Do I Need A Massage?

 

Excerpt from: Do You Need A Massage?

by Robert Chute

Body Sense Magazine 2008

The short answer is Yes.

Get A Massage For The Joy Of It!

Our nervous systems are wired for the flight or fight response. Stress was eased in the old days by the exercise humans got when they successfully eluded hungry bears. However, in modern times, stress and worry tend to hang around.

As long as we've been on this planet, massage has been a joyful thing to receive. Our brains and bodies are wired to enjoy it.

Poke an animal with a stick and muscle contracts. In other words, stress makes muscle shorten. Massage--softening and lengthening muscle--counteracts that compressive stress.

Despite these bodily woes, not every massage has to be a treatment of a problem. Massage just feels good and you don't have to have a problem per se to benefit from it. Some people wait for the stress or pain to build up before they come in for massage, fearing they won't get as much out of the experience otherwise. Don't wait for it to build up.

Whether you are receiving massage in a spa or in a clinic, many of the massage manipulations you receive are based on spurring the body's natural relaxation response. Muscle tension eases. You're horizontal and you don't have to do anything but enjoy an hour's vacation from the mundane routines that propel us in our overstimulated society. Relax. Let go. And go get a massage.

Book several massage appointments right now, creating an opportunity for you to tune out, drop out, and bliss out on a regular basis. You deserve no less.

Check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment. I look forward to hearing from you. You can also email me at bitb05@aol.com.

Nancy S. Pezdek

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



 

Relax

 

Such a wonderful word. It makes me go, "Ahhhhh", just thinking about it.

 

But what does Webtser say?

 

Webster says that the word 'relax' is a verb defined "to make less tense; to relax the muscles" or "to release or bring relief from the effects of tension".

 

I think we can all agree that we have situations in our lives that bring their best friends with them, stress and tension, to enjoy the ride. They leave a wake of effects in the room as they depart which seam to settle into our neck and shoulders creating knots we can't get to, and pains in our neck and aches in our lower back. Am I right?

 

People deal with the stress and its effects in their lives by any number of means. Exercise, running, going to the gym to work out, having a beer or a glass of wine, sitting alone in the back yard listening to the birds with eyes closed, yoga ... the list goes on.

 

But how about massage?

 

Did you know that when you get a massage your therapist is engaging your parasympathetic nervous system which aids in relaxing you?

 

"The general function of the parasympathetic division is to conserve energy and reverse the action of the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system". This is a quote from Theory & Practice of Therapeutic Massage/Fourth Edition by Mark F. Beck.

 

But to simplify ... the sympathetic system excites you (your breathing may increase or you may start sweating) and the parasympathetic system inhibits excitement to maintain internal homeostasis in your body. You may experience a reduced heart rate, slower breathing and lowered blood pressure. When your parasympathetic system is engaged you will be the "most calm and in a state of relaxation". Another quote from the above mentioned book.

 

Would you like to feel calm and relaxed? Sounds good to me!

 

So call me today and book a Relaxation Massage. It's time to treat yourself. You deserve it!

Check out the massage menu on my website:
www.nancypezdek.massagetherapy.com
and call me at 919.413.5245 to make your appointment. I look forward to hearing from you. You can also email me at bitb05@aol.com.