Tuesday 2 October 2012

What do you want..Blood?


We are conjuring up a picture, in this phrase, of someone wanting the extreme: something so precious to us, it is inconceivable that we give it. That is, of course exactly what blood is; a precious constant delivery of nutrients and oxygen and removal of waste products- rather like a superior meal-on-wheels and dustbin man at your disposal 24/7. Without it, we perish and the NHS spends a huge amount of money on heart medications and operations as wells stroke prevention and diabetes-all of which can compromise blood supply to tissues.

But what do we do to help ourselves? We may exercise, which the best way to encourage blood flow, but even that can cause problems if our choice of exercise tightens muscles making it difficult for blood to flow freely. Ongoing aching in between  exercise sessions may give a clue that muscles are not recovering well from the micro-trauma which we induce with most forms of exercise and the waste products of lactic acid may be hanging around rather than being excreated.

Effective warm-ups and cool-downs all help to prevent this, as does massage which encourages blood flow and literally feeds your tissues and encourages their good health. There are many types and variations of massage, but a good sports massage ticks most boxes, except perhaps comfort! However, a good therapist can gauge your reaction to treatment and moderate the depth of massage, as you need to feel relatively relaxed- tense muscles will limit the effect of treatment.

Of course any massage will help and especially if tension, eg at work or relationships is a feature, then a relaxing massage will be of benefit by loosening muscles which mean they stop feeding back messages to the brain saying that there is tension and therefore there must be a problem - further causing involuntary tension in the muscles. Breaking this cycle involves dealing with the initial problem, but reducing the effect and simply "giving yourself a break" is important psychologically and for your comfort.

Endophine release, helping us to feel happier and more positive, is a well-documented feature of massage and is much cheaper than a shopping spree also reputed to have the same effect!

So whether you are a sports person, a hard worker at home or at work, or would simply like to feel better, then consider a massage, which humans throughout the ages have recognised as important: In fact in many cultures you may be asked, not "Do you have massage?" But "WHO  does your massage?"

Come on Britain-keep up!
 
Therapies @ About Backs & Bones