Massage and Anxiety: Managing Anxiety and Dealing Better With Life

Many people today suffer from anxiety in one form or another. Sometimes it is a temporary anxiety, where they are anxious about a certain deadline that will pass, or a stressful situation at work. In rarer cases, they are diagnosed with an anxiety disorder that affects their life in a more extreme way, making it hard to function and deal with others socially.



The type of anxiety that has been most studied is the type that is temporary or recurring, but is not a chronic condition requiring a diagnosis and treatment. With temporary anxiety, such as the kind engendered by a working environment, massage therapy has been shown to help significantly. In many of the studies, not only was self reported anxiety diminished, but also salivary cortisol levels were reduced, where cortisol is the stress hormone.

This is good news for people who work in high stress environments, most especially nurses and other healthcare providers who work long hours with few breaks and for many days at a time. Another small study done by the Touch Research Institute showed that massage therapy enhances alertness and brain power, as demonstrated by improved scores on math computation tests. The same study also showed that people given the massages had less anxiety, both self reported and measured by cortisol levels.

With regard to the second type of anxiety, which is more long term and can be debilitating, several studies were done on psychiatric patients who received massage therapy. These patients suffered from anxiety, depression, hostility, and lack of sleep. The results showed that even these individuals benefited from massage therapy. They had less anxiety and depression, as well as better sleep at night. Their hostility and aggression were also significantly reduced, prompting the researchers to state that “massage… may be a useful de-escalating tool for reducing stress and anxiety in acutely hospitalized psychiatric patients.”

When it comes to dealing with life and the stresses produced by it, it seems that massage therapy has been shown to be very helpful. Stress, anxiety, tension, depression, and aggression have all been studies with regard to massage, and the results are promising. If you would like to learn more about the benefits of massage therapy, please click here. If you are interested in having your own session of massage therapy at your location, please click here.

Mobile Massage For Fibromyalgia Sufferers

Individuals suffering from fibromyalgia have a very difficult time functioning in this world. The excessive amounts of pain that they feel, along with a brain fog from the pain, can make it very difficult to function normally. Intense widespread pain in the body, as well as fatigue and sleeping difficulties, are common for fibromyalgia sufferers.

Although this disorder does not have a known cause, there are many things that can help a person with it. Massage therapy has been shown in studies to improve the amount and quality of sleep that people can have with this disorder. Also, levels of stress hormones were reduced, and anxiety and depression were also reduced among patients.

Fibromyalgia can be a torturous disorder for some, and it is not surprising that it leads to greater levels of anxiety and depression. The inability to function can be very frustrating, as the body is unable to do what the mind want it to do. Instead, people often find that they need to just lay in bed all day. Thus, this is a population that would be prone to depression and anxiety, especially because there is no cure and many of the treatments are only marginally effective.

Based upon the studies of massage with fibromyalgia, it would also appear that the pain causing substance, known as Substance P, can also be reduced in people who receive massage therapy. Since many people with fibromyalgia find ordinary activities draining, including walking and driving, having a mobile massage at their home would probably be best for people in this population.

If you have fibromyalgia or care for someone who does, please click here to find more information about having a session of mobile massage. To find the studies referenced above, please click here.

References:

J Clin Rheumatol. 2002 Apr;8(2):72-6. Fibromyalgia pain and substance P decrease and sleep improves after massage therapy. Field T, Diego M, Cullen C, Hernandez-Reif M, Sunshine W, Douglas S.

J Dermatol Sci. 2000 Feb;22(2):138-44. Firm stroking of human skin leads to vasodilatation possibly due to the release of substance P. Morhenn VB.

J Clin Rheumatol. 1996 Feb;2(1):18-22. Fibromyalgia benefits from massage therapy and transcutaneous electrical stimulation. Sunshine W, Field TM, Quintino O, Fierro K, Kuhn C, Burman I, Schanberg S.

Stressful and Hectic Lives Benefit From Mobile Massage

One of the most common complaints we get from people in today’s modern world is that they are under enormous amounts of stress. This stress contributes to their entire life in a negative way. They are in constant pain, especially in their neck, shoulders, and lower back. They may have chronic headaches and other tension in their bodies. This is one of the main reasons why people seek out mobile massage at their own location.

One might wonder, as many of us do, what causes the body to react in this way. Why does stress build up in the body? For one thing, people today have very high stress jobs and lives. They work long hours, sometimes as many of 9 to 12 hours in a single day. Their workload is very heavy, with deadlines that loom quickly, and so much work to do before they pass that it can be a lot to deal with.

Then, there is the way the body itself reacts to stresses that is the main culprit. Stress in general causes the heart rate to rise, the stomach to tighten, the blood pressure to go up, and adrenaline to be released into the system. Constant stimulation of this “fight or flight” response, which is not really the best response to the stresses that are presented, is one of the biggest contributors to long term health problems. When this autonomic system is constantly stimulated, the parasympathetic system which balances against it eventually burns out and is unable to counteract the above problems.



One of the greatest benefits of massage therapy is the balancing effect that it has on the autonomic and parasympathetic nervous systems. This is why one of most well known effects of massage is stress relief. Through balancing the autonomic nervous system, stress can be relieved.

When a person has more than one massage session, it can create a more balanced and relaxed atmosphere for their life. If you are experiencing stress and its many effects upon your body, mobile massage might well be worth considering. Click here to find out more information.

Mobile and Chair Massage for the Elderly and Infirm

Perhaps you have never considered providing mobile massage for your elderly patients or those you give care to. It is actually a very worthwhile consideration for many reasons.

(Photo from YODCOX! on flickr)

First of all, elderly patients, especially those in assisted living and nursing home facilities, tend to be very lonely. They may go for many days or weeks without being touched in a meaningful way, either by loved ones or by the nursing staff. At most nursing homes or assisted living facilities, nurses provide the care necessary for their elderly patients, but that more often than not does not include touch of any kind.

Touch can include hugging the person, holding them around the shoulders, and other gentle types of touch. Consequently, the loneliness that many of the elderly already feel can be intensified by the fact that they are not ever touched. Mobile therapeutic massage can provide that kind of meaningful and therapeutic touch that we as humans all crave.

(Photo from quinn.anya on flickr)

As an example of the need for touch, there is a now famous study using rhesus monkeys who never received touch from anyone, compared to a control group that was given normal touch and care by their mothers or handlers. The monkeys who were not touched exhibited aggressiveness, anger, rage, and other abnormal social behaviors. This study, as well as others that have been done in recent years, have shown that touch is essential to mental and physical health in humans.

Second, many elderly patients experience pain of varying types and intensities. Many of them have tense shoulders, arms, and hands, which can lead to thoracic outlet syndrome and other conditions. They may have tension and pain in their lower backs, which is one of the most common types of pain that people experience. Mobile massage can help with both of these conditions, as well as many others. Many elderly patients suffer from pain and numbness in their extremities, which when left untreated, can become debilitating.

Third, and perhaps the most important, many elderly patients are homebound. That means they cannot travel to the spa or to a chiropractors office to get a massage. These people, perhaps more than any other population, would benefit a great deal from having mobile massage at their nursing home or assisted living facility.

There are many other benefits from massage therapy aside from pain relief, many of which can be found on our massage benefits page, by clicking here. If you are interested in scheduling a mobile massage session, you may visit our website by clicking here.

Mobile Massage for Frequent Drivers Suffering Negative Effects

In our fast paced society, there are many among us whose careers make them into frequent drivers. Traveling salespersons, delivery drivers, car service drivers, limousine operators, and others can all benefit from sessions of mobile massage therapy.

As persons who frequently drive are all too aware, there are many problems that can be caused by frequent driving. Most often, driving on a regular basis leads to nerve impingement. The nerves most frequently affected are the ulnar nerve or the radial nerve. The difficulty with this type of nerve impingement is that it is very often difficult to pinpoint the source of the pain or to associate it with the activity which is actually causing it.



For example, sufferers of almost all types of arm nerve impingement will suffer from occasional or chronic numbness and tingling in the extremities, most often in the fingers. In this way, this type of impingement can actually quite closely resemble or mimic the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. However, often times this nerve impingement will cause pain in the elbows or the neck, without numbness or tingling, making it appear to be just general neck pain or pain in the elbow.

Consequently, the person suffering will not know what is causing it, or what can help it. Massage therapy is one of the very best treatments for nerve impingement in the arms, since massage relaxes the muscles surrounding the nerve that is affected, and can also in many cases help to calm the nerve itself. Since the nerve is generally being impinged by one or more of the muscles surrounding it, massage to the surrounding tissues is often a very effective way to reduce this condition.



Mobile massage is excellent for people suffering from these types of conditions, whether ulnar nerve impingement, radial nerve impingement, or even carpal tunnel syndrome proper (these conditions can often be confused). Many individuals who are traveling salespersons, delivery drivers, or car service or limousine operators have very little downtime. They simply do not have the time in their lives to visit a spa. Many of them work from morning until night, and when they arrive home they are so exhausted that they simply go to sleep. All of this to begin the same process the next day.

Since mobile massage is performed in the client's own home, this type of service is perfect for individuals with such busy lives as described before. Additionally, the best type of treatment for nerve impingement is regular massage therapy so that the problem can be remedied. Since the pain is an indication of a problem, and the problem will often get worse if it is left untreated, it is best for massage therapy to begin as soon as possible after feelings of pain, numbness, and tingling begin. Pain is also one of the last indicators to appear, whereas the numbness and tingling will appear first to try to alert the individual that something should be done.



If you would like more information about mobile massage therapy, or to book an appointment, you can visit our website by clicking here. Our skilled and experienced massage therapists will travel to you location to provide sessions of relaxing, pain relieving massage therapy. More than just symptom relief, nerve impingement responds very well to long term massage therapy, and much of the pain that you are experiencing can be helped by massage.

Mobile Massage Therapy for Actors, Actresses, and Performing Artists

It is fairly well known that acting and performing is an extremely demanding career. For television and movie actors, 20 hour days on-screen or preparing between takes are the norm and not the exception for many. When it comes to the performing arts, the same actor may appear in a play three or more times in one night, with very little time for relaxation. For new actors, their lives consist mainly of going from audition to audition, with very little time for rest in between.



This is where I see the role of a mobile massage therapist as being very important. When such an actor or performer has only one hour to spare on a certain day, perhaps for a rare lunch break or just down-time, a mobile massage therapist can be called in to provide relaxation and relief from stress, tension, and anxiety.



For others performers and actors, their production company can hire a mobile massage therapist to be present for the duration of the work-day, where people can come in whenever they have a few minutes to spare for a short or longer session of massage therapy. When receiving a deep tissue massage, much of the soreness from constant performing can be worked out by the massage therapist.



Acting is a very demanding and also a very richly fulfilling career for many who have chosen this as their career path. For the most part, actors and performers of various types have said that there is nothing else that they would like to do with their lives. I believe it takes a great deal of courage, and I have a great deal of respect for those who have chosen to pursue this dream.



Perhaps you are a production company who would like to book massages for your overworked actors, or you are a Performing Arts Manager interested in having a day of massage therapy for your crew and performers, or perhaps you are an actor yourself looking for a way to de-stress and unwind in the little spare time you have. You can contact Mountainside On Site Massage Therapy by visiting our website, which can be found by clicking here. Licensed and experienced mobile massage therapists are on call seven days a week to visit you at your location and provide therapeutic deep tissue massage.

Couples Massage: A Wonderful Anniversary Surprise For Your Significant Other

Couples Massage At Home is always a great choice, bringing two people together in a shared experience of healing and relaxation. However, something even more special that we've witnessed are Couples Massage sessions couples shared on their anniversaries. Not everyone enjoys surprises, so unexpectedly finding massage therapists in the living room may be great for some, but not everyone. Consider whether your significant other would rather have an advanced warning that such goings on will occur. The idea is to lessen stress, not increase it!



Knowing your loved one as you do, you should know whether a surprise session of Couples Massage would be appreciated more than preparing and planning an Anniversary Couples Massage together. But if you know your loved one likes surprises, there's a lot that you can do. Some ideas we can share are what we've witnessed, from men and women who cared a lot about letting their spouses know that they really cared.



Candles are good. The more, the better. Be careful, though, as candles can spill and are a fire hazard. If you are placing candles on the floor, be sure there is enough room not to kick any over. A candle rolling over and setting fire to the curtain is not outside the realm of possibility, and while it may make good comic relief in a movie, it's not at all funny in real life.



Stick with the LED candles if you can, or keep real candles in a safe place, where they can't be kicked over or knocked over by the cat or dog. We bring our own LED candles to every Couples Massage session, but by all means, set up your own as well!

Rose petals are great. Roses in vases are a nice touch, adding beautiful atmosphere to any room. But some creative clients have also sprinkled rose petals on the floor of the room where the massages will take place. This really looks cool, especially when you mix different color roses.



Prepare a meal. (Or order takeout!) This always goes over well. A romantic evening beginning with a surprise Couples Massage, followed by a knock on the door for delivery of your loved one's favorite dish, from his favorite restaurant, really shows you care about making him feel loved. If you're more inclined to cook, make her favorite dish. If you imbibe, have a bottle of her favorite wine ready and waiting as well. Have everything pre-prepared so that after the massage you only need to heat everything up in the oven for ten minutes.

Follow it all up by some ice cream shakes or with a homemade cake. Depending on whether you want to leave the house or not, you could drive over to Carvel® or Baskin-Robbins® for freshly whipped up ice cream shakes. Or to the juice bar for some wheatgrass; it all depends on what you both are into. Couples Massage At Home is a great element of an amazingly memorable anniversary. The rest takes some time, effort, and real planning. If you think ahead, and consider your loved one's preferences and likes, you're sure to create an anniversary that is relaxing, fun, and unique.