Potomac Massage Training Institute
8380 Colesville Road
Suite #600
Silver Spring, MD 20910
More Complementary & Integrative Healthcare Articles
Massage As Preventative Medicine
None of ustake enough breaks. In fact, a lot ofoursense of self and identity are wrapped up in the fact thatwedo too much and never stop.You're probably going to work, you might bestartinga business, running a home for yourself and your family plus youdo all of the things we're all out there doingvolunteering at school, hauling kids to activities, getting to the dentist, the store, the post office,coordinating meals for sick friends and neighborsThe list goes on and on.
Wego and go and go untilwecan't go anymore. And thenwecrash.
You arenot alone. Our culture is built around pushing too far, doing too much and expecting our minds and bodies to serve us without replenishing them.
Did you know that 75-90% of all doctor's visits are for stress-related ailments? Those ailments include symptoms including headaches, digestive problems, blood pressure, chest pain, asthma, arthritis, depression, anxiety and problems sleeping.
And when people are stressed and in pain, they are more hazardous on the job. According towebMD, this costs American industry more than $300 billion annually.
Many people think of massage as a decadent luxury.Most willonly getamassage whentheyfeel they deservea reward.
Itissomethingoften associated with being done,feeling a sense of achievement.You feel like youdeserve a treat.
Massages feel great,we know that. We associate words like relaxation, soothing and calm. But those wonderful feelings are actually chemical exchanges happening in the body that do so much more than feel good in the moment. Massage has been shown to increase endorphins and serotonin,which are the body's natural painkillers and mood regulators. Massage also reduces stress hormone levels, which are wreaking havoc on our bodies as we push and strive. In post-surgical patients, many studies have shown that massage significantly reduced pain and anxiety. And when we reduce pain and anxiety, we reduce drug use (and the risk of dependence), risk in the workplace, and millions of dollars spent on healthcare for stress related ailments.
Rather than waiting for a massage until after you get sick, hurt yourself on the job, reach a peak level of anxiety or plummet into depression, think about getting a massage every week for a while. Each time you pay for that hour of self-care, think of the bills you won't be paying later, the medications you may be able to avoid, and the pain you may be able to prevent or decrease.
Self-care isn't selfish. When each of us take care of ourselves, we are more likely to sustain good health and we are more likely to remain safe and injury free. In practicing good self-care and when taking care of our bodies, we create and enforce a culture of prevention, capability and calm. Want to help society? Book a massage today.
