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Working hard...have you missed me?
| Posted on November 15, 2011 at 7:08 PM |
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I will be adding a few things to this webpage which will hopefully make it easier for you all to keep track of me! I will be adding a schedule- week by week (or month by month, depending on which turns out to be easier) so you know what location I will be at, and the times I have available for appointments. I have been hard at work making both spaces (Pewamo and Ann Arbor) I practice in feel inviting and cozy, not just for you, but for me as well! The holiday season is fast approaching- (I will be the first to declare that I cannot believe how fast this year has literally flown by for me!) and we are in "what do I get so-and-so this year?" mode. A massage is a great gift- and a great way to invite someone who might not otherwise get one to experience the benefits that a relaxing or therapuetic massage can provide in their lives! I offer gift certificates for my Ann Arbor space, travel massage sessions, or you can get a gift card through The Next Level in Pewamo as well! :) |
What has got you down?
| Posted on October 16, 2011 at 10:03 PM |
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Do you suffer from anxiety or depression from too much stress that you can't seem to handle on your own? Do you want to avoid the option of taking medicine daily to "control" the symptoms? This may be a great alternative for you! An integrated massage therapy session with me and my ability to see around an issue can help you manage these and many other feelings that can trap and overwhelm you! After a session, you will feel more balanced, more in control of your own perspective, and possibly find energy you probably haven't felt in a while! Many of my clients comment on how coming to a massage therapist is a source of anxiety on it's own. A bad past experience, conflicting feelings on taking care of themselves, and not being sure of what to expect are a few of these reasons. Let me introduce you to my view: My simple approach to massage therapy is that it should not hurt. Especially if you are already in chronic pain, I do not want to make you want to crawl off the table, or worse, be in pain for endless days after a session. Helping people is a passion of mine- I always come at a problem with the utmost care and concern. And you feeling positive results from our session is my priority and goal! |
Realistic Expectations
| Posted on October 6, 2011 at 9:26 PM |
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True healing rarely comes in one form alone and it is a cumulative process to achieve. Many of my clients do not like taking daily pills, so they choose massage therapy, natural doctors, and chiropracters to help them avoid this. But it is Medicine vs. Massage? No- it is just not so simple. If you get a prescription, the doctor tells you to take "x" number of pills and take them until they are gone. This is to achieve that cumulative effect. But other IMPORTANT factors include: diet, sleep, water intake, exercise, and emotional health. These all weigh into how well a prospective "cure" can be effective for someone. If you have a chronic problem that you are addressing with massage therapy- say nagging headaches or severe low back pain for example, a one hour massage session is not going to cure the problem. Just as you wouldn't expect one medical pill to completely eliminate your pain or problem permanently. It is just not a realistic expectation. The best effects are found after cumulative actions are taken. Rest, increased water comsuption, eating balanced meals, excercising regularly and taking responsibility for yourself and your emotions make this change work more quickly in your favor. For a chronic pain condition, a series of 4-6 sessions is a reasonable time table for corrective change to become a more permanent reality. And sometimes, it can take longer. The fact is that your muscles spent weeks or months seizing up before the "pain wall" broke and you started to feel this chronic pain all the time. You probably even noticed pain from time to time for weeks before that. And those muscles were tightening down even before you felt anything. So expect that it can take more than a one time session to "cure" any chronic pain you are experiencing! |
Therapeutic Massage Uses
| Posted on September 20, 2011 at 10:43 AM |
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Therapeutic Massage- sometimes referred to as deep tissue massage (and no, it is NOT just swedish relaxation massage with more pressure) has many different uses. If you suffer from chronic (recurring often or never ending) back, neck, or shoulder pain or chronic headaches- your core muscles are at least a part, if not completely, the cause of it. And YES, you can find relief. The most common phrase I hear (especially with low back pain) from clients is, "I guess I just have to live with it." Quite simply- No, you don't. And they are amazed and bewildered when that pain they have had for weeks, months and sometimes years- disappears during a session! Myofascial Release are techniques used to release fascia held tension (fascia- the connective tissue found throughout your body that holds your skin, cells, muscles and bones together) Tension held in this tissue can cause pain anywhere throughout your body. When released, pain, tightness and inflammation can go away! NeuroMuscular Therapy are techniques that release tension in a very specific muscle, and usually a group of them, that are holding a pain inducing pattern. Trigger points, muscles tension and immense pain are often associated with these patterns, and sometimes you won't find relief even if you stand, move, or sit. Tylenol and ibuprofen are usually used at this point to dull the sensation, but often that is not enough to irradicate the issue. It is more like a bandaid to mask the symptom of pain and inflammation. But there is help! :) These modalities are also helpful for posture related pain. By releasing the two opposing muscles and allowing them to balance (if you think of a pully system- there are always two muscles that work against each other) and stretching and strengthening them, postures such as rounded shoulders, hunched backs, lumbar curves (low back arch), and forward head posture can be aligned more optimally, which will minimize and alleviate the chronic pain associated with them. |
Why Get Massage?
| Posted on September 13, 2011 at 9:01 PM |
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When most people think of getting a massage, it is usually to relax. While this is definitely a suitable expectation, massage therapy can offer the body so many more benefits than that! Along with a feeling of relaxation, massage also: *activates the Parasympathetic nervous system (the opposite of the "flight or fight" sympathetic nervous system) *increases blood circulation *promotes metabolic waste elimination *improves the flow of nutrients & oxygen to cells *decreases inflammation *relieves soreness, tension and stiffness in muscles *reduces and frees up scar tissue adhesions that restrict motion *lowers blood pressure Of course, this is just a small list of the physical benefits of massage. There are also emotional and psychological benefits as well. When you commit to give yourself the gift of massage regularly, you are taking a step toward creating wellness in your everyday life. Frequent headaches can be alleviated with massage therapy. Chronic pain disappears, range of motion increases, and you are able to do activities that you may have stopped doing because of pain or discomfort. I have personally walked several of my clients through this journey. Many of them were ready to give up hope and just accept this pain as a way of life. They came to me as a last resort. I am sure they are glad they did! Today, none of them suffer from the pains that they came to me with. They have all resumed the daily activities that their pain had previously stopped them from doing. And I am so glad they allowed me to make such a positive impact! :) |