Massage for Stress Management

Experts estimate that over 90% of serious illness and disease (including heart attacks and cancer) are caused by stress.  We know about the detrimental effects of prolonged and heavy stress on our bodies, so how can we experience more calm instead?

One of the best ways to achieve a very deep level of complete relaxation of body and mind is to get a therapeutic massage.  Research done by Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, found significant changes in biochemistry as a result of massage therapy   Cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by the adrenal gland in response to stress, increases blood sugar levels and suppresses the immune system.  Prolonged elevated levels of cortisol is harmful to the body.  Massage therapy was shown to decrease cortisol levels by 31%.  Serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of well-being, also helps regulate mood, appetite, and sleep as well as contributes to cognitive functioning such as memory and learning.  Massage therapy caused serotonin levels to increase by 28%.  Dopamine, another neurotransmitter, activates pleasure centers in the brain.  It was found to increase by 31% following massage therapy.  
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Besides eating healthy foods, exercising, and getting adequate sleep, one of the best investments you can make in maintaining a healthy body and mind is to incorporate regular therapeutic massage into your self care routine.

- Jean Riccio, BS, LMT, MFR, NMT

Click here to make an appointment with Jean to help you melt away stress!

FORGIVENESS - A Word from Jean

Forgiving others (and ourselves) is paramount to being healthy. Holding resentment ravages our body, mind and spirit. It can make us very sick. 

Why do we hold resentments? I wonder if I hold resentment in order to be right, superior, or even to separate myself from another person. But it has only caused separation within myself. We are not whole, healthy, or happy when we are holding a grudge.

I'd like to share what I've been learning about myself lately. I notice that sometimes the very thing I am resenting is something that I am not accepting in myself. So, we can ask, "Is this in me too?" An opportunity for compassion- toward ourselves and others. Another "button" is a situation that reminds me of a different time when I felt hurt. Seeing that we're actually angry about something else, can help in letting go. New ways to get to the core of my anger, allowing me an opportunity to accept, forgive and love myself and others.

Ah, sweet peace.

"Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit."

-Peter Ustinov

"Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go."

-Hermann Hesse

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Jean Riccio is a LMT at our clinic who has helped numerous clients with pain and stress relief. We tell her she has "magic hands."