Saratoga Massage by Lesley

Dr. Oz prescribes massage

lesley — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:07:51 +0000

Massage is becoming more and more accepted by the medical community with continued research suggesting that massage eases insomnia, boosts immunity, and prevents PMS. Some hospitals are making it a standard therapy. Television’s Dr. Oz specifically recommends massage for heart patients. “All of our surgery patients are offered the treatment…and it’s a mandatory weekly prescription I give myself,” says Mehmet C. Oz, M.D., director of the Cardiovascular Institute at New York Presbyterian Hospital–Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and a member of the board at Luminari, a health-education company.

Massage helps so many areas of your body. It’s especially effective for aches like lower back pain. Several studies show massage reduces levels of the stress hormone cortisol while boosting the feel-good hormones serotonin and dopamine. Those changes slow your heart rate, reduce blood pressure, and block your nervous system’s pain receptors. Massage also increases blood flow to the muscles, which helps them heal.

Massage also seems to ease distress from migraine, labor pain, and even cancer, as well as the body tenderness seen with fibromyalgia, says Tiffany Field, Ph.D., director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine. These benefits may last as long as a year after just a few treatments, says Partap Khalsa, Ph.D., a chiropractor and a program officer at the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, the agency funding many major studies on massage.

On this upcoming Valentine’s Day consider giving and receiving massage. Both are good for your heart.

Simple Stress Relievers

lesley — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:24:13 +0000

Stress can take a large toll on your mental and physical health. “People who are under a lot of stress have physical problems related to constantly being under stress,” says Sally R. Connolly, a social worker and therapist at the Couples Clinic of Louisville in Louisville, Ky. “And if you don’t find ways [to relieve it], even in small periods of time, you can have long-term consequences.” It’s crucial to add stress relief to your everyday routine, she says. Fortunately, there are things you can do that don’t take much time or money.

Reading can give you a feeling of escape. Whether it’s a novel or a travel magazine, if it helps you forget your current worries, then it acts as a mental vacation.

Look through photo albums. Studies have shown that looking at pictures of loved ones affects our body chemistry, producing feelings of peace and calm.

Put on music that you enjoy. You don’t need to be home to use this technique. Some workplaces allow ipods to be used at your desk.

Take a true coffee break and look out a window if you can. Viewing the outdoors can settle your stomach and calm your nerves. This even works if you’re a passenger in a car or airplane.

You get even more calming effects if you go outside and take a walk. Nature has enormous healing effects on us.

Ways to Beat Winter Blues

lesley — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 18:11:55 +0000

Just one fresh flower in a room can help ease winter’s chill, according to Colorado bodyworker and aromatherapist Mary Kathleen Rose. “In the winter, when there’s less light, there’s a tendency for people to get a little depressed.

“In the winter, I really like the infused oils that have an evergreen scent. An evergreen infused in a light olive oil reminds us that there are things that stay green throughout the winter and carry us through the season. Cut little boughs from your yard and add them to fresh flowers. Beeswax candles also give off a really nice scent — very soft. Just their mellowness is comforting.

“Remember that enjoying a massage in a nice atmosphere during the winter allows us to really appreciate this as a time of rest. As nature is at rest, so should we be.”

How to Stretch at Your Desk

lesley — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 19:23:59 +0000

Here you are back at work and you’re still longing for that couch at home. So is your tired aching body. Even with a perfectly designed workstation, comfortable chair, and good posture, working at a computer is likely to result in strain, because it requires you to sit still for long periods of time and then carry out repetitive motions.

Fortunately, your body is forgiving. You can reverse strain with a small amount of stretching. Here are some stretches you can do at your desk, or even in your car. It’s a great thing to do when you’re stuck at a red light.

Lift your shoulders up toward your ears and hold for two breaths. Then let them drop when you exhale.
Gently push your shoulders back slightly, as if someone was bringing your shoulder blades together. Let go gently.
Roll your shoulders in circles, one way and then the other.

Please stop if you feel pain. If anything hurts, slowly move so that you feel better. These stretches are never meant to cause pain and if they do, they are not helping you.

Wonderful Ways to Lose Weight

lesley — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 16:23:02 +0000

A recent U.S. study, published online in the Journal of Obesity, found several ways to watch your weight without dieting:

1) Listen to your body’s cues about hunger and fullness
2) Reduce your stress, specifically lowering cortisol, a stress hormone

Would you like a few more tips?

3) Smell a grapefruit. It’s up to you if you eat it or not, but the smell of it lessens your appetite.
4) Use cinnamon and nutmeg wherever you can. I even saw an episode of Dr. Oz where he suggested that you soak the spices in hot water and add it to your body wash or bathwater.
5) Get a weight loss body wrap that combines healing spiced oils with cortisol-reducing massage cupping. Try one today and save $!

Relax a Little Every Day

lesley — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 20:49:54 +0000

Give the gift of relaxation to yourself every day. Whether you have ten minutes to put your feet up, a chance to take a nap, or an hour to get a massage, you deserve it. Rewarding yourself with little treats can help you forget about your troubles, and you’ll look forward to them (and . . . → Read More: Relax a Little Every Day

Massage melts holiday stress

lesley — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 16:33:42 +0000

Holiday stress can take out the best of us! Let’s all take a moment and give thanks to the restorative effects of massage and its ability to relax and melt away the stress of the holidays.

This is the beginning of a wonderful year so let’s all give thanks and celebrate with a calming . . . → Read More: Massage melts holiday stress

Stay Healthy this Holiday

lesley — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 23:26:18 +0000

Age Management Physicians from Cenegenics Carolinas, a preventive health and age management medical facility, released their top tips for staying healthy over the 2011 holiday season:

Exercise relieves stress. Even ten minutes of walking can really help.

Drink plenty of water. The number one cause of daytime fatigue is dehydration.

Don’t drink too much alcohol. Avoid heavy beverages like eggnog. Instead, opt for a light beer or liquor mixed with sparkling water.

Get enough sleep. Try to keep a regular bedtime as much as possible.

Get a massage. Better yet, to reduce your stress even more, get a massage for free! Click on the facebook link on the home page to be eligible to win.

Don’t let holiday stress get you down

lesley — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:28:21 +0000

Don’t let holiday stress get you down. Here are some easy tips to get you thru.

Breathe deeply. Count while breathing in if it helps you pull in more air. Pause for a moment before you exhale. Now breathe out all the way until every last breath is gone. If you can, pause just a second before breathing in again. See if you can feel the peacefulness. Breathe in again slowly and fully while you focus on the sound of your breathing.

Let the light in. The short, dark days can affect your circadian rhythms, leaving you feeling fatigued. Sunlight helps regulate those cycles and stimulates the production of feel-good serotonin. If you can’t get outside, sit by a window or try a light box.

Laugh. Out loud. Yes, really. Don’t feel like laughing? Do it anyway. You’ll feel so goofy it will make you laugh for real. I know because I’ve done it and it works fairly quickly. Sometimes it’s good to be silly.

Easy gift shopping

lesley — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 14:40:50 +0000

The holidays can be hectic and I have the perfect gift solution. Purchase Instant Gift Certificates online and instantly send gifts to the special people in your life.

Give them the opportunity to enjoy an exceptional massage and make it easy on you at the same time. It’s one way to put a little calm back into the holiday.

Just personalize an Instant Gift Certificate, and then email or print and you are done. It will make every recipient smile and embrace the joy of the season!