Massage Massage Massage

Welcome!



Thank you for taking the time to come to my blog that's all about YOU and the benefits that massage can give you, if you give massage a chance!


My goal with this blog is to provide information that may be helpful to you and be fun as well. I know that this entry may look a little long, but I thought that learning about the benefits of massage may inspire you to call me and make an appointment.

So enjoy this caption taken from www.massagetherapy.com, a public educational site put out by the Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals.

Learn More About Massage and the Benefits

The Benefits Of Massage
What exactly are the benefits of receiving massage or bodywork treatments? Useful for all of the conditions listed below and more, massage can:

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
• Ease medication dependence.
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system.
• Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
• Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ—the skin.
• Increase joint flexibility.
• Lessen depression and anxiety.
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
• Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
• Reduce spasms and cramping.
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller.
• Relieve migraine pain.

Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress related. And perhaps nothing ages us faster, internally and externally, than high stress. While eliminating anxiety and pressure altogether in this fast-paced world may be idealistic, massage can, without a doubt, help manage stress. This translates into:

• Decreased anxiety.
• Enhanced sleep quality.
• Greater energy.
• Improved concentration.
• Increased circulation.
• Reduced fatigue.

Increase the Benefits with Frequent Visits
Getting a massage can do you a world of good. And getting massage frequently can do even more. This is the beauty of bodywork. Taking part in this form of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be and how youthful you’ll remain with each passing year. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your health. And remember: just because massage feels like a pampering treat doesn’t mean it is any less therapeutic. Consider massage appointments a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with your practitioner to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.

Congratulations! You hung in there and read all the way to the end of this shortened article.

You may want to check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment.

Begin receiving the benefits of massage! You deserve it.

Nancy S. Pezdek

Holistic Massage Therapist
LMBT# 11024
919.413.5245
4716 Glen Forest Drive
Raleigh, NC 27612

Massage ... I Can't Afford It !

 

Massage ... I Can't Afford It !

 



I know what you mean!!! Getting regular massages can be an expense and more importantly it can take valuable time from your busy schedule.

But ...

I look at it as an investment.

What?

Yes. An investment ...

in my well being, mental joy, stress reducer, my quality of life, pain management and peace. What's more important or valuable than you?! So I do all that I can to make the time for what's important ... Me!

That's right. Remember, if you take care of yourself then you can take care of the ones you love.

For me regular massages meant fewer migraines, less regular headaches, no aches in my neck and shoulders, peace-full, and so on. What can it mean for you? What kind of relief do you need? Does reduced pain in your daily life sound good? Maybe even getting to the point of no pain? Would that result be worth the time it takes to get an hour massage on a regular basis? Only you can answer that question.

YOU'RE WORTH IT. You put everyone and everything else above yourself, but 2013 could be the year to think a bit about yourself. Sound selfish? Maybe, but you can't put a price on a balanced, pain-free you.

What did your grandmother say? "If you have your health, you have everything." Right?

You may want to check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment.

Nancy S. Pezdek

Holistic Massage Therapist
LMBT# 11024
919.413.5245
4716 Glen Forest Drive
Raleigh, NC 27612

Migraines and Massage

 

Migraines and Massage

If you have ever suffered, and I do mean suffered from migraines, then I understand your pain. I used to have excruciating ones that would send me to a darkened room to lay in my bed and pray for the hour of release from its' grip. Afterwards I would be weak for at least a day. Have you been there?

Perhaps you sought out help by going to a chiropractor and found some relief. I know I did and it helped a lot but I kept getting them. Maybe not as close together but they were still dramatic.

I found two things that really changed my life and I always like to share with others what worked to reduce my migraines so that they too may find freedom from pain. I definitely suggest you talk with your doctor before trying anything new and keep him/her abreast of your successes.

The first suggestion I got from a friend was the idea of not eating meat, dairy products or sugar for at least one month. What??!! That was hard to do!!!  But I struggled through it and I noticed that I would go a whole day without a headache of any kind. That was amazing.

Another avenue that helped me a lot came by accident. A friend of mine got weekly massages and told me how wonderful it was for her. Since a lot of my tension was in my neck and shoulders I thought it was a good idea to make an appointment and see what it was all about. I set up regular sessions because the knots in my shoulders and the neck pain didn't get there overnight. It took consistent massage sessions to reduce them and I began to notice that I only got a migraine about every three months which meant only four times a year. That was doubly amazing! Also the severity of the migraine pain was reduced as well as the reduction of small headaches. I was able to make plans and keep them. It was so refreshing.

Finally my massage therapist commented on how knot and tension free my muscles had become and I realized that I had not been to my chiropractor for months on end!  I used to see him every two or three weeks for neck and shoulder pain. I continued to get massages for maintenance every other week and I haven't been back to the chiropractor in six years. I am not advocating not seeing your chiroprator, but I am suggesting to add massage to your health regiman. I think you'll be surprised at the results you will receive.

I highly suggest, if you suffer from migraines, to help yourself by booking an appointment with me. I understand your pain. If a massage does not work as well for you as it did for me, then you still will enjoy an hour of relaxation on your road to better health and serenity. You deserve it!

You may want to check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment.

Nancy S. Pezdek

Holistic Massage Therapist
LMBT# 11024
919.413.5245
4716 Glen Forest Drive
Raleigh, NC 27612

Massage and YOU

Massage and You

 



Massage should be all about YOU. That's right. After all, only you know what is bothering you, so speak up when you go for your massage appointment! Let the therapist know where it hurts, how long you have been in pain and what action you did which may have caused the strain. Yes, we therapists like to think we can take one look at you and "poof" ... know exactly what you need. But to understand your problem and begin to realize how to ease your pain we may need to ask you a few questions first.

For example ...
A friend of mine called me the other day and asked if I had time to give her a massage. She had a pain in her neck and shoulder for days and she was supposed to get on an airplane in a few more days. We set up a time for her and when she arrived I asked her a few questions first.

Q: "When did you first feel this pain?"

A: "A few days ago when I lifted some groceries out of the trunk of the car, carried them to the kitchen counter, and then lifted them up onto the counter ... bam ... I felt it immediately".

Ouch! But she only had the pain on one side. Hmmm. Interesting.

At this point a massage therapist is going to have things pop up in his/her head when conversations like this one takes place. Muscles up and down the back and the neck as well as how they connect and work together will present themselves. I told my friend that it may have started in her lower back (she bent over) where she actually is not feeling anything but that it affected her upper back and neck (she held her neck and shoulder muscles in a tense position while carrying the grocery bags all the way from the car to the kitchen counter).

Check out the image above of the muscles in your back!!! They go here and there, lay underneath one another or on top, connect to the front or run vertically up and down on either side of your spine. It's pretty amazing! So, where does one go from here?

Usually the next step is touch. Once your session begins, your therapist will assess your back, neck and shoulders by touch in order to find tight areas, etc. If your therapist touches a spot and you feel pain or discomfort, speak up and let them know, "That's the spot!", or "I really feel that."

With my friend, I suggested working on her feet first as I know that it can begin the relaxing process. By the time I reached her back, she was relaxed enough for me to work the problem areas. Asking every now and then, "Is this too hard?" or "How are you doing?" helped us work together as a team to facilitate a positive result.

An hour later when the session was over I suggested for her to lay there for a minute and breathe deeply. Then I asked her to sit up slowly when she was ready, using her arms to push herself up to a sitting position and not to use her neck. I suggested she sit for a moment on the table and take a few more deep breaths before standing on the floor. Once she was dressed we sat on the couch and talked for a few minutes. At one point she looked at me and said, "I don't feel any pain." She seemed to be puzzled and amazed at the same time. How could she be out of pain with just a one hour massage when she had been in pain and even on muscle relaxers for days without relief?

I don't presume to know everything but I do know that massage can do amazing things if we give ourselves the time to enjoy one. You don't even have to be in pain to make an appointment! In fact, regular massages can keep you free of pain. It's done that for me.

Take care of yourself so you can take care of the ones you love.

You may want to check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment.

Nancy S. Pezdek

Holistic Massage Therapist
LMBT# 11024
919.413.5245
4716 Glen Forest Drive
Raleigh, NC 27612

 

My Neck Hurts!

My Neck Hurts !

Do you wake up every morning with neck pain? Or do you feel great until you've bent over a keyboard or squinted into a monitor for eight hours and your neck feels like it is as tight as the stretched rubber band you took off your daily newspaper 9 hours ago?

Ouch! Constant neck pain IS a pain. I should know, I had it for years and the knots in between my shoulders seemed to get tighter too as a result. Sometimes I would think that if someone would be so kind as to stand on the knots and grind their heels into them that maybe they would get pulverized and smush into submission, leaving my shoulders pliant and my neck free of aggravation. Now don't even consider that approach to relief ! I am just using exaggeration to make a point.

What did I do? First I wanted to see if it was a structural problem and went to a chiropractor for years and got some relief. Then I began adding massage and you know the rest if you have read some prior blog entrees. But if not, then the result was that I realized, as I began to receive regular massages , that the chiropractic visits began to decrease to the point where I felt I did not need to go anymore. My structural issues had been resolved and were kept at bay through regular massages. It was amazing to wake up in the morning and go through a day without any pain. Then weeks went by  and now I am happy to admit that I am virtually pain free. Am I suggesting to decrease your chiropractic visits? No. If you need them then please go as often as you can. But I am suggesting adding massage and seeing what happens to you.

To get the results I want to maintain I make it a priority to get a massage regularly if it can fit into my busy schedule. And that's exactly what we all do, don't we? We make room in our busy schedules for the things that matter most. Does a pain free neck and shoulder seem to be something you would like to consider as a priority? If you can't believe that you would be able to achieve a pain free neck and shoulder area, then would a decrease in your pain still sound like a good idea?

If so, please let yourself consider YOU for 2013 and let's get you motivated towards a life that could be improved through massage. Let's work together to soothe the aches and pains and stress of your time on this beautiful blue planet!

You may want to check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment.

Nancy S. Pezdek

Holistic Massage Therapist
LMBT# 11024
919.413.5245
4716 Glen Forest Drive
Raleigh, NC 27612

Lymphatic Massage

Lymphatic Massage

 

For those of you who have never experienced a Lymphatic Massage let me tell you what you are missing!

First of all, it is very soothing and rythmic. You will leave, after an hour, feeling light as air. You may even fall asleep during your massage. I encourage you to try it.

A Lymphatic Massage obviously targets the lymph in your body. It's interesting to note that your Lymphatic System is part of your Circulatory System but, unlike your Circulatory System which has a pump (your heart), your Lymphatic System does not have one! Does that sound sluggish?

So, how does your lymph move in your body if it does not have a pump? One way is through exercise which makes your muscles contract which help your lymph move to where it needs to go in order for your body to then release its' toxins. Another way is via a massage therapist who is trained in the technique of giving a Lymphatic Massage.

The reason a Lymphatic Massage is rhythmic is because the strokes are very deliberate and slow. The therapist uses a softer, pumping stroke following a certain upward pattern from your toes to your shoulders bringing the lymph to targeted areas in your body along the way where it is then able to be released.

I'm getting relaxed just thinking about it!

It is one of my favorite massages to give clients. I have witnessed first hand, after an hour's massage, the swelling in a client's ankles to be remarkably reduced. The client had experienced swelling for over three weeks before coming to me. I encouraged my client to put their feet up for another hour once they got home in order to increase the results. They were very relieved.

So, if you have never experienced a Lymphatic Massage, it's about time you tried it! It's soothing, relaxing and you'll be on your way to better health in 2013.

 

Let's work together to get rid of the toxins in your body that are weighing you down and keeping you from being tip top. You may want to check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment.

 

Remember, if you take care of yourself, you can take care of the ones you love.

Peace.

 

Nancy S. Pezdek

Holistic Massage Therapist

LMBT# 11024

919.413.5245

4716 Glen Forest Drive

Raleigh, NC  27612

Massage and Asthma

 

Massage and Asthma

Here's something I read online. Remember, before you choose any alternative method to aid in asthma relief, please check with your doctor first.

 

Could These Non-Traditional Treatments Relieve Your

Asthma Symptoms?

by Beth W. Orenstein and medically reviewed by

Lindsey Marcellin, MD, MPH

"Massage therapy, another mind-body technique, brings relief to some people with asthma. Your massage therapist will work on your neck and ribcage to release tension in the muscles that facilitate breathing. “Studies have shown massage therapy can help some asthma sufferers in terms of balancing muscles and improving lung function,” says Amanda Lien, ND, a naturopathic physician in Oakland, Calif., although more studies are needed to confirm this. Additionally, massage therapy may alleviate some of the anxiety you feel about having breathing problems."

"Herbs, vitamins, yoga, acupuncture, probiotics, massage therapy" ... "these are just a few of the complementary medicine and alternative therapies people use to relieve asthma symptoms."

Every day we read about new treatments, techniques and information about our bodies and how they work. It's always fascinating to me to read that something as old as massage therapy can be so beneficial to so many people. I know it makes me breathe easier!

Let's talk. Maybe massage would be helpful for you and your asthma symptoms. You may want to check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment.

 

Nancy S. Pezdek

Holistic Massage Therapist

LMBT # 11024

919.413.5245

4716 Glen Forest Drive

Raleigh, NC  27612

Stress

STRESS



I read an article from Duke Medicine's 'connect' recently entitled "Don't let stress break your Heart". You may have read it too. If not, here are some excerpts from it with my side comments in blue:

"The human body's reaction to stress is a wonderful thing. Often called the fight-or-flight response, it uses hormones to kick your body into overdrive briefly and intensely to deal with potentially life-threatening situations."

"When a person is under life stresses frequently or chronically, the fight-or-flight response stays turned on constantly."

Wow.

"Perhaps the most important skill to learn is recognizing what causes you stress, and nipping it in the bud immediately."

But please don't quit your job unless you have another one handy!

"What can we do to reduce chronic stress and its heartbreaking consequences? Coping skills and relaxation/meditation techniques are the keys to managing stress. The fight-or-flight response is a function of the sympathetic nervous system. Practicing meditation or relaxation techniques engages the parasympathetic nervous system and allows the body to begin to shut down the sympathetic nervous stress response."

In other words, you'll go from frantic to calm/calmer. Especially if you take slow, deep breaths. It works for me.

"Simply removing yourself from the situation, even for just a few minutes, practicing deep breathing (hmmm...mentioned that one already), going for a brief walk or enjoying a short/long chat with a friend, colleague, or loved one" can help.

I would like to add getting a massage to deal with stress! Yes, a massage can also engage your parasympathetic nervous system to begin the relaxation process. In fact, you can become so relaxed that you may even fall asleep during your massage. And that's a good sign! When your body is relaxed it can rejuvenate, heal and recharge. In fact I fell asleep yesterday during a massage ... no, I wasn't giving one, but receiving one!

So add 'massage' to your 'reduction of stress plan' and call me at
919.413.5245 to make an appointment.
 
You may want to check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com

 
Nancy S. Pezdek/
Holistic Massage Therapist
LMBT # 11024
4716 Glen Forest Drive
Raleigh, NC  227612