August 2015 – Wellness Focus

Can You Find Yourself in these Massage Profiles?

All kinds of people seek massage therapy for all kinds of different reasons. The end result is almost always pain relief and relaxation.

Here’s a snapshot of some of the most likely types of people who seek and benefit from regular massage. Can you find yourself or someone else you know in this list?

Betty/Billy Back Pain. Back pain comes from joints, muscles, joints in the spine, bones, and nerves around the back. The pain could be in one area or could have a wider spread effect on an individual. A massage helps this client feel and function better compared to friends who don’t receive any massage treatment. Studies show it improves range of motion and decreases discomfort, too. Continue reading “Can You Find Yourself in these Massage Profiles?”

Tight Trapezius muscle?

You might not know exactly where it is, but you most likely have experienced pain and strain in your Trapezius muscle. Maybe you just started working out. Maybe you swim or play tennis. Perhaps you are carrying heavy objects or been sit in one position for a long period of time. Maybe you’re just stressed. All these activities can cause your traps to tighten.

The Trapezius has three areas: upper, middle and lower. The muscle stretches from the top of your neck, out to your shoulders and a little more than half way down the center of your back.

This huge muscle performs many different functions, including moving shoulder blades in toward the spine, rotating and moving shoulder blades up and down, bringing the head and neck backward, and rotating and side bending the neck. It also assists in breathing, opening up the small amount of breathing room in the upper chest area.

For people who work at desks and computers, Continue reading “Tight Trapezius muscle?”

Ancient Egyptians Were Into Massage

It is widely recognized that ancient Egyptians were among the first to study and categorize essential oils. They created oils, incense and perfumes and often had others apply the oils for therapeutic purposes. Welcome to massage.

While the earliest definitive references to massage come from China about 5000 BCE, references to medical “healing” through massage began to show up around 3000 BCE in wall paintings and carvings.

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Ten Myths About Skincare

Just when you thought you knew about skincare, you stumble on information that turns the world upside down. You realize that something you’ve been doing isn’t right or that that “organic product” isn’t really helping.

So settle back with a nice latte and read this list of 10 common myths about skincare.

1. A base tan helps. Nope. Dermatologists agree that pre-tanning really doesn’t work, and it can actually increase your risk of skin cancer, particularly if you pre-tan in a tanning bed. The current thinking is that there’s actually no such thing as a “safe” or “healthy” tan. So trade in that oil for a decent sunscreen. Read more.

2. You can scrub away acne. There’s a common myth that if you scrub really hard, your acne will go away. Not true. Acne is not caused by a dirty face. Cleansers are great, but they don’t work better if you scrub harder. Scrubbing too much can actually inflame blackheads, causing your acne to worsen! Wash smart, not hard.

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Couples Massage May Save Your Relationship

Let’s face it. We live in an incredibly stressful world. This stresses pile up, too. They make us tense. Short-tempered. Tired. Achy. Stress can turn just about any teddy bear into a angry grizzly. All that stress doesn’t do any favors for a relationship, either.

That’s where massage comes in. It’s well known that massage is good for relaxation, but there are plenty more reasons you might want to consider massage. And pairing up with your significant other for the experience has added benefits.

Here are just a few:

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Strong Obliques Matter

The oblique muscles are part of a group of muscles called “abdominal muscles”. You have four abdominal muscles, the most known is the rectus abdominis, the middle (washboard?) muscle and the whole group are often referred to as just “abs”. There’s the transverses abdominis, which lie along side the rectus abdomenis, and then the pair of muscles called the obliques. Obliques are located on each of the sides of your torso. External obliques are large, thin muscles on top and internal obliques are triangle shaped muscles just underneath the external obliques.

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