The annual Ducky Derby is here again! Gather the kids and the pets and wander down to the Washougal River to watch your Duck race. Yes, that's right! If you purchased a Ducky Derby Ticket, your Ducky with your ticket number will be racing on Sunday afternoon, June 24,2011.
And, if you don't have that ticket... There is still time. I've currently got tickets at my office and you will also be able to purchase ticket at Camas Days.
Monday, July 18, 2011
Friday, July 8, 2011
The Other Side of Massage
Sometimes it good to repost old articles and this is one of those times!
In our Western civilization, we focus much of our health attention on the physical side of life, but the human experience is a package deal. Often referred to in alternative health circles as body, mind and spirit, our lives are a composite, with each part of the equation affecting the whole.
In this issue, let’s examine the other side of the picture that’s so often overlooked—the emotional benefits of massage therapy.
As stated earlier, when a problem arises in our lives, we usually focus on the physical aspects. There’s no doubt that if you are ill or in pain, your mental and emotional outlook suffers as well. It’s hard to focus on your goals and enjoy life when you don’t feel your best. In order to handle these situations (hopefully before they grow beyond minor difficulties), you should strive to keep all sides of your life—your body, mind and spirit—functioning at their best.
Regular massage is an ideal vehicle to keep you on the road to good health. It can affect positively so many aspects of your life in such a short time. Consider how it can affect the emotional/mental side of life both directly and indirectly. Since a physical complaint can affect you mentally as well, you can expect to enjoy some mental relief when massage relaxes tense muscles or calms you.
On the other side of the equation, how often do your worries and concerns actually create the physical tension that is experienced as a nervous stomach or felt in your back or shoulders?
Underlying these physical/mental connections that we experience as tension, headaches, sensations of gloom, etc., is an interesting phenomenon that affects us all. To function every day with the many sensations that are in the environment, you tend to tune out some stimuli and focus on other stimuli. For example, when you absorb yourself in a book, you can tune out conversations and other distractions around you. If you were unable to tune out some of the stimuli, you would be overwhelmed continually and find it nearly impossible to accomplish anything.
On the flip side of this coin are the stimuli that you choose to regard as so important that they can monopolize your attention. These are things that are often considered as threatening to your survival. For instance, rats can learn to ignore a flashing red light in their cages. But when a shock is administered shortly after the light is turned on and is repeated a few times, the rats will pay close attention to the light as it apparently threatens their survival. As time goes on, they will begin to experience the same anxiety when seeing the light without experiencing the shock.
Much of the chronic mental stress we experience can be created and maintained like the rats’ light in the cage. A bad experience catches your attention, and you focus on it expecting the danger to repeat itself.
These two mechanisms are both useful to our survival—up to a point. You can learn to tune out a stimulus that you should be paying attention to, or you can focus on a situation (like the rats’) that creates mental stress
unnecessarily.
When you are receiving regular massage, you are incorporating a new set of stimuli that can alter these inappropriate tendencies and create new responses that are more fitting. Massage can reawaken those areas that have been out of commission and can quiet those overly sensitized areas by providing pleasant sensations that can abate the fear of the expected pain.
These mechanisms are operating continually, affecting greatly how we function. From the above information, you can see how this can contribute to your mental/emotional state, as well as your physical well-being.
So, the next time you reach the end of your massage feeling mentally cleansed and refreshed, you’ll know the reason why! It’s another great reason to make sure your regular massage sessions remain a priority in your life. Take good care of yourself; see you soon!
Reference: Job’s Body by Deane Juhan
In our Western civilization, we focus much of our health attention on the physical side of life, but the human experience is a package deal. Often referred to in alternative health circles as body, mind and spirit, our lives are a composite, with each part of the equation affecting the whole.
In this issue, let’s examine the other side of the picture that’s so often overlooked—the emotional benefits of massage therapy.
As stated earlier, when a problem arises in our lives, we usually focus on the physical aspects. There’s no doubt that if you are ill or in pain, your mental and emotional outlook suffers as well. It’s hard to focus on your goals and enjoy life when you don’t feel your best. In order to handle these situations (hopefully before they grow beyond minor difficulties), you should strive to keep all sides of your life—your body, mind and spirit—functioning at their best.
Regular massage is an ideal vehicle to keep you on the road to good health. It can affect positively so many aspects of your life in such a short time. Consider how it can affect the emotional/mental side of life both directly and indirectly. Since a physical complaint can affect you mentally as well, you can expect to enjoy some mental relief when massage relaxes tense muscles or calms you.
On the other side of the equation, how often do your worries and concerns actually create the physical tension that is experienced as a nervous stomach or felt in your back or shoulders?
Underlying these physical/mental connections that we experience as tension, headaches, sensations of gloom, etc., is an interesting phenomenon that affects us all. To function every day with the many sensations that are in the environment, you tend to tune out some stimuli and focus on other stimuli. For example, when you absorb yourself in a book, you can tune out conversations and other distractions around you. If you were unable to tune out some of the stimuli, you would be overwhelmed continually and find it nearly impossible to accomplish anything.
On the flip side of this coin are the stimuli that you choose to regard as so important that they can monopolize your attention. These are things that are often considered as threatening to your survival. For instance, rats can learn to ignore a flashing red light in their cages. But when a shock is administered shortly after the light is turned on and is repeated a few times, the rats will pay close attention to the light as it apparently threatens their survival. As time goes on, they will begin to experience the same anxiety when seeing the light without experiencing the shock.
Much of the chronic mental stress we experience can be created and maintained like the rats’ light in the cage. A bad experience catches your attention, and you focus on it expecting the danger to repeat itself.
These two mechanisms are both useful to our survival—up to a point. You can learn to tune out a stimulus that you should be paying attention to, or you can focus on a situation (like the rats’) that creates mental stress
unnecessarily.
When you are receiving regular massage, you are incorporating a new set of stimuli that can alter these inappropriate tendencies and create new responses that are more fitting. Massage can reawaken those areas that have been out of commission and can quiet those overly sensitized areas by providing pleasant sensations that can abate the fear of the expected pain.
These mechanisms are operating continually, affecting greatly how we function. From the above information, you can see how this can contribute to your mental/emotional state, as well as your physical well-being.
So, the next time you reach the end of your massage feeling mentally cleansed and refreshed, you’ll know the reason why! It’s another great reason to make sure your regular massage sessions remain a priority in your life. Take good care of yourself; see you soon!
Reference: Job’s Body by Deane Juhan
Enhance the Quality of Your Life
In today’s world, we are inundated with choices. Although many of us set out on a quest for the “good life,” we often find ourselves committed to activities that do little to reward us with the real prize we are seeking. If asked to list the most important elements in life, would you agree that feeling your best and having meaningful relationships would be among your highest priorities?
One of the major challenges we all face is reducing stress, a major cause of health problems and mental anguish. Stress is such an insidious problem. It can sneak into your life and quietly settle in, actually throwing your body’s entire system out of balance. Most of disease is precipitated by stress, so reducing stress is vital to your future health. (See the back page for hints to lessen stress.)
Of the many actions you can take to improve the quality of your life, making sure you get regular massage sessions is one of the most important. To give you an idea of how much massage can help you, look at just one basic benefit bodywork offers you. Your overall health depends on the proper movement of fluids throughout your body. The circulation of blood, lymph, even the fluids that fill all the spaces in between the cells—these are the activities that assist in maintaining a healthy body. This movement of fluids is the lifeline to the tissues throughout your body, providing life-giving nourishment to every cell. Massage contributes to these flows and subsequently can help your body to function more optimally.
When you take on a project, you want to have proper tools for the job. In the “job” of life, having a healthy mind and body and a positive outlook can put the odds in your favor with every task you face.
Each year, new studies document that massage is an effective means of bettering your health in many ways, as well as bringing your body into a better state of balance and harmony.
Whatever your goals in life, you’ll be better equipped to succeed when you are physically, emotionally and mentally at your best. When you are operating at your peak, you can handle anything life throws your way much more effectively. Massage can help you stay at the top of your game, so put regular sessions at the top of your list!
One of the major challenges we all face is reducing stress, a major cause of health problems and mental anguish. Stress is such an insidious problem. It can sneak into your life and quietly settle in, actually throwing your body’s entire system out of balance. Most of disease is precipitated by stress, so reducing stress is vital to your future health. (See the back page for hints to lessen stress.)
Of the many actions you can take to improve the quality of your life, making sure you get regular massage sessions is one of the most important. To give you an idea of how much massage can help you, look at just one basic benefit bodywork offers you. Your overall health depends on the proper movement of fluids throughout your body. The circulation of blood, lymph, even the fluids that fill all the spaces in between the cells—these are the activities that assist in maintaining a healthy body. This movement of fluids is the lifeline to the tissues throughout your body, providing life-giving nourishment to every cell. Massage contributes to these flows and subsequently can help your body to function more optimally.
When you take on a project, you want to have proper tools for the job. In the “job” of life, having a healthy mind and body and a positive outlook can put the odds in your favor with every task you face.
Each year, new studies document that massage is an effective means of bettering your health in many ways, as well as bringing your body into a better state of balance and harmony.
Whatever your goals in life, you’ll be better equipped to succeed when you are physically, emotionally and mentally at your best. When you are operating at your peak, you can handle anything life throws your way much more effectively. Massage can help you stay at the top of your game, so put regular sessions at the top of your list!
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