Craniosacral Therapy and Massage For Migraine Headaches

People who suffer from migraine headaches can tell you that a migraine is one of the most painful conditions they have ever experienced. Due to the nature of a migraine, the pain is inescapable. The head is pounding, there may be visual disturbances and nausea, and all that one can do when in the midst of a migraine headache is sit or lie still and hope to fall asleep. There are alternatives available, including massage therapy and craniosacral therapy that can help with migraines.

Several recent studies have demonstrated that both massage therapy and CranioSacral Therapy can have beneficial effects on those who suffer from migraines. A study published in Annual Behavior and Medicine demonstrated that based on heart rate, state anxiety, and cortisol levels which were tested before and after massage therapy interventions, massage demonstrated beneficial effects for sufferers of migraine headaches.

A study on CranioSacral Therapy and migraines was published in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. The study asked participants to receive CranioSacral treatments as treatment for their migraines. All study participants suffered from migraines a certain number of times a week. Questionnaires that were provided to participants demonstrated that the severity and frequency of migraines were reduced following treatment.

These studies listed above can be found on our studies page by clicking here. These studies should provide hope that there is help for those who suffer from migraine headaches. While the treatment methods used were not a cure for migraines, they did provide some relief.

A review study published in the Journal of Headache Pain compared the results of manual therapies with the available and commonly prescribed medications for migraine headaches, and found that manual therapies were as effective as the pharmacological interventions. This is also promising news for those suffering from migraines, as there are many individuals for whom side effects of the drugs prescribed for migraines can be as debilitating as the migraine itself.

If you are interested in learning more about craniosacral therapy, or to book a session, please visit our website by clicking here.

Couples Massage At Home For Busy Moms and Dads

Busy new mothers and fathers have very little time to go out for a couples massage at the local spa. It is hard enough just to get a babysitter for an hour long massage session at home, even if Grandma or Grandpa is the babysitter. Forget about going to the spa and having to get a sitter for several hours!

New moms and dads are under much more stress than they were before they became parents. Sleepless nights for the first several weeks before the new baby is ready to sleep through the night adds stress to the body, which needs a certain number of hours of sleep every night to function properly. For those parents who already have small children, it is even more of a challenge to manage more than one child, especially with a new baby around. Sibling jealousies make it even more difficult while the other children adjust to the new baby. So, suffice it to say, new moms and dads can use a couples massage probably more than anyone. The new mom’s aches and pains from childbirth and pregnancy can be helped by massage therapy. The new mom’s massage can feature some aspects of post-natal massage, which she has not yet had time to get for herself. New dads are also in need of massage, since they have the added stress of working every day while the new baby is at home, and he too has to suffer the sleepless nights the first few weeks, right along with mom! So you can see why a couples massage at home would be an excellent choice for this of couple.

Next time you have a night to yourselves, which may be rare but is possible, think about booking a couples massage for the two of you. For more information about couples massage, or to book a session, please visit our website by clicking here.

Couples Massage: When Is the Best Time To Schedule a Session?

This topic, often overlooked, is something that should be addressed. Couples Massage may be scheduled based on one rule: Both parties to have the massage must be around! That's really it! Even so, trying to find a block of one hour or 90 minutes for both persons in a relationship can be hard work, in and of itself.

So, supposing both of you have a free hour or two on Tuesday evening around 10 PM. Is that too late? Definitely not! We do travel to New York City and New Jersey during that time. And it's a good time to have a session, because you will have had dinner hours ago, and can just relax and let the day's stress diminish.

What about a Friday morning? Why not?! It's really wonderful to have a massage early in the morning, just after showering. Contrary to the notion that you'll be tired the entire day, most people feel energized and awake. It's like dealing with the daily tension before it even gets a chance to begin accumulating. Mornings, in general, make a good time for a Couples Massage session.

That leaves us with afternoons. Is this a good time as well? Yes; and no. Firstly, most people naturally get sleepy during the afternoon. That's just how our biorhythms work, in most cases. So it's a lot more likely that you'll fall asleep, even more so than an evening session.

Falling asleep during a Couples Massage session may not be what you want. Some people wish to stay as conscious as possible to savor every moment with their loved one. But for couples who do not mind an unexpected nap together, an afternoon of Couples Massage can be perfect. If your loved one is the type to feel upset about such things, this is not the best time for you! Avoid a trifle and schedule at another time.

Lastly, that leaves us with late nights. Do we even travel that late? Usually, we stop at 11 PM. That's our latest session. But we can go later, for an extra charge. Late night Couples Massage at home can be the most "cosmic", clients report. Few find that they fall asleep, but rather enter a dreamy, less-solid waking state. Maybe this is the best time to experience cathartic Couples Massage sessions with your loved one? Could be.

In summary, we must conclude that every time during the day offers a different benefit, in terms of when to schedule a Couples Massage session at your home. Get massages when you can. Try different time slots, if possible. See how you and your partner like the effect of different times. You may find that morning Couples Massage sessions energize, just as we stated, and then decide to continue exploring the effect that the time of day has on the outcome, as well as moment-to-moment experience, of a Couples Massage session.

Couples Massage: Sharing Time In a Way You Likely Overlooked

When we think of all the activities couples can do together, it's usually because we're trying to find something new and exciting to do with our significant other. And of course, that's a good thing, because we should never stop exploring life and finding new places to go and things to do. But one often overlooked activity for two is the Couples Massage.

Couples Massage At Home is one of the original flagship services that we offered to clients in New Jersey and New York City, and we still do. Over the course of the last ten years, we've seen many people experiencing Couples Massage for the first time. Evidently, it's a great way to spend time together, as clients often book again.

Activities are usually thought of as things to do, or visiting places where there's good food to eat. Sometimes we engage in activities as couples that are more passive, such as seeing a movie or going to the theatre. Even as an engaged and rapt audience member, compared with white water rafting, or even a drive around the town with your significant other, watching a performance or movie is just not quite an active activity. That doesn’t really matter; what does, is that it's fun, a great way to spend some time cuddled together.

Many might think that Couples Massage might be a boring way to spend time as a couple, but that is just not so. Couples Massage is yet another passive activity that, like viewing a movie together, is both a personal and private experience. However, Couples Massage is an experience that has been regarded by many past clients as one of the closest times they've experienced being with their significant other. Sharing time while being worked on, healing together, can be a transcendental experience of incredible closeness.

Do keep Couples Massage in mind the next time you're trying to figure out what to do as a couple. It's definitely one activity that is more fun than it even sounds, and is worth trying at least once. There is a place in the life of a couple for eating out; there's also a place for a home-cooked feast. When planning our activities, it's great to diversify our time among all different sorts, from active activities, like gardening together, to more passive activities, like Couples Massage at Home.

Check out our website for more information by clicking here.

Massage Therapy for Post Surgical Recovery

Massage therapy has been shown to have some benefits to patients going in for surgery, as well as for those patients recovering from surgeries. Massage has shown promise for use as an adjunctive therapy for the surgical floor of hospitals and outpatient medical centers.

A study published in the Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery demonstrated a benefit to patients who received a hand massage before going in for a cataract surgery procedure. Patients who received the massage had reduced levels of epinephrine and norepinephrine, where the control group had increased levels of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. The study concluded that hand massage before cataract surgery decreased psychological and physiological anxiety levels.

Another study published in Lik Sprava, a Ukrainian publication, in 2002, demonstrated that neck massage on patients who had undergone thyroid surgery had a beneficial effect on their recovery. In 85% of patients, the skin tone of the surgical area improved, the cutaneous and muscle tone of the surgical area was improved, and 48% of patients in the study had reduced edema and swelling of the tissues involved in the surgical procedure. The patients were also able to reduce their doses of hormone medications.

Many people today are having many different types of surgeries. The medical technology is increasing at an ever faster rate, so that many new procedures are being devised every day. From simple cataract surgery to correct vision problems, to major spinal and open heart surgeries, many people are in need of help with their post surgical recovery. Considering the studies above would lead one to believe that massage therapy can help with post surgical recovery for many different types of surgery. This would be a correct assumption, since massage has been shown to have numerous beneficial effects on those who are healthy, as well as on those who are suffering from various conditions or who have had surgery.

If you are interested in learning more about mobile massage therapy, please visit our website by clicking here. If you would like to view our studies pate, with links to many studies on a variety of health conditions that can benefit from massage therapy, please click here.

Please see the studies page, and click on "Massage For Surgery" to view the studies referenced in this article.

Kids Massage At Home For Children Experiencing Health Issues

Many people think that children can’t really benefit from massage. It is believed that kids don’t suffer from stress, or other health issues that can benefit from massage. However, there are many common issues that children can experience which may benefit from massage therapy.

One very common condition that infants and toddlers experience is colic. This is an issue with unknown causes which makes children cry for more than three hours per day and more than three days per week. Massage therapy has been shown to have some beneficial effects of infant colic. See our studies page for more details on massage and colic.

Another condition that children often suffer from that has been shown to benefit from massage therapy is anxiety. A study published in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology in 1999 showed that children suffering from anxiety caused by their condition of cystic fibrosis had improved mood and sleep after massage therapy, as well as less anxiety caused by their condition.

Another study regarding anxiety and depression with regard to children who had depression and adjustment disorder showed that giving the children a 30 minute back massage every day for a five day period had reduced levels of anxiety and depression. The self reported findings were also correlated with nurse reports and salivary cortisol level tests. Nighttime sleep for these patients also increased during the time of the study.

One uncommon complaint of infants and children are migraines and headaches. Some children have constant migraines and headaches, and although it is rare, this is a condition that can be successfully helped without drugs or surgery with massage therapy. A study published in Annual Behavior and Medicine in 2006 showed positive benefits for people suffering from migraines who were given frequent massages. Another study published in the Journal of Headache Pain in 2011 showed that massage therapy, as well as chiropractic spinal manipulation, physiotherapy, and relaxation were as effective as two of the most commonly prescribed drug therapies for migraine. The results of these studies are promising for individuals seeking a non-pharmacologic treatment for migraines, especially with regard to children who may be too young to take the prescription medications.

Craniosacral therapy has also demonstrated effectiveness on migraines sufferers, in many cases causing alleviation of migraine symptoms for one month or more from a single treatment. Since craniosacral therapy helps to gently move the bones of the spine, particularly those of the occiput and sacrum, it is likely that some migraines may be caused by incorrectly aligned spinal bones. The results of these studies are very promising to those suffering from migraines, especially small children.

These studies explored above show that massage therapy can have very beneficial effects on children suffering from certain medical conditions. While this is the case, ordinary children who do not currently suffer from any medical conditions can also benefit from massage therapy, both as a preventative measure and as a way to alleviate stress and tension caused by everyday living, including schoolwork and other obligations.

If you are interested in learning more about pediatric massage therapy, please check out our website by clicking here.