage therapist can break some adhesions and loosen up the strangled and constricted tissue or muscle. Still, the duration of a regular myofascial release massage depends on the case.
It may take several minutes to do the work especially if there are so many tissues or muscles that must be re-aligned and softened. This type of massage has been practice and studied for quite a while now. It started in the 1960s after being developed by the renowned osteopath Robert Ward. Myofascial release massage might be very tempting to try but one must know the kind of massage he or she might be getting.
Most of the types of massage available are relaxing and soothing; however, myofascial release massage, because it targets the affected muscles and tissues with much pressure, can be quite painful for those who are not used to that kind of massage. That is why, medical practitioners are advising the public to have myofascial release massage in moderation because there will be bruises and worse have a chronic pain state wherein the body will be in so much pain for a longer period of time.
Just like the other types of massage, myofascial release massage has gained a huge following by the public because of its countless health benefits that people can get after a regular session. The following are some of the most important benefits of myofascial release massage:
1. Decrease of Chronic Pain
Chronic pain is so prevalent nowadays. Given that most of the workforce right now work for more than 8 hours a day for 6 days a week, surely, the body will become weak and muscles and tissues inside have been constricted. Chronic pain is caused by the restrictions of soft tissues and muscles in the body. This happens due to overwork, accidents, nerves that are compressed due to a herniated disc, and inflammatory conditions.
What is more, in this condition, chronic pains are not usually seen or are difficult to diagnose because fascia restrictions cannot be seen in a typical magnetic resonance imaging scan or even X-rays. But with myofascial release massage, chronic pains will be eradicated. Since one of the major goals of myofascial release massage is the stretching and then loosening the fascia, the patient will finally be able to get back to his or her normal condition. The massage focuses on these trigger points in the tissues and muscles affected.
2. Strengthens Immune System
As stated above, myofascial release massage or any type of massage is good for the body. It makes the body regain back the energy that was lost, heal the injured area, and ensure a sound mind and body. The stressed muscles and tissues directly affect the overall physical and even cognitive mobility of a patient. These cripple the ability of a patient to do normal and simple day to day tasks and can tremendously affect the overall quality of life.
Thus, through myofascial release massage, the body will be able to get rid of all the stressors inside. Then, all the systems of the human body will get back to its normal process or even become better so it can now protect itself from other harmful elements outside. The immune system will be boosted and with this the human body can withstand any challenges the world will have to offer.
3. Improves Nerve Function
Sometimes in life we find ourselves in bothersome accidents. Aside from emotional trauma, these accidents often cause injuries that are hard to treat. In accidents wherein the body is severely affected, especially the muscles and tissues, myofascial release massage can be part of the treatment regimen.
Myofascial release massage incorporates all the techniques and movements that aim to improve the nerve function of the body. With this, the body will recuperate easily. Also, even if you are normal and have not encountered any accidents, myofascial release massage will also be helpful still in the improvement of the body’s normal nerve function to ensure unhindered physical mobility.
4. Increase Blood Circulation
The blood is one of the integral features of the human body. And its blood flow or circulation should always be in a normal pace. This is important because the blood carries all the important elements every body part needs. In myofascial release massage, it relaxes constricted muscles and tissues especially those with so much tension. These conditions hinder the normal flow of blood, thus causing trouble inside the body. With myofascial release massage, this can be treated and can even be prevented.
There are so many more benefits one can get from having a refreshing myofascial release massage. Good thing there are a lot of massage clinics that offer this type of massage. However, if you want to know how to do myofascial release massage, there are various massage schools in Utah that will surely provide adequate training for those who want to learn myofascial release massage and other types of massage.
Getting yourself pampered from time to time is not a luxury anymore because as the proverbial phrase puts it “health is wealth”.
