Massage and Respiratory Issues

You likely have discovered through our monthly blog postings the many positive benefits one can receive through regular massage treatments. Massage has been proven effective in relieving both physical and emotional discomforts, ranging from soothing aching and injured muscles to alleviating stress and tension. But another benefit of therapeutic massage is how it can work to de-stress the respiratory system. This is particularly important at this time of year as many people are prone to develop springtime allergies. But other more serious existing conditions such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema might be further aggravated by allergens, pollutants and, of course, smoking. The symptoms range from shortness of breath to chest pains and often can be disabling. Massage can help lessen the severity of these problems by deepening and stabilizing your breathing patterns. Massage therapy also helps relieve the buildup of congestion in your lungs; helps to increase your heart action, which stimulates the blood flow both to and from your heart, thereby encouraging the flushing of waste. Massage fosters the absorption of oxygen. In this regard, with regular massage treatments, people have reported a decrease in their asthma symptoms, as well as overall less difficulty breathing.

To achieve the proper benefits that massage can have on your respiratory system, the therapist will focus on the muscles around your torso, including the diaphragm (which is your primary respiratory muscle) and the intercostal muscles (between the ribs). This therapy impacts the respiratory system by increasing pulmonary functions, permitting an ease of breathing through the loosening of tight respiratory muscles. This freedom from constriction allows the lungs to expand and contract without inhibition. The ability to inhale and exhale will not be restricted, thus enabling the intake of oxygen to enter without distress and likewise permit the easier removal of carbon dioxide.

A relaxed respiratory system slows the number of breaths you take per minute. If your respiratory muscles aren't constricted, your lung capacity will increase, allowing you to inhale longer and deeper breaths rather than the shallow breaths associated with various respiratory ailments. As well, as more oxygen is introduced into the bloodstream, your body's circulation is improved. For those who complain of non-allergy shortness of breath (known as dyspnea), regular massage can help increase the intake of oxygen and help to prevent further episodes from occurring.

Today many people suffer from asthma or other respiratory ailments (which has become especially prevalent in children). Regular massage offers a therapy that lessens the dependency on inhalers and asthma medications.  Specific massage techniques increase fluid discharge by loosening the congestion of mucus and phlegm from the lungs and bronchial tubes when particular tapping or tapotement techniques are performed on the back. However, such a procedure should be recommended by a physician and performed by a trained therapist who has knowledge of your medical history.

At Academy Massage, our licensed therapists will work with you to complete a detailed evaluation that ensures the treatment prescribed is what is best suited for you.

Get Ready to Spring into Spring!

Another Winnipeg winter has come and gone and we've finally moved into our anticipated Spring season. Once again we can enjoy the outdoors and reacquaint ourselves with activities no longer restricted by snow and frigid temperatures.

With many people, physical activity slows or even becomes dormant during the winter months. Eager to get the jump into Spring, we often move too quickly into an outdoor exercise regime and, ultimately, suffer the consequences, with sprained muscles and aching joints. While it is important to make physical activity a part of our everyday routine, it is prudent to start off slow and work up toward our exercise goal gradually. Simple, non-strenuous exercises are the best bet, such as maybe getting started with a brisk walk. If a more active exercise is your preference, biking is a good way to strengthen muscle tone as is swimming and even water aerobics. Even household chores such as gardening or puttering around the yard provide physical advantages, as does simply climbing the stairs.

Exercise and physical activity benefit every area of your life. Besides improving strength and fitness, it can help manage and prevent diseases including diabetes, heart disease, and even various cancers. It has also been shown to combat stress and feelings of depression and, in fact, heighten your feeling of well-being.

Academy Massage invites you to book an appointment with one of our qualified and licensed therapists to tone up and re-invigorate your muscles so that you can start getting fit for the fun days of Spring.

Beating the Blues with Massage Therapy

Massage therapy can have a positive effect on enhancing one's mood. It can help you manage stress, anxiety and even depression. In short, massage provides many additional benefits besides aiding in the relief of sore joints and muscles relevant to back and neck pain and discomfort resulting from athletic injuries. A form of depression that affects people is seasonal affective disorder (SAD). While generally a condition most relevant to the long winter months ("the winter blues"), SAD is a type of depression that can have an effect on people in all seasons. Symptoms generally start in the fall and continue into the winter months. People who normally are physically and psychologically healthy may feel tired and lethargic and might even suffer from muscle soreness and stiffness. Other symptoms can include irritability, overeating, oversleeping, loss of libido and a weakened immune system. While it is not clear what causes SAD, it is thought that it results from a lack of sunlight, which is why people can be affected even in spring and summer if the days are gloomy and overcast. It is estimated that 2 to 3% of Canadians will experience SAD in their lifetime while another 15% will suffer from a milder form of seasonal depression that still enables them to function in their daily routine.

Massage helps to alleviate SAD symptoms in a number of ways. Psychologically, massage therapy stimulates nerve receptors in your body, releasing mood-enhancing chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine. The release of these chemicals is important as they relate to one's mood, appetite, sleep and memory, along with benefiting sexual function and even social behaviour. Massage therapy can also reduce the levels of cortisol in your body, which is a hormone released in response to stress and, if not properly regulated, can result in elevated blood pressure and blood sugar levels, as well as suppressing the immune system. These factors can ultimately lead to depression. Massage lowers blood pressure, improves circulation, stimulates the nerve endings, removes toxins and improves energy and concentration. Massage has also been shown to heighten alpha brain activity, allowing you to function more efficiently both at work or in handling stressful situations.

  

Massage also aids in boosting your immune system, heightening the body's resistance to bugs and viruses and making it easier to ward off the many communicable diseases that exist in our daily environment, regardless of the season.

Through regular massage sessions, anyone suffering from SAD will experience less severe symptoms and regain a more positive and healthy perspective on life.

Academy Massage offers therapies that are effective in helping clients deal with both the psychological and physiological effects of SAD. Our therapists are trained to provide a relaxing treatment session in a comfortable environment that will both calm you and improve your mood as it focuses on healing the mind-body connection.

Academy Massage reminds our valued clients that now is the perfect time to get your body and your brain re-charged with a spring tune-up.

Hospice care for patient, family and care givers

While not a subject people generally wish to discuss or consider, death comes to us all as it is a natural process of life. It goes without saying that facing the end of one's life is difficult not only for the patient but for their loved ones. No one wants to see that person suffer and be in pain. We want to ensure that he or she is made as comfortable as possible. However, that can be a difficult task in those final days. And the emotional strain on the caregiver can be enormous.  

For many seriously ill patients, hospice care is the preferred option. Hospice is a care program that focuses on the quality of one's life instead of continuing with treatment to prolong life. Hospice provides an alternative for people whose life expectancy is six months or less, and involves palliative care rather than ongoing curative measures, enabling a terminally ill patient to live their last days with purpose, dignity, and support. This is achieved through the compassionate efforts of a dedicated team of health care professionals and volunteers who provide medical, psychological, and spiritual support. The caregivers also try to control pain and other symptoms so a person can remain as alert and comfortable as possible. Hospice programs also provide services to support the needs of the patient's family, including helping the family manage the practical details and emotional challenges of caring for a dying loved one. To that end, hospice care does not cease once the patient has passed on. The survivors may also need support as they grieve and struggle with their bereavement.

It is a difficult decision to know when the time is right for a loved one to enter  hospice care. Some families choose to prolong personal care for as long as possible and may decide upon hospice care for the last few days of life. For the patient, it is important that the family understands their wishes and are educated about hospice care so that they are prepared once the time arrives for hospice care to be administered. When loved ones are clear about a patient's preferences for treatment, they’re able to devote themselves more fully to providing care and compassion.

In most cases hospice is provided in the patient’s own home. This allows the patient to spend their final days in a familiar, comfortable environment, surrounded by loved ones who can provide personal care with the support of hospice staff. With an emphasis on holistic care, hospice programs frequently provide benefits that are not available in traditional health-care settings such as hospitals or nursing facility and may include various therapies such as music, art, pet and massage. Massage has proven to be extremely helpful for many hospice patients in managing stress and alleviating pain. 

Working with the dying is a difficult task and requires commitment and compassion. But by providing peace and comfort to the terminally ill during their final days, it also helps to show us how to live more fully. 

A Valentine's Gift That Shows You Care

Valentine's Day is when the cold and frosty days of winter warm a little as we embrace the love we feel toward that special someone. Flowers, gifts, chocolates and other expressions of sentiments are presented, intimate romantic dinners are shared, and quite often even wedding proposals are made.

Traditions prevail, but perhaps this year you might be looking for another way to show your loved one how much you care, an alternative that is unique and personal, yet practical, with benefits geared toward maintaining health and restoring relaxation.

If that is the case, consider the gift of massage.

Massage therapy offers a variety of physical and emotional advantages beyond soothing stressed and overworked muscles and joints. Massage has been proven to enhance one's mood (which is important given the winter doldrums many people experience at this time of year) through the release of the feel good or "love hormones" called oxytocin. As February has been designated at Heart Month, what better way to take care of your most vital organ than a massage treatment that helps to maintain a healthy blood pressure and keep your heart beating smoothly, reducing stress and anxiety.

To create a special memory, you might choose to share the experience with your partner and indulge in a couple's massage, complete with soothing scented oils.

Massage allows for self-connection, which is important for individuals without partners who feel the need to give care and a little pampering to themselves.

Whatever your preference, Academy Massage invites you to discover the pleasure of our healing touch.