Residents of Largo (33771), Belleair, and Indian Rocks Beach no longer have to bear with stress-related health problems any longer. That's because the advocacy for using massage as a form Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has become greater.
There are now a number of research papers demonstrating the beneficial effects of massage therapy in relation to the physiological and psycho-logical aspects of stress and the latest controlled study conducted at the Touch Research Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine, Florida, USA shows once again that massage therapy has an important role to play in the alleviation of stress and stress-induced illnesses. In the study, twenty-six adults were given a chair massage and twenty four adults were asked to relax in the massage chair for 15 minutes to be used as controls. The results f the study clearly showed frontal delta power increased for both groups, suggesting relaxation, de-creased frontal alpha and beta power (suggesting enhanced alertness); while the control group showed increased alpha and beta power, and depression scores were lower for both groups but job stress score were lower only for the massage group.
According to one Largo massage therapist, most of their loyal customers come to the clinic for regular deep tissue massage or Swedish massage at least twice a month. Massage techniques like a deep tissue massage focuses on toxin build-up in our body that are usually embedded in the deeper layer of our muscles. When the muscles are stressed, oxygen and nutrients can build up which causes an inflammatory effect and a back-log of toxins within the muscle tissue. Muscles can't function properly under these circumstances and begin to feel sore. The tension gets to a point where it affects our ability to cope, raising stress levels even higher. Deep tissue massage loosens muscles and help increase oxygen and blood circulation. Once normal function is restored, toxins can be flushed from the body which reduces inflammation and tension.
The same Largo therapist reiterated the need for lots of water intake after a deep tissue massage. This will hasten the process of flushing out the toxins from our body.
Tense muscles are also prone to injury which can cause a build-up of scar tissue. Scar tissues are the body's protection against further damage but it can restrict movement and immobilize smaller muscle groups. Scar tissues can also be increased by the toxins present in our environment and lead to irritation and inflammation in the body. The knock on effect to this is that the body produces more lactic acid in the muscles causing them to become sore and painful. Regular deep tissue massage can break down scar tissue and restore circulation enabling the muscles to move freely.
This concept also holds true with other massage techniques like sports massage. According to a Belleair massage therapist, athletes get a sports massage in order to increase muscle performance, prolong muscle endurance, and lessen chances of injury.
Modern massage methods often work well with other complementary therapies to provide an integrated bodywork treatment for alleviating stress. Alternative therapies such as aromatherapy, reiki and yoga can be combined with deep tissue massage or Swedish massage to provide a comprehensive relaxation program. A trained massage therapist can also teach self-help techniques to be used at home or at work when the onset of tension threatens to spiral out of control.
Massage therapy is a well-known and popular antidote for stress so consider booking an appointment with your favorite massage spa in Largo, Belleair, and Indian Rocks Beach if you are looking for stress relief.