Tuesday 28 February 2017
30 day Abs and Squats Challange
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Top 5 Common Sports Injuries
Priscilla Fair
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Sports Massage Therapist Castlebar Mayo Ireland
0871323486
Sports Massage Therapist Castlebar Mayo Ireland
Sports Massage Castlebar Mayo
Priscilla Fair
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Sports Massage Therapist Castlebar Mayo Ireland
0871323486
Sports Massage Therapist Castlebar Mayo Ireland
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Massage Makes Everything Better
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Monday 27 February 2017
The 40-Minute Boxing and Toning Workout Victoria's Secret Models Love | ...
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99 Quick and Fascinating Facts About the Human Body
99 Quick and Fascinating Facts About the Human Body
- The only part of the body that has no blood supply is the cornea of the eye. It receives oxygen directly from the air.
- The human brain has a memory capacity which is the equivalent of more than four terabytes on a hard drive.
- A newborn child can breathe and swallow at the same time for up to seven months.
- Your skull is made up of 29 different bones.
- Nerve impulses sent from the brain move at a speed of 274 km/h.
- A single human brain generates more electrical impulses in a day than all the telephones of the world combined.
- The average human body contains enough sulphur to kill all the fleas on the average dog, enough carbon to make 900 pencils, enough potassium to fire a toy cannon, enough fat to make seven bars of soap and enough water to fill a 50-litre barrel.
- The human heart pumps 182 million litres of blood during the average lifetime.
- 50,000 cells in your body died and were replaced by new ones while you were reading this sentence.
- The human embryo acquires fingerprints within three months of conception.
- Women’s hearts beat faster than men’s.
- A man named Charles Osborne hiccupped for a total of 68 years.
- Right-handed people live, on average, nine years longer than left-handed people.
- About two thirds of people tilt their head to the right when kissing.
- The average person forgets 90% of their dreams.
- The total length of all the blood vessels in the human body is about 100,000 km.
- On average, a person’s respiration rate is one third higher in spring than in autumn.
- By the end of a person’s life, they can recall, on average, around 150 trillion pieces of information.
- We lose 80% of our body heat from the head.
- When you blush, your stomach also turns red.
- A feeling of thirst occurs when water loss is equal to 1% of your body weight. The loss of more than 5% can cause fainting, and more than 10% causes death from dehydration.
- At least 700 enzymes are active in the human body.
- Human beings are the only living things which sleep on their backs.
- The average four-year-old child asks 450 questions a day.
- Not only human beings, but also koalas have unique finger prints.
- Only 1% of the bacteria can result in the human body becoming ill.
- Everyone alive on Earth could comfortably be placed into a cube with sides 1000 meters long.
- The scientific name for the belly button is the umbilicus.
- Teeth are the only part of the human body which cannot heal themselves.
- On average, a person needs seven minutes to fall asleep.
- Right-handed people chew most of their food on the right side of their mouth, whereas left-handed people do so on the left.
- Only 7% of people are left-handed.
- The fragrance of apples and bananas can help a person to lose weight.
- If allowed to grow for their whole lifetime, the length of someone’s hair would be about 725 kilometres.
- Out of all the people who can move their ears, only one third of them are able to move just one ear.
- During their lifetime, a person will on average accidentally swallow eight small spiders.
- The total weight of the bacteria in the human body is 2 kg.
- 99% of the calcium contained in the human body is in one’s teeth.
- Human lips are hundreds of times more sensitive than the tips of a person’s fingers.
- A kiss increases a person’s pulse to 100 beats per minute or more.
- The total strength of masticatory muscles on one side of your jaw is equal to 195 kilograms.
- A person passes on 278 different types of bacteria to another person when they kiss them. Fortunately, 95% of them are not harmful.
- Parthenophobia is a fear of virgins.
- If you collected all the iron contained in the human body, you would get just a small cog, big enough only for use in your watch.
- There are more than 100 different viruses which cause a cold.
- If someone kisses another person for a certain amount of time, this is much more effective in terms of hygiene than using chewing gum, as it normalises the level of acidity in your oral cavities.
- You can lose 150 calories per hour if you hit your head against the wall.
- Human beings are the only animals which can draw straight lines.
- Human skin is completely replaced about 1,000 times during a person’s lifetime.
- A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day is doing the equivalent of drinking half a cup of tar a year.
- Women blink about two times less often than men.
- The structure of the human body contains only four minerals: apatite, aragonite, calcite, and crystobalite.
- A passionate kiss causes the same chemical reactions in the brain that skydiving and firing a gun do.
- Men are officially classified as dwarves if their height is below 1.3 m, whereas for women the measure is 1.2 m.
- Fingernails grow about four times faster than your toenails.
- People with blue eyes are more sensitive to pain than others.
- Nerve impulses in the human body move at about 90 m/s.
- 100,000 chemical reactions occur in the human brain every second.
- Everyone has dimples on their lower back, but on some people they are more pronounced than on others. They appear where the pelvis joins with the sacrum, so their appearance makes sense.
- If one identical twins lacks a certain tooth, the other twin will not have that tooth either.
- The surface area of the human lungs is approximately equal to the area of a tennis court.
- During a person’s lifetime, they spend about 2 weeks kissing.
- The facial hair of a blonde-haired man grows faster than that of a man with dark hair.
- Leukocytes in the human body live for two to four days, and erythrocytes for three to four months.
- The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue.
- The human heart is approximately equal in size to that of a person’s fist. An adult’s heart weights 220-260 grams.
- At birth, there are 14 billion cells in the human brain. This number does not increase throughout a person’s lifetime. After 25 years, the number of cells falls by 100,000 every day. About 70 cells die in the minute it takes you to read a page in a book. After 40 years, the decline of the brain accelerates sharply, and after 50 years neurons (that is, nerve cells) shrink and the brain gets smaller.
- At birth, a child’s body is made up of around 300 bones. But an adult has just 206.
- During a person’s lifetime, the small intestine is about 2.5 meters. After they die, the muscles in the walls of their intestine relax, and it’s length increases to 6 meters.
- Your right lung can take in more air than your left.
- An adult person performs around 23,000 inhalations and exhalations a day.
- The smallest cells in a man’s body are sperm cells.
- There are about 40,000 bacteria in the human mouth.
- Each of us has around 2,000 taste buds.
- The human eye can distinguish 10 million different colours.
- The chemical compound in the body which causes feelings of ecstasy (phenylethylamine) is also contained in chocolate.
- The human heart pumps blood at such pressure that it would be able to raise blood up to the fourth floor of a building.
- A person burns more calories when they are asleep than when they watch TV.
- Children grow faster in the spring.
- Every year more than 2 million left-handed people die because of mistakes they make when using machines designed for right-handed people.
- It turns out that one man in every three hundred is capable of satisfying themselves orally.
- A person uses 17 muscles when they smile, and 43 when they frown.
- By the age of 60 most people lose half of their taste buds.
- The rate at which a person’s hair grows doubles during an airplane flight.
- One percent of people can see infra-red light and 1% can see ultra violet radiation.
- If you were locked in a completely sealed room, you would not die due to a lack of air, but from carbon dioxide poisoning.
- Statistically, only one person out of two billion reaches the age of 116 years old.
- On average, a person says 4,800 words in 24 hours.
- The retinas inside the eye cover about 650 square mm and contain 137 million light-sensitive cells: 130 million are for black and white vision and 7 million are for helping you see in colour.
- Our eyes remain the same size as they were at birth, but our nose and ears never stop growing.
- In the morning, a person is about 8 millimetres taller than in the evening.
- The muscles which help your eyes to focus complete around 100,000 movements a day. In order to make your leg muscles do the same amount of movements, you would need to walk 80 kilometres.
- A cough amounts to an explosive charge of air which moves at speeds up to 60 miles per hour.
- According to German researchers, the risk of having heart attack is higher on Monday than on any other day of the week.
- Bones are about 5 times stronger than steel.
- It is impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
- Ingrown toenails are hereditary.
- A person would die quicker from a total lack of sleep than from hunger. Death would occur after ten days without sleep, whereas from hunger it would take several weeks.
- The average life expectancy is 2,475,576,000 seconds. During this time we pronounce, on average, around 123,205,750 words and have sex 4,239 times.
source :brightside.me depositphotos
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Sunday 26 February 2017
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Saturday 25 February 2017
Suffer From Migraines? Here's Exactly What To Eat (And Avoid)
Migraines are far more than just a bad headache. Experts believe migraine headaches are caused by abnormal brain activity, including dilation and constriction of the blood vessels within the brain. An attack can last from several hours to several days and affects a person's ability to function at home and at work. A migraine can generate feelings of nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, throbbing head pain, aura, and visual distortion, causing a person to want to withdraw and seek immediate relief. If you have never experienced a migraine headache, consider yourself lucky, but for those who do, finding a way to manage the pain and lessen the frequency is priority one.
Knowing what triggers your migraine headaches is the best defense in avoiding them. For many, dietary triggers can be a major contributor. Keeping a detailed migraine journal for several weeks listing the foods that you ate before and after migraines occur may sound tedious, but the effort you put in will be well worth it. With some careful recording, a pattern should be detected. Doing this, along with a thorough physical exam to look for possible nutritional deficiencies (migraine sufferers tend to be deficient in magnesium, vitamin B (riboflavin), vitamin D, and CoQ10), and a detailed discussion with your physician or migraine specialist will put you well on your way to regaining the quality of life you have lost. In general, the following food guidelines will benefit most migraine sufferers:
Migraines are far more than just a bad headache. Experts believe migraine headaches are caused by abnormal brain activity, including dilation and constriction of the blood vessels within the brain. An attack can last from several hours to several days and affects a person's ability to function at home and at work. A migraine can generate feelings of nausea, vomiting, sensitivity to light and sound, throbbing head pain, aura, and visual distortion, causing a person to want to withdraw and seek immediate relief. If you have never experienced a migraine headache, consider yourself lucky, but for those who do, finding a way to manage the pain and lessen the frequency is priority one.
Knowing what triggers your migraine headaches is the best defense in avoiding them. For many, dietary triggers can be a major contributor. Keeping a detailed migraine journal for several weeks listing the foods that you ate before and after migraines occur may sound tedious, but the effort you put in will be well worth it. With some careful recording, a pattern should be detected. Doing this, along with a thorough physical exam to look for possible nutritional deficiencies (migraine sufferers tend to be deficient in magnesium, vitamin B (riboflavin), vitamin D, and CoQ10), and a detailed discussion with your physician or migraine specialist will put you well on your way to regaining the quality of life you have lost. In general, the following food guidelines will benefit most migraine sufferers:
Food to Avoid
Alcoholic beverages
Red wine, beer, and whiskey in particular have been cited in numerous studies to be triggers for migraines. Alcohol is the most frequently reported trigger by those suffering with migraines, with most studies finding a prevalence rate between 29 and 36 percent.
Red wine, beer, and whiskey in particular have been cited in numerous studies to be triggers for migraines. Alcohol is the most frequently reported trigger by those suffering with migraines, with most studies finding a prevalence rate between 29 and 36 percent.
Baked goods
Wheat flour, found in most traditional baked goods, contains the protein gluten. If you are sensitive to gluten (approximately 6 percent of the population is) or if you have the autoimmune disorder celiac disease (it is suspected that there are more people with undiagnosed celiac disease than diagnosed), even small amounts of gluten can set off an inflammatory response in your body. While celiac disease can be diagnosed through specialized testing by your physician, there are no specific tests for gluten intolerance. Eliminating all gluten from your diet for at least two weeks and monitoring your symptoms is the only reliable way to make the diagnosis of gluten-sensitivity at this time. Along with intestinal problems, neurological presentations—including migraines—are common to both diseases. If you think gluten may be the cause of your migraine, talk to your physician before you adopt a gluten-free diet for a better understanding of how it will affect your overall health.
Wheat flour, found in most traditional baked goods, contains the protein gluten. If you are sensitive to gluten (approximately 6 percent of the population is) or if you have the autoimmune disorder celiac disease (it is suspected that there are more people with undiagnosed celiac disease than diagnosed), even small amounts of gluten can set off an inflammatory response in your body. While celiac disease can be diagnosed through specialized testing by your physician, there are no specific tests for gluten intolerance. Eliminating all gluten from your diet for at least two weeks and monitoring your symptoms is the only reliable way to make the diagnosis of gluten-sensitivity at this time. Along with intestinal problems, neurological presentations—including migraines—are common to both diseases. If you think gluten may be the cause of your migraine, talk to your physician before you adopt a gluten-free diet for a better understanding of how it will affect your overall health.
Processed meats
In order to maximize the shelf life and flavor of processed meats and fish, such as hot dogs, sausages, bacon, deli meats, and smoked fish, manufacturers add the food preservatives sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. When we consume foods with nitrates and nitrites the result is an increase in nitric oxide, which has been linked to an increase in the occurrence of migraine headaches. Furthermore, a recent and very interesting study found that people whose intestinal microbiome contained a higher level of particular bacteria that facilitates the breakdown of nitrates were more likely to suffer a migraine attack after eating food that contained them.
In order to maximize the shelf life and flavor of processed meats and fish, such as hot dogs, sausages, bacon, deli meats, and smoked fish, manufacturers add the food preservatives sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite. When we consume foods with nitrates and nitrites the result is an increase in nitric oxide, which has been linked to an increase in the occurrence of migraine headaches. Furthermore, a recent and very interesting study found that people whose intestinal microbiome contained a higher level of particular bacteria that facilitates the breakdown of nitrates were more likely to suffer a migraine attack after eating food that contained them.
Aged cheeses
Cheese lovers, beware! Certain aged cheeses, such as blue, Brie, cheddar, provolone, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan all contain tyramine, a naturally occurring substance found in aged and fermented foods that has long been linked to an increase in migraine headaches.
Cheese lovers, beware! Certain aged cheeses, such as blue, Brie, cheddar, provolone, Gorgonzola, and Parmesan all contain tyramine, a naturally occurring substance found in aged and fermented foods that has long been linked to an increase in migraine headaches.
MSG
It's not just in your Chinese food! Monosodium glutamate, which has a long, proven history with causing headaches and migraines, is a flavor enhancer that can be found in food items from marinades and salad dressings to chips, seasonings, even canned tuna! It has so many aliases, going by natural flavoring, hydrolyzed plant protein, komu extract, that unless you are an expert in food labels, it's hard to know if you're eating it or not. The bottom line—if you eat a lot of processed, packaged, or restaurant foods, you're likely eating a good amount of MSG.
It's not just in your Chinese food! Monosodium glutamate, which has a long, proven history with causing headaches and migraines, is a flavor enhancer that can be found in food items from marinades and salad dressings to chips, seasonings, even canned tuna! It has so many aliases, going by natural flavoring, hydrolyzed plant protein, komu extract, that unless you are an expert in food labels, it's hard to know if you're eating it or not. The bottom line—if you eat a lot of processed, packaged, or restaurant foods, you're likely eating a good amount of MSG.
Artificial sweeteners
They are found in beverages, baked goods, candies, and scores of other processed foods, and for many, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are a migraine trigger.
They are found in beverages, baked goods, candies, and scores of other processed foods, and for many, artificial sweeteners such as aspartame are a migraine trigger.
Citrus fruits
It may surprise you to see citrus fruits on this list, but octopamine, a chemical compound found in citrus fruits, can cause migraines for those who are sensitive.
It may surprise you to see citrus fruits on this list, but octopamine, a chemical compound found in citrus fruits, can cause migraines for those who are sensitive.
Foods to Eat
Halibut, mackerel, and salmon
Opt for the fattier fishes at the grocery store to make sure you are getting enough omega-3 fatty acids. Diets high in omega-3s and low in omega-6s have been found to lessen the frequency and occurrence of migraine headaches,
Opt for the fattier fishes at the grocery store to make sure you are getting enough omega-3 fatty acids. Diets high in omega-3s and low in omega-6s have been found to lessen the frequency and occurrence of migraine headaches,
Cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds
Because of their high magnesium content, cashews, almonds, and pumpkins seeds are the nuts to turn to if you suffer from migraines. Aim for 1 ounce per day.
Because of their high magnesium content, cashews, almonds, and pumpkins seeds are the nuts to turn to if you suffer from migraines. Aim for 1 ounce per day.
Steel-cut oatmeal
Drops in blood sugar can be a trigger for many migraine sufferers. To maintain steady blood-sugar levels, eat foods with a low-glycemic index, like steel-cut oatmeal and oat bran.
Drops in blood sugar can be a trigger for many migraine sufferers. To maintain steady blood-sugar levels, eat foods with a low-glycemic index, like steel-cut oatmeal and oat bran.
Spinach
Popeye ate it for energy and iron, but migraine sufferers will appreciate spinach for its high folic acid and vitamin B content. A 2015 study found participants who increased their intake of folic acid experienced an improvement in their migraine symptoms. A review of 11 studies regarding the role of vitamin-B supplementation to treat migraines found it to be an effective treatment for adults, with few side effects. Other dietary sources of vitamin B include mushrooms, asparagus, and eggs.
Incidentally, spinach is also high in magnesium, doubling its migraine-fighting properties. Whether it's steamed, fresh, or sautéed, try adding a spinach dish to the menu once a week!
Popeye ate it for energy and iron, but migraine sufferers will appreciate spinach for its high folic acid and vitamin B content. A 2015 study found participants who increased their intake of folic acid experienced an improvement in their migraine symptoms. A review of 11 studies regarding the role of vitamin-B supplementation to treat migraines found it to be an effective treatment for adults, with few side effects. Other dietary sources of vitamin B include mushrooms, asparagus, and eggs.
Incidentally, spinach is also high in magnesium, doubling its migraine-fighting properties. Whether it's steamed, fresh, or sautéed, try adding a spinach dish to the menu once a week!
Water
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your body in general, and you'll see that it will help with migraines too. Eight glasses of water each day is recommended, but if you consistently miss that mark make sure to snack on foods with high water content, like cucumbers, apples, and pears!
When considering how you can reshape your diet to improve migraine symptoms, the bottom line is eat fresh, not processed, food. The more work that goes into preparing foods for the consumer, the more likely it is that it will have an additive that may be a trigger for you.
Source : mindbodygreen.com
Staying hydrated is one of the most important things you can do for your body in general, and you'll see that it will help with migraines too. Eight glasses of water each day is recommended, but if you consistently miss that mark make sure to snack on foods with high water content, like cucumbers, apples, and pears!
When considering how you can reshape your diet to improve migraine symptoms, the bottom line is eat fresh, not processed, food. The more work that goes into preparing foods for the consumer, the more likely it is that it will have an additive that may be a trigger for you.
Source : mindbodygreen.com
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Benefits of Massage
The health benefits of massage are varied, but can it ease the pain of arthritis? Find out what’s proven to work best, and what you should know about massage for arthritis.
Like many people with arthritis, Connie DeIanni has days when her pain is hard to manage. One tactic she uses to fight her pain, as well as the stress that comes along with it, is a soothing massage.
“I’ve used massage as a therapy, but more for the sore muscles that are compromised due to flares,” says DeIanni, a Farmington, Utah, bank employee and college student who has rheumatoid arthritis. “There’s a calming effect on the tension and stress of the constant pain that is rewarding.”
Massage, whether conducted in a softly lit day spa or a treatment room at a physical therapy clinic, is something many people use to soothe sore joints and muscles, to ease anxiety or to help them sleep better. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health, reports that massage is one of the most popular complementary therapies used by Americans, with close to nine percent of adults using it. Until recently, little was known about why massage seemed to work, but recent research suggests that massage can affect the body’s production of certain hormones linked to blood pressure, anxiety, heart rate and other key vital signs. But is massage safe and effective for people with arthritis?
Massage and Arthritis
Regular massage of muscles and joints, whether by a licensed therapist at a spa or by self-massage at home, can lead to a significant reduction in pain for people with arthritis, according to Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine, who’s conducted a number of studies on the benefits of massage, including on people with arthritis. In Field’s research and other recent studies on the effects of massage for arthritis symptoms, regular use of the simple therapy led to improvements in pain, stiffness, range of motion, hand grip strength and overall function of the joints.
While most research on massage examines its effects on the general population, not specifically people with arthritis, recently more studies are underway to study the effectiveness of massage for people with arthritis. For example, one 2006 study conducted at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey examined 68 adults with knee osteoarthritis receiving two Swedish massages per week for eight weeks, compared to a group who received no massage. The massage group reported significant improvements in knee pain, stiffness, function, range of motion and walking, the researchers found.
Massage also benefits people with painful hand or wrist arthritis, Field concluded in another 2006 study that she conducted with colleagues in Miami. Twenty-two adults, mostly women, diagnosed with hand or wrist arthritis were given four weekly massages from a therapist and taught to massage their sore joints daily at home. Just a 15-minute, moderate pressure massage per day led to reduced pain and anxiety, and increased grip strength for the participants as measured on comparative pre- and post-therapy tests.
Most people who try complementary therapies, including massage, do so to address back and neck pain, according to a 2007 NCCAM report. A number of studies confirm the effectiveness of massage for back and neck pain, including one published in 2011 in the Annals of Internal Medicine that looked at the effectiveness of massage therapy on 401 people with chronic low back pain. The researchers found that massage did reduce their pain, and the benefits lasted at least six months. They also concluded that the type of massage wasn’t that important – different types worked about the same.
In fact, says Field, what matters most is the level of pressure used in the massage – preferably moderate to light. Her 2010 study, published in the International Journal of Neuroscience, showed that stimulating pressure receptors, or nerves under the skin that convey pain-reducing signals to the brain, with moderate pressure leads to reduced symptoms.
“The critical thing is using moderate pressure,” says Field. “Light pressure, just touching the surface of the skin or brushing it superficially, is not getting at those pressure receptors. Light pressure can be stimulating, not relaxing.”
How Does Massage Work?
While some studies show that massage can reduce pain and anxiety for people with arthritis, how exactly does massage make these results happen? Research has shown that massage can lower the body’s production of the stress hormone cortisol, and boost production of serotonin, which, in turn, can improve mood. Additionally, massage can lower production of the neurotransmitter substance P, often linked to pain, and improve sleep as a result.
In 2010, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine and the nearby Cedars-Sinai Medical Center studied 53 healthy adults receiving just one Swedish massage therapy session and found that the participants’ levels of key hormones and white blood cells were positively affected. For example, the hormone arginine-vasopressin, which may lower blood pressure, was decreased, along with some inflammatory cytokines like IL-4 and IL-10. Cortisol levels were reduced by massage in this study as well, although not significantly.
Massage’s mechanism for reducing stress is still unclear, says Christopher Moyer, PhD, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin in Stout, Wis. “We know that massage reduces anxiety quite well and can reduce certain painful conditions rather well. But we don’t know how those things are happening,” says Moyer, a former competitive cyclist who uses massage to ease his own muscle aches.
In his study published in 2010, Moyer and his colleagues determined that massage therapy could slightly reduce levels of cortisol. However, this reduction was so slight that the researchers determined that its effects on cortisol levels was not the reason why massage seemed to reduce anxiety and stress.
“Cortisol is a key stress hormone, but it doesn’t mean that if we know a person’s cortisol level, we know how much stress this person is having,” he says. “Massage must be working in some other way.”
There are many variables involved in how massage may work to ease pain, stiffness and anxiety, says Rosemary Chunco, a licensed massage therapist in Plano, Texas, who treats many patients with arthritis and related diseases. “The actual mechanism that comes into play is still under investigation. For example, a more restful sleep that results from a massage may help with arthritis pain.”
Best Types of Massage for Arthritis
If you’re interested in trying one of the many types of massage as a way to ease your arthritis symptoms, it’s important to consult your rheumatologist or primary-care physician first to ensure that massage is safe for you. Some techniques may involve strong pressure to sensitive tissues and joints, or moving limbs into various positions that may be difficult for someone with damaged joints from a disease like rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis.
Use caution when considering massage if you have:
- Damaged or eroded joints from arthritis
- Flare of inflammation, fever or a skin rash
- Severe osteoporosis (brittle bones)
- High blood pressure
- Varicose veins
“It’s always a good idea to get the thumbs up or down from a doctor if you are having even the slightest worry about using massage for your condition,” says Chunco. “It’s also very important to tell the therapist if you are experiencing pain or if you are uncomfortable with the work that she is doing. A good therapist will want feedback on what you are feeling during the session.”
Be sure to have a conversation with your massage therapist beforehand about your arthritis, and what parts of your body are most affected by the disease, advises Field.
“Therapists should be very cognizant and careful, as they all have a list of contraindications for massage in their brains already,” she says. “They can usually tell if you have an area of inflammation” but it’s wise to discuss it first, she says. In addition, if you have any concerns about the therapist using scented oils or lotions that might cause a rash, speak up – these lubricants are commonly used but are probably not necessary.
Your goals for massage may vary. You may be interested in relieving anxiety and stress caused by dealing with arthritis, or you may be seeking relief for pain and stiffness in a specific area of your body. Talk openly with your massage therapist about your goals for the session so she can adjust the technique accordingly. There is no set way to perform a massage; she should be flexible to your needs.
Most importantly, massage should make your arthritis pain and stiffness feel better, not worse, says Veena Ranganath, MD, a rheumatologist at the University of California, Los Angeles Department of Medicine. “I do tell my patients that if it hurts, don’t do it,” says Dr. Ranganath. Your doctor also can refer you to a massage therapist, which may not only lead you to a qualified professional, but also help you qualify for reimbursement if your insurance policy covers massage treatments.
Massage is not medicine. It’s a complement to your doctor-prescribed arthritis treatment. You should enjoy experiencing a massage, and it should not increase your pain or anxiety. Communication with your doctor and massage therapist beforehand can ensure that massage is right for you and help you achieve beneficial results.
source :arthritis.org
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