October 2009 Newsletter Article

Stress and Massage Therapy

Stress. We all have it sometimes. Stress is actually a normal physical response to events in your life that make you feel threatened, upset, or off balance in some way. When you sense danger (real or imagined) your body has a “fight or flight” reaction – the stress response – that causes your defenses to kick into high gear. This usually happens as a rapid response as your body is protecting you. This can help you stay alert, focused and energetic and in emergency situations it can help save your life (ex. Causing you to slam on your brakes to avoid an accident).

The stress response can help you meet challenges as well – sharpening concentration during an athletic event, staying on your toes during a presentation at work, studying for an exam. Beyond a certain point, stress stops being helpful and starts causing major damage to your health, mood, productivity, relationships and quality of life. Not all stress is caused by external factors – much of it is self-generated through major life changes, work, relationship difficulties, financial problems, being too busy and children and family (to name a few).

Unfortunately the body doesn’t distinguish between a physical and a psychological threat. When you are stressed over an argument with a friend, a traffic jam, your credit card bill, a busy schedule, etc. your body reacts just as strongly as if you were facing a life or death situation. If you have a lot of responsibilities and worries, your emergency stress response may be “on” most of the time. The more your body’s stress system is activated, the easier it is to trip and the harder it is to shut off.

Long-term exposure to stress can lead to serious health problems. Chronic stress disrupts nearly every system in your body. It can raise blood pressure, suppress the immune system, increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, contribute to infertility, and speed up the aging process. Long-term stress can even rewire the brain, leaving you more vulnerable to anxiety and depression.

Massage therapy is one of the best antidotes for stress. We know this is true on an intuitive level; if even the untrained hands of a friend or partner can soothe aches and pains and diminish anxiety, imagine the effects of a therapeutic massage given by a trained massage therapist.

Even the rituals of massage come as a welcome break from our hurried lives: dimmed lights, soothing music, the pleasant fragrance of a candle or aromatherapy- even without massage, these might help you relax. Combined with the right massage techniques and you will actually feel the stress leaving your body.

Massage boosts the body’s immune system, which can become compromised from extended periods of stress. Tension can build up in the muscles, causing a decrease in circulation and nutrient delivery to tissues. Manipulation of the soft tissue decreases muscular tension, increases removal of metabolic waste and promotes nutrient delivery to healing tissue. Knots in your muscles can inhibit your ability to perform regular, daily tasks. As other parts of your body try to compensate for the ache of a tight muscle, they also start to become tight and uncomfortable. Before long, an injury that began in your neck can trace to your shoulder, down your arm and into your wrist. The reaction chain can take innumerable forms, but none of them are pleasant.

In short, with a therapeutic massage stress can be significantly reduced. This in turn will increase energy, improve your outlook on life and boost your immune system function. Massage can be the start of a profound change for the better in your health and well-being.