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Posts Tagged ‘Therapeutic’

Article by Pushpitha Wijesinghe

Known as Nuat Phaen Boran or Nuat Phaen Thai, a Thai Massage is distinct from other types of massages in the world. It focuses on stretching and bending of the joints as can be seen in yoga, while giving deep massages to the pressure points.

Origins of Thai Massage dates back to the 5th century BC, the times of the Buddha, in India. The head physician for the Buddha and his disciple was Jivaka Kumarbhaccha, who later travelled to Thailand and propagated his great wisdom. Inspired by the Chinese medical practices, Jivaka combined his vast knowledge of Ayurvedic medicine and invented the 4 main branches of Thai medicine. They are namely spiritual practices, nutritional medicines, herbal remedies and the Nuat Boran presently known as Thai massage.

In Thai massages the clients are fully clothed, wearing comfortable garments to assist the process of stretching, similar to the yoga workouts. The client is placed on a floor mat or futon for the massage. Oils or lotions are not used in traditional Thai massage, and instead it focuses on healing touch methods along Sen, the energy meridian of the body. This energy meridian is defined in Chinese medicine as a network of invisible lines conveying energy throughout the body. Varying from gentle to strong treatment, they apply rhythmic touches and perform cross-fibre stroking as well as form various yoga positions.

Being a flexible type of bodywork, it can be accustomed to the client’s requirements, age and preferences. There are four main positions for the client to lie when receiving a complete Thai massage such as side-lying, sitting, supine and prone. The process also takes from half an hour to 2 hours depending on individual needs. It is also an excellent therapeutic healing which makes the clients feel completely relaxed, flexible and more aware of their own bodies.

Bangkok has several massage parlours and spas offering traditional Thai massage. Many a Bangkok hotel accommodation provides spas for the convenience of its guests. Guests can spend their vacation at a Bangkok Sukhumvit hotel such as Bangkok President Solitaire and experience the ultimate healing method of the orient, the Thai Massage.

Whatever type of therapeutic body massage services you avail of from professional massage therapists, be it foot massage, back massage, Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage or reflexology massage, you should also make sure to ask your body massage therapists for the proper after care advice and instructions. Such after care will enhance the benefits of the therapeutic body massage services you enjoyed at the professional therapeutic body massage facility in Charlotte NC.

Psychotherapist and massage therapist Su Fox of the Massage Training Institute highlights the importance of prior consultation and after care to each holistic massage therapy session.

According to Fox, the relationship of trust and confidence between the therapist and client is established during the consultation prior to the massage session. The therapist should elicit all the discomforts and illnesses of the client as well as his expectations from the session. The therapist should then explain to the client what will transpire and the expected effects. The actual massage therapy session then cements the relationship between the therapist and client.

After the session, Fox adds that after care advice rounds off the relationship between the therapist and the client. The therapist has to teach the client how to translate the stretches and movements of the massage therapy into exercises that the client can continue to do at home in between massage sessions. The therapist should also correct any bad habits the client has in terms of posture and body movement.

The most dedicated massage therapists at professional therapeutic body massage clinics that offer foot massage, back massage, Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage and reflexology massage also offer advice on proper massage after care to every client. When you have found such a committed therapeutic body massage facility, you can return the favor by availing of their massage services gift cards to give to your family and closest friends in Charlotte NC.

If you avail of therapeutic body massage services from professional massage therapists, it would be good to know of best practices in after care that you should expect from your therapist. These best practices are applicable for any therapeutic body massage services you avail of, including foot massage, back massage, Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage or reflexology massage. You might want to choose the services of body massage therapists in Charlotte NC who apply these best practices.

In her article titled “Aftercare or Afterthought? What Happens at the End of the Massage Session” at PositiveHealth.com, Su Fox writes of the kind of after care she gives her clients in her massage therapy practice. Su Fox is a psychotherapist and a massage and craniosacral therapist who is also a senior tutor and assessor at the Massage Training Institute. She is the author of the books “Practical Pathology for Massage” and “Relating to Clients: The Therapeutic Relationship for Complementary Therapists” and co-author of “Anatomy, Physiology and Pathology for Massage,” all from Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Fox believes that after care is a very important part of massage therapy and that a proper holistic massage session should be made up of consultation, massage treatment and after care.

The consultation before the massage treatment is when the massage therapist asks the client about his reasons for having a massage, his expectations from the massage session and any discomfort he has been experiencing in his body. All illnesses should be disclosed by the client at this point. The therapist, on the other hand, explains what will happen during the session and which of the clients’ expectations are likely to be met and which are not. It is at this point that the relationship between the therapist and the client is first established. That relationship is then cemented by the actual massage treatment, where the therapist earns the client’s full trust by the quality of the massage given. According to Fox, the relationship is then balanced off by after care.

Fox points out that holistic massage should take into consideration the needs of the individual “within the context of her whole life.” She, therefore, feels that the client should be able to take home something more than immediate relief for her discomforts from the massage therapy session.

Fox identifies after care as the method by which the therapist can teach the client how to integrate lessons from the massage session into her daily life so that its benefits become long term. She says the movements and stretches done by therapists on the client’s body can be translated into movements taught to the client to be done regularly at home. If bad habits in terms of posture and movement are observed or elicited during the consultation period, these can be pointed out by the therapist. The client can then be taught how to move correctly and hold his body correctly in different situations. Of course, Fox says, the client’s health, lifestyle and skill level should always be taken into consideration for all recommendations given by the therapist.

Fox further reminds therapists that they should be observant of signs in the client’s body that may warrant referral to other specialists. She cites an example of a mole on one of her regular clients’ back which she observed to be growing in size. She advised him to have it checked by a doctor.

If the massage therapists in your favorite massage clinic apply the aforementioned best practices in after care when you go for foot massage, back massage, Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, sports massage or reflexology massage, you might want to show them your appreciation by purchasing body massage gift cards to give as presents to your family and friends in Charlotte NC.

Cancer is often a very painful disease. In its advanced stages, it is usually incurable. Care for patients with advanced cancer therefore focuses mainly on pain relief and providing the best quality of life possible under the circumstances. Therapeutic body massage services have been proven to be of great benefit for the alleviation of pain and other discomforts of patients with advanced cancer. There are massage therapists from professional massage clinics that specialize in this specific therapeutic body massage which may include foot massage and back massage. This could be from the same massage clinics that also offer therapeutic reflexology, deep tissue massage, sports massage and Swedish massage in Charlotte NC.

When patients with advanced cancer experience great pain coupled with loss of hope for any cure, they are very often thrust into deep depression and anxiety. Members of the family, close friends and caregivers are, therefore, concerned not only with the alleviation of these patients’ physical pain but also with the elevation of their moods and emotions. Fortunately, research results show that therapeutic body massage services can indeed decrease the pain felt by advanced cancer patients while at the same time having a positive impact on their mood. Even if these effects are only temporary, such short periods of comfort are of immense value in their condition.

The September 16, 2008 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine published the study entitled “Massage Therapy versus Simple Touch to Improve Pain and Mood in Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Randomized Trial”.

The study was participated in by 380 adult patients in advanced stages of cancer. They had all been suffering from pain at levels rated as moderate and higher.

The participants were randomly assigned to either a massage therapy group or a simple touch group. The massage therapy group was given six voluntary sessions of 30 minute therapeutic body massage services with unscented massage cream by trained massage therapists in a span of two weeks. During the same time period, the simple touch group was given six voluntary sessions of 30 minutes each when untrained personnel would place both hands on each of 10 specified body areas for three minutes. Unscented massage cream was also used.

Assessments were performed on the patients before the two week treatment period, right after the two week treatment period, and every week thereafter for the succeeding three weeks. Patients in the massage therapy group were found to have experienced better pain relief and had more elevated moods as compared to patients in the simple touch group. The effects of the therapeutic body massage services were only short term, though.

Licensed massage therapist Tracy Walton has treated a lot of patients in advanced stages of cancer. According to her, these patients value therapeutic body massage services despite the short term benefits because it gives them respite from suffering. According to Walton, “My clients tell me that they don’t just fight cancer: they endure, yield, pray, grieve and persevere. Cancer requires people to spend time in confusion, terror, and mystery.” While undergoing therapeutic body massage services, these patients allow others to help them relax and recharge.

All therapeutic body massage services given by professionally trained massage therapists from reputable massage clinics are beneficial to the health, including therapeutic foot massage services, back massage services, reflexology massage services, deep tissue massage services, sports massage services and Swedish massage services. For patients in advanced stages of cancer, however, the most appropriate and beneficial therapeutic body massage services would be from licensed massage therapists who had been specifically trained in therapeutic oncology body massage. These massage therapists will know how to properly customize each session according to the particular needs of patients with advanced cancer. If you have a family member or friend who has need for such therapeutic oncology body massage services, you could perhaps give him or her gift cards to a professional massage clinic in Charlotte NC to show your concern.

Article by Massage Envy Sarasota North

Facial massage from a professional massage therapist in a massage spa can be a therapeutic massage that brings more than just beauty benefits. This is what Clare Maxwell-Hudson asserts in her article on facial massage for PositiveHealth.com. You may want to ask for facial massage along with your reflexology massage therapy, Swedish massage therapy, deep tissue massage therapy or pregnancy massage therapy the next time you visit your regular massage spa in Sarasota and Bradenton FL.Clare Maxwell-Hudson owns The Clare Maxwell-Hudson School of Massage located at Baker Street, London. She is also the author of six books on massage that are bestsellers in 22 countries.Maxwell-Hudson explains how facial massage enhances beauty. She says it can eliminate tension that mars the face. This brings about improved self-confidence. “The face opens like a flower,” she narrates, adding, “we break through the barriers, allowing the real and inner beauty that we all possess to shine through.”

But Maxwell-Hudson also emphasizes that facial massage brings more than just beauty to the recipient. According to Maxwell-Hudson, people often have a tendency to resist relaxation during a massage, either consciously or unconsciously. She says facial massage almost always breaks down this resistance, enabling the recipient to derive the maximum good out of the massage therapy session.

Facial massage also affects practically the entire body, Maxwell-Hudson asserts, because it provides sensory information to the brain to be disseminated throughout the body accordingly. The four senses of sight, hearing, smell and taste are all centered in the face and head. Touching the skin of the face also transmits sensory information to the brain through the cranial nerves. Other nerve systems also transmit sensory information from the face to other body parts such as the respiratory system and the digestive system.

Maxwell-Hudson cites several cases where she applied facial massage to her clients and produced interesting results. One of her clients was having difficulty deciding whether or not to go through with a surgery. The therapist says that after the facial massage session the client claimed to have achieved a high sense of security safety as well as mental strength such that she had decided to push through with her operation.

Maxwell-Hudson also had a client who was a painter and theater set designer. This client came to her for a facial massage whenever she felt a block in her creativity and imagination, claiming that the treatment brought clear images to her mind’s eye.

There was also another client who had undergone several operations for a broken kneecap and was in great pain. The client was surprised at how facial massage relieved pain in her knee.

Finally, a male client of hers said after a session of facial massage, “It is incredible – I’ve just seen the solution to a business problem that has been worrying me for weeks. I can’t believe it – it just popped into my mind and I wasn’t even thinking about the situation!”

Maxwell-Hudson says she uses a combination of strong strokes meant to stimulate and very light touch in her facial massage technique. She starts out with the strong staccato strokes which encourage the facial muscles to release tension. The client is brought to a relaxed and lethargic condition during which the therapist shifts to the lighter rhythmic strokes.

At The Clare Maxwell-Hudson School of Massage, five different courses on facial massage are taught. There is the main facial massage training and there is also Facial Reflexology, Facial Acupressure, the Vodder Manual Lymph Drainage for the face and the Muscle Energizing Technique facial massage.

With this information, facial massage now takes on more value as therapeutic massage from your massage spa in Sarasota and Bradenton FL.