Massage & Back Pain

 

Massage therapy as an effective treatment 

for back pain

Whether you’ve strained a back muscle in the garden, by playing golf, or by playing with our children, or if your back pain stems from a long term injury, you’re not alone. Figures indicate that the overwhelming majority of people will endure back pain at one point or another.

Most low back pain doesn’t last long, and lasts a few days to a few weeks. While it can be very disruptive to your normal day to day activities, It tends to heal by itself without any long term damage.  Most cases of this type of low back pain are mechanical in nature, meaning that the components of the back (the spine, muscle, discs, and nerves) aren’t working together properly because one or more are injured or traumatized.

What Causes Back Pain?

Back pain is debilitating because each movement of your body requires the spine to function smoothly. When back pain exists, the problem is complicated and multiplied by compensating in ways that avoid the pain. It’s common for sufferers of back pain to have secondary problems related to the movements they’re making due to back pain.

But what’s the cause of most back pain? Unfortunately, given the required cooperation and involvement of the muscular, nervous and skeletal systems, there are many possibilities.

Here are some of the most common:

• Poor posture accounts for, or contributes to, back pain in a staggering number of people.  Whether it’s due to wearing high heels, or a less than ideal position in front of a computer screen, on the phone or driving, the result is stress on the back as it attempts to compensate for the unusual loads placed on it.
• Sprains and strains account for most acute back pain. Sprains are caused by overstretching or tearing ligaments, and strains are tears in tendon or muscle. Both can occur from twisting or lifting something improperly, lifting something too heavy, or overstretching. Such movements may also trigger spasms in back muscles, which can also be painful.
• Intervertebral disc degeneration is one of the most common mechanical causes of low back pain, and it occurs when the usually rubbery discs lose integrity as a normal process of aging. In a healthy back, intervertebral discs provide height and allow bending, flexion, and torsion of the lower back. As the discs deteriorate, they lose their ability to cushion movements and shocks.
• Herniated or ruptured discs can occur when the intervertebral discs become compressed and bulge outward (herniation) or rupture, causing low back pain.
• Radiculopathy is a condition caused by compression, inflammation and/or injury to a spinal nerve root. Pressure on the nerve root results in pain, numbness, or a tingling sensation that travels or radiates to other areas of the body that are served by that nerve. Radiculopathy may occur when spinal stenosis or a herniated or ruptured disc compresses the nerve root.
• Sciatica is a form of radiculopathy caused by compression of the sciatic nerve, the large nerve that travels through the buttocks and extends down the back of the leg. This compression causes shock-like or burning low back pain combined with pain through the buttocks and down one leg, occasionally reaching the foot.
• A traumatic injury, such as from playing sports, car accidents, or a fall can injure tendons, ligaments or muscle resulting in low back pain. Traumatic injury may also cause the spine to become overly compressed, which in turn can cause an intervertebral disc to rupture or herniate, exerting pressure on any of the nerves rooted to the spinal cord. When spinal nerves become compressed and irritated, back pain and sciatica may result.
• Skeletal irregularities include scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that does not usually cause pain until middle age; lordosis, an abnormally accentuated arch in the lower back; and other congenital anomalies of the spine.

 

Not to be trivialized, poor posture, such as that while sitting, can lead directly to a number of painful issues, including back pain. If you spend a significant amount of time slouching over a keyboard, the shoulders roll forward and move up, and the back tightens to support the bent over posture. Perform a little self diagnoses as you’re reading this. If you’re like most, you’re not sitting in an optimal position.

In addition to poor posture, a lack of exercise, arthritis, osteoporosis, a sedentary lifestyle, overuse, pregnancy, kidney stones, fibromyalgia, excess weight, and more can also cause back pain.

Massage Therapy Offers Relief for Back Pain

Those who live with back pain know that many times there are no easy answers for making the pain go away. Alternative therapies such as physical therapy have proven effective for some sufferers, as have chiropractic and acupuncture, but massage therapy is also making a name for itself when it comes to providing relief. In fact, research has shown that massage can be a great friend to the back-pain sufferer.

How effective massage therapy for back pain is depends on the primary cause of the pain. If it is primarily muscular in nature, then massage can have a great positive impact on muscle tightness and muscle spasms. If it’s caused by a joint alignment issue or one of the skelatal issues listed above, then the role of massage might be somewhat different, such as helping to address the biomechanical imbalances that make things worse, but massage won’t be able to get pressure off the nerve directly.

 

Hello Saturday - Let's Chat.

 

Hello Saturday 

Let's catch up 

Good Morning☕ -It has been a long time since I did an update. My apologizes. Things are going very well at the new location. Since we've been having weather in the 90's I can say - I LOVE THE AIR CONDITIONING!!😜 of my new location. for those of you new to this blog and me, the old location had no air conditioning and was very hot. 

 Be sure to check out the membership plans that are available on the online booking site. Make massage part of your routine self-care. This monthly membership plan makes it easy to keep up with feeling great. Save $10 per session when you enroll in the Maintenance Plan. Your monthly auto payment includes one 60 minute Custom Therapeutic Massage per month. An unused credit rolls over one month only. Membership commitment is month to month and can be paused or canceled at anytime. CANNOT be shared with friends/family, nor paid for in cash, or used for any other service.

 The online appointment system is now open for booking to the end of December. YAY!! Crazy to think we will quickly be moving into those holiday months. If you are one of those people the like a 5pm - 8pm time session I would recommend jumping on and getting your spots. Those fill fast. 

Health update: Back in February 2021, Rheumatoid arthritis hit my life like a wrecking ball. I went from a fit, healthy woman who worked full-time & hiked on the weekends for fun, to someone who limped crossing her living room and didn’t have the strength in her hands and wrists to wash dishes. I was introduced to a level of pain so unlike any I had experienced before that I think it deserves its own word. I woke up in the morning feeling 90 years old, and that was the good part of my day. Painkillers barely took the edge off. I was terrified and didn’t know how I could survive it. Crazy as this sounds I opted to take no medication for it as long as I can.

For the last 4 months, I have been working with a program to put it in remission and a functional doctor.  My life has been changed. I've lost over 30 lbs to date. I feel very small but I'm healthier then I've probably been my whole life. I am now following a AIP Lifestyle (Autoimmune Protocol) and Paddison Program along with exercising everyday.

Over the last 4 months, I regained use of my wrists, fingers and knees. YAY! I hit a road block last month with plantar fasciitis in both feet and a fractured toe on the right foot due to how horrible I've been walking due to the RA.  This month I think I'm back on track. The toe is mending and the plantar fasciitis has moved out. Thank goodness. 😰Now I am focused on getting the RA out of my Left Ankle. Overall, I'm doing very well -I think. This disease will not define my life. 

So that's where we are. I wish you the very best this Saturday.

The Power of Affirmations

Affirmations can help us in pretty much any and all areas of our life. These are positive statements that we can focus on and help shift our mindset to the positive along with holding the intention of our goal we want to carry out. When working with affirmations it is important to remember the affirmation do's and don'ts. Here they are for you below.

Affirmation Do: You want to make sure you keep your affirmation in the present tense! One's beginning with "I am", "I can", "I desire now" are good ones to start with.

 

Affirmation Don't: You do not want this to be in the past or future tense. Examples of this are such as, "I will someday" and "In the future I would like".

 

Affirmation Do: You want to keep them positive in their phrasing. Some forget this when they are writing their affirmations, as they already have a negative mindset. Examples, "I am now healthy.", "I am now successful", "I am now in a loving relationship."

 

Affirmation Don't: You want to avoid phrasing them in negative terms, even if you are thinking of a positive outcome. Examples, "I am not fat.", "I am debt free." or "I am letting go of negative people."

 

Affirmation Do: You want to be clear and to the point. Affirmations are about short positive statements that stick, so don't draw out the phrasing. Here is an wonderful example, "I am now healthy and strong."

 

Affirmation Don't: Dragging the statements out can lead to forgetfulness, confusion and frustration. Here are one's phrased this like you want to avoid, "I am physically healthy, with strong leg muscles, toned arm muscles and all of my clothes fit well." Way to long!

 

One of the biggest key points you want to remember is to have one that resonates with you. You can work with others you find online, one's you read in a book, or create one of your own. It is all about what resonates for you! If it does not resonate with you simply re-word it so it does, just remember to keep it positive, pretense tense and to the point. Now all you have to do is work with them every day, focus on your intention and allow the shifting to begin!

Massage Can Improve Posture

 Massage Can Improve Posture

 

Most people spend a lot of time sitting.  Whether it’s in a car, in a conference room, or at a desk, all those hours add up to a significant part of the day.  If you spend those hours sitting in a less than ideal posture, some degree of neck and back pain is almost guaranteed. Proper posture is not effortless however.  Muscles, ligaments and joints all must work together to properly support your body.

When you sit with hunched shoulders or lean forward too much, your body isn’t properly aligned. This forces some muscles to work hard all day long to support uneven loads while others that aren’t being used (but should be) get weaker.  Over time these imbalances become worse and worse, eventually leading to more serious skeletal issues.

Maintaining good posture requires adequate muscle flexibility and strength, and normal joint motion in the spine and other body regions. Symmetrical postural muscles that are balanced on both sides of the spine are a key requirement for a long term pain free back.

Massage improves posture

Massage helps by bringing unbalanced muscles back to a healthy state, allowing all muscles to work together in a balanced way to support your body, head and neck.  The good news is that through massage, correcting the effects of poor posture can be a relaxing experience.  Massage brings muscles back into balance by increasing circulation and reducing pressure on sensitive nerves.  Relaxed, pain free muscles allow your body to position themselves in a more natural and correct posture.

Consistent massage allows you to reap the greatest rewards from massage. Regular sessions keep  muscles loose and relaxed, giving joints greater freedom to move.  This balanced and relaxed state allows your body to position itself in a healthy and natural posture and avoid the movements and positions adopted over time as a response to the pain.

The benefits of massage are many, and postural improvements are only part of the holistic health benefits massage can offer.

 

Sacral Chakra and Related Health Issues

 Sacral Chakra and Related Health issues

Our sacral chakra is our second chakra, just above our root chakra. The root chakra is responsible for stability, physical nourishment, being comfortable in the body, and feeling secure in the physical world. The sacral chakra is much less about our physical bodies and being stable, and more about transition, movement, feeling, and change. It is through the sacral chakra that we experience a connection to our emotions and feelings, which allows us to experience joy and fulfillment in our day to day activities, foster relationships with others (along with the heart chakra), and expression of ourselves through art, creativity, and sexuality. 

The sacral chakra is governed by desire, your appetite to explore, experience, and engage in your own life. It fuels your fire to pursue pleasurable activities, and a healthy sacral chakra allows you to enjoy and be present in each moment. With a healthy sacral chakra, you are able to both enforce and respect healthy boundaries with other people and yourself. This means that you recognize the nature of your relationships with others and can identify how much is appropriate to share and can open up emotionally to those that are close to you.

When the sacral chakra is out of balance, we often see issues in the:

• Reproductive organs, such as menstrual issues, PMS, endometriosis, fibroids
• A decrease in the ability to form stable, healthy connections with others
• The ability to feel, understand and interpret our feelings and emotions
• Sexual dysfunction or issues within one’s own expression of sexuality (excessive or deficiency)
• Guilt and shame surrounding pleasurable activities (Thoughts of “I should…”) 
• Issues “letting people in” or being an “over-sharer” with lack of boundaries 
• Lack of joy or zest for life

Excessive Sacral Chakra

An excessive sacral chakra may lead to neediness and cause a person to overshare with others. A lack of firm boundaries characterizes an excessive sacral chakra. A person with an excessive sacral chakra may continually crave attention from others and need frequent validation. They may not have a solid sense of self, and their personality may seem to take on what they think others around them, such as their boyfriend or girlfriend, wants. Sexuality may be over-expressed and used as a means to connect deeply with others and move relationships forward quicker than what is appropriate. 

 

Deficient Sacral Chakra

With a deficient, or closed off sacral chakra, a person may struggle to feel joy, passion, and intimacy. S/he may struggle to understand her/his own emotions as well as express them to others. In this case, boundaries are too rigid, and connection with others is a challenge. People with a deficient chakra often feel that life is monotonous, do not enjoy sexual intimacy, and lack the feeling of flow and freedom. A deficient sacral chakra leads to feelings of apathy and feeling stuck.

 

 

 

The Cause of Sacral Chakra Imbalances

The sacral chakra can become imbalanced in a number of ways. Developing a balanced sacral chakra and maintaining a harmonious sacral chakra can be challenging in today’s society. The sacral chakra first develops in response to the modeling we have as children regarding boundaries, emotions, and sexuality. As you may guess, it is common for parents to encourage their children to suppress their emotions by saying things like “You’re fine, stop” when a child becomes sad or angry. Sexuality and sexual expression are also taboo in many cultures, and exploring sexuality in a healthy way is almost impossible to navigate without some judgment. You are either a prude or too loose – is there ever any in-between? 

Taking time to enjoy yourself and do things that are not necessarily productive but simply bring you joy is often met with guilt. Ah, capitalism, is productivity and working for the man all we are here to do?

Showing emotion can be seen as a sign of weakness if you are male, or if you are female, too much emotion or passion is seen as hysteria.

As you can see, the sacral chakra, for most people, could use some healing.  

Healing the Sacral Chakra

Healing the sacral chakra is relevant to many, if not all, people. This is because from the moment we are born into adolescence and into adulthood, our society has put in place “rules” that demonize pleasure and reward “hard work” and suppressing our emotions.

Our society has taught us to deplete, ignore, and suppress many vital aspects of our sacral chakra. 

As children, we are afforded more opportunities to play, have fun, and express ourselves. However, when a child cries, becomes angry, or becomes too excitable, it is not uncommon for parents to tell a child to “stop”, or say “you are fine, stop crying” or “calm down” etc. Instead of feeling his or her feelings of anger, sadness, or glee, are validated, a child is taught that emotional expression is not ok. This is especially true for male children. Being sad or crying breaks the unwritten rule that “boys don’t cry.”

As this child grows up, he or she will be less likely to understand his or her emotions and what they are truly feeling and why. As a result, this causes emotional suppression. To encourage the healthy development of the sacral chakra, parents should instead help their child understand what feelings they are experiencing, validate them, and help them understand why.

Taking the time to relax and take care of yourself, saying “no” to extra tasks and projects, answering emails only during business hours is essential for creating appropriate work-life boundaries and taking care of your own mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual needs. Unfortunately, in our society, these practices are not rewarded and are often frowned upon or judged as “lazy” or “selfish.”

Understanding what your needs truly are (and respecting them) is essential for a healthy sacral chakra. The first step is recognizing the signs and signals that your mind or body sends to you when they are in need of rest, downtime, laughter, relaxation etc. Once you have begun to pick up on these signs and signals, the next step in creating boundaries to enforce these needs. This can take work, and it does not always come easy. 

Things to ponder on - 

Nancy McShane

 

Hello Saturday ☕

It's been a while since I've done an update so let's get to it. 

The move to a new location went really well and really fast. It's taken me time to adjust to so much space and the peace and quiet. The counseling center is owned by a husband and wife. They work on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. On those days they are in their offices in sessions so rarely do we see each other. I have truly enjoyed the space. I feel right at home. Feel free to make your way to the massage rooms once coming in the door. No need to wait out in the waiting area. There are signs on the doors now that say 'In Session.' So feel free to go sit in the other available room in the big comfortable chair. 

Some personal news: You may have noticed that I have lost a lot of weight and I will continue to be losing more in the next few months. I wish I could say I finally found the diet for all of us that works but that is not the case. For months now, I have been battling my own illness. I have been recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. I don't wish this disease on anyone. December through February were my worse months. I've never experience pain like this. At this time I have no pain. So no worries.

Most of you have been my clients for many years and know that I talk a lot about eating right, water and exercise. My personal beliefs are that food is our medicine if we can figure out the code. So I made a very hard personal decision to NOT take any medication for this. I told myself that if you're going to talk the talk then this is my chance to walk the walk. I also based this decision on the facts that the medication they are prescribing for this disease DOES NOT address what is causing the disease. RA is categorized as an autoimmune disease but it's core cause is from our gut issues. Which I had not clue I had. 😖

It was just by chance that I came across a RA Support group that are using science based research to manage their RA. This program moves you into a lifestyle change and a plant based diet. That's right. My world has flipped upside down and my husband, who loves smoking meats, is besides himself. My diet for the last month has been Buckwheat, celery, cucumbers and lots and lots various lettuce families. No gluten, no sugars, no oils of any kind and no animal based products. Nothing. Everything I eat is steamed and plain. This is a baseline process. Next month I will be able to add one thing at a time to see if it causes issues. 

In the meantime, I'm in good hands. I have the support of my family. We've connected with a Functional Medicine Doctor here in the state that will work with me to help manage my weight, pain and process. This process may take months or years. We don't know. But I am hoping like many others that have taken this path before me that I will put this disease into remission. 

LIFE - it sure keeps us on our toes. 😂 I will keep you posted on my progress. Add me to your prayers and let's kick this in the butt. 

Have a great Saturday. ☕

Preparing for Your first Healing Session

 

Spiritual Healing is often considered to be a hands off therapy as it involves little if any direct contact between you and the therapist. It works with the body’s energies and seeks to balance and remove blockages to those energies. With this technique, I support the body’s ability to heal itself and to better cope with living in the modern world.

I will make no promises related to curing illnesses, and this form of therapy should not be used to replace anything suggested by your doctor. However, used in conjunction with modern medicine it can support body and mind and improve the effectiveness of the medication.

Preparing for your first session

Your first session needs to be approached with an open mind. Treatment affects different people in different ways, and the fewer expectations and misconceptions you have built up the better.

Sessions take place fully clothed, so loose-fitting, comfortable clothing is most appropriate. I prefer that you wear no jewelry, as it can become uncomfortable and interfere with the flow of energy.  The same is true of belts, perfumes, and colognes, all of which can mask things that are going on in the body and make channeling energy more difficult. You should wear shoes that are easy to remove, and tie back long hair so that I can access your neck.

Your first session

When you arrive, you are shown to a private treatment room. Treatment usually takes place on a padded bed or table, but can take place in a treatment chair if you are more comfortable sitting at an angle. The treatment room is designed to help you relax, I have low lighting, soft music, to help you feel relaxed and comfortable.

After talking to you about any concerns you may have and answering any questions, I begin the treatment by performing a body scan, this involves placing my hands over your body and feeling your energy field to find out where there are problems in the flow of energy around your body. 

Once the scan is completed,I will either places hands above, or lightly touches specific areas of the body called chakras. These are points on the body where energy flows through. By channeling energy through chakras, I can help it flow to the areas of the body where it is most needed.

During the session, you should feel relaxed and may even begin to notice subtle differences straight away. Some people feel lighter, as if their stresses are lifting during the session. However, it is not unusual to not feel anything for a few days after the session. The changes in the flow of energy around the body are different for everyone as is how they are perceived. Some individuals experience tingling sensations during sessions and even see bright colors or specific images. These can be discussed me at the end of the session. However, if they are of concern, you should speak up straight away.

Follow-up sessions

There is no specific number of sessions that you should attend. Spiritual Healing looks to cleanse and balance the body’s energy to support self-healing. This healing is not just physical, but also mental, emotional, and spiritual. Much depends on your lifestyle and individual needs. As Spiritual Healing is a safe and non-invasive treatment, you can have sessions as little or as often as your body and mind require. The more you listen to your body, the clearer its needs become and the easier it is to answer those needs, either through treatment or lifestyle changes.

 

 

3 Reasons You Need A Massage

 

Why You need a massage:

1. You have one speed: GO.

   Let’s face it. You will never hear your boss ask you to do your job slower. You will never catch a cab being the slowest person on the curb. You never think “I hope the copier breaks today so I can be extra late to my meeting.” When you get a massage, everything changes. You are literally and figuratively being forced to slow your rapid pace of life and finally cut yourself some slack.

2. You can feel your body rebelling against you.

   That constant pressure between your eyes; the ever-growing stiffness in your joints. Every morning, it seems to take you just a little longer to claw your way out of bed (I prefer the rolling method). Let a professional massage therapist evaluate your current state and work some magic with their hands like they are trained to do. You will get up from that table feeling 30 pounds lighter and at peace with the universe.

3. You feel like you’re losing it.

   Or maybe you don’t even remember what it feels like to have “it.” Business meetings, PTA meetings, soccer games, hockey practice, and doctors’ appointments are all jammed into your calendar in color-coordinated efficiency. Your planner may look like the Type-A dream, but it is taking a toll on your mental well-being. Do you feel like you blink and a week went by? Lose your keys more than once a day when you usually know where everything is at all times? Time to get a massage, let all of it go for that little patch of time when you can let your mind escape to a place of relaxation and bliss.

 

5 Ways to Rejuvenate Yourself

 

5 Ways to Rejuvenate Yourself

1. Meditate

   You don’t have to be in Bali in a kaftan chanting “Om” in order to meditate. All you need is a quiet place to sit down. Try sitting in a comfortable position and envisioning the things that make you happiest in life—your friends, family, pets, job. You can also take ten minutes to envision the life you want—what is your ideal attitude? Imagine yourself as that person.

2. Be Mindfully Grateful

   Gratefulness sometimes eludes us in our busy, hectic lives. You’re rushing from client to client, dodging traffic jams and calls from your mother-in-law. But if you take just a few moments in the day to think about what you’re grateful for, your mood will improve and your mind will literally “think different”. If you want to take it to the next step, you can be grateful aloud. Tell those around you that what they do makes you grateful for them (hint: be specific). Believe us; it will start a beautiful cycle.

3. Stretch

   This should be a no-brainer for those of us who work on the body for a living. And it’s no secret that the places of soreness can speak to us about lifestyle habits. Take some time in the morning and before bed to get back in touch with your body. Stretch it just a bit and prepare it for the day and for rest. Bonus: if you have trouble sleeping, introducing a stretching routine before bedtime can help.

4. Make a To-Do List

   To-do lists can be a stress-inducing thing—thinking about all that needs to get accomplished in a small frame of time. However, jotting down a realistic list of all you need to accomplish in the morning can allow you to get organized early and stay on top of your tasks throughout the day. Plus, it empties your mind and your feelings of forgetfulness so you can focus on your clients.

5. Drink Lots of Water

   What does water have to do with rejuvenation? Just about everything. If you find yourself going for another tea or coffee mid-morning, try chugging more water instead. It’s our energy source and lifeline. It will ease your stiffness or soreness, lubricate your joints and generally make you feel cleaner and happier.

Being mindful to do each of these things every day can make a huge difference in your life and your business. Having a clear mind and happy attitude will not only resonate with clients, but it will give you the energy you need to push forward and improve your practice.

Have other ways to rejuvenate your mind and body every day

 

Massage & Carpal Tunnel

 

Brought on by a pinched nerve in the dominant wrist, carpal tunnel syndrome is a hand and arm condition that causes several symptoms such as tingling and numbness. Individuals who are more susceptible to carpal tunnel include women, adults, diabetes sufferers, and those who perform assembly line work. Here’s how massage therapy can help:

Reduce Pain

Carpal tunnel syndrome is painful, persistent and sharp, but a massage therapist can help you reduce the pain you feel in your hands and wrists. By reducing the tension, getting blood flowing properly and gently working on the most sensitive parts of your hands, your sharp pain should start to dissipate within two or three sessions. Massage therapists use a variety of techniques to alleviate carpal tunnel pain. Typically, this process begins with gentle hand massages, which some sufferers find unbearable at first. It can take several sessions with a trained therapist before you start to feel comfortable having someone massage the most painful part of your body. While carpal tunnel affects your hands and wrists, it’s very common to have alignment problems and soreness in the shoulders, neck, and back. A massage therapist will typically treat these parts of your body as well. If your hands and wrists are too painful at first, your massage therapist will skip to the other parts of your body and attempt to work on your hands in the next session.

Improve Posture

As with many types of chronic pain, carpal tunnel syndrome is felt in one place of the body, but it’s partly caused by something in another. Poor posture will directly affect your symptoms. If you sit at a work desk with your shoulders, back and arms improperly aligned, your wrists will not be aligned either. By working to improve your posture, your massage therapist will help train your body to sit upright, allowing your wrists to stay at the correct angle when working with a mouse and keyboard.

Train Your Body

When you visit a massage therapist to treat an ailment like carpal tunnel, he or she will draft up a plan for not only what will be covered in your weekly massage sessions, but also, what you should be doing between sessions. Exercise is a key element to retraining your body. Your massage therapist may recommend a holistic approach to reduce the pain, which may include different types of massage, exercises, and yoga. These exercises will also encourage your body to maintain a healthy posture. Your massage therapist will also look at the behavior that led to carpal tunnel syndrome. Computer keyboards are one of the common causes of carpal tunnel injuries, but they are not the only problem. Musicians often find that they are holding their instruments incorrectly, and have to relearn to play a slightly different way. Cashiers at retail stores perform the same hand movements for each customer, hundreds of times a day. Gardeners who spend all day doting over their plants often find that they are using their tools incorrectly. Workers on assembly lines are especially vulnerable to carpal tunnel syndrome, as they perform the same tasks every day for months at a time. It could also be a combination of behaviors. Your massage therapist will help you look at all the activities that might be causing carpal tunnel pain, and will recommend ways to change them.

Expands your blood vessels

Massage therapists often use a technique called hot stone massage to treat carpal tunnel. In a hot stone massage, smooth, heated stones are placed on the affected parts of the body and used along with traditional massage. The hot stones help to expand blood vessels under your skin, which helps increase blood flow. When used on the hands and wrists of a carpal tunnel syndrome sufferer, hot stone massage can dramatically reduce the pain and keep carpal tunnel symptoms from returning.

Eliminates/reduces medication amounts

A traditional doctor will typically prescribe painkillers, such as high-dose Ibuprofen as well as muscle relaxers like Flexeril. These drugs will temporarily reduce inflammation and pain, but do not address the core problems causing carpal tunnel syndrome. Additionally, it is not safe to drive a car, ride a bike, carry a child, or do many other activities while taking muscle relaxers. Both types of drugs can cause additional symptoms such as constipation, heart problems, nausea, and more. By using massage therapy to address the cause of your carpal tunnel syndrome problem, you may remove the need to take potentially harmful medications on a daily basis. Any change in medication should always be done under the close supervision of your primary caregiver.

 

Zen Practices

 

 

 

Zen Practices:

1.  Develop rituals

Creating a habit through rituals – it can be a wonderful way to achieve mindfulness. If you don’t already have a morning or evening ritual to prepare your body for alert time or sleep time, start by creating one now. If you like to drink tea or coffee in the morning, get up a bit earlier and sip your beverage while on your porch or on a yoga mat. Think about yourself conquering the day and getting things done in a positive energy state. At night, unwind with a book or a bath and use soothing essential oils to signal to your body that it’s time to relax. Healthy rituals create consciousness and awareness from within.

2. Create space between things

There is nothing more distracting than clutter. Take your home or office room-by-room and create more space to move around. This will force you to streamline, or recycle things you no longer need, opening up space for creativity and focus. Visualize the entryway into your home right now. Walking into a cluttered entrance causes stress signals in your brain. By creating more space to flow into your home (or office), you will feel more centered.

3. Smile often

This one seems simple, but many of us spend our days pursing our lips tightly. If you’re feeling stressed or worried or simply run down, try smiling for 20 seconds. You may feel silly at first, driving alone in your car and grinning like a clown, but it will work. You will start to feel better, lighter. This simple meditation-like technique can quickly turn your mood around.

4. Meditate on the mundane

At times we all feel buried by mundane tasks like organize emails and cleaning. Instead of dreading these projects, try implementing meditation techniques into the tasks. Breathing deeply while doing the dishes (or even right now), for example, and spending an extra minute rubbing your hands under the warm water can make you feel more centered and peaceful. While folding the laundry, take time between shirts to stretch your hamstrings or do simple standing yoga poses.

5. Stop multitasking

For many of us, multitasking can mean that tasks do not get done to their full potential. Consciously try to do one thing at a time and avoid the urge to be distracted by your phone, email, or the countless other things vying for your attention. Focusing with intent will allow you to get more done and make you feel more accomplished and grounded at the completion of the task.

There are many ways to find moments of peace and to center yourself throughout the day.  We encourage you to be creative in finding your own ways to create moments of peace and calm within the daily storm of activities, obligations and distractions each of us lives through.

If all else fails, just remember to breath deeply, hold your breathe in for a few seconds, and let it out slowly.  Feels better already, doesn’t it?

Know anyone who can benefits from these tips? Spread the good vibes by sharing this article.

Business Relocating February 1st

 

McShane Massage is Relocating 

This weekend truly starts the process of relocating. I will be moving out of Insparation Salon January 30-31 and into Optimistic Living Counseling Center of Albertville. 

This is an opportunity to truly take everything I've learned over 20 years and multiple different locations, and create something wonderful. I think all of the other places were ok. BUT they were created by other people. While having my own wellness center back in 2007, Orion, gave me this opportunity, I was so overwhelmed with attempting to fill the place with alternative health care workers and supporting their needs that my own came last with a great price that took far to long to recover from.  

I am truly starting with a clean slate. I am painting walls this weekend. I have spent the last week or so purchasing furniture and office items. So much fun😁 and so much to pick from! 

I'll share here that I took a huge leap of faith. I was guided to not rent one but two rooms. So I rented two rooms right next to each other. There will be a Massage Room and a Healing Room. Each will vary a bit because the work in these rooms are different. You will find this information on your appointment reminder directing you to which room you are in for your session. You will be able to go directly to your room without having to wait in the lounge area. In each room, there will be water and snacks for you. Perhaps my favorite part is that we will finally be able to sit comfortably and talk and share before and after a session. YAY!

 My focus have been privacy, quiet, and comfort. ✔

I'm excited and scared all at the same time. 

Wishing you the very best. ☕

Nancy McShane

McShane Massage

Last Day at InspaRation Salon

 

The Last Day at InspaRation Salon

Well here we are Friday January 29th. My last day of work and move out date.  It's been a crazy busy and emotional week. I have been at this salon for just shy of 7 years and I have loved every day of it and it's team.

Earlier this week the owner announced that my space had been filled. I was shocked and saddened at the same time. I was flooded with self doubt. Maybe I just didn't make a good enough of an effort to deal with the one HUGE problem about the whole room. 

The Massage Room Window

The window is a furnace about 2pm every day. The lack of ventilation is the other problem. The noise coming from the pizza place, facial room and parking lot all added to the relaxing atmosphere of this room. As my mind dealt with all of these self doubts, mother nature provided the validation that I will be ok. See while it was only around 15 degrees outside, It was also sunny! So as soon as the sun came around the building and was directly on the window, the room was a nice 90 degrees. It was too hot to work in this week. Luckily I had clients in the early morning and late evening. That self doubt eventually went away after several days of extreme heat.
 
You maybe be thinking to yourself BUT Nancy I always hear this sound like air moving in a vent when I'm on the table. That's white noise from the speaker above your head not air. I've had clients think they are cold because of this white noise. It's interesting how our brains work. 

I finished up work today and packed my room. We are off and moving to our next adventure and some much deserved ventilation. LOL!! I wish the next massage therapist of that great room all the best. 

Happy Friday 

Nancy

Massage and Immunity

Massage and Immunity - How does it work?

No one can deny the restorative healing power of massage. Reducing pain, depression, anxiety and stress, along with boosting our immunity. All of which have an effect on our mental and physical well-being. Pain effects our lives and our quality of life.  Massage is known to help reduce pain by increasing blood flow, easing inflammation and reducing muscle tightness.

It’s a well-known fact that individuals who have a high level of stress are more prone to injury and illness. Reduction of stress, is another benefit of massage. Stress is known to elevate your heart rate, cause elevation of the stress hormone cortisol, which inhibits weight gain, elevate blood pressure, cause headaches, digestive problems, sleep problems, heart disease, memory and concentration issues just to name a few. These all effect our immune system and make us physically ill. You may not be able to remove all the stress in your life, but you can take stress reducing measures which are healthy choices.

Research has shown that receiving regular massage therapy helps boost our immune system and flush toxins, increasing blood flow throughout the body. Massage increases the activity of white blood cells that help our body fight diseases and may help with reduction of cortisol.

Remember to receive massage when feeling healthy, as a regular routine. Massage in combination with other complimentary and conventional treatments can help you look and feel your best. When your look and feel your best you are at the top of your game and you become more productive at home, work, sports and in your everyday life.

Massage therapy is an excellent choice as a complementary therapy to conventional health care. Be open and honest with your massage therapist, if you are under the care of a physician for a specific aliment, check with them about massage. It may be an option for you. It’s not meant to take place of nor postpone seeing your health care provider for any medical or mental issues. If you have a health condition and are unsure if massage would be right for you, please discuss any concerns with your health care provider. 

Here are a few tips for reducing stress and boosting your immune system.

• Get a regular massage which will help lower your stress level and increase your immune system.
• Accept that there are events that you cannot control.
• Try to keep a positive attitude or at least work on it.
• Try to halt stress in its tracks, yes it’s hard when you can’t control it
• Manage your time. Give yourself time to get things done; don’t overwhelm yourself, you know your limits.
• Do things you enjoy, like cooking, reading or gardening.
• Take 15 to 20 minutes every day to sit quietly and reflect. Learn and practice relaxation techniques like yoga or deep breathing.
• Exercise regularly.
• Avoid alcohol, recreational drugs and don't smoke
• Eat healthy, well-balanced meals
• Get enough rest and sleep, your body needs to recover and repair itself
• Seek out social support
• See your health care provider as needed, especially if things feel beyond your control.

May you be blessed with harmony in your heart, peace of mind, and an abundance of joy and love to surround you always.

I look forward to seeing you

Nancy McShane

 

My 3 Favorite Tennis Ball Stretches

Struggling with sore muscles? Foam rollers help, but have you tried a tennis ball? Yup, there are a ton of self-massage exercises you can do for myofascial release with nothing more than a good ol’ fashioned neon yellow ball.

These exercises will help you stimulate blood flow and buff waste away from tight muscles, which loosens you up and and leaves you feeling relaxed. Just don’t expect the process to be painless. When you dig into your muscles with a tennis ball, you can isolate knots that you might not otherwise target. This has a “hurts so good” sensation that can get pretty intense.

To make the process easier, make sure you’re targeting soft muscle tissue — not bones or joints. If you find a spot that hurts, move slowly, allow your body to carefully roll back and forth across the adhesion to help loosen things up and understand the power of gravity: The more body weight you use, the deeper you’ll dig and the more it’ll hurt. Lift your weight slightly away from the ball during intense moments. The goal is to loosen up tight spots, not end up bruised.

1. Neck

If you’re prone to tension headaches, or if you find your neck getting tight after a long day in front of a computer, take a few minutes to ease the pain with a tennis ball. Simply lie on the ground and place a tennis ball behind your neck, just to the right of your spine and under your skull. Sink into the tennis ball and roll your head slightly to the left and right, avoiding your bony bits. If you find a tight spot, stop and hold your position for 30 seconds before continuing. Switch sides after a minute or two.

3. Upper, mid and lower back

You can use one tennis ball or two to target the muscles that run along your spine and into your sacroiliac joint (your pelvis). By using two tennis balls, you can target both sides of your spine at once. To keep the balls in place, put them in a tube sock and tie a knot between the balls to prevent yourself from rolling the ball over your backbone. Place the knot along your spine, so the two tennis balls are on either side. Use gravity to target tight areas, rolling very slowly to loosen things up.

5. Hips

I see alot of people that have been sitting many hours working and now have troubles with their hips, particularly of the hip flexors (the iliopsoas) and the muscles responsible for external rotation and abduction, including the deep muscles of the glutes. As always, make sure you don’t roll the tennis ball directly on any bones — rather, aim for the soft muscle tissue at the front and around the sides of your hips. This is one of my personal favorites.

 Enjoy the stretches

Nancy

mcshane.massagetherapy.com 

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How Massage Can Get your Body Ready for Winter Sports

How Massage Can Get your Body 

Ready for Winter Sports

If you enjoy winter sports and you’re chomping at the bit for the snow to get here.  Ask yourself: Is your body ready? Winter sports can take a toll and cause soreness — especially at the start of the season. Starting your season early with regular massage will help you feel better and allow your body to perform better when the snow begins to fly. 

Tackle Soreness Now

It doesn’t matter if you’re a beginner or an expert after the backcountry adventure, as an athlete you are always trying to get better. Starting massage therapy before the season can help you perform better in your winter sports activities. Whether you’re a skier, snowboarder, Nordic skier or you enjoy snowshoeing; getting a regular massage now will help increase your range of motion. This will help you move better through the snow. Massage can also help you with your balance, which is imperative for winter activity.

Any sport has the risk of injury and can create soreness in your body at some point. For some reason, winter fun just comes with more pain than other seasons. The stiff boots, the cold weather, the movements that aren’t replicated in any other activity all play a part in your body’s soreness. If you’re cross-country skiing or snowshoeing you’re using your entire body to move. If you’re snowmobiling, your body is taking a good beating for nearly the whole ride. Getting your muscles loose and your body active with a sports massage before the season will help you heal faster after your day in the snow. You won’t feel the stiffness or have the aches and pains that you normally would experience. 

See you soon

Nancy McShane

McShane Massage

5 Ways to Bring Happiness To Your Life

Often, the only thing standing between you and a better, healthier life is simply YOU.

Happiness comes to those who choose to be happy, but many people wait needlessly for permission to be happy. Permission is nothing more than someone else's approval--but as simple as it is, it keeps them from succeeding and being happy.

1. Permission for acceptance. Acceptance doesn't mean you have to give something else up, just that you a give yourself permission to be happy and to accept what is happening for you right now this moment. Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony.

2. Permission to be imperfect. Let's be honest--perfect isn't real. if you want to be happy, embrace your imperfections. Don't let perfectionism steal your happiness.

3. Permission to keep the blues in their place.  Don't allow the blues to create your experiences; know that they are part of you, but not the full sum of who you are. Think positive thoughts and positive things will happen. Do things that make you happy and be with people who make you smile.

4. Permission to choose. Sometimes we get so caught up in pleasing others that we forget ourselves. The element of choosing for ourselves is a major source of happiness. Think of what you want and then make the right choices for you. Happiness is a conscious choice, not an automatic response.

5. Permission to try new things. If you are stuck in the same old routine and you're looking for a way to shift, it starts with giving yourself permission to try something new. We are all so scared of doing anything we are not familiar with, and the last thing we want is to do something we might fail at. And it's true, you may not excel--at first, anyway--but if you don't try you're cutting yourself off from things that can make you happy.

I can't wait to hear how these simple changes brought you happiness. 

Nancy 

mcshane.massagetherapy.com
BOOK NOW

https://www.inc.com/lolly-daskal/7-powerful-ways-how-to-give-yourself-permission-to-be-happy.html
https://www.drnorthrup.com/give-yourself-permission-slip-relax/

Make a Shift Into Happiness

 

 How to Shift Your Energy Into Happiness

What is happiness? You might think you know the answer to this, but let me give you my perspective on happiness. You might think that happiness is a good state of mind, but happiness has nothing to do with your mind. In fact, in order to achieve happiness, your mind does not need to be involved at all. Did I just say that? Yes I did, and it’s true.

We feel better, more balanced and happier when we feel supported by ourselves. You might be thinking that you could then say to yourself, “I am here to support you” or “I want you to be happy,” but that’s not going to work to make you feel happy, now is it? No, of course not. When we feel most supported by ourselves, it’s not what we say to ourselves that makes us feel happy and supported, it’s how you direct, use and hold your energy.

How do you use your energy to create happiness? 

Well, it’s easier than you might think. You have many systems in your body, and the least talked about, but most powerful system is your energy system. Albert Einstein, with his famous formula E=mc² has proven that we are in fact, energy. Even Matter is energy. Okay, this is not a science class, but a good way to understand how important your energy system really is. Without your energy system, you and I would not be here in this form.

So, how does our energy system work to help us create happiness, and make us feel supported? Your energy system is designed to work in a specific way, but how we have been conditioned to think has stopped us from using our energy system correctly. With our incorrect use of our energy system, most of us feel stressed, tired, out of sorts, anxious, worried, depressed, as well as disconnected. Need I say more?

One of the biggest ways we disconnect from ourselves and feel unsupported, is simply by thinking too much. Yes, overthinking is the culprit for much of our problems including stress, lack of sleep, anxiety as well as our physical ailments. Now, what you can do about this is as simple as getting out of your head and moving into your body. This means that you can STOP the over thinking, and go more into bliss in a matter of minutes or even in just a few seconds.

 

5 Reasons To Get a Massage while Exercising

1. It enhances your post-workout recovery

A good, therapeutic massage helps loosen up your muscles after an intense workout, which in turn allows you to recover from the impact better and faster than you normally would. You spend your time tightening and toning your muscles doing weight work and they start to feel like they’re going to snap, they just get so tight. Massage helps restore some pliability.

2. It soothes the pain of sore muscles

Those muscles can really ache after you put them through the ringer at the gym or while pounding the pavement during a run. But, massaging and stretching them can help work out the knots, flush out the toxins that contribute to the “ouch” factor and get the blood flowing again so they don’t hurt so much. 

3. It makes your muscles work better

Regular exercise not only puts a strain on your muscles, ligaments and tendons, but it also messes with those connective fibers under the skin known as your fascia — which help the muscles work smoothly and efficiently when they’re in good shape.

The fascia can get really gunked up with repeated exercise, and that makes it harder for muscles to slide past each other easily. Massage helps by loosening up those fibers so the muscles are doing what they’re supposed to with much less effort. And then, bingo! Your workouts get a nice boost.

4. It can increase flexibility

Massage can help loosen up the muscles and restore some flexibility. Unless you continually stretch to keep your muscles lubricated, you will get stiffer with age. But a massage, especially one that includes some stretching exercises, can reverse at least some of that process and give you back a bit of the incredible flexibility you had as a kid.

5. It helps you feel better, mentally

If you’re just beating yourself up with high-intensity classes or weight training, that’s not going to be completely beneficial. Massage can give you a nice balance with the happy endorphins from working out. It’s a cortisol reducer as well — a stress reliever.

Instead of saying, ‘I’m going to get the best body, damn it,’ and push push pushing yourself, remember to give yourself care. Massage can be a nice part of that. You need both the exercise and the maintenance. That’s part of a well-rounded fitness regimen.

 

A Look Back & Forward

 

Hello Saturday - Let's Dish.

Although 2020 has been the craziest year of in my life time, a lot of good has come out of it. Here's a catch up post on what's happening in the massage room. 

Since our quarentine back in March, I have incorporated a daily routine of researching & studying massage and healing materials and scheduling all of the social media on many different outlets. I didn't know where it would take me but I felt guided to do a little everyday and was told it was like a garden and would grow over time. Well - it sure has. I have fine tuned so many parts of my business and have reached more people then I have in the last 20 years. 

Massage is finally just massage. 

It was wonderful and scary all at the same time to come back in June and have split the energywork that I do from the massage services. This has aloud me the opportunity to focus even more on the physical problems at hand. When I split those services, I had no clue where the universe was taking me with it but now I have a clear vision. Over time - Spiritual Healing services has bloomed from all of this work. It has grown in need and as a favorite that it is it's own service. I did not see this coming BUT I am so humbled by it and so excited for all the things this service will bring to my practice. 

Spiritual Healing - Not your Add-on anymore.

Spiritual Healing as I said is it's own service. Due to this change it is also a whole different process. There is an intake process, an assessment, procedure, and counseling. I have taken all of my schooling including psychology schooling and applied it to this service. The service is 60 - 90 minutes. It is not your add-on service of: here's your colors and chakra functioning. It is: here's where there are energy issues that a need to be addressed and here are some key mental and emotional things I see in your energy that will need to be addressed to avoid physical health issues in simple summary.

The future of McShane Massage 

So here's my BIG NEWS Due to the following issues with my office: 

1. Ongoing environmental issues with my office - in the summer it's WAY TO HOT and now it is WAY TOO COLD. There is no ventilation in my office and the walls are like tissue paper. 

2. Noise from Facial room

3. Clients receiving Healing & massage sessions need more privacy and less noise

I am looking at moving my office to a local counseling center that would eliminate these issues. I am in the middle of negotiations at this moment but I am obviously very excited and hopeful. This means so much to me because it falls in line with my beliefs in that massage is not just massage - it's not just a spa session - it's a whole life session. There is so much more to it and now that the healing services have taken off the timing could not be better. 

I love Insparation Salon with all my heart. I've been there for 6 years. All of the woman there are amazing at their craft. This place has aloud myself to find myself, to get myself back on my feet after my wellness center failed. The woman here embraced my services and my business. I cannot thank them enough. And due to all of this I am so proud to say I am ready to move on and get back on track doing what I love -  Healing as many as I can - within my abilities. 

With that I wish you a blessed Saturday. 

Nancy McShane

McShane Massage.