Stay Healthy Through the Holidays with Massage
If ever you can count on the pace of life accelerating, it’s at the end of the year during the holidays. In order to maintain a busier-than-usual schedule, it’s more important than ever to take good care of yourself at this time of year.

Know when to say “No thanks.” As we all know, added stress in your life can increase your chances of becoming ill, so do all you can to lessen or avoid the stressors in your environment. Being selective with your social commitments can keep you from overloading your schedule. Trying to do too much can take its toll on your health.

‘Tis the season of tasty, tempting treats and indiscriminate indulgences, so be prepared to limit your intake of holiday cakes, cookies and candies.

The most enjoyable way to support your health is with a relaxing, rejuvenating massage! What better way to reduce your stress level and to help your body operate at its best than putting your busy life on hold for about an hour, so you can take proper care of yourself? Remember, you can be more effective in your day-to-day life when you feel your best. So, give yourself a little holiday health boost with a wonderful massage!

Stress Relief Doesn't Just Feel Good, It's Good for You
Common Link between Chronic Stress and Serious Health Issues

“Doctors have linked chronic stress to a number of serious health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis, inflammatory arthritis and certain cancers. Stress can contribute to headaches, digestive problems, back pain, and difficulty sleeping.

“Reducing stress through massage therapy will have long-lasting health benefits, but what many don’t realize is that massage therapy will also relieve respiratory issues, aid in post-surgery rehabilitation, and aid in prenatal care. Relieving stress has a domino effect in regards to other health benefits that people tend to overlook when considering a massage session.”

Recent News Reveals More Massage Health Benefits
You really have to love massage! It seems that every new massage-related study brings to light more proof of how regular bodywork can improve your overall health. Here are a few more examples, hot off the press!

Massage Shown to Relieve Headache

Headaches are a leading cause of pain—and massage therapy helps relieve them.

About 78 percent of Americans experience a tension-type headache at some point in their lives, according to the National Headache Foundation.

New research shows the application of a single session of massage produces an immediate decrease in tension, anger status, and perceived pain in patients with chronic tension-type headache, and that the relief from a massage lasts at least one full day.

Researchers from Universidad Granada's Department of Physical Therapy, in Spain, tested massage on 11 patients; eight females and three males, between the ages of 20 and 68 years old. Patients received either the experimental treatment (massage protocol) or a placebo intervention (detuned ultrasound).

Pairwise comparisons showed that head pain (numerical pain rating scale) decreased 24 hours after manual therapy, but not after the placebo intervention, according to an abstract published on www.pubmed.gov.

The research ran in a September issue of the Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics.

Research: Healthy Muscles and White Blood Cells

Various studies have shown that massage therapy can increase white blood-cell count. In a new study, European scientists have found that, when a muscle is injured, white blood cells called macrophages play a crucial role in its regeneration.

Normally, macrophages—the white blood cells known for engulfing and eliminating bacteria and other infectious agents—are drawn to areas of injury. Once there, they act as "garbage men," eliminating the dead cells and releasing pro-inflammatory factors, fending off infection.

After clearing up the debris, macrophages stop releasing those pro-inflammatory factors, and start making anti-inflammatory factors that promote repair in the damaged area. This shift from clearing debris to promoting building is known as macrophage polarization and is essential for muscles to regenerate properly.

"There seems to be this point of no return", says researcher Nadia Rosenthal. "If macrophages don't make this switch, then the muscle won't repair itself [and] you just end up with scar, instead of new tissue."

Source: www.massagemag.com/News

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