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
