How Massage and Bodywork treatments can benefit you.

TAKE CARE OF YOUR HEALTH FIRST!
Scheduling a massage can do you a world of good; getting massage frequently can do even more. The beauty of bodywork by taking part in 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 than 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.  

• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion
•  Enhance immune system by stimulating lymph flow; 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 and lessen depression and anxiety
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks
• Reduce spasms and cramping, relaxing injured, tired, or overused muscles

Experts estimate that upwards of ninety percent of disease is stress related; 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. Furthermore, clients often report a sense of perspective and clarity after receiving a massage. The emotional balance bodywork provides can often be just as vital and valuable as the more tangible physical benefits. Studies show that with massage:

• Arthritis sufferers note fewer aches and less stiffness and pain
• Burn injury patients report reduced pain, itching, and anxiety
• High blood pressure patients lower diastolic blood pressure, anxiety, stress hormones
• Premenstrual syndrome sufferers have decreased water retention and cramping
• Preterm infants have improved weight gain

Research continues to illustrate the enormous benefits of touch—which range from treating chronic diseases, neurological disorders, and injuries, to alleviating the tensions of modern lifestyles. Consequently, the medical community is actively embracing bodywork, and massage is becoming an integral part of hospice care and neonatal intensive care units. Many hospitals are also incorporating on-site massage practitioners and even spas to treat post surgery or pain patients as part of the recovery process.