IT APPEARS EVERYONE'S STRESS LEVELS ARE RUNNING HIGH. Whether its today's day routines or the holiday season unfortunately brings with it a sense of increased stress. Increased stress and anxiety levels can manifest themselves in a variety of ways, but almost always involves increased muscle tension resulting in tired and aching muscles. Massage therapy provides so many overall benefits for the body, but one of the most important benefits is in reducing stress levels.

When you get a massage, the relaxation process usually starts as soon as you get on the table. The soft music, warm table, and quiet environment are great ways to help one relax. The massage therapists presses through all the layers of muscle tissue andl the layers of stress and anxiety.

As we are working through the muscle layers and dissolving trigger points the therapist can stretch and lengthen the muscle tissue, often providing complete relief for muscle aches and pains. The goal is to have more oxygenated blood flows into that tissue, and the buildup of carbon dioxide and lactic acid is moved out through the circulatory system. Hopefully it decreases or eliminates pain associated with muscle spasms, migraines, TMJ pain, sciatic nerve pain which we can treat with Chiropractic adjustments and massage.

The end result is decreased stress and anxiety levels manifested in an overall sense of well being. When you decrease or eliminate pain, the stress response on the body is automatically decreased. A lot of people report feeling so relaxed they want to go home and take a nap, and there are others that report being so energetic they are ready for the gym. Similar to yoga, it is a a reducer of tension headaches and gives you energy but you need regular massage.

Some people view massage therapy as a luxury but there is also a much larger group of Massage Therapy Center clients who consider massage therapy to be health maintenance and preventive care for their body. This is no different from seeing their physician or other health care practitioners on a regular basis. No one thinks twice about maintaining the maintenance service on their vehicle. We do that because we know they will not continue to take us where we want to go for very long without it. We are gratefuyl the human body seems to be able to handle a lot of abuse and still manage to keep us functional on some deeper level. We know that being grateful and relaxing keeps stress and anxiety down. Many people seem to want to be healthy and get regular massages, but other obligations often get in the way and so they postpone taking care of themselves, thus continually experiencing high stress and anxiety levels. It will often become a viscous circle until they make a conscious effort to change it.People who get on a regular massage schedule find massage therapy to be a great way to keep the stress and anxiety level down and to keep the chronic aches and pain from over used muscles under control.

Wishing you a relaxed Holiday and New Year of health, wealth and happiness.

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